As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on August 31, 2022
Commission File No. 333-
UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
FORM S-1
REGISTRATION STATEMENT
UNDER
THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933
FIDELITY & GUARANTY LIFE INSURANCE COMPANY
(Exact Name of registrant as specified in its charter)
Iowa | 6311 | 52-6033321 | ||
(State or other jurisdiction of incorporation or organization) | (Primary Standard Industrial Classification Code Number) | (I.R.S. Employer Identification Number) |
801 Grand Avenue, Suite 2600, Des Moines IA 50309
(515) 330-3340
(Address, including zip code, and telephone number, including area code, of registrant’s principal executive offices)
Christopher Blunt
Jodi Ahlman, Esq.
c/o Fidelity & Guaranty Life Insurance Company
801 Grand Avenue, Suite 2600, Des Moines IA 50309
(515) 330-3340
(Name and Address of Agent for Service)
Copy to:
Stephen E. Roth, Esq.
Eversheds Sutherland (US) LLP
700 Sixth Street, NW, Suite 700
Washington, DC 20001
(202) 383-0100
Approximate date of commencement of proposed sale to the public:
As soon as practicable after this registration statement becomes effective.
If any of the securities being registered on this Form are to be offered on a delayed or continuous basis pursuant to Rule 415 under the Securities Act of 1933 check the following box: ☒
If this Form is filed to register addition securities for an offering pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the Securities Act, check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering. ☐
If this Form is a post-effective amendment filed pursuant to Rule 462(c) under the Securities Act, check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering. ☐
If this Form is a post-effective amendment filed pursuant to Rule 462(d) under the Securities Act, check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering. ☐
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, smaller reporting company or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” “smaller reporting company” and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.
Large accelerated filer | ☐ | Accelerated filer | ☐ | |||
Non-accelerated filer | ☒ | Smaller reporting company | ☐ | |||
Emerging growth company | ☐ |
If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 7(a)(2)(B) of the Securities Act. ☐
The registrant hereby amends this registration statement on such date or dates as may be necessary to delay its effective date until the registrant shall file a further amendment which specifically states that this registration statement shall thereafter become effective in accordance with Section 8(a) of the Securities Act of 1933 or until the registration statement shall become effective on such date as the Commission, acting pursuant to said Section 8(a), may determine.
The information in this prospectus is not complete and may be changed. We may not sell this Contract until the registration statement filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission is effective. This prospectus is not an offer to sell this Contract and it is not soliciting an offer to buy this Contract in any state where the offer or sale is not permitted.
F&G SECURE OUTCOME
Individual Single Premium Deferred Index-Linked Annuity Contract
Issued By:
FIDELITY & GUARANTY LIFE INSURANCE COMPANY
Prospectus Dated: , 2022
This prospectus provides information you should know before you purchase the F&G Secure Outcome Contract (the “Contract”). The prospectus describes the Contract between the Owner (“you”) and Fidelity & Guaranty Life Insurance Company (“F&G Life,” the “Company,” “us,” “we” or “our”). The Contract is a single premium deferred index-linked annuity contract with a minimum Premium Payment of $25,000 that is designed to help you invest on a tax-deferred basis and meet long-term financial goals. Certain words and phrases used and capitalized throughout the prospectus are defined in the section titled “Defined Terms.”
Please read this prospectus before investing and keep it for future reference. This prospectus does not constitute an offering in any jurisdiction in which the Contract may not lawfully be sold.
This prospectus describes all of your material rights and obligations under the Contract. Under the Contract, you may allocate your Premium to the Fixed Interest Strategy and one or more of the Index-Linked Interest Strategies that are available under the Contract. We currently offer 30 Index-Linked Interest Strategies under the Contract. Each Index-Linked Interest Strategy is tied to a market index and has an applicable Crediting Method. At the end of a “Crediting Period,” we will credit to your Contract an amount of interest (which may be positive, negative, or equal to zero) based on the Index performance and Crediting Method of the Indexed-Linked Strategy in which you invested. The Crediting Periods may be one, three or six years long.
• Indexes. Each Index is comprised of or defined by certain securities or by a combination of certain securities and other instruments. Please see the section titled “Indexes” for a description of each Index. Currently, the Contract offers Index-Linked Interest Strategies that credit interest (which may be positive, negative, or equal to zero) based on the performance of the following Indexes:
S&P 500® Index Russell 2000® Index NASDAQ-100® Index MSCI EAFE Index
• Crediting Methods. Each Crediting Method permits positive interest to be credited, subject to a limit, and provides limited protection against negative interest. The Crediting Methods are described in more detail in the section titled “Crediting Methods.” Currently, the Contract offers Index-Linked Interest Strategies with the following Crediting Methods:
Point to Point Cap Rate with
Point to Point Performance Trigger Rate with Buffer | Point to Point Cap Rate with
Annual Lock Cap Rate with Buffer |
You may also choose to invest all or a portion of your Account Value for one or more one-year Crediting Periods in the Fixed Interest Strategy. Amounts allocated to the Fixed Interest Strategy earn compounded interest at a fixed rate for the duration of a Crediting Period. At the end of a Crediting Period, a new fixed rate for the next Crediting Period is declared. See the section titled “Fixed Interest Strategy” for more information.
Any interest credited to your Contract, either as a result of investing in an Index-Linked Interest Strategy or the Fixed Interest Strategy, is subject to our creditworthiness and claims-paying ability.
You are permitted to make transfers and withdrawals under the Contract. Transfers between the Index-Linked Interest Strategies, or between the Index-Linked Interest Strategies and the Fixed Interest Strategy, are permitted only at the end of a Crediting Period. Withdrawals may be permitted at any time prior to annuitization, although withdrawals may be subject to a surrender charge. If you take a withdrawal from your Contract, there is a risk of loss of principal and related earnings due to any applicable surrender charge, negative adjustments to certain values under your Contract, and negative tax consequences. A withdrawal will reduce your Account Value.
F&G Life is the issuer of the Contracts. The Company sells the Contracts for cash directly to investors through [Fidelity & Guaranty Securities Corp.] ([“BD”]), the principal underwriter of the Contracts. [BD] in turn sells the Contracts primarily through unaffiliated registered broker-dealers with which it has entered into a selling agreement, and makes the offering on a “best efforts” basis. Under a “best efforts” offering, [BD] is not required to sell any specific number or dollar amount of the Contracts, but will use its best efforts to sell the Contracts offered. We may stop offering the Contracts at any time. In connection with this offering, no amounts are retained by [BD] for acting as principal underwriter nor does [BD] receive underwriting discounts or commissions. The offering is continuous with no specific end date.
Index-linked annuity contracts are complex insurance and investment vehicles. Investors should speak with a financial professional about the Contract’s features, benefits, risks, and fees, and whether the Contract is appropriate for the investor based upon his or her financial situation and objectives.
An investment in this Contract is subject to risks, including the possible loss of principal. See “Risk Factors” beginning on Page 12. The Contracts are not deposits or obligations of, or guaranteed or endorsed by, any bank and are not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, Federal Reserve Board, or any other government agency.
Neither the Securities and Exchange Commission nor any state securities commission has approved or disapproved of these securities or determined if this prospectus is accurate or complete. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.
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Risk that We May Eliminate an Index-Linked Interest Strategy | 15 | |||
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ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ABOUT THE INDEX-LINKED INTEREST STRATEGIES | 24 | |||
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Automatic Transfer from an Index-Linked Interest Strategy to the Fixed Interest Strategy | 32 | |||
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Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management | 55 | |||
Transactions with Related Persons, Promoters and Certain Control Persons | 55 | |||
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FINANCIAL STATEMENTS | ||||
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We have used simple, clear language as much as possible in this prospectus. However, by the very nature of the Contracts certain technical words or terms are unavoidable. We have identified the following as some of these words or terms.
Account Value | The total amount attributable to your Contract during the Accumulation Phase at any given time. Your Account Value is the sum of your Strategy Account Values and your Fixed Interest Strategy Value at any given time. Your Account Value may not necessarily equal your Cash Surrender Value. | |
Accumulation Phase | The period beginning on the Effective Date and ending on the Maturity Date. | |
Adjusted Index Change | The net change percentage in the Index Value of an Index from the start of a Crediting Period to the end of the Crediting Period, after any applicable adjustment for the Crediting Method applicable to an Index-Linked Interest Strategy. The Adjusted Index Change for an Index-Linked Interest Strategy represents the rate at which we credit interest at the end of a Crediting Period. The Adjusted Index Change may be positive, negative, or equal to zero. | |
Annuitant | The natural person(s) on whose life (or lives) annuity payments under the Contract are based. | |
Asset Adjustment | An adjustment to your Strategy Base Value used to determine the Strategy Interim Value based on the Bloomberg US Aggregate Yield to Worst Index to account for changes in interest rates that impact the value of the fixed income assets supporting your Contract. | |
Beneficiary | The person or entity designated by the Owner to receive any Contract benefits upon the Owner’s death during the Accumulation Phase. | |
Business Day | Any day that the New York Stock Exchange (“NYSE”) is open for regular trading. A Business Day ends at the same time that regular trading on the NYSE closes (typically, 4:00 PM Eastern Time). | |
Buffer | A Protection Option that represents the maximum negative Index Change that will not result in a negative Adjusted Index Change for a given Crediting Period. If the Index Change for the Crediting Period is negative, and the negative Index Change is within the Buffer, then the Index-Linked Interest credited to the Strategy Account Value is zero. If the negative Index Change exceeds the Buffer, then negative Index-Linked Interest is credited to the extent that the Index Change extends beyond the Buffer. The Buffer provides limited protection against negative Index-Linked Interest being credited to your Contract for a Crediting Period. | |
Cap Rate | An element of certain Crediting Methods. The Cap Rate represents the maximum Adjusted Index Change that can be credited under an Index-Linked Interest Strategy for a Crediting Period. It limits the potential positive Index-Linked Interest that may be credited for a Crediting Period. Each Index-Linked Interest Strategy that is subject to a Cap Rate has its own Cap Rate. | |
Cash Surrender Value | The amount that you will receive if you surrender your Contract (i.e., take a full withdrawal) during the Accumulation Phase. The Cash Surrender Value equals your Account Value minus any surrender charge. | |
Code | Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended. |
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Commuted Value | The commuted value of remaining guaranteed annuity payments is determined by discounting the remaining guaranteed annuity payments at an annually compounded interest rate which is one percent more than the rate we use to determine those payments. The commuted value will always be less than the sum of the remaining guaranteed annuity payments. The commuted value is calculated as of the date a lump sum payment will be made. | |
Contract | The F&G Secure Outcome Contract, which is a single premium deferred index-linked annuity contract between F&G Life and you, as the Owner. | |
Contract Year | The 12-month period starting on the Effective Date and each anniversary of your Effective Date while the Contract remains in force. | |
Crediting Date | The last Business Day of a Crediting Period. | |
Crediting Method | The Cap Rate or Performance Trigger Rate, the Protection Option and the calculating methodology (Point to Point or Annual Lock) that determines the applicable Index-Linked Interest credited for a Strategy at the end of a Crediting Period. The Crediting Methods are also taken into account when calculating Strategy Interim Values. | |
Crediting Period | The investment period over which performance of an Index is measured to determine the amount of Index-Linked Interest credited for an Index-Linked Interest Strategy, or, for the Fixed Interest Strategy, the one-year period over which interest is credited at a specified declared rate. A Crediting Period is designated for each Index-Linked Interest Strategy and may be one, three, or six years. You may only reallocate your Strategy Account Value or Fixed Interest Strategy Value among the Fixed Interest Strategy and/or one or more Index-Linked Interest Strategies at the end of a Crediting Period. You may not reallocate your Strategy Account Value or Fixed Interest Strategy Value until the end of a Crediting Period. | |
Effective Date | The date when the Contract is issued and the Premium is allocated to the Fixed Interest Strategy and/or one or more of the Index-Linked Interest Strategies for the initial Crediting Period. | |
Equity Adjustment | An adjustment to your Strategy Base Value used to determine the Strategy Interim Value based on the based on the value of a specific set of hypothetical derivatives. | |
F&G Life (or the “Company,” “we,” “us,” or “our”) | Fidelity & Guaranty Life Insurance Company. | |
Fixed Interest Strategy | The investment option under the Contract that provides for guaranteed interest, and is subject to a guaranteed minimum interest rate. The Fixed Interest Strategy is part of the General Account. | |
Fixed Interest Strategy Value | The amount of your Account Value allocated to the Fixed Interest Strategy at any given time. | |
Floor | A Protection Option that represents the maximum negative Adjusted Index Change for a given Crediting Period. If the Index Change for the Crediting Period is between zero and the Floor, inclusive, then Index-Linked Interest is credited to the Strategy Account Value according to the calculated negative Index Change. If the Index Change for the Crediting Period is more negative than the Floor, then negative Index-Linked Interest is credited to the Strategy Account Value at the Floor. The Floor provides limited protection against negative Index-Linked Interest being credited for an Index-Linked Interest Strategy for a Crediting Period. |
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General Account | The account that holds all of F&G Life’s assets, including all assets held in the Fixed Interest Strategy, and the Separate Account. The General Account does not include those assets held in F&G Life insulated separate accounts. | |
Income Phase | The period beginning on the Maturity Date during which we make annuity payments to the Payee(s). | |
Income Phase Death Benefit Recipient | The person entitled during the Income Phase to any payments to be made under an annuity option after the death of the Annuitant(s). The Income Phase Death Benefit Recipient is the first person(s) living on the date of such death in the following order: (i) Owner(s) or a surviving joint Owner; (ii) the Beneficiary(ies); or (iii) the estate of the last owner to die. | |
Index | The market index used to determine the Index Change for a Strategy. Each Index is comprised of or defined by certain securities or by a combination of certain securities and other instruments. | |
Index Change | The net change percentage in the Index Value of an Index from the start of a Crediting Period to the end of the Crediting Period, before any applicable adjustment for the Crediting Method applicable to an Index-Linked Interest Strategy. | |
Index Value | The closing value of an Index on any Business Day. If an Index Value is not published for a Business Day, we will use the closing Index Value from the next Business Day. | |
Index-Linked Interest Strategy | An investment option under the Contract that provides for credited interest (either positive, negative, or equal to zero) based on the performance of a particular Index and the applicable Crediting Method. | |
Index-Linked Interest | The dollar amount of interest credited under an Index-Linked Interest Strategy at the end of a Crediting Period. Index-Linked Interest can be positive, negative or equal to zero. | |
IRS | The Internal Revenue Service. | |
Maturity Date | The date the Income Phase begins. The Maturity Date is the Contract Anniversary on or first following the Annuitant’s (or oldest Annuitant’s if a Joint Annuitant is named) 100th birthday. You may change the Maturity Date to an earlier date following the first Contract Anniversary. | |
Owner | The person(s) or legal entity entitled to exercise all rights and privileges under the Contract. Any reference to Owner in this prospectus includes any joint Owner. References to “you” in this prospectus refer to the Owner or a prospective Owner. In the case of a Qualified Contract, the Owner must be a natural person and joint Owners are not allowed. | |
Payee | The person(s) or entity (or entities) designated by you to receive annuity payments during the Income Phase. You are the Payee unless you designate another person or entity as the Payee. | |
Performance Trigger Rate | An element of certain Crediting Methods. For an Index-Linked Interest Strategy with a Performance Trigger Rate, if the Index Change is equal to zero or greater for a Crediting Period, the Adjusted Index Change will be equal to the Performance Trigger Rate for that Crediting Period. The Performance Trigger Rate limits the potential positive Index-Linked Interest that will be credited for a Crediting Period if the Index Change exceeds the Performance Trigger Rate. Each Index-Linked Interest Strategy that is subject to a Performance Trigger Rate has its own Performance Trigger Rate. | |
Premium | The single premium paid to us under the Contract, less any applicable taxes due at the time the payment is made. |
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Protection Option | The Buffer or Floor that provides a level or partial protection against the risk of a credit of negative Index-Linked Interest and loss of Strategy Account Value when the Index Change is negative for a Crediting Period. | |
Qualified/Non-Qualified Contract | A Qualified Contract is purchased as part of an individual retirement plan or an employer-sponsored plan. Currently, we offer two types of Qualified Contracts: (1) a traditional IRA, and (2) a Roth IRA. The Contract is not available for purchase by qualified retirement plans, as a “section 403(b) contract,” or in the form of a Simplified Employee Pension or SIMPLE Retirement Account. A Non-Qualified Contract is a Contract that is not a Qualified Contract. | |
Rollover Contribution | A transfer of “eligible” funds between a qualified retirement plan and a traditional or Roth IRA that takes one of these forms: (1) direct transfer— funds are paid directly from one qualified retirement plan or IRA to another; (2) trustee-to-trustee transfer—funds held in a traditional IRA are transferred directly to another traditional IRA or funds held in a Roth IRA are transferred directly to another Roth IRA; or (3) a 60-Day Rollover—funds held in a qualified retirement plan or IRA are distributed directly to you and within 60 days you deposit all or a portion of them in an IRA or qualified retirement plan. You should consult with your tax advisor about the applicable requirements for making a rollover contribution and about what funds are “eligible” for such a transfer. | |
Separate Account | F&G’s Separate Account ILA-1. We hold certain investments supporting the assets allocated to the Index-Linked Interest Strategies in F&G Separate Account ILA-1, which we established under the laws of Iowa. Separate Account ILA-1 is a non-insulated separate account. Assets in Separate Account ILA-1 are part of F&G’s General Account and are chargeable with the claims of any of our contract owners as well as our creditors and are subject to the liabilities arising from any of our other business. Separate Account ILA-1 is not registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended. | |
Strategy Account Value | During a Crediting Period, you have a Strategy Account Value for each Index-Linked Interest Strategy in which you invest. On the Effective Date, your Strategy Account Value equals the Premium you allocate the Index-Linked Interest Strategy. On each other Business Day, your Strategy Account Value equals your Strategy Interim Value. Your Strategy Account Value is the amount available for withdrawals, surrenders, annuitization and death benefits. | |
Strategy Base Value | For each Index-Linked Interest Strategy in which you invest, your Strategy Base Value is an amount used to calculate (i) your Strategy Account Value on the first Business Day of the Crediting Period; (ii) your Strategy Interim Value on each other Business Day; and (iii) your Index-Linked Interest credited on the last Business Day of the Crediting Period. Your Strategy Base Value is not a cash value under the Contract. Your Strategy Base Value will be adjusted for any withdrawals you make during the Crediting Period. | |
Strategy Interim Value | For each Index-Linked Interest Strategy in which you invest, your Strategy Account Value equals your Strategy Interim Value on any Business Day except for the Effective Date. The Strategy Interim Value is calculated by using a formula that takes into account the Equity Adjustment and the Asset Adjustment to your Strategy Base Value. |
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This summary provides a brief overview of the F&G Secure Outcome Contract. You should carefully read the entire prospectus before you decide whether to purchase the Contract. The Contract may not be currently available in all states, may vary in your state, or may not be available from all selling firms or from all financial professionals.
