Market-Value-Adjusted Annuities

Remember the sage advice to never put all your eggs in one basket? Market-value-adjusted annuities follow that rule to a tee.

   You can spread your money out over several “guarantee periods” that have different interest rates.

The Details

Here’s how it works. You can divide your money into several chunks within one annuity. Each portion has its own interest rate that moves up or down based on how your investments do. That way, you can draw your payments from whichever portion has the lowest rate at that time—leaving the rest of your money to grow at the higher rates.

Why They're a Good Idea

Annuities are a long-term investment. The idea is to receive payments over the course of many years. The economy will be growing in some of those years, but slumping in others. Those low times are a natural part of the economic cycle, but they can last for years.

Market-value-adjusted annuities help you by making your investment more diverse. At any given time, some parts of your annuity could be getting a higher interest rate than other parts. If you take your payment from the part earning less interest, that will leave your other money to keep growing at a faster rate.

Because each part has a separate “guarantee period,” you’re more protected from the market’s inevitable ups and downs.

Common Questions

What is the “guarantee period”?
When you get an annuity, you’ll choose how long the minimum interest rate is guaranteed for. That period of time is called the “guarantee period.” After the guarantee period is done, you’ll have a “renewal rate.” Renewal rates work differently for different products, so talk with your financial professional to make sure you understand what your renewal rate will be.

 

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