Can An Equity-Index Annuity Guarantee What You Want?

Fixed annuities guarantee your income based on current interest rates. Facing a long retirement horizon, you may want to consider relying a little on the markets to enhance your annuity income. An equity-index annuity offers that chance, but you must understand how it works. Equity-index annuities  combine features of traditional insurance products (guaranteed minimum return) and traditional securities (where the return is linked to equity markets). Depending on the mix of features, an equity-index annuity may or may not be a security. In fact, the typical equity-index annuity is not registered with the SEC (but may be in the near future and become classified as a security). Here’s how they work: During the accumulation period – when you make either a lump sum payment or a series of payments – your insurance company credits you with a return based on changes in an equity index. The S&P 500 is a typical index although some equity index annuities may be based on indexes such as EAFE, he NASDAQ 100 or the Wilshire 5000. The insurance company typically guarantees a minimum return of 90% of the premium plus a minimum interest rate. With an equity index annuity,  surrender charges can last for [...]

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