Who is F&G Life? The Contract would be an agreement between you, the Owner, and Fidelity & Guaranty Life Insurance Company. F&G Life is an Iowa stock life insurance company and a wholly-owned subsidiary of Fidelity and Guaranty Life Holdings, Inc., a Delaware corporation that is an indirect, wholly owned subsidiary of Fidelity National Financial, Inc., a New York Stock Exchange listed company with its headquarters in Jacksonville, Florida. We offer annuities and life insurance products and are licensed to do business in the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and all states except New York. The Contract is not available in Puerto Rico.
What is the purpose of the Contract? The Contract is designed to help you invest on a tax-deferred basis and meet your long-term financial goals, such as funding your retirement. During the Accumulation Phase, you can access your funds by taking withdrawals of your Account Value. During the Income Phase, we pay guaranteed income in the form of annuity payments. The Contract also will pay a death benefit to your Beneficiaries in the event of death of the Owner or the Annuitant during the Accumulation Phase. All payments under the Contract are subject to the terms and conditions described in this prospectus. You should not buy the Contract as a short-term investment, if you plan on taking withdrawals before the end of the surrender charge period, or if you anticipate taking significant withdrawals from your Strategy Account Values. You should understand that while the Contract provides some protection against loss, you can lose money under the Contract. It is possible to lose your entire principal investment. You should not buy the Contract if you are not willing to assume the risks associated with the Contract. See the section titled “Risk Factors.”
Are the Contracts Non-Qualified Contracts or Qualified Contracts? The Contract is available in both forms. A Non-Qualified Contract will provide you with certain tax deferral features under the Code. If you purchase a Qualified Contract, the Contract will not provide you tax deferral benefits in addition to those already provided by your IRA or Roth IRA, and you should only buy the Contract for its other features.
How do I purchase the Contract? You may purchase the Contract by completing an application and submitting Premium of at least $25,000. We reserve the right to reject any Premium payment that exceeds $1.5 million. You may only make one Premium payment under the Contract.
What are the investment options during the Accumulation Phase? The Contract currently offers 30 Index-Linked Interest Strategies and the Fixed Interest Strategy. For each Crediting Period, which is one, three or six years for the Index-Linked Interest Strategies, you may allocate Account Value to one or more Index-Linked Interest Strategies and/or you may allocate Account Value for one year Crediting Periods to the Fixed Interest Strategy. Each Index-Linked Interest Strategy credits Index-Linked Interest (either positive, negative, or equal to zero) at the end of a Crediting Period based on the performance of a particular Index and the applicable Crediting Method. The Fixed Interest Strategy credits interest during each Crediting Period based on a guaranteed rate set by us. The guaranteed minimum interest rate will never be less than [1.00%].
What are the Indexes for the Index-Linked Interest Strategies? Currently, the Contract offers Index-Linked Interest Strategies that credit interest based on the performance of the following Indexes:
• | S&P 500® Index; |
• | Russell 2000® Index; |
• | NASDAQ-100® Index; or |
• | MSCI EAFE Index. |
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Each Index is described in more detail under the section titled “Indexes.”
We reserve the right to add, remove or replace any Index in the future, subject to necessary regulatory approvals. If we replace an Index during a Strategy Term, we will calculate the Index Change using the old Index up until the replacement date. After the replacement date, we will calculate the Index Change using the new index, but with a modified start of Crediting Period value for the new index. The modified start of Crediting Period value for the new index will reflect the Index Change for the old Index from the start of the Crediting Period to the replacement date. For an example of how the Index Change is calculated under these circumstances, see the section titled “Indexes.” If we replace an Index, this does not cause a change in the Cap Rate, Performance Trigger Rate, Floor or Buffer.
If we add or remove an Index (as opposed to replacing an index as described in the previous paragraph), the changes will not be effective for your Contract until the start of the next Crediting Period. Adding or removing an Index does not cause a change in the Floor or Buffer. The Floor and Buffer will not change for the life of your Contract. Any Index-Linked Interest Strategies based on the performance of a newly added Index will have a new Cap Rate or Performance Trigger Rate. Changes to the Cap Rates or Performance Trigger Rates, if any, occur at the start of the next Crediting Period. See the sections titled “Index Risk,” “Risk that We May Eliminate or Substitute an Index or Crediting Method or Change Cap Rates”, and “Additional Information about the Index-Linked Crediting Strategies” for more information.
What are the Crediting Methods for the Index-Linked Interest Strategies? Currently, the Contract offers Index-Linked Interest Strategies with the following Crediting Methods:
Protection Options | Crediting Period | |||||||||
Crediting Methods | Buffer | Floor | 1 Year | 3 Years | 6 Years | |||||
Cap | 10% or 20% | -10% | Buffer and Floor | Buffer Only | Buffer Only | |||||
Performance Trigger | 10% | N/A | Buffer Only | N/A | N/A | |||||
Annual Lock | 10% | N/A | N/A | N/A | Buffer Only |
Not all Crediting Methods, Protection Options, and/or Crediting Periods are available with all Indexes. For additional information, see “Indexed-Linked Interest Strategies.”
How do the Crediting Methods for the Index-Linked Interest Strategies work? The Crediting Methods are used to calculate Index-Linked Interest for the Index-Linked Interest Strategies at the end of each Crediting Period. The Index-Linked Interest may be positive, negative, or equal to zero. Each Index-Linked Interest Strategy uses either a “Point to Point” or “Annual Lock” Crediting Method.
Point to Point Crediting Method
A Point to Point Crediting Method compares the Index Value at the beginning of the Crediting Period with the Index Value on the Crediting Date to calculate the Index Change and then takes into account the following elements to calculate the Adjusted Index Change:
• | Either the Cap Rate or the Performance Trigger Rate; and |
• | Either the Floor or the Buffer. |
To calculate the Adjusted Index Change for an Index-Linked Interest Strategy with a Point to Point Crediting Method, we use a three step process at the end of the Crediting Period:
• | First, we calculate the Index Change. The Index Change for an Index-Linked Interest Strategy is the net change percentage in the Index Value from the start of a Crediting Period to the end of the Crediting Period. |
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• | Second, if the Index Change is positive or zero, we determine whether it must be adjusted for the Cap Rate or the Performance Trigger Rate. |
If the Crediting Method for the Index-Linked Interest Strategy includes a Cap Rate, the Cap Rate is the maximum positive Adjusted Index Change for a given Crediting Period. The Cap Rate may vary for different Index-Linked Interest Strategies, and we set the Cap Rates prior to the beginning of a Crediting Period. A Cap Rate for a particular Crediting Period may be higher or lower than the Cap Rates for previous or future Crediting Periods. In no event will we set a Cap Rate for any Index-Linked Interest Strategy at less than [2.00]% during the surrender charge period or less than [1.00]% thereafter.
If the Crediting Method for the Index-Linked Interest Strategy includes a Performance Trigger Rate, if the Index Change is at least zero, the Adjusted Index Change is the Performance Trigger Rate is for a given Crediting Period. The Performance Trigger Rate may vary for different Index-Linked Interest Strategies, and we set the Performance Trigger Rates prior to the beginning of a Crediting Period. A Performance Trigger Rate for a particular Crediting Period may be higher or lower than the Performance Trigger Rates for previous or future Crediting Periods. In no event will we set a Performance Trigger Rate for any Index-Linked Interest Strategy at less than [2.00]% during the surrender charge period or less than [1.00]% thereafter.
• | Third, we determine whether the Index Change must be adjusted for the Floor or the Buffer, whichever applies to the Crediting Method being used. The Floor and the Buffer provide different forms of limited protection against negative Index-Linked Interest being credited for a Crediting Period. |
If the Crediting Method for the Index-Linked Interest Strategy has a Floor, the Floor is the maximum negative Adjusted Index Change for a given Crediting Period. The Floor is set for each Index-Linked Interest Strategy at a loss of 10%. This may also be expressed as a floor equal to negative 10% (or –10%). The Floor for any Index-Linked Interest Strategy will not change for the life of your Contract.
If the Crediting Method for the Index-Linked Interest Strategy has a Buffer, the Buffer is the maximum negative Index Change that will not result in a negative Adjusted Index Change for a given Crediting Period. The Buffer for an Index-Linked Interest Strategy may provide protection from a negative Index Change of up to 10% or up to 20%. The Buffer for any Index-Linked Interest Strategy will not change for the life of your Contract.
Once the Adjusted Index Change is determined, the Adjusted Index Change is applied to the Strategy Base Value to calculate the Index-Linked Interest credited for the Crediting Period. See the section titled “Crediting Methods” for additional information.
Annual Lock Crediting Method
The Annual Lock Crediting Method is a multi-year Index-Linked Interest Strategy that applies the Buffer and Cap separately for each Contract Year during the Crediting Period. If the Crediting Method for an Index-Linked Interest Strategy has an Annual Lock, the Adjusted Index Change will be calculated in the same manner as for a Point to Point Index-Linked Interest Strategy, except it will be calculated on each Contract Anniversary. However, no Index-Linked Interest will be credited to the Index-Linked Interest Strategy until the Crediting Date at the end of the Crediting Period. The Adjusted Index Change for the full Crediting Period will equal the cumulative result of each successive Adjusted Index Change for each Contract Year during the Crediting Period. On the first Contract Anniversary during the Crediting Period, the performance equals the Adjusted Index Change for that Contract Year multiplied by Strategy Base Value for the Index-Linked Interest Strategy. This performance amount is added to or deducted from the Strategy Base Value to form the Annual Lock Amount. The Annual Lock Amount is used to calculate the performance for the next Contract Year during the Crediting Period. On each Contract Anniversary during the Crediting Period thereafter, the return for the year is equal to
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the Adjusted Index Change for that Contract Year multiplied by Annual Lock Amount, and is credited to or deducted from the Annual Lock Amount, which becomes the new Annual Lock Amount for the next Contract Year On the Crediting Date, Interest-Linked Interest is credited to the Strategy Base Value in the amount of the difference between the Annual Lock Amount for the Contract Anniversary that is the Crediting Date and the Strategy Base Value. Because of the cumulative impact of the Annual Lock, if you incur a loss in one Contract Year during the Crediting Period, it will reduce the amount on which performance will be calculated for the next Contact year during the Crediting Period. In a continuing down market, you could lose in excess of the percentage remaining after the Buffer. For example, if the Buffer is 10%, in a continuing down market, you could lose more than 90% of your investment. On the other hand, if you incur a gain in one Contract Year during the Crediting Period, it will increase the Annual Lock Amount for the next Contract Year, upon which future gains (if any) will be calculated. See the section titled “Crediting Methods” for additional information.
When does F&G Life set the Cap Rate, Performance Trigger Rate, Floor and Buffer and can they be adjusted? We set the Cap Rate or Performance Trigger Rate, as applicable, for each Index-Linked Interest Strategy prior to the beginning of each Crediting Period and those rates will not change during the Crediting Period. The Cap Rates and Performance Trigger Rates for the initial Crediting Period will be shown in your Contract. We can change the Cap Rates and Performance Trigger Rates for each Crediting Period. At least 30 days prior to the end of a Crediting Period , we will provide you with written notice with instructions for how you can obtain the Cap Rates and Performance Trigger Rates for the next Crediting Period. You do not have the right to reject the Cap Rates and Performance Trigger Rates for the next Crediting Period, but you can select a new allocation from among the Index-Linked Interest Strategies and the Fixed Interest Strategy for the next Crediting Period. See the section titled “Risk that We May Eliminate or Substitute an Index or Crediting Method or Change Cap Rates and Performance Trigger Rates” for more information.
The Floors and Buffers for the Index-Linked Interest Strategies are shown in your Contract and cannot be changed during the life of your Contract. We may change the Floors and Buffers for Contracts issued in the future, and future Contracts may have different Floors and Buffers for different Index-Linked Interest Strategies.
How is my Account Value calculated while I own the Contract? Your Account Value is the sum of your Strategy Account Values and your Fixed Interest Strategy Value at any given time.
How are my Strategy Account Values calculated while I own the Contract? You will have a separate Strategy Account Value for each Index-Linked Interest Strategy in which you invest. On the Effective Date, your Strategy Account Value equals the Premium you have allocated to the Index-Linked Interest Strategy, which is your Strategy Base Value at the inception of your Contract. On the last Business Day of the Crediting Period, your Strategy Base Value is recalculated to equal your Strategy Base Value (including any adjustments due to withdrawals) plus the amount of Index-Linked Interest applied for the Crediting Period, which may be positive, negative or equal to zero.
On each other Business Day following the Effective Date, your Strategy Account Value equals your Strategy Interim Value. Your Strategy Interim Value on a given Business Day is intended to reflect the value of your investment in an Index-Linked Interest Strategy on that particular day. Changes to your Strategy Interim Value are not directly tied to the performance of the relevant Index (although Index performance impacts your Strategy Interim Value). Instead, your Strategy Interim Value for an Index-Linked Interest Strategy is calculated on any day other than a Crediting Date using a formula that takes into account (i) an Equity Adjustment to your Strategy Base Value based on the value of a specific set of hypothetical derivatives; and (ii) an Asset Adjustment to your Strategy Base Value based on the Bloomberg US Aggregate Yield to Worst Index to account for changes in interest rates that impact the value of the fixed income assets supporting your Contract. On a Crediting Date prior to the sixth Contract Anniversary, your Strategy Interim Value will be subject to the Asset Adjustment, but not an Equity Adjustment. On a Crediting Date on or following the sixth Contract Anniversary, your Strategy Interim
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Value will be your Strategy Base Value without any adjustment. Please see Appendix B for a detailed description of how we calculate Strategy Interim Values. It is important to understand that even if an Index performs positively, it is possible that your Strategy Interim Value will decrease. If you wish to obtain your Strategy Interim Value, you may contact our Home Office.
If you take a withdrawal from an Index-Linked Interest Strategy, your Strategy Account Value on the date of the withdrawal will be reduced by the withdrawal amount, including any applicable surrender charges. In addition, any such withdrawal will also reduce your Strategy Base Value proportionally, which in turn will negatively impact your Strategy Account Value. See “How do withdrawals affect my Fixed Interest Strategy Value and Index-Linked Interest Strategy Account Values?” below.
Can I make transfers between Index-Linked Interest Strategies and the Fixed Interest Strategy? During the Accumulation Phase, you can transfer Account Value among the Index-Linked Interest Strategies, and between the Index-Linked Interest Strategies and the Fixed Interest Strategy, free of charge, at the end of an Index-Linked Interest Strategy’s or Fixed Interest Strategy’s Crediting Period. You may not make transfers at any other time. We must receive your transfer request at our Service Center at least two Business Days prior to the end of a Crediting Period. If we do not receive a transfer request, no transfers will occur and your then existing allocation will remain in place for the next Crediting Period. See the section titled “General Liquidity Risk” for more information. Transfers are discussed in detail in the section titled “Transfers.”
Can I make withdrawals? You may take withdrawals from your Contract at any time during the Accumulation Phase. If you take a partial withdrawal or surrender your Contract (i.e., a full withdrawal), your withdrawal may be subject to a surrender charge, and withdrawals from your Strategy Account Values will be based on respective Strategy Interim Values. Repetitive withdrawals (a form of systematic partial withdrawals) are also available during the Accumulation Phase. If you are under age 591⁄2, amounts you withdraw from the Contract may also be subject to a 10% additional federal tax. Please consult with your Tax Advisor for additional information.
See the section titled “Access to your Money During the Accumulation Phase” for additional information.
How do withdrawals affect my Fixed Interest Strategy Value and Strategy Account Values? When you take a withdrawal from your Fixed Interest Strategy, your Fixed Interest Strategy Value is reduced by the dollar amount of the withdrawal, including any applicable surrender charges. When you take a withdrawal from an Index-Linked Interest Strategy, the applicable Strategy Account Value is reduced in the same manner. However, if you take a withdrawal from an Index-Linked Interest Strategy, the withdrawal will also cause a proportional reduction (perhaps significant reduction) to your Strategy Base Value. A reduction in your Strategy Base Value negatively impacts your Strategy Account Value. Overall, withdrawals may result in a loss of principal due to adjustments and charges that may be imposed even if Index Performance has been positive.
You should fully understand how withdrawals affect the value of your Contract, particularly your Strategy Account Values, prior to purchasing the Contract. See “Strategy Base Value Risk” and “Impact of Withdrawals from Index-Linked Interest Strategies” for additional information about how withdrawals affect your Strategy Account Values.
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What charges are deducted under the Contract? During the first six years that you own the Contract, if you withdraw more than the free withdrawal amount allowed under your Contract, you may be assessed a surrender charge. The amount of the surrender charge, if any, will depend on the Contract Year during which the withdrawal is taken. The schedule below sets forth the surrender charges under the Contract. The surrender charge schedule starts at [7%] and declines until the seventh Contract Year when it reaches 0%.
