Description: The article discusses a recent IRS private letter ruling granting IRC section 72(b) exclusion ratio treatment for amounts received from an innovative payout option.under a deferred variable annuity.

Description: This article outlines the IRS directive published in July 2014, which provides a safe harbor treatment for variable annuity hedging gains and losses relating to VA contracts issued before Dec. 31, 2009.

Description: The IRS believes that any segregated asset account comprised of a pool of individual securities will run afoul of the investor control doctrine. This article articulates that such a conclusion would be deeply flawed based on the administrative, congressional, and judicial precedents involving the investor control doctrine.

Description: This article discusses a new procedure for correcting inadvertent failures to satisfy the diversification requirements applicable to variable annuity and life insurance contracts under section 817h of the Internal Revenue Code.

Description: The article summarizes several recent private letter rulings from the IRS addressing the "investor control" doctrine in the context of funds of funds.

Description: A discussion of how the tax law changes of 2003 might affect the attractiveness of variable annuity business relative to mutual funds and direct investments in dividend paying equities.