Understanding IUL
- 1. Understanding Indexed Universal Life We are building insurance around you.SM 14888 8/11
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- 3. You may be surprised about what indexed universal life insurance can help you do. It can help you... • provide financial security for your family. • build financial security for your business. • supplement your retirement income – tax free! • pay off credit cards, car payments, student loans, or other debts. • cover mortgage payments. • send your kids to college. • address emergencies if and when they arise. Yeah. It can do that! Products issued by Aviva Life and Annuity Company. 2
- 4. What is indexed universal life insurance (IUL)? There are two basic kinds of life insurance: term and permanent. Let’s take a look at the question “What is IUL?” within the context of these two types of life insurance. 3
- 5. A term life insurance policy provides A permanent life insurance policy a death benefit for a specified period of provides a death benefit AND has a cash time, such as one, ten, or twenty years. accumulation value. Term life insurance does not have a cash The cash accumulation value is available to the policy accumulation value. Rather, it serves the sole owner through withdrawals or loans. purpose of providing a death benefit to beneficiaries in the event of the death of the insured. One type of permanent life insurance1 is univeral life insurance. There are three basic types of universal life insurance: traditional universal life, indexed universal life, and variable universal life. Interest is calculated and credited to each type of policy in a different way. Type 1: Type 2: Type 3: Traditional Indexed universal Variable universal universal life life insurance life insurance insurance (UL) (IUL) (VUL) • ith universal life insurance, W • ith indexed universal life W • ith variable universal W a fixed rate of interest is insurance, you have a choice life insurance, the cash credited to the policy on a of fixed rate strategies value is usually invested in periodic basis as declared and/or indexed strategies subaccounts that are linked by the issuing insurance that are based on the directly to the stock market. company. upward movement of • he value of a variable T a stock market index or universal life policy is indices. susceptible to the ups and • he cash value of an IUL T downs of the market. policy is not invested directly • hile there is the potential W in the stock market. for significant gains, • any people do not want to M premiums are more risk their cash accumulation susceptible to losses that value to market fluctuations. can have a negative impact IUL gives you the opportunity on the life insurance policy’s to participate in index death benefit and/or cash increases. It also provides value. protection from decreases with a minimum guaranteed interest rate. 1 W hole life insurance is another type of permanent life insurance. The scope of this guide does not discuss the advantages and disadvantages of whole life insurance. 4
- 6. Which type of universal life insurance is right for you? Appetite for risk is shifting toward products that include both protection and guarantees. Indexed universal life insurance meets these needs. Lowest Risk Highest Risk Traditional INDEXED Variable universal Variable universal life UNIVERSAL LIFE life with some universal guarantees life 5
- 7. When can indexed universal life be a good choice for you? An indexed universal life insurance policy provides you with a greater potential for interest and a When you purchase an safeguard against market downturns. That’s IUL policy, you can decide because indexed universal life products credit interest based on the upward movement of a within policy guidelines: stock market index, subject to a limit called a cap rate. • he amount of insurance that’s right T Plus there is a minimum interest rate guarantee for you. of 2 percent on the account value. This means that when your policy is surrendered, or when • The amount of premium(s). cash value segments mature, its performance is • he timing or frequency of planned T evaluated. If your policy has not earned at least premiums (monthly, quarterly, annually). 2 percent compound interest per year, it will be credited retrospectively with a 2 percent minimum • hether you want the death benefit to W guaranteed interest rate. remain level or to increase over time. Over time, and particularly during periods of low fixed interest rates, an IUL policy has the potential for greater interest crediting than a traditional universal life insurance policy. This can give you the potential for more cash value, more supplemental retirement income, or lower total premiums if you decide to discontinue premiums and use the policy’s cash value to support the policy’s internal expenses. 6
- 8. What are your interest-crediting choices? With indexed universal life insurance, you decide how your policy earns interest by selecting one fixed strategy, one indexed strategy, or a combination of these strategies. A fixed strategy uses a fixed rate of interest An indexed strategy uses a formula that that’s declared by Aviva for a certain amount of calculates interest based on the movement of a time. Aviva IUL policies offer you a choice of two stock market index or indices. There are up to five fixed-term strategies. Premiums remain in this interest-crediting methods, or strategies, from which strategy until the end of the one-year or five-year you can choose. While indexed products credit term, at which time the segment matures and the interest based on the upward movement of an allocation process begins again. index, these products are not securities. Your money is never invested directly in the stock market. Let’s