I used to run a reasonably large options hedging program for a large writer
of Equity Indexed Annuities [EIAs].
Equity indexed annuities are a BIG business and there are hundreds of companies offering thousands of different types
of equity indexed annuities.
Not exact matches
Within deferred
annuities, there are a number
of subsets including fixed,
equity indexed and variable.
Sadly, many
of the agents selling the vehicles (especially
equity indexed annuities) don't even know exactly how they work.
American
Equity Investment Life Holding Co., a top seller
of fixed
indexed annuities (FIAs), broadened the appeal
of a core product line with the announcement
of a new guaranteed lifetime income - focused fixed
indexed annuity (FIA) with fee options.
Prior to that, he served as head
of quantitative
equity for ING Investment Management, (doing business as Voya Investment Management May 1, 2014), building and developing the group and managing more than $ 20 billion in assets with 15 global active,
index and enhanced
index strategies for pension funds, variable
annuities and mutual funds.
Despite a drop in fixed
indexed annuity sales last year, the president
of American
Equity Investment Life Insurance Co. said Friday the company has no intention
of steering sales away from the independent agent channel.
Jane — As a former RIA I decided to move ALL my clients out
of the rigged stock market in March
of 2000 and into
Equity Indexed annuities for the sole purpose
of protecting their investments.
FINRA, the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, has posted an Investor Alert about the complexities and risks
of equity -
indexed annuities, which any potential buyer ought to read.
See http://janebryantquinn.com/2010/09/have-an-annuity-with-lifetime-income-guarantees-dont-give-it-up/ I have written negatively about
equity -
indexed annuities (which the industry likes to call «fixed
annuities,» even though they aren't fixed), due to lack
of disclosure, hidden fees and, yes, abusive sales, as several lawsuits by attorneys general can attest.
That's how the
equity -
indexed annuity — a costly product with a woeful past — slipped out
of the hands
of a potentially strong regulator and into the cushioned lap
of a weak one.
The first, insurance salesmen, wanted us to use just about all
of our money to buy
equity index annuities.
Because
of these differences, it's impossible to compare the various
equity -
indexed annuities on the market, to find one with a lower cost.
The sad part about the current state
of affairs concerning fixed -
index annuities (aka:
indexed annuities, hybrids,
equity -
indexed annuities) is that the product can be a very effective alternative to a CD.
One disadvantage
of equity -
indexed annuities is high surrender charges.
Although there are many different variations, the basic idea is the same:
Equity - indexed annuities typically promise some guaranteed rate of return, much like a fixed annuity, but they also offer participation in equity market re
Equity -
indexed annuities typically promise some guaranteed rate
of return, much like a fixed
annuity, but they also offer participation in
equity market re
equity market returns.
Additionally, when stocks were going up, critics bemoaned that owners
of equity -
indexed annuities would receive only a fraction
of the stock market's gains.
There are a number
of factors one should evaluate before investing in an
equity indexed annuity (including but not limited to: rates,
indexes, crediting strategies, surrender charges, surrender fees, riders, etc.).
An
Equity Indexed annuity is a Fixed
Annuity where the rate
of interest is typically set to an
index like the S&P 500 Index (but there are many more in today's mar
index like the S&P 500
Index (but there are many more in today's mar
Index (but there are many more in today's market).
An
equity indexed annuity is a brilliant invention by insurance companies to make a ton
of money under the guise
of safety and security.
Under a typical scenario, an
equity -
indexed annuity will offer a minimum return that amounts to 90 %
of the premium paid at a 3 % interest rate.
Still, there are a couple
of persistent issues with
equity -
indexed annuities.
An
equity indexed annuity is an insurance product offered by insurance companies that, for exchange
of your money, will link the performance
of your
annuity to some type
of underlying market
index like the S&P 500, Dow Jones, Gold, etc..
There are four kinds
of annuities — immediate, fixed, variable and
equity indexed.
There are several types
of annuities: fixed, variable, immediate, deferred,
indexed and
equity linked.
«
Equity index annuity» and «fixed
indexed annuity» are used almost interchangeably to refer to the same type
of contract.
Accordingly, the results above are not indicative
of how all
equity -
indexed annuities performed during the same time period.
The two examples above only represent a very small percentage
of the many methods used to credit interest in an
equity -
indexed annuity.
Within the genre
of indexed annuities, an interest
indexed annuity would perhaps be more conservative than an
equity indexed annuity with the comparison being the former tying the return to the bond
index verses the S&P 500.
Taking $ 100,000 out
of Balanced
Index Fund and putting it in an
annuity would reduce your
equity investment down to only 21.4 percent
of your portfolio.
They know
of no Canadian insurance company that offers a true deferred income
annuity (DIA or ALDA), not do they offer a variable income
annuity or
equity -
indexed annuities with living benefits: all available in the US.
Another form
of annuities that offer guarantees are fixed
index annuities (FIA's and also referred to as
equity indexed annuities).
American
Equity Investment Life Holding Company is engaged in the development and sale
of index and fixed rate
annuity products.
Albert Einstein The majority
of people who purchase
equity -
indexed annuities have no idea they could accomplish their goals in a much cheaper, simpler way.
Equity -
indexed annuities are sold with the promise
of nirvana for investors; i.e., some or all
of «market returns» without the...
Have you heard
of this investment product called an
index annuity (also called an
equity indexed annuity)?
The performance
of indexed annuities, also referred to as
equity -
indexed or fixed -
indexed annuities, is tied to an
index (for example, the Standard & Poor's 500 *).
: An Insurance Puzzle,» Geneva Papers on Risk and Insurance Theory, June 2003; Michael Braun and Alexander Muermann, «The Impact
of Regret on the Demand for Insurance,» Journal
of Risk and Insurance, December 2004; Peng Chen, Roger G. Ibbotson, Moshe A. Milevsky and Kevin X. Zhu, «Human Capital, Asset Allocation, and Life Insurance,» Financial Analysts Journal, January / February 2006; and Craig McCann and Dengpan Luo, «An Overview
of Equity -
Indexed Annuities,» Securities Litigation & Consulting Group, February 2006.
Immediate
annuities, inflation - adjusted immediate
annuities, variable
annuities, variable
annuities with guaranteed income riders, deferred
annuities that function as a form
of longevity insurance,
annuities with long - term care riders, fixed
annuities,
equity index annuities,
equity indexed annuities with guaranteed income riders...
The death benefit on most
equity -
indexed annuities is equal to the full contract value, i.e. premium plus accrued gains compounded annually minus any prior withdrawals, calculated as
of the date
of death, or in some cases, as
of the last contract anniversary.
While once upon a time there were few reasons to purchase a deferred
annuity besides the preferential tax - deferral treatment, since the early 2000s
annuities has been increasingly popular for their guaranteed living benefit riders, along with enhanced death benefit, unique investment features (in the case
of certain
equity -
indexed annuities), or outright superior fixed income yields (with some fixed
annuities).