Beacon Research recently reported that fixed indexed annuity sales hit a record $14.4 billion in the third quarter of 2015, up 14.5 percent versus the previous quarter. While this is still well below the $32 billion in variable annuity sales that Morningstar reported for the same quarter, the industry is taking note that indexed annuity sales continue to grow, while variable annuity sales drift downward.
Morningstar calculates that variable annuity sales dropped 10 percent quarter over quarter. The increased sales in indexed annuities is partly due to more consumer-friendly product designs that have made the product more acceptable to broker-dealers and banks, and partly due to demographic trends that are making the product more appealing to baby boomers, who continue to put increasing value in the return of their money versus the return on their money.
Generally, when a financial product of any kind experiences significant growth, it is not uncommon for the product to be misunderstood or incorrectly positioned. In hopes of keeping that from happening, I have outlined my Do’s and Don’ts when recommending indexed annuities as a potential solution for your clients. While each investor’s financial situation is different, below are some general guidelines you can consider when discussing these products.
1. Don’t suggest that an indexed annuity is an alternative to equity investments. Do suggest that the product is designed as a potential alternative to investments designed to protect capital.
If your client maintains a 60/40 equity/fixed income portfolio, the indexed annuity fits into the 40 percent fixed income portion. It does not belong in the 60 percent equity portion and should NEVER be described as if it gives the client the upside (or even most of the upside) of the equity markets without the downside.
Ultimately, an indexed annuity is a fixed annuity with an uncertain rate of interest each year. In exchange for giving up a guaranteed return, the client should get, on average, 1 percent to 2 percent more per year over the long run. While the ultimate interest rate, if any, may be determined by an equity index such as the S&P 500, that does not mean the annuity is designed to provide equity type returns.
2. Don’t ever compare historical (or hypothetical) indexed annuity returns to historical returns on the S&P 500. Do compare historical returns to historical returns on CDs and traditional fixed annuities.
This one is really more No. 1a than No. 2, but I thought it was important enough to highlight separately. Given the poor equity performance of the previous decade, it would not be difficult to find a time period where indexed annuities would have returned more than the S&P 500.
However, any such comparison automatically causes the client to view an indexed annuity as an equity alternative. Sure, such a comparison will make it easier to sell an indexed annuity, but do you really want to create that expectation in the client’s mind?
3. If you are recommending an indexed annuity with a living benefit, don’t overstate the potential income from that benefit. Do make sure the client understands that the income guarantees on the date of issue are the most the client will receive.
On the day the indexed annuity with a living benefit is issued, if the client can tell you when she wants to start the income, you can tell her exactly how much she will receive each year for life. That certainty is one of the attractive features of the product.
Think of it as a deferred income annuity with more liquidity. Technically, most product designs say that if the account value ever exceeds the income benefit base, the client will get a “step-up” and the income will increase.