take a closer look at indexed strategies. What is an index? An index is a statistical composite that measures changes in the financial markets. What are the indices used in Aviva IUL policies? The majority of the interest-crediting strategies use the SP 500© Index as the basis for interest crediting. However, three different indices are available and vary by strategy. Standard Poor’s 500© Composite Stock Price Index2 This index is often regarded as the standard for broad stock market performance. It is used to measure the average stock price changes of the 500 most widely held companies representing over 100 specific industry groups. The SP 500© represents approximately 70 percent of the total domestic U.S. equity market’s capitalization. NASDAQ-100 Index2 This index represents 100 of the largest domestic and international non-financial companies listed on The NASDAQ Stock Market based on market capitalization. It reflects companies across major industry groups, including computer hardware and software, telecommunications, retail/wholesale trade, and biotechnology. Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA)2 This index is probably the best-known and most widely followed index in the world. It consists of 30 of the largest publicly traded firms in the U.S., including retailers, oil, technology, pharmaceutical, and entertainment companies. The DJIA accounts for approximately 29 percent of the investable U.S. market, as measured by the Dow Jones. 2 S ee the back cover of this booklet for complete disclosure information regarding the indices. 7
- 9. How is interest calculated Basic Interest Strategy The section of your policy that will hold net premium payments to fund and credited? approximately one year of policy charges and the cost of insurance before premiums are directed into other interest-crediting strategies. When you apply for your policy, you choose from the available interest-crediting strategies. Segment A segment is created each time excess Then your premiums are allocated in the dollars are directed into a fixed-term or indexed strategy. Each segment has its following manner: own participation rate and cap rate. Segment term Step 1 A segment term is a one, five, or six- year period of time that begins when When you pay your Indexed Universal Life insurance a segment is created. The segment premiums, Aviva puts your net premium1 payments term varies by strategy. Funds cannot be redirected to another strategy until into your account value and temporarily allocates your the segment matures at the end of the premiums to the Basic Interest Strategy. segment term. Interest-crediting period This is an amount of time that’s Step 2 measured from the segment creation date and every segment anniversary Aviva calculates the amount to fund approximately one thereafter throughout the segment term. year of policy charges and cost of insurance. These funds remain allocated to the Basic Interest Strategy Policy charges and cost of insurance until they are needed to pay those charges throughout Policy charges are deducted monthly the year. and include a flat administrative fee, a coverage charge per $1,000 of face amount, cost of insurance charges, and charges for any riders. These charges Step 3 vary based on your individual policy. Twice per month on preset days, the remaining money is allocated into segments of one or a combination of fixed strategies or indexed strategies, that you selected, for a specified amount of time, or segment term (1, 5, or 6 years depending on the strategy). Step 4 At the end of the segment term, the segment dollars mature and are placed back into the Basic Interest Strategy, along with any new premiums, to begin working for you again. 1 N et premiums are your paid premiums less a percentage charge that varies based on the product selected. 8
- 10. How do indexed strategies work? Indexed interest-crediting strategies are formulas or methods used to measure the movement of the applicable index during a certain timeframe, up to a certain limit or cap rate. Participation rates and cap rates are two important components of IUL indexed strategies. These features determine, and set limits on, the amount of interest that can be credited to your IUL policy. Participation rate The participation rate determines how much of the increase in the index’s value applies to your IUL policy. Aviva guarantees that the participation X 100% = $ rate of all of its indexed life Index percentage Participation Interest increase rate rate credited* insurance products will be at least (if any) * Actual interest credited 100 percent for the life of the may be subject to a cap. policy. Cap rates Interest credit cannot The cap rate is the top amount of interest that Aviva will credit to an exceed the cap* CAP For example, if the annual cap rate on IUL policy. Cap rates vary by strategy the 1-Year Point-to-Point is 12 percent and the index increase is 13 percent, and may be reset at the beginning then 12 percent would be credited to % of an interest crediting period at the your IUL account value. discretion of Aviva. * Some strategies apply the cap rate first. 9
- 11. The effects of participation rates and caps POLICY 1 - Aviva POLICY 2 - Other Company SCENARIO 1 Aviva Market Index 50% Participation | No Cap 100% Participation | 12% Cap increases 20% 10% Credited 12% Credited SCENARIO 2 Aviva Market Index 50% Participation | No Cap 100% Participation | 12% Cap increases 10% 10% Credited 5% Credited These scenarios are illustrative only and are not intended to be a predictor of actual results. Participation rates and caps are assumed to be constant in this example. For purposes of this comparison it is assumed the policies are identical except for the participation rates and caps. Why are limits placed on the amount of interest credited to your policy? Simply put, with Indexed UL you are giving up some of your upside potential in exchange for the downside guarantees. 10