Contract Year | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7+ | |||||||||||||||||||||
Surrender Charge (as a percentage of the amount withdrawn in excess of the free withdrawal amount) | [7%] | [7%] | [6%] | [5%] | [4%] | [3%] | 0 | % |
For the first six Contract Years, you may take withdrawals during each Contract Year, in the aggregate, up to your free withdrawal amount without the imposition of surrender charges. Surrender charges will be imposed only on the amounts withdrawn in excess of your free withdrawal amount. Your free withdrawal amount during the first Contract Year is 10% of Premium. Your free withdrawal amount during each subsequent Contract Years is 10% of your Account Value as of the preceding Contract Anniversary.
Surrender charges are discussed in detail in the section titled “Surrender Charge.”
What annuity options are available during the Income Phase? You may select from three annuity options under the Contract. The available annuity options are:
• | Income for Fixed Period; |
• | Life Income with Guaranteed Period; or |
• | Joint and Survivor Income with Guaranteed Period. |
All annuity payments will be made on a fixed basis. The annuity options are discussed in more detail in the section titled “Annuity Payments.”
Does the Contract provide a death benefit? If you die during the Accumulation Phase, your Contract provides for a death benefit equal to the greater of:
(a) | Your Account Value; or |
(b) | Your Premium, reduced proportionately by the percentage reduction in the Account Value for each partial withdrawal, including the impact of any surrender charge deduction. |
The death benefit is not payable during the Income Phase and will terminate without value as of the Maturity Date. The death benefit is discussed in more detail in the section titled “Death Benefit.”
How do I contact Fidelity & Guaranty Life Insurance Company? F&G Life’s principal place of business is located at 801 Grand Ave., Suite 2600, Des Moines, IA 50309. If you need more information, or you wish to submit a request, you should contact us at the following:
Service Center: For all written communications, general correspondence and other transactional requests, please contact us at:
F&G Service Center
P.O. Box 814977
Lincoln, NE 68501-1497
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For Overnight Mail:
F&G Service Center
777 Research Drive
Lincoln, NE 68521
We will not deem correspondence, including transactional requests including applications and Premium payments to be received by us until picked up at our Service Center.
Customer Service by Phone: 1-888-513-8797
Online Service: www.fglife.com
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The purchase of the Contract involves certain risks. You should carefully consider the following factors, in addition to the matters set forth elsewhere in this prospectus, prior to purchasing the Contract.
The Contract is intended to be a long-term investment that you may use to help save for retirement. The Contract is not designed to be a short-term investment. If you take withdrawals from your Contract during the surrender charge period, surrender charges may apply. In addition, if you make withdrawals from the Contract before you attain age 591⁄2, the amounts you withdraw may also be subject to a 10% additional federal tax. This Contract may not be appropriate for you if you expect to take withdrawals that will be subject to surrender charges or additional federal taxes.
You can transfer Account Value among the Index-Linked Interest Strategies and the Fixed Interest Strategy only at the end of a Crediting Period, which may be as long as six years. This restricts your ability to react to changes in market conditions during Crediting Period. You should consider whether the inability to reallocate Account Value during a Crediting Period meets your financial needs. We must receive your transfer request at least [two Business Days prior to the end of a Crediting Period]. If we do not receive a transfer request, no transfers will occur and your then existing allocation will remain in place for the next Crediting Period. This will occur even if the Crediting Method, Index, Cap Rate or Performance Trigger Rate associated with the Index-Linked Interest Strategy has changed since you last selected the Index-Linked Interest Strategy. Under such circumstances, the Index-Linked Interest Strategy may no longer be appropriate for your investment goals. If you fail to transfer Strategy Account Value at the beginning of a Crediting Period and do not wish to remain invested in a particular Index-Linked Interest Strategy for the remainder of the Crediting Period, your only option will be to surrender the related Strategy Account Value.
Surrendering all or a portion of your Account Value may cause you to incur surrender charges, negative adjustments to certain values under your Contract based on the Strategy Interim Value of the Index-Linked Interest Strategy, and negative tax consequences. If you withdraw Account Value allocated to an Index-Linked Interest Strategy prior to the end of a Crediting Period (including through a repetitive withdrawal), the withdrawal will cause a reduction to your Strategy Base Value. When you take such a withdrawal, your Strategy Base Value will be immediately reduced in a proportion equal to the reduction in your Strategy Account Value. A proportional reduction could be larger than the dollar amount of your withdrawal. Reductions to your Strategy Base Value will negatively impact your Strategy Account Value for the remainder of the Crediting Period and may result in a lower amount of Index-Linked Interest being credited, if any, at the end of the Crediting Period.
Once your Strategy Base Value is reduced due to a withdrawal, there is no way under the Contract to increase your Strategy Base Value during the remainder of the Crediting Period. See “Impact of Withdrawals from Index-Linked Interest Strategies” for additional information about how withdrawals affect your Strategy Account Values.
See “Interim Value Risk” below for information on how liquidity risks relate to our Interim Value calculation.
We may defer payments made under this Contract for up to six months if the applicable insurance regulatory authority approves such deferral.
RISK OF LOSS RELATED TO SURRENDER CHARGES
There is a risk of loss of principal and related earnings if you take a withdrawal from your Contract or surrender it during the first six Contract Years when we will deduct a surrender charge. This risk exists even if you are invested in an Index-Linked Interest Strategy with an Index that is performing positively as of the date of your withdrawal.
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If you allocate money to an Index-Linked Interest Strategy for a Crediting Period, the value of your investment will depend in part on the performance of the applicable Index or Indexes. The performance of an Index is based on changes in the values of the securities or other instruments that comprise or define the Index. The securities and instruments comprising or defining the Indexes are subject to a variety of investment risks, many of which are complicated and interrelated. These risks may affect capital markets generally, specific market segments, or specific issuers. The performance of the Indexes may fluctuate, sometimes rapidly and unpredictably. Negative Index performance may cause you to lose money on your investment in the Contract. The historical performance of an Index or an Index-Linked Interest Strategy does not guarantee future results. It is impossible to predict whether an Index will perform positively or negatively over the course of a Crediting Period.
While it is not possible to invest directly in an Index, if you choose to allocate amounts to an Index-Linked Interest Strategy, you are indirectly exposed to the investment risks associated with the applicable Index. Because each Index is comprised or defined by a collection of securities, each Index is largely exposed to market risk and issuer risk.
Market risk is the risk that market fluctuations may cause the value of a security to fluctuate, sometimes rapidly and unpredictably. Issuer risk is the risk that the value of an issuer’s securities may decline for reasons directly related to the issuer, as opposed to the market generally.
Provided below is a summary of other important investment risks to which the Indexes are exposed. For more information on the Indexes, see the section titled “Indexes.”
• | S&P 500® Index. The S&P 500® Index is comprised of equity securities issued by large-capitalization U.S. companies. In general, large-capitalization companies may be unable to respond quickly to new competitive challenges, and may not be able to attain the high growth rate of successful smaller companies. |
• | Russell 2000® Index. The Russell 2000® Index is comprised of equity securities of small-capitalization U.S. companies. In general, the securities of small-capitalization companies may be more volatile and may involve more risk than the securities of larger companies. Small-capitalization companies are more likely to fail than larger companies. |
• | Nasdaq-100® Index. The Nasdaq-100® Index is comprised of equity securities of the largest U.S. and non-U.S. companies listed on the Nasdaq Stock Market, including companies across all major industry groups except financial companies. In general, large-capitalization companies may be unable to respond quickly to new competitive challenges, and may not be able to attain the high growth rate of successful smaller companies. To the extent that the Nasdaq-100® Index is comprised of securities issued by companies in a particular sector, those securities may not perform as well as the securities of companies in other sectors or the market as a whole. Also, any securities issued by non-U.S. companies (including related depositary receipts) are subject to the risks related to investments in foreign markets (e.g., increased volatility; changing currency exchange rates; and greater political, regulatory, and economic uncertainty). |
• | MSCI EAFE Index. The MSCI EAFE Index is an equity index that captures large and mid-cap representation across developed markets around the world. The securities comprising the MSCI EAFE Price Return Index are subject to the risks related to investments in foreign markets (e.g. increased price volatility; changing currency exchange rates; and greater political, regulatory, and economic uncertainty). In general, foreign markets may be less liquid, more volatile, and subject to less government supervision than domestic markets. |
The Indexes do not reflect any dividends or distributions paid by the component companies. If dividends or distributions were reflected in the value of an Index, the Index’s performance would be higher, particularly over
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long periods of time. The Indexes that include non-U.S. companies use exchange rate methodologies that may impact an Index’s performance. These considerations may negatively impact the performance of your Index-Linked Interest Strategies.
An investment in the Contract is not an investment in the companies that comprise the Indexes. You should understand that you will have no voting rights, no rights to receive cash dividends or other distributions, and no other rights with respect to the companies that comprise the Indexes.
CAP RATE AND PERFORMANCE TRIGGER RATE RISK
If you choose to allocate amounts to an Index-Linked Interest Strategy with a Cap Rate or a Performance Trigger Rate, the highest possible Adjusted Index Change that you may achieve is limited by the Cap Rate or Performance Trigger Rate. The Cap Rate or Performance Trigger Rate therefore limits the positive Index-Linked Interest, if any, that may be credited to your Contract for a given Crediting Period. Cap Rates do not guarantee a certain amount of Index-Linked Interest. The Adjusted Index Change for an Index-Linked Interest Strategy may be less than the positive return of the Index. This is because any positive return of the Index is subject to a maximum in the form of a Cap Rate or Performance Trigger Rate.
The Cap Rates and Performance Trigger Rates benefit us because they limit the amount of positive Index Change that we may be obligated to credit for any Crediting Period. We set the Cap Rates and Performance Trigger Rates in our discretion. You bear the risk that we will not set the Cap Rates higher than [2.00% during the surrender charge period or 1.00% thereafter] or that we will not set the Performance Trigger Rates higher than [2.00% during the surrender charge period or 1.00% thereafter].
Changes to the Cap Rates and Performance Trigger Rates, if any, occur at the beginning of the next Crediting Period. We will provide written notice at least 30 days prior to each Crediting Period instructing you how to obtain the Cap Rates and Performance Trigger Rates for the next Crediting Period. You do not have the right to reject any new Cap Rates or Performance Trigger Rates for the next Crediting Period. If you do not like a new Cap Rate or Performance Trigger Rate for a particular Index-Linked Interest Strategy, at the end of the current Crediting Period, you may transfer your Strategy Account Value to another Index-Linked Interest Strategy or to the Fixed Interest Strategy without charge. If you do not want to invest in any investment option under the Contract, your only option will be to surrender your Contract. Surrendering your Contract may cause you to incur surrender charges, negative adjustments to certain values under the Contract, and may have negative tax consequences, as discussed in this section.
When you allocate money to an Index-Linked Interest Strategy, you are not investing in the associated Index, or in any securities or other instruments included in that Index. If you allocate money to an Index-Linked Interest Strategy, Index fluctuations may cause the Index Change to be negative even after the application of the Buffer or the Floor, as applicable. This would reduce your Strategy Account Value. Any portion of your Account Value allocated to an Index-Linked Interest Strategy will benefit from the protection afforded under either the Buffer or Floor only for that Crediting Period. You assume the risk that you will incur a loss and that the amount of the loss will be significant. You also bear the risk that sustained negative Index Change may result in zero or negative Index-Linked Interest being credited to your Strategy Account Value over multiple Crediting Period. If an Index-Linked Interest Strategy is credited with negative Index-Linked Interest for multiple Crediting Periods, the cumulative loss may exceed the stated limit of the Buffer or Floor for any single Crediting Period. You will not have voting rights or rights to receive cash dividends or other distributions or other rights that holders of the shares of the funds or holders of securities comprising the indexes would have. We calculate positive Index Change without taking into account any such distributions or dividends paid. The Buffer or Floor for an Index-Linked Interest Strategy will not change while you own the Contract.
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If you choose to allocate amounts to an Index-Linked Interest Strategy, Index-Linked Interest will not be credited to your Account Value until the end of the Crediting Period. This means that amounts withdrawn prior to the end of a Crediting Period will not be credited with Index-Linked Interest. This includes Account Value applied to pay a death benefit or to an annuity payout option. Your Strategy Interim Value is the amount available for withdrawals, surrenders, annuitization and death benefits. You should consider the risk that it could be less than your original investment even when the applicable Index is performing positively.
We determine the Strategy Interim Value by applying a formula which is not directly tied to the actual performance of the applicable Index. Instead, on each Business Day, we calculate the Strategy Interim Value by applying adjustments to your Strategy Base Value. The adjustments are comprised of two components: (1) an Equity Adjustment based on the value of a specific set of hypothetical derivatives; and (2) an Asset Adjustment that tracks changes in interest rates based on the Bloomberg US Aggregate Yield to Worst Index. The Asset Adjustment accounts for changes in interest rates that impact the value of the fixed income assets supporting your Contract. This means that even if the Index Change is positive, it is possible that the Strategy Interim Value may not have increased. Additionally, on any Crediting Date prior to the sixth Contract Anniversary, your Strategy Interim Value will be determined by applying an Asset Adjustment to the Strategy Base Value (after we credit Index-Linked Interest, if any, for the Crediting Period that ends on that Crediting Date. For more information and to see how we calculate the Strategy Interim Value, see Appendix B.
RISK THAT WE MAY ELIMINATE OR SUBSTITUTE AN INDEX
There is no guarantee that any particular index underlying an Index-Linked Interest Strategy will be available for the entire duration that you own your Contract. We may replace an Index if it is discontinued or if there is a substantial change in the calculation of the Index, or if hedging instruments become difficult to acquire or the cost of hedging becomes excessive. If we substitute an Index, the performance of the new Index may differ from the original Index. This may negatively affect the Index-Linked Interest that you earn during that Crediting Period. We may replace an Index at any time during a Crediting Period, however, we will notify you in writing 45 days prior to replacing an Index. If we replace an Index, this does not cause a change in the Cap Rate, Performance Trigger Rate, Floor or Buffer. You will have no right to reject the replacement of an Index, and you will not be permitted to transfer Strategy Account Values until the end of a Crediting Period even if we replace the Index during the Crediting Period. The new Index and the replaced Index (which you may have previously chosen) may not be similar with respect to their component securities or other instruments, although we will attempt to select a new Index that is similar to the old Index. We will not substitute any Index until the new Index has received any necessary regulatory approvals. At the end of the Crediting Period, you may transfer your Strategy Account Value to another Index-Linked Interest Strategy or to the Fixed Interest Strategy without charge. If you do not want to remain invested in the relevant Index-Linked Interest Strategy for the remainder of the Crediting Period, your only option will be to withdraw the related Strategy Account Value, which may cause you to incur surrender charges, negative adjustments to certain values under your Contract, and negative tax consequences, as discussed in this section.
You should evaluate whether our ability to make the changes described above, and your ability to react to such changes, are appropriate based on your investment goals. When such changes occur, you should also evaluate whether those changes are appropriate based on your investment goals and, if not, you should evaluate your options under the Contract, which may be limited and may have negative consequences associated with them, as described in this section.
RISK THAT WE MAY ELIMINATE AN INDEX-LINKED INTEREST STRATEGY
There is no guarantee that any particular Index-Linked Interest Strategy will be available for the entire duration that you own your Contract. We may add or remove an Index or Crediting Method during the time that you own
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the Contract. We will not add any Index or Crediting Method until the new Index or Crediting Method has received any necessary regulatory approval. Any addition, substitution, or removal of an Index-Linked Interest Strategy, Index, or Crediting Method will be communicated to you in writing. If we add or remove an Index (as opposed to replacing an Index), the changes will not be effective for your Contract until the start of the next Crediting Period. Adding or removing an Index does not cause a change in the Floor or Buffer for the applicable Index-Linked Interest Strategy. Any Index-Linked Interest Strategy based on the performance of the newly added Index will have a new Cap Rate or Performance Trigger Rate.
You should evaluate whether our ability to make the changes described above, and your ability to react to such changes, are appropriate based on your investment goals. When such changes occur, you should also evaluate whether those changes are appropriate based on your investment goals and, if not, you should evaluate your options under the Contract, which may be limited and may have negative consequences associated with them, as described in this section.
The effective annual interest rate for any Crediting Period will never be lower than [1.00%]. The effective annual interest rate represents the rate of daily compounded interest over a 12-month period. You bear the risk that we will never declare an interest rate for the Fixed Interest Strategy higher than the guaranteed minimum interest rate. See “Fixed Interest Strategy” for additional details.
OUR FINANCIAL STRENGTH AND CLAIMS-PAYING ABILITY
Our General Account assets support the guarantees under the Contract and are subject to the claims of our creditors. As such, the guarantees under the Contract are subject to our financial strength and claims-paying ability. There is a risk that we may default on those guarantees. The assets in the Separate Account are also subject to our creditors. You should consider our financial strength and claims-paying ability in meeting the guarantees under the Contract. You may obtain information on our financial condition by reviewing our financial statements included in this prospectus. Additionally, information concerning our business and operations is set forth under the section titled “Management’s Discussion and Analysis.”
CYBER SECURITY AND BUSINESS CONTINUITY RISKS
We rely heavily on interconnected computer systems and digital data to conduct our annuity business activities. Because our annuity business is highly dependent upon the effective operation of our computer systems and those of our business partners, our business is potentially vulnerable to disruptions from utility outages and other problems, and susceptible to operational and information security risks resulting from information systems failure (hardware and software malfunctions) and cyber-attacks. These risks include, among other things, the theft, misuse, corruption and destruction of data maintained online or digitally, and unauthorized release of confidential customer information. For instance, cyber-attacks may: interfere with our processing of Contract transactions, including the processing of orders from our website; cause the release and possible destruction of confidential customer or business information; impede order processing; subject us and/or our service providers and intermediaries to regulatory fines and financial losses; and/or cause reputational damage. There may be an increased risk of cyberattacks during periods of geo-political or military conflict (such as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the resulting response by the United States and other countries).
