Fixed Index Annuity Return and Risk Analysis with an Enhanced Model

Executive Summary

  • This paper examines the risk and return of fixed index annuity (FIA) with an enhanced model framework which takes into account correlations among market variables and a changing participation rate fluctuating with the market moves.
  • The FIA business model is discussed to explain the participation rate model
  • Sensitivity analysis of FIA returns is performed for key model assumptions.
  • The risk and return profile of the mix (30/70, 40/60, 50/50, 100/0) of the S&P 500 Index and the 1-year Treasury bills is compared with that of the FIAs.
  • This study focuses on 2 hypothetical contracts: (10-year) annual reset Point-to-Point (PTP) and Monthly-Averaging (MA)contracts with participation rate but no cap or yield spread.
  • PTPs outperformed MAs. They together outperformed the mixes of stock/treasury with comparable risk. Simulated stock index shows higher returns than FIAs most of the time, but FIAs has much less volatilities and much lower tail risk.

The inherently unstable and unpredictable stock market has given rise to an endless search for safe investment products. Hybrid features of fixed indexed annuity (also known as equity indexed Annuity) draw interests of many risk-averse investors: the product provides investors potentially high return from the stock market while protecting them from downside risks. In 1995, the first FIA product was introduced by Keyport Life. FIA didn’t attract many investors when the stock market soared in the 1990s. However, many early FIA investors saved their needing retirement savings from the stock market crash after the dot-com bubble burst at the beginning of the 21stcentury and more investors started purchasing FIAs in the following years. According to a report from Towers Watson(2012), FIA sales skyrocketed from approximately 1.5 billion in 1995 to over 32 billion in 2011. During the recent financial crisis 2008-2009, FIA again proved itself as a safe investment choice when the financial market is depressed.

Despite its dramatic growth in sale figures, FIA’s long-term performance is still being questioned, mainly because historical crediting rates and policy data are not publicly available. FIA’s actual returns as well as comparison between FIA and other alternative investment choices have been the subjects for many published studies and researches (e.g. Kuhlemeyer, 2001; McCann and Luo, 2006; Collins, Lam and Stampfli, 2009). Most studies create hypothetical FIA contracts and analyze their performance by simulating the market variables like stock market returns. One study by VanderPal, Marrion and Babbel (2011) criticized some major limitations of model assumptions from those model-based studies and offered an empirical examination of FIA returns based on some real policy data from participating insurers.

The authors of this paper studied the assumptions in previous analysis taking the modeling approach and built an enhanced model framework hoping to improve the model assumptions such as constant participation rates and constant interest rates. This framework includes distribution models for key market variables which are stock index return, stock option implied volatility, 10 year and 1 year US treasury rate and credit spread; a separate model for interdependencies among market variables; the option pricing models and the participation rate model. Sensitivity tests are performed for all major assumptions to reveal the impact and to check the robustness of the framework.

Note:Conditional tail expectation 5% (CTE 5%) isdefined as the average return of the worst 5% scenarios.

Author:

Zhixin Wu, Ph.D, Associate Professor, ASA

602 South College Ave,

Math Department, DePauw University,

Greencastle, IN 46135

Email:

Phone: 765-658-4488

Co-Authors:

Lei Liang, Ph.D, CFA, CAIA, FRM

40|86 Advisors, Inc.

CNO Financial Group

535 College Dr., Building # K

Carmel, IN 46032-5622

Email:

Phone: 317-817-4752

Fax:317-817-4115

Huong Dao (Undergraduate student)

Math Department, DePauw University, Greencastle IN 46135

Email:

Phone: (317) 403-4191

Linh Phuong Nguyen (Undergraduate student)

Math Department, DePauw University, Greencastle IN 46135

Email:

Phone: (405) 428-2531