- 12. What are your indexed strategy choices? Here’s an overview of the indexed strategies. Note: he credited rate can never be less than zero even if the percentage change in the index is zero or negative. T Minimums for Participation Rates and Cap Rates describe the lowest rates Aviva contractually can set these percentages. Caps will likely be higher than the contractual minimum. Minimum cap rates vary by state. Indexed Index used Design Participation rates (P) How it works strategy and Caps (C) One-Year SP 500© Index Annual reset (P) 100% minimum floor Once a year, Aviva measures the growth Point-to- point-to-point of an index from the start of one segment Point (C) 4% minimum period to the end of the segment period. This growth is then multiplied by the participation rate and credited up to the stated cap rate. SP 500© Index Biennial reset (P) 100% minimum floor Every two years, Aviva measures the growth Two-Year point-to-point of an index from the start of one segment Point-to- (C) % minimum over the 8 period to the end of the segment period. Point 2-year period This growth is then multiplied by the participation rate and credited up to the stated cap rate. SP 500© Index, Monthly averaging (P) 100% minimum floor Each month, Aviva calculates the annual One-Year NASDAQ-100, annual reset growth in three indices utilizing a monthly Multi Index and DJIA (C) 4% minimum averaging formula and weights the results based on their performance. These values are then added together up to the stated cap rate, then multiplied by the participation rate to determine the credited rate for that year’s segment period. SP 500© Index Monthly reset (P) 100% minimum floor Aviva measures the movement of the index One-Year point-to-point on a monthly point-to-point basis. We Monthly (C) 1% minimum note the percentage change, which can Cap monthly cap be positive or negative. Positive changes are subject to a cap, negative changes are not. At the end of the year, the 12 monthly changes are added together to determine the credited rate for that year’s segment period. SP 500© Index Monthly averaging (P) 100% minimum floor Once a year, Aviva measures growth by One-Year annual reset comparing the average index value for an Monthly (C) % minimum (currently 4 interest period in comparison to the initial Average no cap) index value. The percentage of growth, up to the stated cap rate, is multiplied by the participation rate to determine the credited rate for that year’s segment period. 11 Strategy availability varies by product, state, and product issue date.
- 13. Regardless of which indexed Additional strategy you choose, your features of the IUL policy is protected from negative index performance. indexed strategies Interest lock-in Dollars directed to the indexed strategies (other than the Two-Year Point-to-Point) create a new five-year The Market Index segment. Interest is calculated and credited every 12 + months on the funds in a segment. - In effect, we lock in any interest every 12 months Your Aviva Policy within a segment and protect it from potential future downturns in the index. Dollars directed to the Two-Year Point-to-Point Strategy create a new six-year segment. Interest, if When the market index rises, your IUL policy will receive any, is calculated and credited each 24 months on the interest credits based partly on the upward movement premiums in a segment. of the index, subject to any applicable caps and/or participation rates. Interest is locked in every 24 months within a segment and protected from potential future downturns in the index. Dollars directed to a new indexed strategy will result in When the index falls, Your Aviva Policy a newly created indexed segment with a new starting your contract value remains level. point, participation rate, and cap, if applicable. Over time, you will generally have a number of distinct + indexed segments within the policy. - The Market Index Resetting the index measurement One of the advantages of the indexed strategy When the market index declines, your IUL policy is methodologies is that the index is reset at regular protected by contract guarantees. You may not receive any intervals for the purpose of measuring the movement interest credits for that contract year, but you lose nothing in the index. In the case of the One-Year Monthly based on a falling market. Cap Strategy, the index is reset at the beginning of every month during the interest-crediting period. For all other indexed strategies, the index is reset at the beginning of each interest-crediting period. This means that if the index declines over an interest- crediting period, you do not have to wait for the These conceptual examples do not represent actual movements of index to return to its previous level before you start a market index. Cap rates and participation rates vary by product participating in any subsequent index increases. and/or strategy. A downward movement in an index for a particular interest-crediting period could result in zero interest being credited for that contract year. 12