Cyber security risks may also affect the Indexes. Breaches in cyber security may cause an Index’s performance to be incorrectly calculated, which could affect the calculation of values under the Contract. We are not responsible for the calculation of any Index. Breaches in cyber security may also negatively affect the value of the securities or other instruments that comprise or define the Indexes.
We are also exposed to natural and man-made disasters and catastrophes, such as (but not limited to) storms, fires, floods, earthquakes, public health crises, geo-political disputes, military actions, malicious acts and terrorist
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acts, any of which could adversely affect our ability to conduct business. A natural or man-made disaster or catastrophe, including a pandemic (such as COVID-19), could affect the ability or willingness of our employees or the employees of our service providers to perform their job responsibilities and could result in the closure of one or more of our offices, or interruptions in mail delivery, telephone communications, or other electronic communications.
Although we use reasonable procedures, including recording all telephone instructions and requiring certain personal identification information to prevent unauthorized account access, we cannot assure you that telephone or Internet activity will be completely secure or free of delays or malfunctions. If we permit telephone or Internet transfers, you choose to make transfers by telephone or Internet, you are assuming the risk of loss that may occur despite our reasonable efforts to verify identity. We are not responsible for the negligence or wrongful acts of third parties.
See additional company-related risks later in this prospectus under “Risks Related to our Business and Industry.”
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This prospectus describes the Contract, which is an agreement between F&G Life and you, the Owner. The Contract is designed to help you invest on a tax-deferred basis and meet long-term financial goals, such as funding your retirement. Under the Contract we promise to pay an income in the form of annuity payments, beginning on the Maturity Date. A death benefit may also become payable upon your death. All payments under the Contract are subject to the terms and conditions in the Contract, which are described in this prospectus.
During the Accumulation Phase, you may access your money under the Contract by taking withdrawals of your Account Value. Withdrawals may be subject to surrender charges. During the Income Phase, we will pay guaranteed income in the form of annuity payments. The Contract also has a death benefit that may become payable during the Accumulation Phase. The death benefit is not payable during the Income Phase.
The Contract is available as a Non-Qualified Contract, which will provide you with certain tax deferral features under the Code. The Contract is also available as a Qualified Contract. If you purchase the Contract as a Qualified Contract, the Contract will not provide you tax deferral benefits in addition to those already provided by your IRA or Roth IRA.
This prospectus describes the material rights and obligations under the Contract. Certain provisions of the Contract may be different from the general description in this prospectus due to variations required by state law. For example, state law may require different right to examine provisions, and may impose different issue age limitations. The state in which your Contract is issued also governs whether or not certain options, or charges are available or will vary under your Contract. Please see Appendix A for a listing of general state variations. Any state variations will be included in your Contract or in riders or endorsements attached to your Contract.
You, as the Owner, may exercise all ownership rights under the Contract. The Contract must be issued prior to the Owner attaining age 81 (the “maximum issue age”).
Joint Owners: A non-qualified Contract can be owned by joint Owners. Each joint Owner has equal ownership rights and must exercise those rights jointly, unless both Owners direct us otherwise in writing. Only two Owners are allowed per Contract. If the Contract is owned by joint Owners, the signatures of both Owners are needed to exercise rights under the Contract, unless we are directed otherwise by both joint Owners in writing. An Owner who is a non-natural person (e.g., a corporation or trust) may not name a joint Owner.
You initially name the Annuitant and any joint Annuitant on your Contract application. This designation may be changed at any time prior to the Maturity Date by sending us a signed and dated written request. However, if the Contract is owned by a non-natural person (e.g., a corporation or trust), the Annuitant(s) may not be changed. Unless you specify otherwise, a change in Annuitant is effective as of the date you signed the notice of change. However, we are not responsible for any legitimate actions that we take under the Contract (including payments) prior to receiving the notice.
If you designate someone else as Annuitant, that person must not be older than the maximum issue age on the Contract Date.
Only two Annuitants are allowed per Contract. Each Annuitant must be no older than the maximum issue age as of the Contract Date.
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The Beneficiary is the person(s) or entity (or entities) that you designate to receive any death benefit paid under the Contract during the Accumulation Phase, as described in the section titled “Death Benefit.” You initially name the Beneficiary (or Beneficiaries) on your Contract application and you may change a Beneficiary at any time by sending us a signed and dated written request. If you have designated a Beneficiary as irrevocable, the Beneficiary must consent in writing to any change. A new Beneficiary designation revokes any prior designation and is effective when signed by you. We are not responsible for the validity of any Beneficiary designation or for any legitimate actions we may take under the Contract (including payments) prior to receiving a request to change a Beneficiary. After your death, the Beneficiary has the right to receive any death benefit payable under the Contract or to change the Payee for remaining annuity payments. Beneficiaries should notify us of your death as promptly as possible.
To the extent allowed by state law, we reserve the right to refuse our consent to any assignment at any time on a nondiscriminatory basis if the assignment would violate or result in noncompliance with any applicable state or federal law or regulation. You may request to assign or transfer your rights under the Contract by sending us a signed and dated request. We will not be bound by an assignment until we acknowledge it. If you assign your benefits, the death benefit amount may be adjusted. See the section titled “Death Benefit.”
Unless you specify otherwise, an assignment or transfer is effective as of the date you signed the notice of change. However, we are not responsible for any legitimate actions (including payments) that we take under the Contract prior to receiving the notice. We are not responsible for the validity of any assignment or transfer. To the extent allowed by law, payments under the Contract are not subject to legal process for the claims of creditors.
A Qualified Contract may not be assigned except as permitted by the Code.
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If you are younger than age 81, you may purchase the Contract by completing an application and submitting a minimum Premium payment of $25,000 through an authorized producer. Only one Premium payment is allowed under the Contract. For IRAs and Roth IRAs, because the minimum Premium payment we accept exceeds the annual contribution limits for IRAs and Roth IRAs, your Premium payment must include a Rollover Contribution.
We will not deem correspondence, including transactional inquiries including applications and Premium payments to be received by us until picked up at our Service Center address.
We reserve the right not to accept third-party checks. In some circumstances and at our discretion, we may accept third-party checks that are from a rollover or transfer from other financial institutions.
We reserve the right to refuse any Premium payment that exceeds $1.5 million and any Premium payment that, when aggregated with previous Premium payments made under other contracts issued by us, exceeds $1.5 million. Additionally, we reserve the right to refuse any Premium payment that does not meet our minimum Premium payment requirements, is not in good order, or is otherwise contrary to law for F&G Life to accept. In addition, we reserve the right to refuse any application. If we refuse your application, we will return your Premium payment to you.
Your application will not be considered to be in good order and your Contract will not be issued until your Premium payments from all sources have been received by us. If the Cap Rate or Performance Trigger Rate for any Index-Linked Interest Strategy to which you have allocated Premium has changed between the time of your application and the Effective Date of your Contract, you may cancel your contract within 30 days and have the amount of your Premium, or your Account Value, if greater, returned to you. See Right to Examine, below.
ALLOCATING YOUR PREMIUM PAYMENT
You tell us how to apply your Premium payment by specifying in the Contract application your desired allocation (by percentage) among the Fixed Interest Strategy and the available Index-Linked Interest Strategies. Your Premium payment will be allocated according to your instructions on the Contract’s Effective Date.
You may cancel the Contract without charge by returning it to us or to your F&G Life registered representative within 30 days after you receive your Contract. If you cancel your Contract during this period, we will issue a refund including all charges that may have been deducted from your Contract. Your state’s law will determine the amount you will receive. This amount will either be:
(a) | Your Account Value on the Business Day we receive your request, which may be more or less than your original Premium payment; |
(b) | The amount of your Premium payment; or |
(c) | The greater of (a) or (b). |
If you are canceling your Contract because the Cap Rate or Performance Trigger Rate for any Index-Linked Interest Strategy to which you have allocated Premium has changed between the time of your application and the Effective Date of your Contract, the amount you will receive is determined in accordance with (c).
If we are required to return the amount of your Premium payment or the greater of (a) or (b) above, F&G Life will be subject to the investment risk if you cancel your Contract during the right to examine period.
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The amount of your refund may depend on if your Contract is a replacement of another insurance or annuity contract. If your Contract is an IRA or Roth IRA and you cancel within the first 7 days, you will receive the greater of (a) or (b) above. After the first 7 days, your state’s law will determine the amount you will receive as described above.
For a state-by-state description of material variations of this Contract, including the right to examine period, see Appendix A.
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The Contract provides that you must allocate your Premium payment among the available investment options on the Effective Date for the initial Crediting Period. You may reallocate your Account Value in any investment option among the available investment options for subsequent Crediting Periods following the end of a Crediting Period by providing new allocation instructions to us, as discussed under the section titled “Transfers.” You may not reallocate your Account Value in the Fixed Interest Strategy or any Index-Linked Interest Strategy until the end of the Crediting Period applicable to the Fixed Interest Strategy or the Index-Linked Interest Strategy.
Currently, the investment options offered under the Contract are the Fixed Interest Strategy and 30 Index-Linked Interest Strategies. The Fixed Interest Strategy credits compound interest at a guaranteed rate. Each Index-Linked Interest Strategy credits interest determined by the performance of a particular Index and the applicable Crediting Method. The Index-Linked Interest credited at the end of a Crediting Period for any Index-Linked Interest Strategy may be positive, negative, or equal to zero.
Each Crediting Period for the Fixed Interest Strategy is one year. The Crediting Period for an Indexed-Linked Interest Strategy may be one, three or six years. The initial Crediting Period begins on your Contract’s Effective Date. Each subsequent Crediting Period begins at the end of the prior Crediting Period. If any beginning/ending date of a Crediting Period is not a Business Day, the beginning/ending date will be the next Business Day.
The Fixed Interest Strategy credits compound interest based on rates that are set and guaranteed by us. Any portion of your Account Value allocated to the Fixed Interest Strategy for a Crediting Period will be credited with the interest rate established for that Crediting Period, which will apply for the entire Crediting Period. Once a Crediting Period is over, we will declare a new interest rate for the next Crediting Period.
The interest rate for the Fixed Interest Strategy for the initial Crediting Period will be set forth in your Contract. Prior to the beginning of each subsequent Crediting Period, we will mail to you a 30-day advance written notice indicating how you may obtain the interest rate for the Fixed Interest Strategy for the next Crediting Period.
The effective annual interest rate for any Crediting Period will never be lower than the guaranteed minimum interest rate of [1%]. This rate is guaranteed to be a rate not less than the minimum interest rate allowed by state law. The effective annual interest rate represents the rate of daily compounded interest over a 12-month period. You bear the risk that we will never declare an interest rate for the Fixed Interest Strategy higher than the guaranteed minimum interest rate.
Payments from the Fixed Interest Strategy are also subject to minimum amounts required by state law. These minimum amounts only apply upon annuitization from the Fixed Interest Strategy, payment of a death benefit upon death of the Owner, or a full withdrawal from the Fixed Interest Strategy. We guarantee that if one of these events occurs, then the proceeds from the Fixed Interest Strategy (the amount applied to annuity payments or paid for a full withdrawal or death benefit) will be at least equal to the minimums required by state law. If necessary to meet this minimum, charges will be waived.
INDEX-LINKED INTEREST STRATEGIES
Each Index-Linked Interest Strategy credits an amount of Index-Linked Interest at the end of each Crediting Period determined by the performance of a particular Index or Indices and the applicable Crediting Method. Each Crediting Method measures the net performance of the applicable Index between the beginning and end of a Crediting Period (i.e., “Point to Point”) or each Contract Year during the Crediting Period (i.e., “Annual Lock”) subject to either the Cap Rate or Performance Trigger Rate, and either the Floor or the Buffer. Cap Rates,
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Performance Trigger Rates, Floors and Buffers apply to an entire Crediting Period for Point to Point Index-Linked Interest Strategies and apply to each Contract Year in a Crediting Period for Annual Lock Index-Linked Interest Strategies.
There are currently 30 Index-Linked Interest Strategies available under the Contract. The table below lists the Index, Crediting Method and Crediting Period for each of the 30 Index-Linked Interest Strategies.
Additional information about the operation of the Index-Linked Interest Strategies is provided under “Additional Information about the Index-Linked Interest Strategies” immediately below.
1 Year Crediting Period | ||||||||||
Crediting Method | Protection Option | S&P 500® Index | Russell 2000® Index | Nasdaq- 100® Index | MSCI EAFE Index | |||||
Cap | 10% Buffer | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |||||
20% Buffer | ✓ | ✓ | N/A | ✓ | ||||||
-10% Floor | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ||||||
Performance Trigger | 10% Buffer | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |||||
3 Year Crediting Period | ||||||||||
Cap | 10% Buffer | ✓ | ✓ | N/A | ✓ | |||||
20% Buffer | ✓ | ✓ | N/A | ✓ | ||||||
6 Year Crediting Period | ||||||||||
Cap | 10% Buffer | ✓ | ✓ | N/A | ✓ | |||||
20% Buffer | ✓ | ✓ | N/A | ✓ | ||||||
Annual Lock | 10% Buffer | ✓ | ✓ | N/A | ✓ |
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ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ABOUT THE INDEX-LINKED INTEREST STRATEGIES
Currently, each Index-Linked Interest Strategy credits interest based on the performance of one of the following Indexes, each covering different asset classes.
S&P 500® Index (SPX). Widely regarded as the best gauge of the U.S. stock market, this world-renowned index tracks the performance of 500 large companies in leading industries of the U.S. economy.
Russell 2000® Index (RTY). The Russell 2000® Index measures the performance of the small-cap segment of the U.S. equity universe. It is a subset of the Russell 3000® Index and includes approximately 2,000 of the smallest securities based on a combination of their market cap and current index membership.
Nasdaq-100 Index® (NDX). The Nasdaq-100 Index includes 100 of the largest domestic and international non-financial companies listed on the Nasdaq Stock Market based on market capitalization. The Index reflects companies across major industry groups including computer hardware and software, telecommunications, retail/wholesale trade and biotechnology.
MSCI EAFE Index (MXEA). MSCI EAFE Index is an equity index that captures large and mid-cap representation across 21 developed markets around the world, including Europe, Australasia and the Far East, excluding the United States and Canada. The Index covers approximately 85% of the free float-adjusted market capitalization in each of the 21 countries
We reserve the right to add, remove or replace any Index-Linked Interest Strategy, Index, or Crediting Method in the future, subject to any necessary regulatory approvals. If we replace an Index, this will not cause a change in the Cap Rate, Performance Trigger Rate, Floor or Buffer for the current Crediting Period. Adding or removing an Index does not cause a change in the Floor or Buffer because those elements do not change for the life of your Contract. Any Index-Linked Interest Strategies based on the performance of a newly added Index will have a new Cap Rate or Performance Trigger Rate. Changes to the Cap Rates or Performance Trigger Rates, if any, occur at the start of the next Crediting Period. If we add or remove an Index (as opposed to replacing an Index with another Index), the changes will not be effective for your Contract until the start of the next Crediting Period.
We may replace an Index if it is discontinued or the Index is no longer available to us or if the Index’s calculation changes substantially. Additionally, we may replace an Index if hedging instruments become difficult to acquire or the cost of hedging becomes excessive. We may do so at the end of a Crediting Period or during a Crediting Period. We will notify you in writing at least 30 days before we replace an Index.
If we replace an Index, we will attempt to select a new Index that is similar to the old Index. In making this evaluation, we will look at factors such as asset class, Index composition, strategy or methodology inherent to the Index and Index liquidity. If we replace an Index during a Crediting Period, we will calculate the Index Change using the old Index up until the replacement date. After the replacement date, we will calculate the Index Change using the new Index, but with a modified start of Crediting Period value for the new Index. The modified start of Crediting Period value for the new Index will reflect the Index Change for the old Index from the start of the Crediting Period to the replacement date.
Example. This example shows how we would calculate the Index Change during a Crediting Period during which an Index was replaced.
Index Change on replacement date for old Index
Old Index Value at beginning of Crediting period | 100 | |
Old Index Value on replacement date | 103 | |
Index Change for old Index on replacement date | (103 /100) - 1 = 3% |
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This 3% Index Change on the replacement date is then used to calculate the modified beginning of Crediting Period Index Value for the new index.
Modified start of Crediting Period Index Value for new index
Index Change for old Index on replacement date | 3% | |
Index Value for new index on replacement date | 1000 | |
Modified start of Crediting Period Index Value for new index | 1000 /(100% + 3%) = 970.87 |
The Index Change calculation for that Crediting Period is then based on the change between the modified start of Crediting Period Index Value for the new index, and the end of Crediting Period Index Value for the new index.
Additional Index information, including disclaimers, may be found in Appendix C. The investment risks associated with the Indexes are discussed under the section titled “Index Risk.”
When you allocate Account Value to an Index-Linked Interest Strategy for a Crediting Period, your investment in the Index-Linked Interest Strategy is represented by a Strategy Account Value. Your Strategy Account Value reflects the portion of your Account Value attributable to that Index-Linked Interest Strategy at any given time. If you allocate Account Value to multiple Index-Linked Interest Strategies for a Crediting Period, you will have a separate Strategy Account Value for each Index-Linked Interest Strategy in which you are invested. Your Strategy Account Value is the amount available for withdrawals, surrenders, annuitization and death benefits.
