Equity-Indexed Annuity Pricing Method with Flexible Principal Access
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Solution Overview
Problem
Equity-indexed annuities lack flexibility in allowing access to principal and providing income that increases with stock index performance, and have rigid payment timing, making them less attractive compared to traditional investments and variable annuities.
Innovation Solution
A computer-based method for determining equity-indexed crediting parameters that enable flexible access to principal, income that increases with stock index performance, and adjustable payment timing, using a set of yield curve and equity index scenarios to calculate profitability and reserve values.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If equity-indexed annuities provide guaranteed returns based on stock-market performance, then security of principal is improved, but investment flexibility and access to principal deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The annuity product is segmented into distinct components: a guaranteed minimum return portion and an equity-indexed growth portion. This allows policyholders to access different portions of the account value at different times, providing flexibility while maintaining the guarantee structure. The segmentation enables partial withdrawals from the equity portion without compromising the guaranteed minimum.
Solution Approach 2:
The annuity contract incorporates dynamic features that allow the allocation between guaranteed and equity-indexed portions to change over time. Policyholders can adjust their participation rates, modify withdrawal patterns, and transition between accumulation and distribution phases, making the product adaptable to changing financial needs while preserving principal security.
2Productivity
If equity-indexed annuities offer participation in equity index returns, then potential returns are improved, but risk exposure and complexity of hedging deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an intermediary hedging mechanism that uses a combination of stock index futures and options to bridge the gap between equity index performance and annuity crediting. This intermediary layer simplifies the hedging process by using standardized financial instruments with known payoff structures, reducing the complexity of direct hedging while maintaining participation in equity returns.
Solution Approach 2:
The annuity contract allows dynamic adjustment of participation rates, caps, and floors based on market conditions and carrier hedging effectiveness. These parameter changes enable the carrier to optimize the balance between potential returns and hedging complexity, adjusting the equity participation level to match available hedging capacity and market volatility.
3Ease of manufacture
If traditional annuities provide rigid payment timing, then administrative simplicity is improved, but consumer flexibility and appeal deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The annuity platform is designed with universal payment structures that can accommodate multiple distribution patterns within a single contract framework. The system supports monthly, quarterly, annual, and lump-sum payments, as well as systematic withdrawal patterns, all through a unified administrative system that automatically adjusts based on policyholder elections and account balance levels.
4Reliability
If equity-indexed annuities lack flexibility in access to principal, then guarantee of benefits is improved, but product competitiveness and consumer appeal deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The annuity contract establishes preliminary withdrawal rules and guarantee structures at issue that define the conditions under which principal can be accessed. These pre-established frameworks include surrender charge schedules, free withdrawal allowances, and guaranteed minimum withdrawal benefits that provide flexibility from the outset while maintaining the guarantee structure through clearly defined parameters set at contract inception.
Data Source
AI summary
A computer-based method for determining a set of equity-indexed crediting parameters E for a lifetime-income equity-indexed deposit product provided to a set of owners having a set of dates of birth B, a rider charge C, a lifetime income percentage scale L, a set of profitability requirements R, a principal amount P, and an account value A. The method can include the steps of: establishing the values of C, L, R, P, A and E at a time when said deposit product is purchased; generating a set of yield curve and equity index scenarios consistent with valuation parameters; setting a trial value Ei for E; calculating the observed distribution D of profitability; comparing D with R; and, computing a revised trial value Ei+1 for E, where the steps of establishing, generating, setting, calculating, comparing, and computing are performed by at least one general purpose computer.