- 14. How does Aviva support your IUL policy? Aviva indexed universal life policies are like any other fixed universal life policies in that they are backed by the company’s general account. No separate account is established for IUL. Aviva does not directly invest in the stock market to support the product. As it does with other general account products, Aviva chooses investments that closely mimic its liabilities. With an IUL product, this means that Aviva purchases assets to cover both the minimum guarantees of the contract, as well as the upside potential brought about by the index features. Bonds, mortgages, or other fixed-income assets may be purchased to support the minimum guarantees, while options or other equity-based securities may be purchased to support the upside potential. While there are several variables that go into establishing cap rates, they are in general, based on the costs of these investments. For more information, please consult the Aviva financial strength brochure. 13
- 15. Why Aviva for indexed universal life? We own the patent. Our IUL products The patent involves Aviva’s unique risk management processes related to the minimum are battle tested. guarantees on our indexed universal life insurance During two of the worst bear markets in recent products, allowing Aviva to offer you IUL products history (early 2000s and 2008-09), none of Aviva’s with minimum rate guarantees that have greater IUL policyholders lost any accumulated value in benefits at lower costs. the policies due to the declining stock market. We were among the first Our IUL products insurance companies to are flexible. Aviva’s portfolio offers multiple death benefit offer IUL. options, premium payment options, interest- And we know that the original is better than crediting strategy choices, loan options, and the copy! several riders. Our illustrated rates Our financial strength. Guaranteeing our customers a minimum interest have integrity. rate requires a strong financial backing. We are a Our knowledge and expertise of IUL helps highly rated company with a remarkable history. us design products that will provide value regardless of actual index returns. In addition, we understand what a reasonable illustrated rate should be for these products. Nobody has the experience and expertise We offer upside potential of Aviva for indexed life with guaranteed rates. insurance. We are the With a guaranteed 2% minimum interest rate, you know your policy has a solid foundation. industry leader! 14
- 16. Products issued by Aviva Life and Annuity Company 7700 Mills Civic Parkway West Des Moines, IA 50266-3862 www.avivausa.com 2 “Standard Poor’s©”, “SP©”, “SP 500©”, “Standard Poor’s 500©” and “500©” are trademarks of The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. and have been licensed for use by Aviva. Our Indexed UL products are not sponsored, endorsed, sold or promoted by Standard Poor’s, and Standard Poor’s makes no representation regarding the advisability of purchasing these products. “NASDAQ”, “NASDAQ-100”, and “NASDAQ-100 Index” are trademarks of The NASDAQ Stock Market, Inc. This Policy is not sponsored, endorsed, sold or promoted by The NASDAQ Stock Market, Inc. or its affiliates (NASDAQ, with its affiliates, are referred to as the “Corporations”). The Corporations have not passed on the legality or suitability of, or the accuracy or adequacy of descriptions and disclosures relating to, the Policy. The Corporations make no representation or warranty, express or implied to the owners of the Policy or any member of the public regarding the advisability of investing in securities generally or in the Policy particularly, or the ability of the NASDAQ-100 Index to track general stock market performance. The Corporations’ only relationship to Aviva (“Licensee”) is in the licensing of the NASDAQ, NASDAQ-100, and NASDAQ-100 Index trademarks, and certain trade names of the Corporations and the use of the NASDAQ-100 Index which is determined, composed and calculated by NASDAQ without regard to Licensee or the Policy. NASDAQ has no obligation to take the needs of the Licensee or the owners of the Policy into consideration in determining, composing or calculating the NASDAQ-100 Index. The Corporations are not responsible for and have not participated in the determination of the timing of, prices at, or quantities of the Policy to be issued or in the determination or calculation of the equation by which the Policy is to be converted into cash. The Corporations have no liability in connection with the administration, marketing or trading of the Policy. “Dow Jones,” “Dow Jones Industrial Average” and “DJIA” are service marks of Dow Jones Company, Inc. and have been licensed for use for certain purposes by Aviva. Aviva’s product(s) based on the Dow Jones Industrial Average, are not sponsored, endorsed, sold or promoted by Dow Jones, and Dow Jones makes no representation regarding the advisability of investing in such product(s). T his brochure contains highlights only. You should refer to the Indexed Universal Life policy for a full explanation. All tax related information contained here in is based on our current understanding of federal tax laws as they relate to life insurance or other subject matter discussed. These laws are subject to change in the future. Neither Aviva nor its representatives offer legal or tax advice. You should consult a personal tax advisor on any tax matters. In order to comply with certain U.S. Treasury regulations, please be advised of the following: Unless expressly stated otherwise, any U.S. Federal tax advice contained in these materials is not intended or written to be used, and cannot be used, by any person for the purpose of avoiding any penalties that may be imposed by the Internal Revenue Service. Policy forms 2EDB08, 2JAF06, 2EBJ05 and 2ECI06. Rider forms 2JLPUFO6, 2PUEBI06 and 2PUUAB09. Availability may vary by state. Products issued by and all policy benefits are the responsibility of Aviva Life and Annuity Company, and not that of any other insurer or company. Guarantees provided are subject to the financial strength of the issuing insurance company; not guaranteed by any bank or the FDIC. Covered by United States Patent No. 7,376,609 FSC FPO 14888 8/11