Your Strategy Account Value for an Index-Linked Interest Strategy will be calculated at the close of each Business Day of the Crediting Period as follows:
• | On the Effective Date, your Strategy Account Value will equal your Strategy Base Value for that Index-Linked Interest Strategy. |
• | On each Business Day other than a Crediting Date, your Strategy Account Value on a given Business Day will equal your Strategy Interim Value. We calculate your Strategy Interim Value at the close of each such Business Day by applying an Equity Adjustment to your Strategy Base Value based on the value of a specific set of hypothetical derivatives and an Asset Adjustment to your Strategy Base Value based on the Bloomberg US Aggregate Yield to Worst Index to account for changes in interest rates that impact the value of the fixed income assets supporting your Contract. See Appendix B for a description of how Strategy Interim Values are calculated. |
• | On the Crediting Date of a Crediting Period, your Strategy Base Value will be increased or decreased by the amount of Index-Linked Interest credited to the Index-Linked Interest Strategy, which may be positive, negative, or equal to zero. This may also be expressed through the following formula: Strategy Base Value x (1 + Adjusted Index Change). Prior to the sixth Contract Anniversary, your Strategy Account Value on the Crediting Date will be the Strategy Interim Value, which will be determined by applying an Asset Adjustment to the Strategy Base Value (after we credit Index-Linked Interest, if any, for the Crediting Period that ends on that Crediting Date). On a Crediting Date on or after the sixth Contract Anniversary, your Strategy Interim Value will be your Strategy Base Value (after we credit Index-Linked Interest, if any, for the Crediting Period that ends on the Crediting Date) without any adjustment. |
Example. Assume that you allocate $50,000 to an Index-Linked Interest Strategy on the Effective Date with a 5% Cap Rate. On the first Business Day of the Crediting Period, your Strategy Base Value is $50,000. Your Strategy Account Value will increase and decrease according to changes in your Strategy Interim Value while you continue to have Account Value allocated to the Strategy. For instance, if your Strategy Interim Value at the
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close of the tenth Business Day equals $50,500, your Strategy Account Value at that time will be $50,500. Then, if your Strategy Interim Value at the close of the eleventh Business Day equals $48,000, your Strategy Account Value at that time will be $48,000. On the last Business Day of the Crediting Period, if an Adjusted Index Change of 5% is assumed, your Strategy Base Value at the close of the last Business Day will be $52,500 ($50,000 x (1 + 0.05) = $52,500). Under this example, $2,500 in Index-Linked Interest would have been credited to your Contract ($50,000 x 0.05 = $2,500). If the Strategy Interim Value on the Crediting Date (after application of any Index-Linked Interest to the Strategy Base Value) equals $49,000, your Strategy Account Value at that time will be $49,000.
For each Index-Linked Interest Strategy to which you allocate Account Value, at the end of the Crediting Period, we will credit your Strategy Base Value with Index-Linked Interest. Index-Linked Interest may be positive, negative, or equal to zero.
• | If the Index-Linked Interest is positive, your Strategy Base Value will increase by a dollar amount equal to the positive Index-Linked Interest. |
• | If the Index-Linked Interest is negative, your Strategy Base Value will decrease by a dollar amount equal to the negative Index-Linked Interest. |
• | If the Index-Linked Interest is equal to zero, no interest will be credited and your Strategy Base Value will not change. |
If you allocate Account Value to more than one Index-Linked Interest Strategy, the Index-Linked Indexed Strategies in which you invest will credit separate Index-Linked Interest at the end of their respective Crediting Periods. Even if you receive positive Index-Linked Interest for one or more Index-Linked Interest Strategies for a Crediting Period, your overall gain for that Crediting Period will be reduced by any negative Index-Linked Interest you receive for any other Index-Linked Interest Strategies for that Crediting Period, and the negative Index-Linked Interest may cause you to incur an overall loss during that Crediting Period.
To determine the Index-Linked Interest credited to an Index-Linked Interest Strategy at the end of a Crediting Period, we calculate the Adjusted Index Change for that Index-Linked Interest Strategy. We calculate the Adjusted Index Change by applying the applicable Crediting Method. The Contract provides for four Crediting Methods: (1) Point to Point Cap Rate with Buffer; (2) Point to Point Cap Rate with Floor; (3) Point to Point Performance Trigger Rate with Buffer; and (4) Annual Lock Cap Rate with Buffer.
Each Crediting Method includes the following elements:
• | The Crediting Period; |
• | The Index Change (either “Point to Point,” from the beginning of the Crediting Period to the Crediting Date, or “Annual Lock” for each Contract Year in the Crediting Period); |
• | Either the Cap Rate or the Performance Trigger Rate (applied from the beginning of the Crediting Period to the Crediting Date for Point to Point Index-Linked Interest Strategies, or for each Contract Year in the Crediting Period for Annual Lock index-Linked Interest Strategies); and |
• | Either the Floor or the Buffer (applied from the beginning of the Crediting Period to the Crediting Date for Point to Point Index-Linked Interest Strategies, or for each Contract Year in the Crediting Period for Annual Lock Index-Linked Interest Strategies). |
Each of these elements and each of the Crediting Methods is explained below, along with examples of how the Adjusted Index Change is determined for each Crediting Method in the case of both positive and negative Index Changes.
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Crediting Period. The Crediting Period for an Index-Linked Interest Strategy is either one, three or six years. Crediting Periods begin on your Contract’s Anniversary Date.
Index Change. To calculate the Adjusted Index Change, we first calculate the Index Change. The Index Change for a Point to Point Index-Linked Interest Strategy is the net change percentage in the Index Value from the start of a Crediting Period to the end of the Crediting Period, before any applicable adjustment for either the Cap Rate or Performance Trigger Rate and either the Floor or Buffer. The Index Change for an Annual Lock Index-Linked Interest Strategy is determined from the start of each Contract Year to the end of each Contract Year in a Crediting Period, before any applicable adjustment for the Cap Rate and the Buffer.
Example: Assume that you allocate Account Value to a Point to Point Index-Linked Interest Strategy using the S&P 500® Index and between the beginning and end of the Crediting Period, the value of the securities comprising the S&P 500® increases by 5%. The Index Change for that Index-Linked Interest Strategy would be 5%. If instead the S&P 500® decreased by 5%, the Index Change for the Index-Linked Interest Strategy would be -5%.
After the Index Change is calculated, we next calculate the Adjusted Index Change. The Adjusted Index Change reflects any applicable adjustments for either the Cap Rate or the Performance Trigger Rate and either the Floor or the Buffer. Index-Linked Interest will be credited to the Strategy Base Value at a rate equal to the Adjusted Index Change.
Cap Rate. If the Crediting Method for an Index-Linked Interest Strategy includes a Cap Rate, the Cap Rate represents the maximum positive Adjusted Index Change for a given Crediting Period for a Point to Point Index-Linked Interest Strategy or for a Contract Year during a Crediting Period for an Annual Lock Index-Linked Interest Strategy. We set the Cap Rate for each Index-Linked Interest Strategy prior to the beginning of a Crediting Period, and the Cap Rate may vary between Index-Linked Interest Strategies. A Cap Rate for a Crediting Period may be higher or lower than the Cap Rates for previous or future Crediting Period. In no event will a Cap Rate be lower than the guaranteed minimum of [2.00% during the surrender charge period or less than 1.00% thereafter]. The Cap Rates for your initial Crediting Periods will be set forth in your Contract. Prior to the beginning of each subsequent Crediting Period, we will mail to you a 30-day advance written notice indicating how you may obtain the Cap Rates for the next Crediting Period.
Example 1: Assume that you allocate Account Value to a Point to Point Index-Linked Interest Strategy for a Crediting Period with a Cap Rate of 6%. Also assume that at the end of the Crediting Period, the Index Change is 5%. In this case, to calculate the Adjusted Index Change, we would compare the Cap Rate of 6% to the Index Change of 5%. Because the Index Change (5%) is less than the Cap Rate (6%), the Adjusted Index Change would be 5%. As a result, we would credit Index-Linked Interest to your Strategy Base Value at the Adjusted Index Change of 5%. In this example, the Cap Rate did not limit your potential gain.
Example 2: Assume that you allocate Account Value to a Point to Point Index-Linked Interest Strategy for a Crediting Period with a Cap Rate of 6%. Also assume that at the end of the Crediting Period, the Index Change is 12%. In this case, to calculate the Adjusted Index Change, we would compare the Cap Rate of 6% to the Index Change of 12%. Because the Index Change (12%) is higher than the Cap Rate (6%), the Adjusted Index Change would be 6%. As a result, we would credit Index Linked Interest to your Strategy Base Value at the Adjusted Index Change of 6%. In this example, the Cap Rate limited your potential gain.
See “ANNUAL LOCK INDEX-LINKED INTEREST STRATEGIES” for examples for an Annual Lock Index-Linked Interest Strategy. The Cap Rates do not guarantee a certain amount of Index-Linked Interest. The Cap Rates benefit us because they limit the amount of positive Index-Linked Interest that we may be obligated to credit for any Crediting Period. We set the Cap Rates at our discretion. You bear the risk that we will not set the Cap Rates higher than [2.00% during the surrender charge period and 1.00% thereafter].
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Performance Trigger Rate. If the Crediting Method for an Index-Linked Interest Strategy includes a Performance Trigger Rate, the Performance Trigger Rate represents the positive Adjusted Index Change for a given Crediting Period if the Index Change for the Crediting Period is zero or greater. We set the Performance Trigger Rate for each Index-Linked Interest Strategy prior to the beginning of a Crediting Period, and the Performance Trigger Rate may vary between Index-Linked Interest Strategies. A Performance Trigger Rate for a Crediting Period may be higher or lower than the Performance Trigger Rates for previous or future Crediting Periods. In no event will a Performance Trigger Rate be lower than the guaranteed minimum of [2.00% during the surrender charge period or less than 1.00% thereafter]. The Performance Trigger Rates for your initial Crediting Periods will be set forth in your Contract. Prior to the beginning of each subsequent Crediting Period, we will mail to you a 30-day advance written notice indicating how you may obtain the Performance Trigger Rates for the next Crediting Period.
Example 1: Assume that you allocate Account Value to an Index-Linked Interest Strategy for a Crediting Period with a Performance Trigger Rate of 6%. Also assume that at the end of the Crediting Period, the Index Change is 3%. Because the Index Change is zero or greater (3%), the Adjusted Index Change will equal the Performance Trigger Rate (6%). As a result, we would credit Index-Linked Interest to your Strategy Base Value at the Adjusted Index Change of 6%. In this example, the Performance Trigger Rate was greater than the Index Change.
Example 2: Assume that you allocate Account Value to an Index-Linked Interest Strategy for a Crediting Period with a Performance Trigger Rate of 6%. Also assume that at the end of the Crediting Period, the Index Change is 10%. Because the Index Change is zero or greater (10%), the Adjusted Index Change will equal the Performance Trigger Rate (6%). As a result, we would credit Index-Linked Interest to your Strategy Base Value at the Adjusted Index Change of 6%. In this example, the Performance Trigger Rate limited your potential gain.
The Performance Trigger Rates do not guarantee a certain amount of Index-Linked Interest unless the applicable Index Change is zero or greater. The Performance Trigger Rates benefit us because they limit the amount of positive Index-Linked Interest that we may be obligated to credit for any Crediting Period. We set the Performance Trigger Rates at our discretion. You bear the risk that we will not set the Performance Trigger Rates higher than [2.00% during the surrender charge period and 1.00% thereafter].
Floor. If the Crediting Method for an Index-Linked Interest Strategy includes a Floor, the Floor is the maximum negative Adjusted Index Change for that Index-Linked Interest Strategy for a given Crediting Period. The Floor represents the most negative Index-Linked Interest that you can be credited under an Index-Linked Interest Strategy for a Crediting Period.
For those Crediting Methods with a Floor, the Floor is always set at a loss of 10%. This may also be expressed as a floor equal to negative 10% (-10%).
Example 1: Assume that you allocate Account Value to an Index-Linked Interest Strategy with a Crediting Method that includes a Floor and, at the end of the Crediting Period, the Index Change is -6%. In this case, to calculate the Adjusted Index Change, we would compare the Floor of -10% to the Index Change of -5%. Because the Floor (-10%) is less (more negative) than the Index Change (-5%), the Adjusted Index Change would be -5%. As a result, we would credit Index-Linked Interest to your Strategy Base Value at the Adjusted Index Change of -5%. In this example, the Floor did not provide any downside protection.
Example 2: Assume that you allocate Account Value to an Index-Linked Interest Strategy with a Crediting Method that includes a Floor and, at the end of the Crediting Period, the Index Change is -15%. In this case, to calculate the Adjusted Index Change, we would compare the Floor of -10% to the Index Change of -15%. Because the Floor (-10%) is higher (less negative) than the Index Change (-15%), the Adjusted Index Change would be -10%. As a result, we would credit Index-Linked Interest to your Strategy Base Value at the Adjusted Index Change of -10%. In this example, the Floor provided downside protection by limiting your loss.
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The -10% Floor will apply to every Index-Linked Interest Strategy with a Floor and will not change for the life of your Contract. It is possible that we will change the Floors for Contracts issued in the future and that future Contracts may have different Floors for different Index-Linked Interest Strategies.
The Floor provides only limited protection against downside risk. You should understand that the Floor does not provide absolute protection against negative Index-Linked Interest. You may lose money.
Every Index-Linked Interest Strategy has its own Strategy Account Value. Any portion of your Account Value that is not allocated to an Index-Linked Interest Strategy with a Crediting Method that includes a Floor will not benefit from the downside protection provided by the Floor.
Buffer. If the Crediting Method for an Index-Linked Interest Strategy includes a Buffer, the Buffer represents the amount of negative Index Change that may occur before you are credited with a negative Index-Linked Interest for a Point to Point Index-Linked Interest Strategy or a negative Adjusted Index Change applies for a Contract Year in a Crediting Period for an Annual Lock Index-Linked Interest Strategy.
Each Index-Linked Interest Strategy will specify the Buffer for that strategy. Depending on which Index-Linked Interest Strategy you select, the Buffer will provide protection from a negative Index Change of up to 10% or up to 20%,.
Example 1: Assume that you allocate Account Value to a Point to Point Index-Linked Interest Strategy with a Crediting Method that includes a Buffer of 10% and, at the end of the Crediting Period, the Index Change is -8%. In this case, to calculate the Adjusted Index Change, we would compare the Buffer of 10% to the Index Change of -8%. Because the negative Index Change (-8%) does not exceed the Buffer of 10%, the Adjusted Index Change would be 0%. As a result, we would not credit any Index-Linked Interest to your Strategy Base Value because the Adjusted Index Change equaled 0%. In this example, the Buffer provided complete downside protection by preventing you from being credited with negative Index-Linked Interest.
Example 2: Assume that you allocate Account Value to an Index-Linked Interest Strategy with a Crediting Method that includes a Buffer of 10% and, at the end of the Crediting Period, the Index Change is -15%. In this case, to calculate the Adjusted Index Change, we would compare the Buffer of 10% to the Index Change of -15%. Because the negative Index Change (-15%) exceeds the Buffer of 10%, the Adjusted Index Change would be -5% (i.e., -15% reduced by the Buffer of 10%). As a result, we would credit Index-Linked Interest to your Strategy Base Value based on an Adjusted Index Change of -5%. In this example, the Buffer provided downside protection because it did limit your loss from -15% to -5%, but it did not provide complete downside protection.
See “ANNUAL LOCK INDEX-LINKED INTEREST STRATEGIES” for examples for an Annual Lock Index-Linked Interest Strategy.
The Buffer for an Index-Linked Interest Strategy will not change for the life of your Contract. It is possible that we will change the Buffers for Contracts issued in the future, and that future Contracts may have different Buffers for different Index-Linked Interest Strategies.
The Buffer provides only limited protection from downside risk. You should understand that the Buffer does not provide absolute protection against negative Index-Linked Interest. You may lose money.
Every Index-Linked Interest Strategy has its own Strategy Account Value. Any portion of your Account Value that is not allocated to an Index-Linked Interest Strategy with a Crediting Method that includes a Buffer will not benefit from the protection afforded by the Buffer.
See Appendix D for additional examples of each Crediting Method.
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ANNUAL LOCK INDEX-LINKED CREDITING STRATEGIES. The Annual Lock Crediting Method is a multi-year Index-Linked Interest Strategy that applies the Buffer and Cap separately for each Contract Year during the Crediting Period. If the Crediting Method for an Index-Linked Interest Strategy has an Annual Lock, the Adjusted Index Change will be calculated in the same manner as for a Point to Point Index-Linked Interest Strategy, except it will be calculated on each Contract Anniversary. However, no Index Interest Credit will be credited to the Index-Linked Interest Strategy until the Crediting Date at the end of the Crediting Period. The Adjusted Index Change for the full Crediting Period will equal the cumulative result of each successive Adjusted Index Change for each Contract Year during the Crediting Period. On the first Contract Anniversary during the Crediting Period, the performance equals the Adjusted Index Change for that Contract Year multiplied by the Strategy Base Value for the Index-Linked Interest Strategy. This performance amount is added to or deducted from the amount of the Strategy Base Value to form the Annual Lock Amount. The Annual Lock Amount is used to calculate the performance for the next Contract Year during the Crediting Period. On each Contract Anniversary during the Crediting Period thereafter, the return for the year is equal to the Adjusted Index change for that Contract Year multiplied by the Annual Lock Amount and is credited to or deducted from the Annual Lock Amount, which becomes the new Annual Lock Amount for the next Contract Year.
On the Crediting Date, Interest-Linked Interest is credited to the Strategy Base Value in the amount of the difference between the Annual Lock Amount for the Contract Anniversary that is the Crediting Date and the Strategy Base Value. For example, if the Strategy Base Value is $100,000 and the Annual Lock Amount for the Contract Anniversary that is the Crediting Date is $129,112, you will be credited with Index-Linked Interest in the amount of $29,112 on the Crediting Date. A more detailed example is below.
Because of the cumulative impact of the Annual Lock, if you incur a loss in one Contract Year during the Crediting Period, it will reduce the amount invested for the next Contact year during the Crediting Period. In a continuing down market, you could lose in excess of the percentage remaining after the Buffer. For example, if the Buffer is 10%, in a continuing down market, you could lose more than 90% of your investment. On the other hand, if you incur a gain in one Contract Year during the Crediting Period, it will increase the Annual Lock Amount for the next Contract Year, upon which future gains or losses (if any) will be calculated.
