Description: Identifies some key pitfalls in developing equity-indexed products and suggests some steps insurers can take to avoid unpleasant financial surprises.

Description: Discussion of how the weak equity environment has led to a growth in the sale of fixed annuities and fixed account allocations within variable annuities. Includes a description of typical product design features and changes in the nonforfeiture laws to accomodate the low interest rate environment.

Description: Author suggests the newly popular Equity-Indexed Annuity product can be transformed into Equity-Indexed Immediate Annuity to serve additional retirement needs.

Description: Recent studies have shown that most Americans are not taking the steps needed to provide for a comfortable retirement. By saving too little and waiting too long to become serious about investing, many baby boomers will need investments with relatively high rates of return to achieve their retirement goals. Historically, such returns have come only from equity based vehicles. This article discusses how Equity-indexed products [EIPs] are well positioned to help address the savings problem.

Description: In this article, a numerical comparison of two commonly used FIA valuation methodologies is conducted to help insurers decide on the best methodology to use under GAAP LDTI and VM-22. We compared two modeling approaches to project the future index credits with the annual point-to-point crediting formula: Tthe stochastic equity crediting model and the deterministic option budget crediting model. The analysis is then extended to different levels of option budgets and the monthly average crediting formula. The advantages and disadvantages of the two equity return projecting approaches are also highlighted and will be discussed later in the report.

Description: An overview of guaranteed lifetime withdrawal benefits (GLWB) on registered index-linkedannuity (RILA) products and a stochastic analysis of market risks.

Description: This article discusses how small insurance companies can get into the complex equity indexed market by using alliances wherein there is one primary company and one or more secondary companies. The primary company would perform all of the functions for itself and some of the functions for the secondary companies. The companies pool assets to reach critical mass.

Description: The article focuses on GAAP accounting for indexed products with riders; specifically, how rider charges should be addressed in FAS 133 reserves, estimated gross profits for FAS 97, and company financial statements.

Description: The article considers how actuaries have responded to long term changes in the past and considers how to deal with two changes ion the future: pension provision when bond yields are low and long term care.

Description: The article explores impact of resetting cap vs static cap choice for the GLWB rider for a Fixed Index Annuity for a Point to Point. Moreover, analysis of a Monthly Sum Cap is provided showing impacts of particular choices of market models (e.g. Black, Heston, Bates) used to price this deal.