Unit 15: Insurance-Based Products Flashcards
What is an annuity?
generally a contract between an individual and a life insurance company, usually purchased for retirement income
What are the two major types of annuity contracts?
fixed and variable
Fixed Annuities
guarantees a fixed rate of return. Payout is determined by the account’s value and the annuitant’s life expectancy
Is a fixed annuity an insurance product or a security?
Because the insurance company guarantees the return and the annuitant bears no risk, a fixed annuity is an insurance product. Therefor, a salesperson must have a life insurance license to sell fixed annuities but does not need to be securities licensed
What is the risk involved with fixed annuity?
Loss of purchasing power due to inflation
Money deposited in a variable annuity is
directed into one or more subaccounts of the company’s separate account. Purchase payments are frequently invested in a stock portfolio, which has a better chance of keeping pace with inflation than fixed-income investments
What is a separate account?
the contributions that investors make to a variable annuity are kept separate from the insurance company’s general fund
Is a variable annuity an insurance product or a security?
Because the investors bear the risk, a variable annuity is considered to be a security. Therefore, a salesperson must have both a securities license and an insurance license.
A variable annuity offers an investor the opportunity to have
tax-deferred participation in the equity markets, albeit with expenses that are generally higher than for a mutual fund with a similar objective.
Indexed annuities are currently popular among
investors seeking market participation but with a guarantee against loss. If, over the life of the annuity, the index does poorly, the annuitant may receive the IA’s minimum guaranteed return - typically 1 - 3%. However, there are also cap rates.
Participation rate of 80%; cap rate of 8%; and a minimum guarantee of 2%
The purchaser can be offered the following choices as to how growth in the underlying index will credited in the form of interest to the account:
Annual reset, high-water mark, point-to-point, averaging
Annual reset
interest to be credited to the account is computed by comparing the index value at the end of the year to the value at the beginning of year (lower participation rate)
high-water mark
the highest value reached by the index between anniversary dates of the annuity is compared to the value at the beginning of the year (can provide highest gains)
Point-to-point
the interest is computed based on the value of the index at the end of the contract compared to the beginning.
averaging
monthly average and can be the best option when markets are expected to be highly volatile (most common)
Deferred Annuity
purchased with a single lump-sum; referred to as a single-premium deferred annuity
Periodic Payment Deferred Annuity
contract holder can invest money on a monthly, quarterly, or annual basis
Immediate Annuity
the investor deposits a single lump sum and the payouts begin almost immediately, usually within 60 days
Accumulation Stage
the pay-in period for a deferred annuity
Contract holder can terminate the contract at any time during the accumulation stage (although surrender charged likely exist)
Accumulation Units
accounting measure that represents an investor’s share of ownership in the separate account
Bonus Annuities
bonus on top of the investor’s initial contribution
Investing $60,000 into a single-premium annuity with a 5% bonus would result in an initial account balance of $63,000
Usually have surrender charges lasting longer than those without the bonus
Annuity stage
payout period, happens when the owner annuitizes
Annuity Payout Options (Settlement Option)
- Let the money accumulate
- Withdraw a lump-sum
- Withdraw periodically by annuitizing the contract
Life Annuity/Straight Life/Pure Life
Annuitant receives periodic payouts until death, highest monthly payment
Life Annuity with Period Certain
- Payments for life with a certain minimum period guaranteed
- If annuitant dies before the period certain expires, payments continue to the named beneficiaries. Payments to the beneficiary are taxed in the same way. However, there is no 10% penalty.
- If annuitant lives beyond the period certain, payments continue until the annuitant’s death