The Annual Lock Amount is used only to calculate the performance of an Index-Linked Interest Strategy on each Contract Anniversary during the Crediting Period. This amount is not available for surrender, withdrawal, transfer, annuitization or as a Death Benefit. In addition to adjustments to the Annual Lock Amount or performance, Withdrawals during the Crediting Period also reduce the Annual Lock Amount and the Strategy Base Value in the same proportion that withdrawals reduce the Strategy Interim Value.
Example: The following example demonstrates the impact of the Cap Rate and Buffer on an Index-Linked Interest Strategy with a 6-Year Annual Lock and assumes no withdrawals have been made.
Strategy Start Date = 10/21/2022
Index-Linked Interest Strategy = 6-Year with Annual Lock Cap Rate with Buffer
Cap Rate = 10%
Buffer = 10%
Index Value at Beginning of Crediting Period = 1,000
Initial Strategy Account Value = $100,000
Strategy Base Value at Beginning of Crediting Period = $100,000
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Contract Anniversary | Index Value | Index Change | Adjusted Index Change | Annual Lock Amount on Contract Anniversary | ||||||||||||
10/21/2023 | 1,120 | +12 | % | +10 | % | $ | 110,000 | |||||||||
10/21/2024 | 1,064 | -5 | % | 0 | % | $ | 110,000 | |||||||||
10/21/2025 | 1,149 | +8 | % | +8 | % | $ | 118,800 | |||||||||
10/21/2026 | 977 | -15 | % | -5 | % | $ | 112,860 | |||||||||
10/21/2027 | 1,104 | +13 | % | +10 | % | $ | 124,146 | |||||||||
10/21/2028 | 1,148 | +4 | +4 | % | $ | 129,112 |
In this example, the Index-Linked Interest crediting to the Strategy Base Value on the Crediting Date is $29,112, which is the difference between the Strategy Base Value and the Annual Lock Amount on the Crediting Date. The Strategy Base Value on the Crediting Date is $129,112, which is the sum of the Strategy Base Value ($100,000) and the Index-Linked Interest ($29,112). The Index-Linked Interest is not credited to your Strategy Base Value until the end of the 6-year Crediting Period. Until that time, your Strategy Account Value be subject to the Strategy Interim Value calculations. The Annual Lock Amount on each Contract Anniversary is not available to you and is used only for the purpose of calculating the Index-Linked Interest ultimately credited on the Crediting Date.
IMPACT OF WITHDRAWALS FROM INDEX-LINKED CREDITING STRATEGIES
Under the Contract, you are permitted to take full or partial withdrawals at any time during the Accumulation Phase. Withdrawals may be subject to surrender charges.
If you withdraw Account Value allocated to an Index-Linked Interest Strategy during a Crediting Period or on a Crediting Date, the withdrawal will cause a reduction to your Strategy Base Value. Your Strategy Base Value will be immediately reduced in a proportion equal to the reduction in your Strategy Account Value (which will be the Strategy Interim Value). You should fully understand how a withdrawal from an Index-Linked Interest Strategy reduces your Strategy Base Value, because reductions in your Strategy Base Value always result in reductions (perhaps significant reductions) to your Strategy Account Value for the remainder of the current and subsequent Crediting Periods. A withdrawal from an Annual Lock Index-Linked Interest Strategy will also result in the Annual Lock Value being immediately reduced in a proportion equal to the reduction in your Strategy Account Value.
Reductions to your Strategy Base Value will negatively impact your Strategy Account Value in three ways.
• | First, a reduction in your Strategy Base Value may cause your Strategy Interim Values for the remainder of the Crediting Period to be lower than if you did not take the withdrawal. Because your Strategy Account Value is set equal to your Strategy Interim Value on any given Business Day, lower Strategy Interim Values will result in lower Strategy Account Values. |
• | Second, at the end of the Crediting Period, any positive Index-Linked Interest credited to you will be lower than if you did not take the withdrawal. This is because the Adjusted Index Change is applied to your Strategy Base Value in order to calculate your Index-Linked Interest, and a withdrawal reduces your Strategy Base Value. |
• | Third, your Strategy Base Value for successive crediting periods will be lower than if you did not take a withdrawal (unless you transfer additional Account Value to the Index-Linked Crediting Strategy). |
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You may transfer Account Value among the available Index-Linked Interest Strategies, and between the available Index-Linked Interest Strategies and the Fixed Interest Strategy, free of charge at the end of each Crediting Period. You may not make a transfer during a Crediting Period, so you may not transfer funds out of an Index-Linked Interest Strategy with a three-year or six-year Crediting Period for several years. If no transfer request is made prior to the end of a Crediting Period, your investment in an Index-Linked Interest Strategy or the Fixed Income Strategy will automatically be invested in the same Index-Linked Interest Strategy or the Fixed Income Strategy for the next Crediting Period.
The amount of Account Value allocated to an Index-Linked Interest Strategy at the beginning of a Crediting Period must be at least $2,000. If any transfer reduces a Strategy Account Value to less than $2,000, the entire amount remaining in that Index-Linked Interest Strategy will be automatically transferred to the Fixed Interest Strategy. We will reject any transfer request to the extent that it would result in less than $2,000 being allocated under your Contract to the Index-Linked Interest Strategy receiving the reallocated Account Value.
Transfer requests may be submitted in writing to our Service and must be signed by the Owner. We must receive your transfer request at our Service Center at least two Business Days prior to the end of a Crediting Period. At our discretion, we may accept transfer requests by telephone or, if available, by Internet.
If we receive your request on a non-Business Day or after the close of a Business Day, your request will be deemed to be received on the next Business Day. In addition, your transfer request will not be deemed to be received until it is in good order. A transfer request will be in good order if it contains all the information that we need to process the transaction.
AUTOMATIC TRANSFER FROM AN INDEX-LINKED INTEREST STRATEGY TO THE FIXED INTEREST STRATEGY
If you are invested in an Index-Linked Interest Strategy during a Crediting Period and we decide not to offer that Index-Linked Interest Strategy for the next Crediting Period, you must submit a transfer request to us no less than two business days prior to the end of the Crediting Period instructing us how to reallocate that portion of your Account Value at the end of the Crediting Period. If you fail to do so, we will automatically transfer the entire amount of your Account Value allocated to that Index-Linked Interest Strategy to the Fixed Interest Strategy at the end of the Crediting Period and that portion of your Account Value and any interest earned thereon will remain in the Fixed Interest Strategy unless we are otherwise instructed.
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ACCESS TO YOUR MONEY DURING THE ACCUMULATION PHASE
Your Account Value in the Contract may be accessed in the following ways during the Accumulation Phase:
• | by taking partial withdrawals (including repetitive withdrawals, a form of systematic partial withdrawals); and |
• | by taking a full withdrawal (i.e., surrendering your Contract). |
Your Contract’s Account Value and the Strategy Base Value for any Index-Linked Interest Strategy will decline whenever you take partial withdrawals. If you take a partial withdrawal and, immediately after the withdrawal, your Account Value would be less than $2,000, we will instead pay you the Cash Surrender Value and terminate your Contract. If you take a full withdrawal, we will pay you the Cash Surrender Value and terminate your Contract. You may not take withdrawals greater than your Cash Surrender Value.
Partial withdrawals and full withdrawals may be subject to surrender charges. See the section titled “Surrender Charge” for more information about surrender charges. Eligible withdrawals under the required minimum distributions waiver, impairment waiver, nursing home confinement waiver or the terminal illness waiver are not subject to surrender charges.
Any additional withdrawals are not permissible during the Income Phase.
During the Accumulation Phase, you can make partial withdrawals from your Account Value at any time by sending a signed request to our Service Center. The withdrawal request must be accompanied with all the information we need to process it. Unless you tell us otherwise, partial withdrawals will be taken proportionately from the Fixed Interest Strategy and Index-Linked Interest Strategies based on how your Account Value is allocated. You may request that your withdrawals be taken only from investment options you select proportionately based on how your Account Value is allocated to those investment options at the time of the withdrawal. Repetitive partial withdrawals must be at least $100 and one-time partial withdrawals must be at least $500. If your Account Value is less than $500, you may only surrender the Contract for the Cash Surrender Value.
As part of your withdrawal request, you may indicate the Business Day on which you would like to take the withdrawal, including if you would like to take the withdrawal at the end of the current Crediting Periods for your investments. If you indicate the Business Day on which your withdrawal should be taken, we must receive your withdrawal request in good order no later than the close of the Business Day on which you wish to take the withdrawal. If you do not indicate the Business Day on which to take the withdrawal, your withdrawal will be taken on
the Business Day that we receive your request. If we receive your request in good order on a non-Business Day or after the close of a Business Day, it will be deemed to be received on the next Business Day.
Partial withdrawals taken from an Index-Linked Interest Strategy may negatively impact (perhaps significantly) your Strategy Account Value for the remainder of the Crediting Period. See the section titled “Impact of Withdrawals from Index-Linked Interest Strategies.”
You can take a full withdrawal (i.e., surrender your Contract for its Cash Surrender Value) at any time during the Accumulation Phase by sending a signed request to our Service Center in good order. A surrender request will be
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in good order if it contains all the information that we need to process the transaction. All benefits under the Contract will be terminated as of the Business Day that we receive your surrender request. The Cash Surrender Value will be as of the Business Day that we process the transaction. We will pay you the Cash Surrender Value within seven calendar days thereof.
As part of your withdrawal request, you may indicate the Business Day on which you would like to take the withdrawal, including if you would like to take the withdrawal at the end of the current Crediting Period for your investments. If you indicate the Business Day on which your withdrawal should be taken, we must receive your withdrawal request in good order no later than the close of the Business Day on which you wish to take the withdrawal. If you do not indicate the Business Day on which to take the withdrawal, your withdrawal will be taken on the Business Day that we receive your request. If we receive your request in good order on a non-Business Day or after the close of a Business Day, it will be deemed to be received on the next Business Day.
REPETITIVE WITHDRAWALS (A FORM OF SYSTEMATIC PARTIAL WITHDRAWALS)
Repetitive withdrawals allow you to automatically withdraw payments of a pre-determined dollar amount or a fixed percentage of Contract Value on a monthly, quarterly, semi-annual or annual basis. You may request repetitive withdrawals by completing the appropriate form and sending it to our Service Center.
Repetitive withdrawals may be used to avoid tax penalties for premature withdrawals or to satisfy minimum distribution requirements of qualified Contracts. To avoid a premature withdrawal penalty, they must be set up as a series of substantially equal periodic payments made at least annually and based on:
• | your life expectancy; or |
• | the joint life expectancy of you and your Beneficiary. |
Repetitive withdrawals based on life expectancy are intended to deplete your Contract Value over the life expectancy through withdrawals that are substantially equal (as outlined in IRS guidance). To begin repetitive withdrawals based on life expectancy, you must verify your age in order for us to calculate the monthly, quarterly, semi-annual or annual withdrawal amount. We calculate the amount of a repetitive withdrawal based on life expectancy by dividing the Contract Value by the life expectancy of the Owner as determined by using the IRS single-life life expectancy table or for IRA required minimum distributions, the appropriate IRS table. If repetitive withdrawals are based on joint-life life expectancy, we divide the Contract Value by the joint-life expectancy of the Owner and the Beneficiary by using the IRS joint-life life expectancy table or for IRA required minimum distributions, the appropriate IRS table.
Repetitive withdrawals that are based on life expectancy may allow you to avoid the early withdrawal tax penalty of 10% that you would otherwise pay for taking withdrawals prior to age 591⁄2. If you take additional withdrawals or otherwise modify or stop these repetitive withdrawals, a surrender charge may apply and there may be tax consequences and penalties. You should talk to your tax professional for more information on taking repetitive withdrawals to avoid the 10% tax penalty. If you make repetitive withdrawals that are not based on life expectancy, the same restrictions, income taxes, and tax penalties that apply to random withdrawals may also apply to repetitive withdrawals.
If you receive a repetitive withdrawal, like any other partial withdrawal, the repetitive withdrawal will cause a reduction (perhaps significant reduction) to your Strategy Base Value. Reductions to your Strategy Base Value will negatively impact your Strategy Account Value and may result in a lower amount of Index-Linked Interest being credited, if any, at the end of the Crediting Period. In addition, repetitive withdrawals may be subject to surrender charges. You should carefully consider how taking repetitive withdrawals can negatively impact your investment in the Contract. See the sections titled “Strategy Base Value Risk,” “Impact of Withdrawals from Index-Linked Interest Strategies,” and “Surrender Charge” for more information.
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You should consult your tax and financial advisor(s) prior to beginning, modifying, or stopping repetitive withdrawals. We do not provide tax advice and you will be responsible for any errors in calculations or tax penalties associated therewith.
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You may take partial withdrawals or surrender your Contract (i.e., take a full withdrawal) at any time during the Accumulation Phase. A surrender charge may be imposed when you take a partial or full withdrawal during the first six Contract Years. After the sixth Contract Year, there are no surrender charges under the Contract.
If a surrender charge applies to a withdrawal, the charge will be a percentage of the amount withdrawn in excess of your free withdrawal amount. See “Free Withdrawal Amount” below. If you take a partial withdrawal, we will deduct the surrender charge from the amount withdrawn unless you tell us to deduct the surrender charge from your remaining Account Value. If your remaining Account Value is not sufficient to pay the surrender charge, we will deduct the surrender charge from the amount withdrawn. If you take a full withdrawal, the surrender charge is calculated as part of your Cash Surrender Value.
The applicable surrender charge percentage will depend on the Contract Year during which the withdrawal is taken. The schedule below sets forth the surrender charge percentages under the Contract. The surrender charge schedule starts at [7%] and declines until the seventh Contract Year when it reaches 0%.
Contract Year | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7+ | |||||||||||||||||||||
Surrender Charge (as a percentage of the amount withdrawn in excess of the free withdrawal amount) | [7%] | [7%] | [6%] | [5%] | [4%] | [3%] | 0 | % |
All withdrawals during the first six Contract Years are subject to surrender charges, except:
• | withdrawals during a Contract Year that, in the aggregate, do not exceed the free withdrawal amount; |
• | withdrawals for required minimum distributions; |
• | withdrawals while subject to eligible impairment; |
• | withdrawals while subject to eligible nursing home confinement; and |
• | withdrawals in the case of an eligible terminal illness. |
Withdrawals under the waivers for required minimum distributions, eligible impairment, eligible nursing home confinement or eligible terminal illness are in lieu of, and not in addition to, the free withdrawal amount. Your free withdrawal amount is reduced by any withdrawal under any of these waivers. Waivers are subject to availability by state. Please refer to Appendix A for availability in your state.
Annuity payments and death benefits under the Contract are not subject to surrender charges.
Surrender charges are intended to compensate us for expenses incurred in connection with the promotion, sale, and distribution of the Contracts. We intend to use revenue generated from surrender charges for any legitimate corporate purpose.
During the first six Contract Years, you may take withdrawals during each Crediting Period up to your free withdrawal amount without the imposition of surrender charges. Withdrawals under the waivers for required minimum distributions, eligible impairment, eligible nursing home confinement or eligible terminal illness are in lieu of, and not in addition to, the free withdrawal amount. Your free withdrawal amount for any Contract Year is reduced by any withdrawal under any of these waivers. Any aggregate withdrawals in excess of your free withdrawal amount in any Contract Year may be subject to surrender charges. After the sixth Contract Year, no surrender charge applies under the Contract.
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We determine your free withdrawal amount at the beginning of each Contract Year during the first six Contract Years. Your free withdrawal amount during the first Contract Year is 10% of your Premium payment. Your free withdrawal amount for each of the following five Contract Years is 10% of your Account Value on the immediately preceding Contract Anniversary.
Withdrawals are based on your Account Value, which may be subject to Strategy Interim Value calculations, regardless of any waiver of surrender charges. See “Strategy Interim Value” for additional information.
Example of the Surrender Charge and the Free Withdrawal Amount
The following example illustrates how the surrender charge and the free withdrawal amount apply to the Contract.
Assume:
• | Your Premium payment was $100,000. |
• | You did not make any withdrawals from your Contract during the first Contract Year. |
• | On the first Contract Anniversary, your Account Value is $110,000, and your free withdrawal amount therefore is $11,000 (10% of $110,000). |
• | During your second Contract Year, you take a partial withdrawal of $20,000 that is subject to a surrender charge of 7%. |
• | You instruct us to deduct the surrender charge from your remaining Account Value rather than the amount withdrawn. |
The portion of the partial withdrawal subject to a surrender charge is $9.000 ($20,000—$11,000 = $9,000). Your surrender charge would be $630 (7% of $9.000). After subtracting the partial withdrawal ($20,000) and the surrender charge ($630), your Account Value (assuming no change in Strategy Interim Values since the Contract Anniversary) would be $79,370.
REQUIRED MINIMUM DISTRIBUTION WAIVER
If approved in your state, we may waive surrender charges on required minimum distributions from Qualified Contracts required under the Code. The amount of your required minimum distribution eligible for the waiver is determined annually based on the fair market value of the Contract on December 31st occurring immediately prior to the beginning of a calendar year, in accordance with Code, and as if the Contract is your only retirement plan or account. For this purpose, if Your Contract was issued after December 31st occurring immediately prior to the calendar year, then the fair market value of Your Contract on that date is zero and the resulting required minimum distribution eligible for waiver of surrender charges for that calendar year is also zero.
To receive a surrender charge waiver for required minimum distributions, you must request the waiver in writing to our Service Center and include your election of either a single lump-sum payment or systematic payments. If the amount of your required minimum distribution exceeds the total free withdrawal amount available under your Contract during a Contract Year, we reserve the right to defer payment of the excess amount until the next Contract Year if the next Contract Year begins before the end of the calendar year. The unused portion of the waiver in any year cannot be carried over to a subsequent calendar year. Withdrawals under the waiver for required minimum distributions are in lieu of, and not in addition to, the free withdrawal amount. Your free withdrawal amount is reduced by any withdrawal under the waiver for required minimum distributions. Withdrawals are based on your Account Value, which may be subject to Strategy Interim Value calculations, regardless of any waiver of surrender charges. See “Strategy Interim Value” for additional information.
