Variable Dollar Annuity
Definition of "Variable dollar annuity"
Annuity in which premium payments are used to purchase accumulation units, their number depending on the value of each unit. The value of a unit is determined by the value of the portfolio of stocks in which the insurance company invests the premiums. At the time of the payment of benefits to the annuitant, the accumulation units are converted to a monthly fixed number of units. The variable element is the dollar value of each unit. For example, assume that the annuitant pays a monthly premium of $100. If the accumulation unit value during one month is $50, two units are purchased. In another month, if the value of the accumulation unit is $25, four units are purchased. In a third month, the value of the unit is $10, resulting in the purchase of 10 units. This allows the market use of the investment strategy of dollar cost averaging. Accumulation units are credited to the annuitant's account, a procedure that is similar to purchasing shares in a mutual fund.
When income benefits are scheduled to begin, total accumulation units are converted to assume 100 income benefit units per month. The value of the income unit will vary according to the company's stock investments; in one month the annuitant's income might be $1000, in another month $500, in another month $1200. Changes in the investment experience by the insurance company are passed on to the annuitant, but the company absorbs fluctuations in expenses and mortality experience.
Popular Insurance Terms
Coverage for the contents of a renter's home or apartment and for liability. Tenant policies are similar to homeowners insurance, except that they do not cover the structure. They do, ...
Group that advises on employee benefit plans as to amount of benefits to be paid, how benefits are to be financed, and how employees are to qualify for benefits (vesting requirements). An ...
Coverage giving income benefits to surviving family member (s) if one member should die. These include the family income policy, family income rider, family maintenance policy, and the ...
Aggregate sums, in certain states, to pay claims of insolvent insurance companies. These funds are maintained by contributions of companies operating in a particular state in proportion to ...
Endorsement attached to an insurance policy that eliminates coverage for certain specified perils. ...
Independent agency supported by the insurance industry that tests a variety of materials, products, and devices, such as appliances and electrical equipment, to assure that they meet safety ...
Legal decision wherein proceeds of a life insurance policy on which the decedent's corporation paid the premiums within three years of his or her death are not includable in the decedent's ...
Model state law of the NAIC that requires that the insurance policy contain language that meets a readability test (usually, the Flesch readability test that uses a formula approach to ...
Documents completed by the agent to effect authorization to act on behalf of the company. ...
Have a question or comment?
We're here to help.