Indexed Annuity

A special class of annuities that yields returns on your contributions based on a specified equity-based index. These annuities can be purchased from an insurance company, and similar to other types of annuities, the terms and conditions associated with payouts will depend on what is stated in the original annuity contract.

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Insurance companies commonly offer a provision of a guaranteed minimum return with indexed annuities, so even if the stock index does poorly, the annuitant will have some of his downside risk of loss limited. However, it also is common for an annuitant's yields to be somewhat lower than expected due to the combination of caps on the maximum amount of interest earned and fee-related deductions.

For example, suppose an indexed annuity is based on the S&P 500, which earns 10% one year. The terms of an indexed annuity state that fees will be 2.5% and that the maximum cap on returns is 9%. In this case, the annuitant would only receive a total of 6.5% (9% - 2.5%) return from his or her annuity.

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An Annuity whose interest earnings during the Accumulation Period are linked to rises in a stock index. Such contracts have a minimum annual return that guarantees principal, so they can offer upside potential and downside protection. They sometimes come with a Cap and usually have early withdrawal penalties.

Modifications of the Single Premium Deffered Annuity, which usually guarantees at a minimum a return of a stipulated amount (usually at least 90% of the single premium accumulated at the annual rate of 3 or 4%). Additional interest can be earned that is linked to an increasing specified stock index. Thus, this insurance product guarantees the principal of the investment (single premium), while at the same time providing the opportunity for increasing values tied to the equities market. Under the Standard Nonforfeiture Law, there must be guaranteed at the minimum 90% of the single premium accumulated at a rate of at least 3% interest per year. The index most often used as a link to this product is the S&P 500. Should the equity index increase, the invested single premium could be credited with a percentage of that increase, typically ranging from 50 to 100% of that increase. These contracts have terms ranging from one to fifteen years and at the end of the term, the owner/Annuitant can start a new term or transfer the Cash Value to another product. Should the contract be terminated before the end of a term, frequently the owner/annuitant forfeits all index gains and will receive only the minimum return guaranteed.