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If approved in your state, after the first Contract Anniversary, upon your request in writing to our Service Center, we may waive surrender charges on withdrawals that you make while you are impaired. To receive a surrender charge waiver for impairment, your impairment must begin after the Effective Date and must have continued for at least 90 consecutive days. The 60-day requirement may begin during the first Contract Year, but no waiver will apply until after the first Contract Year and no surrender charge during the first Contract Year will be waived. You must provide written proof of impairment from your attending physician providing sufficient deal as to your impairment.
Withdrawals under the waiver for impairment are in lieu of, and not in addition to, the free withdrawal amount. Your free withdrawal amount is reduced by any withdrawal under the waiver for impairment. Withdrawals are based on your Account Value, which may be subject to Strategy Interim Value calculations, regardless of any waiver of surrender charges. See “Strategy Interim Value” for additional information.
Please see your Contract for more information regarding the impairment waiver.
NURSING HOME CONFINEMENT WAIVER
If approved in your state, after the first Contract Anniversary, upon your request in writing to our Service Center, we may waive surrender charges on withdrawals you make while you are confined in a nursing home for a period of at least [60 consecutive days] if you were not confined to a nursing home prior to the Effective Date. The 60-day requirement may begin during the first Contract Year, but no waiver will apply until after the first Contract Year and no surrender charge during the first Contract Year will be waived. You must provide written proof of your confinement in an eligible nursing home while confined or within 90 days of when you were last confined.
Withdrawals under the waiver for nursing home confinement are in lieu of, and not in addition to, the free withdrawal amount. Your free withdrawal amount is reduced by any withdrawal under the waiver for nursing home confinement. Withdrawals are based on your Account Value, which may be subject to Strategy Interim Value calculations, regardless of any waiver of surrender charges. See “Strategy Interim Value” for additional information.
Please see your Contract for more information regarding the nursing home confinement waiver.
If approved in your state, after the first Contract Anniversary, upon your request in writing to our Service Center, we may waive surrender charges on withdrawals that you make while you are terminally ill and not expected to live more than [12 months]. To be eligible for a surrender charge waiver for a terminal illness, you must be diagnosed with a terminal illness after the Effective Date. You must provide written proof of the terminal illness, such as certification by an eligible physician who provides medical care to you regarding your terminal illness.
Withdrawals under the waiver for terminal illness are in lieu of, and not in addition to, the free withdrawal amount. Your free withdrawal amount is reduced by any withdrawal under the waiver for terminal illness. Withdrawals are based on your Account Value, which may be subject to Strategy Interim Value calculations, regardless of any waiver of surrender charges. See “Strategy Interim Value” for additional information.
Please see your Contract for more information regarding the terminal illness waiver.
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If your Contract enters the Income Phase, we will make annuity payments to the Payee(s) based on the annuity option that you select. Each annuity option is based on the life of at least one Annuitant. The value of the annuity payments that we make will depends in part on your Account Value on the Maturity Date.
As of the Maturity Date, the only payments that we will make under the Contract are annuity payments (or a lump sum payment). It will not be possible to take withdrawals and the death benefit will not be payable upon death. Once your Contract enters the Income Phase, you cannot switch back to the Accumulation Phase.
The Maturity Date is fixed on the Effective Date as the Contract Anniversary on the Annuitant’s (or oldest Annuitant’s if a Joint Annuitant is named) 100th birthday. You may elect an earlier, but not a later, Maturity Date by providing written notice to our Service Center. On the Maturity Date, your Contract will enter the Income Phase and annuity payments must begin unless you surrender your Contract prior to the Maturity Date. If you do not surrender your contract prior to the Maturity Date, the Income Phase will begin automatically. We will send notice to you prior to the scheduled Maturity Date and request that you verify all the information that we currently have on file.
The annuity option that you select will determine, among other things, the amount of your annuity payments and their frequency. Annuity payments will start at the end of the first payment period that begins on the Maturity Date.
You name the Annuitant(s) in your Contract application and may name the Payee(s) at any time prior to the Maturity Date. You may change a Payee or an Annuitant at any time prior to the Maturity Date by submitting a written request to our Service Center. You may elect and change the annuity option at any time prior to the Maturity Date by submitting an election form to our Service Center. The election form may be obtained through a written request, by phone, or by downloading the form from our website. After the Maturity Date, no such changes will be permitted. Changes in an Annuitant may affect the benefits available under this Contract and any riders or endorsements. We reserve the right to refuse Your request to change the Annuitant(s) if we receive the request more than 30 days after you signed it.
If you transfer the right to receive annuity payments to someone else, there may be gift and income tax consequences. If premium taxes are required by state law, these taxes will be deducted from your Account Value before the annuity payments are calculated.
You may choose one of the annuity options listed below or any other option you want and that we agree to provide. You may choose for payments to be made on a monthly, quarterly, semi-annual or annual basis. With the exception of the Income for a Fixed Period option, each other annuity option listed below is a life annuity option. This means that the number of annuity payments a Payee receives depends, at least in part, on how long an Annuitant lives.
The available annuity options are as follows:
Income for a Fixed Period. The Payee receives annuity payments for the number of years and months chosen. If the Annuitant or Joint Annuitant dies before the end of the fixed period, the remaining annuity payments, as scheduled, will be paid to the Income Phase Death Benefit Recipient. Alternatively, the Income Phase Death Benefit Recipient may elect to receive a lump sum equal to the Commuted Value of the remaining scheduled payments.
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Life Income with Guaranteed Period. The Payee receives annuity payments for the longer of the Annuitant’s life or a guaranteed period selected by you and agreed to by us. The amount of the annuity payments may be affected by the length of the guaranteed period you select. A shorter guaranteed period will result in higher annuity payments during the Annuitant’s life and fewer or no remaining guaranteed payments to the Payee. A longer guaranteed period will result in lower annuity payments. If the Annuitant dies before the guaranteed payments have been made, the remaining payments will be made to the Income Phase Death Benefit Recipient. Alternatively, the Income Phase Death Benefit Recipient may elect to receive a lump sum equal to the Commuted Value of the remaining scheduled payments.
Joint and Survivor Life Income with Guaranteed Period. The Payee receives annuity payments for the longer of the Annuitant’s life, the joint Annuitant’s life or a guaranteed period selected by you and agreed to by us. The full benefit amount will continue to be paid to the Payee until the later of the first death of either the Annuitant or joint Annuitant and the end of the guaranteed period. If only one Annuitant is alive when the guaranteed period ends, a percentage of the payment amount will continue to be paid to the Payee. You name the joint Annuitant, Payee and payment percentages at the time you elect this option. The joint Annuitant and payment percentages cannot be changed once the Income Phase begins. Choosing lower percentages to be paid after the death of either Annuitant results in higher payments while both Annuitants are living. If both Annuitants die before the guaranteed payments have been made, the remaining payments will be made to the Income Phase Death Benefit Recipient. Alternatively, the Income Phase Death Benefit Recipient may elect to receive a lump sum equal to the Commuted Value of the remaining scheduled payments.
If you do not choose an annuity option prior to the Maturity Date, if there is one Annuitant, we will make monthly annuity payments under the Life Income with Guaranteed Period annuity option, and if there is a joint Annuitant, we will make monthly annuity payments under the Joint and Survivor Life Income with Guaranteed Period annuity option. In either case the guaranteed period will be the default guaranteed period set forth in your Contract.
We may choose to distribute your Account Value in a lump sum if it is equal to or less than t$2,000 or if monthly annuity payments would be less than $20 [You may elect to have payments delivered by mail or electronically transferred to a bank account.]
Proof of Age or Sex. We may require proof of age or sex before beginning annuity payments under any annuity option based on life or life expectancy. If the age or sex of any Annuitant has been misstated, annuity payments will be based on the corrected information. Underpayments will be made up in a lump sum with the next scheduled payment. We will deduct overpayments in equal amounts over any remaining guaranteed payment period or 10 years, whichever is less. We will credit interest on underpayments and will charge interest on overpayments. We may require evidence satisfactory to us that an Annuitant is living before we make any payment.
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If you die during the Accumulation Phase, the Contract provides for a death benefit equal to the greater of:
(a) | Your Account Value; or |
(b) | Your Premium payment reduced proportionately by the percentage reduction in the Strategy Account Values and the Fixed Interest Strategy Value for each partial withdrawal, including the impact of any surrender charge deduction. |
If we permit you to transfer ownership of the Contract or assign the Contract, the death benefit will equal your Account Value, unless the new owner or assignee is required under applicable law to hold the Contract and the proceeds of any benefits under the Contract for the benefit of the original Owner or you have assigned the Contract solely for the purpose of effectuating a replacement of the Contract that qualifies as an exchange under Section 1035 of the Code.
The death benefit will terminate on the Maturity Date and will not be payable once the Income Phase begins under any circumstances. This means the death benefit will terminate without value when the Contract is annuitized.
Death of Annuitant. If the Annuitant is not an Owner and the Annuitant dies before the Maturity Date, no Death Benefit be paid if an Annuitant or Joint Annuitant dies before the Maturity Date unless the Owner is a Non-Natural Person, in which case the death of an annuitant will be treated as the death of the Owner.
If the Annuitant is not an Owner and the Annuitant dies before the Maturity Date, you must notify us within 90 days and designate a new Annuitant. If no designation is made within 90 days after the Annuitant’s death, the Owner (or oldest joint Owner) named in the application will become the Annuitant.
The amount of the death benefit is subject to fluctuation until we receive due proof of death. Most importantly, if the Contract is invested in at least one Index-Linked Interest Strategy at the time that a death benefit becomes payable, the amount of the death benefit may decrease in value until we receive due proof of death. Thus, eligible recipients of the death benefit should notify us of an Owner’s death and provide us due proof of death as promptly as possible to limit the risk of a decline in the death benefit.
We will determine the amount of the death benefit on the Business Day that we receive at our Home Office due proof of death, which includes the following information:
• | Proof of death acceptable to us, such as a certified copy of a death certificate; |
• | Written payment directions from at least one eligible recipient of the death benefit; and |
• | Any other documents, forms or information we may require. |
The amount of the death benefit will include any interest required by state law. When we process the claim, all funds that are not paid out immediately will be transferred to the Fixed Interest Strategy, including, in the case of multiple Beneficiaries, the proportionate interest of each Beneficiary from whom we do not have payment instructions.
Upon the death of a natural Owner during the Accumulation Phase, the death benefit is payable to the following:
• | Surviving Owner; or if none, then |
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• | Surviving primary Beneficiaries; or if none, then |
• | Surviving contingent Beneficiaries; or if none, then |
• | Estate of the last Owner to die. |
For a Contract owned by a non-natural Owner, upon the death of the Annuitant during the Accumulation Phase, the death benefit is payable to the following:
• | Surviving primary Beneficiaries; or if none, then |
• | Surviving contingent Beneficiaries; or if none, then |
• | The non-natural Owner. |
If a person entitled to receive the death benefit dies before the death benefit is distributed, we will pay the death benefit to that person’s named beneficiary or, if none, to that person’s estate.
The recipient of the death benefit may elect to have the death benefit paid as:
(a) | A lump sum payment or series of withdrawals that are completed within five years from the date of death; or |
(b) | Payments made over the Beneficiary’s life or life expectancy; or |
(c) | Annuity Payments made over a person’s life or life expectancy. The life expectancy election must be made within 60 days from our receipt of proof of death. Annuity Payments must begin within one year from the date of death. Once Annuity Payments begin, they cannot be changed. |
Life and life expectancy payouts of death benefits may not satisfy required minimum distribution rules under qualified Contracts. See the section titled “Taxes” and consult your tax advisor for more information. If the death benefit is payable to the Owner’s estate, we will make a lump sum payment. Different death benefit elections may be available to certain Beneficiaries.
In limited circumstances, when the Owner dies, if the spouse of the deceased Owner is entitled to receive a death benefit, the spouse may have the option to continue the Contract instead. Under federal tax law, the spouse’s option to continue the Contract is contingent upon whether the deceased Owner and the spouse were legally married under applicable state law. See the section titled “Taxes” for more information.
The spouse may either elect to receive the amount of the death benefit or continue the Contract. If the spouse chooses to continue the Contract, the Account Value will not be adjusted even if the Death Benefit as calculated above would exceed the Account Value.
Upon the death of a spouse who becomes the owner of the Contract as a result of spousal continuation, the death benefit will be equal to the greater of:
(a) | the Account Value; or |
(b) | Your Premium payment reduced proportionately by the percentage reduction in the Strategy Account Values and the Fixed Interest Strategy Value for each partial withdrawal, including the impact of any surrender charge deduction. |
Only one spousal continuation is permitted per Contract.
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If an Owner dies during the Income Phase, then any amounts paid after the Owner’s death will depend on which annuity option was selected. If an Owner dies while annuity payments are being paid, we will pay the remaining annuity payments, if any, in accordance with that option. If the Annuitant is not an Owner and dies after the Annuity Date, then we will continue paying any remaining annuity payments due under the annuity option in effect to the Income Phase Death Benefit Recipient designated by the Owner. The remaining annuity payments will be distributed at least as rapidly as under the annuity option then in effect. See the section titled “Annuity Payments” for more information.
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This section discusses how the federal income tax applies to annuities in general. This information is not complete and is not intended as tax advice. Tax laws and their interpretations are complex and subject to change. We cannot predict the probability that any changes in the interpretation of the laws, or the laws themselves, will occur. No attempt is made to discuss state or other tax laws. F&G Life does not guarantee the tax treatment of any Contract or any transaction involving a Contract. You bear the complete risk that the Contract may not be treated as an “annuity contract” under federal income tax laws. It should be further understood that the following discussion is not exhaustive and that special rules not described in this prospectus may be applicable in certain situations. You should consult a competent tax advisor about the possibilities of tax law changes and your individual circumstances.
ANNUITY CONTRACTS IN GENERAL
Different tax rules apply to Premium payments made to annuity contracts and distributions from annuity contracts depending on how you take money out and whether the annuity contract is a Non-Qualified Contract or a Qualified Contract.
NON-QUALIFIED CONTRACTS
Individuals may purchase Non-Qualified Contracts without any Premium payment limits imposed under the Code. The Premium payments are normally not deductible but taxes on the increases in the value of the Contract are generally deferred until an actual or deemed distribution occurs, such as a distribution in the form of a lump sum payment, a partial withdrawal, or as annuity payments under the option elected.
Your cost basis in the Contract equals the total amount of the after-tax Premium payment remaining in the Contract. Under the Code, you generally are taxable on the “income on the contract” at the time it is received. The “income on the Contract” generally means the excess of the Account Value over the “investment in the Contract.” The investment in the Contract, in turn, equals the aggregate amount of premiums paid less the non-taxable portion of amounts previously distributed from the Contract. Amounts distributed from a Contract are treated first as a taxable distribution of the income on the Contract, to the extent thereof, and second as a non-taxable distribution of the investment in the Contract. In the case of a full surrender of the Contract, the distribution is taxable income to the extent the amount received exceeds the investment in the Contract.
Distributions of income on the contract are includable in gross income and taxed at ordinary income rates. See also the discussion under Medicare Tax below. In certain situations, an ordinary loss deduction may be available upon the full surrender of a contract if the proceeds of the surrender are less than the investment in the Contract. However, the deduction will be a nondeductible miscellaneous itemized deduction. You should consult your tax advisor about any loss resulting from the surrender of a non-qualified annuity contract.
Contracts not owned for the benefit of natural persons, e.g., contracts owned by a corporation or certain other entities, are generally not treated as annuities for federal income tax purposes and any earnings are taxed as ordinary income in the current year. Exceptions may apply. For example, contracts held by a trust which holds the annuity contract as an agent for a natural person are treated as annuity contracts. Purchasers who are not natural persons should consult their own tax counsel or other tax advisor before purchasing the Contract.
In addition to ordinary income tax, Section 72(q) of the Code imposes a ten percent (10%) penalty on the income portion of any premature withdrawals from a non-qualified annuity contract. The penalty is not imposed on amounts received: (a) after the taxpayer reaches age 59 1⁄2; (b) after the death of the Owner; (c) if the taxpayer is totally disabled (for this purpose disability is as defined in Section 72(m)(7) of the Code); (d) as a series of substantially equal periodic payments made not less frequently than annually for the life (or life expectancy) of the taxpayer or for the joint lives (or joint life expectancies) of the taxpayer and his or her beneficiary; or
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(e) which are allocable to Premium payments made prior to August 14, 1982. With respect to (d) above, if the series of substantially equal periodic payments is modified before the later of your attaining age 59 1⁄2 or five years from the date of the first periodic payment, then the tax for the year of the modification is increased by an amount equal to the tax which would have been imposed but for the exception, plus interest for the tax years in which the exception was used. There may be other exceptions to the 10% tax penalty and additional conditions to the 10% penalty exceptions described above. Before you make a withdrawal from a non-qualified contract, you should consult your tax advisor to determine the tax treatment of the withdrawal and whether the 10% penalty tax will apply.
DISTRIBUTIONS AT DEATH
In order to be treated as an annuity contract for tax purposes, a non-qualified contract must comply with Code Section 72(s), which provides that:
1. | If an owner dies before annuity payments begin, the entire interest in the contract must be distributed within five years after the date of the owner’s death. If payable to a designated beneficiary, the distributions may be paid over the life or life expectancy of that designated beneficiary, so long as the payouts begin within one year of the Owner’s death. If the sole designated beneficiary is the spouse of the owner, the contract may be continued in the name of the spouse as owner; or |
2. | If the owner dies on or after annuity payments begin, the remainder of any interest in the contract must be distributed at least as rapidly as provided for in the method in effect on the date of death. |
If the owner is not a natural person, then for purposes of these distribution rules, the annuitant is considered the owner. In addition, when the owner is not a natural person, a change in the annuitant is treated as the death of the Owner.
QUALIFIED CONTRACTS
The Contract may be purchased as a Qualified Contract. At this time, the only types of Qualified Contracts available for purchase are a traditional IRA and a Roth IRA. You do not have to purchase an annuity contract to qualify for the tax deferral offered by these qualified contracts. There may be other investment vehicles that can be purchased for your retirement plan. However, an annuity contract has features and benefits other than tax deferral that may make it an appropriate investment for your retirement plan. Numerous special tax rules apply to the participants in qualified plans and to annuity contracts used in connection with qualified plans. Therefore, we make no attempt in this prospectus to provide more than general information about use of the Contract with qualified plans. Other than those qualified contract types listed above, we do not offer contracts purchased as part of your employer’s retirement plan. You should consult your tax advisor regarding these features and benefits before you buy a qualified Contract.
Qualified contracts are subject to special rules and limits on Premium payments and distributions that vary according to the type of IRA. You may be able to make a Rollover Contribution from other qualified plans and qualified contracts to this qualified Contract. Ineligible or excess contributions to qualified contracts can result in substantial penalties. Tax penalties of 10% or more may apply to certain distributions; for example if you are under age 59 1⁄2 and an exception to the penalty does not apply.
Traditional IRAs. Contributions to a traditional IRA are subject to an annual contribution limit discussed below, except in the case of a Rollover Contribution. Such contributions may be deductible in whole or in part. A traditional IRA is subject to limitations on eligibility, contributions, transferability and distributions. Under certain conditions, distributions from other IRAs and other retirement plans may be rolled over or transferred on a tax deferred basis into an IRA in the form of Rollover Contribution. Purchasers of IRAs should obtain competent tax advice as to the tax treatment and suitability of such an investment.
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Roth IRAs. Under applicable limitations, individuals may also contribute nondeductible contributions to Roth IRAs. These Roth IRAs are also subject to limitations on eligibility, contributions, transferability and distributions. “Qualified distributions” from Roth IRAs are excluded from gross income. “Qualified distributions” are distributions which (a) are made more than five years after the taxable year of the first contribution to a Roth IRA, and (b) meet any of the following conditions: (1) the annuity owner has reached age 59 1⁄2; (2) the distribution is paid to a beneficiary after the owner’s death; (3) the annuity owner is disabled; or (4) the distribution will be used for first time home purchase. (Qualified distributions for first time home purchases may not exceed $10,000.) Non-qualified distributions are includable in taxable gross income only to the extent that they exceed the contributions made to the Roth IRA. The taxable portion of a non-qualified distribution may be subject to the 10% penalty tax.
You may convert a traditional IRA to a Roth IRA. You will be required to include the taxable portion of the conversion in your gross income, but you will not be required to pay the 10% penalty tax. However, a 10% penalty tax may apply to a conversion from an IRA if distributions occur during the five taxable years beginning with the year in which the conversion was made. You should consult a tax advisor before converting an IRA to a Roth IRA.
IRAs in General. If your Contract is issued as an IRA or Roth IRA, then we will issue the Contract with language intended to qualify the Contract for tax purposes as an IRA or Roth IRA. We will also provide the necessary administrative procedures to administer the IRAs and Roth IRAs in accordance with IRS requirements governing the sponsors of IRAs and Roth IRAs subject to the accuracy and completeness of the information you provide us.
The Contract is also available for purchase as an investment by an IRA or Roth IRA custodial or trust account. In that case, we will issue a non-qualified Contract to the custodian or trustee for the benefit of the underlying IRA owner, as the tax qualification requirements will appear in the account and the custodian or trustee is responsible for administering the account in accordance with IRS requirements. However, the rights of any person to benefits may be subject to the terms and conditions of the IRA or Roth IRA account, regardless of the terms and conditions of the Contract. In addition, we will not be bound by the terms and conditions of the account to the extent such terms and conditions contradict the Contract, unless we consent.
Limits on Annual Contributions. Under federal tax law, traditional IRAs and Roth IRAs both limit the amount of annual contributions an individual can contribute to his or her traditional IRA or Roth IRA. The IRA and Roth IRA annual contribution limit for 2022 is the smaller of your taxable compensation or $6,000. This amount is lower than the minimum Premium payment of $25,000 that we accept. Therefore, you may only contribute an initial Premium payment that includes Rollover Contributions from other eligible retirement plans that, together with any annual contribution made at the time of Contract issuance, is at least sufficient to meet our minimum Premium payment. Rollover Contributions generally will not be subject to annual contribution limits.
Traditional or Roth IRA owners age 50 or older may be able to make additional “catch-up” contributions each year. For 2022, the catch up amount is $1,000. A rollover from or conversion of a traditional IRA to a Roth IRA is generally subject to tax.
Required Minimum Distributions. Generally, Qualified Contracts (except for Roth IRAs) must make required minimum distributions. For traditional IRAs, you must begin receiving required minimum distributions by April 1 of the year following the year in which you reach age 72 (70 1⁄2 for individuals reaching that age before January 1, 2020) (the required beginning date). There is a 50% penalty tax on the shortfall if you fail to take required minimum distributions.
The required minimum distribution rules require that the entire interest in the Contract generally must be distributed not later than the required beginning date or distributed, beginning not later than the required beginning date, over the life or life expectancy of the owner, or the joint lives or joint life expectancy of the
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owner and his or her designated beneficiary. These requirements do not apply to a Roth IRA during the owner’s life. Required minimum distributions from all IRAs you own may be taken in the form of withdrawals from (1) the IRA Account Value prior to the Contract’s Annuity Date, or (2) from one or more of the other IRAs that you own, to the extent permitted under federal tax law.
Generally, if the owner of a traditional IRA or Roth IRA dies the entire interest of the owner must be distributed by December 31st of the year that is the tenth anniversary of the owner’s death or in the case of an “eligible designated beneficiary”, over the life or life expectancy of the eligible designated beneficiary if such distributions begin no later than December 31st of the year after the date of the owner’s death. An “eligible designated beneficiary” includes spouses, disabled and chronically ill individuals, individuals who are ten or less years younger than the deceased owner, and children who have not reached the age of majority (but only until they reach the age of majority). If your spouse is your beneficiary and your contract permits, your spouse may delay the start of required minimum distributions until December 31st of the year in which you would have reached age 72 (or 701⁄2 for individuals reaching that age before January 1, 2020). The spouse beneficiary of an IRA may elect to roll over the death proceeds into his or her own traditional IRA (or a Roth IRA and pay tax on the taxable portion of the death proceeds) and treat the traditional IRA (or Roth IRA) as his or her own. Non-spouse beneficiaries may also be able to roll over death proceeds to an inherited IRA. If you die after required minimum distributions have begun, payments of your entire remaining interest must be made in a manner and over a period as provided under the Code. Roth IRAs are not subject to the required minimum distributions rule while the owner is alive. Distributions from a Roth IRA may be deferred until the death of the owner.
Tax Treatment of Withdrawals. To the extent Premium payments have a zero cost basis (were made with pre-tax dollars), withdrawals will be taxed as ordinary income. In addition to ordinary income tax, Section 72(t) of the Code imposes a 10% penalty tax on the taxable portion of certain distributions from qualified contracts. To the extent amounts are not includable in gross income because they have been rolled over to an IRA or to another eligible plan; no tax penalty will be imposed. The following is a list of some of the distributions to which the tax penalty will not apply: (a) distributions made on or after the date on which the owner reaches ages 59 1⁄2; (b) distributions following the death or disability of the owner as defined by the Code; (c) distributions made after separation from service after
attainment of age 55; (d) distributions that are part of substantially equal periodic payments made not less frequently than annually for the life (or life expectancy) of the owner or the joint lives (or joint life expectancies) of such owner and his or her beneficiary; (e) distributions made to the owner to the extent such distributions do not exceed the amount allowable as a deduction under Section 213 of the Code to the owner for amounts paid during the taxable year for medical care; (f) distributions made to pay health insurance premiums for an unemployed owner; (g) distributions made to pay qualified higher education expenses; (h) distributions made to an owner for first time home purchases; (i) distributions due to an IRS levy; (j) “qualified reservist distributions,” as defined by the Code; (k) distributions to qualified public safety employees from a governmental defined benefit plan after attaining age 50 and separating from service; and (l) distributions up to $5,000 in connection with the birth or adoption of a child. The exception stated in (c) above does not apply to an IRA and Roth IRA. There may be other exceptions to the 10% tax penalty and additional conditions to the 10% penalty exceptions described above. Before you make a withdrawal, you should consult your tax advisor to determine the tax treatment of the withdrawal and whether the 10% penalty tax will apply.
TAXATION OF ANNUITY PAYMENTS
Although tax consequences may vary depending on the payout option elected under an annuity contract, a portion of each annuity payment (or “amount received as an annuity”) is generally not taxed and the remainder is taxed as ordinary income. The non-taxable portion of an annuity payment is generally determined using an exclusion ratio in a manner that is designed to allow you to recover your after-tax investment in the contract. The exclusion amount for annuity payments based on a fixed annuity is determined by multiplying the payment by the ratio that the cost basis of the contract (adjusted for any period certain) bears to the expected return under the contract. For
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qualified contracts, the after-tax investment may be zero. The exclusion ratio is determined when annuity payments start. It is applied to each annuity payment over the expected stream of annuity payments, so that each annuity payment is taxable in part and tax free in part. Once your investment in the Contract has been fully recovered, however, the full amount of each annuity payment is subject to tax as ordinary income. If the annuity payments stop as a result of the Annuitant’s death before full recovery of the investment in the Contract, you should consult a competent tax advisor to determine whether the unrecovered investment in the Contract is deductible. Owners, Payees and Beneficiaries under the contracts should seek competent financial advice about the tax consequences of any distributions.
As mentioned above, distributions prior to age 59 1⁄2 are subject to a 10% penalty tax, subject to certain exceptions. One exception is for distributions that are part of a series of substantially equal periodic payments (made not less frequently than annually) for the life (or life expectancy) of the taxpayer or the joint lives (or joint life expectancies) of the taxpayer and his or her designated beneficiary. Another is the exception for annuity payments made pursuant to a partial or complete annuitization of your non-qualified Contract. Whether annuity payments made prior to age 59 1⁄2 satisfy either of these exceptions will depend on the manner in which such payments are made under the facts and circumstances of each case.
DEATH BENEFITS
Any death benefits paid under the Contract are generally taxable to the Beneficiary. The rules governing taxation of payments from an annuity contract, as discussed above, generally apply to the payment of death benefits and depend on whether the death benefits are paid as a lump sum or as annuity payments. Estate or gift taxes may also apply.
EFFECT OF CIVIL UNIONS AND DOMESTIC PARTNERSHIPS
For non-qualified and qualified annuities, there may be certain distribution options or elections available under federal tax law to beneficiaries who are “spouses” as defined under federal tax law. For federal tax law purposes, a “spouse” is a person recognized as a “spouse” in the state where the couple was legally married. The term does not include a party to a registered domestic partnership, civil union, or similar formal relationship recognized under state law that is not denominated a marriage under that state’s law. Accordingly, these same options are not available to surviving beneficiaries who are “civil union partners,” “domestic partners” or other similar relationships as recognized under the laws of certain states. The administration of spousal rights and the related tax reporting for the Contract will be done in a manner consistent with federal tax law requirements. The rights and benefits of civil union, domestic partnerships and other similar relationships under federal law are complex. Therefore, you should contact your legal advisor to discuss the availability of options and elections available to your surviving partner.
EXCHANGES
From time to time we may offer programs under which certain annuity contracts previously issued by us may be exchanged for the Contracts offered by this prospectus. These programs will be made available on terms and conditions determined by us, and any such programs will comply with applicable law. We believe the exchanges will be tax free for federal income tax purposes; however, you should consult your tax advisor. Generally you can exchange one non-qualified Contract for another in a tax free exchange under Section 1035 of the Code. In addition, if your Contract is a qualified Contract, then it will generally qualify as a tax free rollover or transfer. However, if the transaction takes the form of a 60-day rollover, only one such rollover is permitted during any one-year period.
You can make only one rollover from an IRA to another (or the same) IRA in any 12-month period, regardless of the number of IRAs you own. The limit will apply by aggregating all of your IRAs, including Roth IRAs, effectively treating them as one IRA for purposes of the limit. Trustee-to-trustee transfers between IRAs and rollovers from traditional to Roth IRAs are not limited.
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If you exchange part of an existing contract for this Contract, and within 180 days of the exchange you receive a payment (e.g., you make a withdrawal) from either contract, the exchange may not be treated as a tax free exchange. Rather, the exchange may be treated as if you had made a taxable withdrawal from the existing contract and then purchased this Contract. Subject to certain exceptions, some or all of the amount exchanged into this Contract could be includable in your income and subject to the 10% tax described in the “Non-Qualified Contracts” section of this prospectus.
If you are considering a partial exchange of an annuity contract, you should consider the conditions described by Revenue Procedure 2011-38. Under Rev. Proc. 2011-38: (1) the period of time after which cash can be withdrawn from either contract is 180 days beginning on the date of the transfer and (2) annuity payments that satisfy the newly enacted partial annuitization rule under Section 72(a)(2) of the Code will not be treated as a distribution from either the old or new contract.
In a private letter ruling, the IRS allowed the beneficiary of a series of several fixed and variable non-qualified inherited annuities to complete an exchange under Section 1035 of the Code of those contracts into a new variable annuity so long as the technical requirements for the exchange under Section 1035 of the Code were honored, and the beneficiary committed to taking post-death distributions from the new annuity at least as rapidly as were occurring under the old contract. While a private letter ruling gives an insight into the IRS’ view, legally it only applies to the taxpayer who requested the ruling. A beneficiary contemplating an exchange under Section 1035 of the Code of an inherited annuity contract should consult with their tax advisor.
Before making an exchange, you should compare both contracts carefully. You may have to pay a surrender charge on your existing annuity contract; other charges may be higher (or lower) and the benefits may be different. You should not exchange another annuity contract for this one unless you determine that, after knowing all the facts, the exchange is in your best interest. Also, you should consult your tax advisor in connection with an exchange involving the Contract, especially if you anticipate making a withdrawal from either contract.
A transfer or assignment of ownership of a contract, the designation of an annuitant, the selection of certain annuity dates, or the exchange of a contract may result in certain tax consequences to you that are not discussed here. An owner contemplating any such transfer, assignment or exchange should consult with their tax advisor.
MULTIPLE CONTRACTS
All deferred non-qualified annuity contracts that are issued by F&G Life (or any affiliate) to the same owner during any calendar year will be treated as one annuity contract for purposes of determining the taxable amount. As a result, withdrawals from any such contracts will be taxed based upon the income in all of the contracts aggregated in the same calendar year. Such treatment may result in adverse tax consequences including more rapid taxation of the distributed amounts from such multiple contracts. For purposes of the aggregation rule, contracts received in a 1035 exchange will be considered issued in the year of the exchange. Also, all traditional IRAs you own will be treated as one IRA for tax purposes. You should consult a tax advisor prior to purchasing more than one annuity contract in any calendar year or owning more than one IRA.
TAX WITHHOLDING
Generally, federal income tax is withheld from the taxable portion of non-periodic payments at a rate of 10%. Withholding on periodic payments as defined by the Code is at the same rate as wages. Typically, you may elect not to have income taxes withheld or to have withholding done at a different rate. Special withholding rules apply to United States citizens residing outside the United States and to nonresident aliens.
FEDERAL ESTATE TAXES
While no attempt is being made to discuss the federal estate tax implications of the Contract, a purchaser should keep in mind that the value of an annuity contract owned by a decedent and payable to a beneficiary by virtue of
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surviving the decedent is included in the decedent’s gross estate. Depending on the terms of the annuity contract, the value of the annuity included in the gross estate may be the value of the lump sum payment payable to the designated beneficiary or the actuarial value of the payments to be received by the beneficiary. Consult an estate planning advisor for more information.
GENERATION-SKIPPING TRANSFER TAX
Under certain circumstances, the Code may impose a “generation-skipping transfer tax” when all or part of an annuity contract is transferred to, or a death benefit is paid to, an individual two or more generations younger than the owner. Regulations issued under the Code may require us to deduct the tax from your Contract, or from any applicable payment, and pay it directly to the IRS.
AMERICAN TAXPAYER RELIEF ACT OF 2012/TAX CUTS AND JOBS ACT
The American Taxpayer Relief Act: (1) permanently provides for a maximum federal estate tax rate, gift tax rate and generation skipping transfer tax rate of 40% with an inflation-adjusted $5 million lifetime unified estate and gift tax exclusion and a $5 million generation skipping transfer exclusion; (2) makes permanent “portability” between spouses which allows the estate of a decedent who is survived by a spouse to permit the surviving spouse to use the decedent’s unused $5 million lifetime exclusion; and (3) extends a number of generation skipping transfer provisions. The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act temporarily doubles the exemption amount, indexed for inflation, for estate, gift and generation-skipping taxes from the $5 million base, set in 2011, to the new $10 million base, effective for tax years 2018 through 2025.
MEDICARE TAX
Distributions from non-qualified annuity contracts will be considered “investment income” for purposes of the 3.8% Medicare tax on investment income. Thus, in certain circumstances, this tax will be applied to some or all of the taxable portion of distributions (e.g. earnings) to individuals whose income exceeds certain threshold amounts. Please consult a tax advisor for more information.
ANNUITY PURCHASES BY NONRESIDENT ALIENS AND FOREIGN CORPORATIONS
The discussion above provides general information regarding U.S. federal income tax consequences to annuity purchasers that are U.S. citizens or residents. If you are not a U.S. citizen or resident, you will generally be subject to U.S. federal withholding tax on taxable distributions from annuity contracts at a 30% rate, unless a lower treaty rate applies. In addition, you may be subject to state and/or municipal taxes and taxes that may be imposed by your country of citizenship or residence. You should consult with a qualified tax advisor regarding U.S., state, and foreign taxation with respect to purchasing the Contract.
FOREIGN TAX CREDITS
We may benefit from any foreign tax credits attributable to taxes paid by certain Indexes to foreign jurisdictions to the extent permitted under federal tax law.
POSSIBLE TAX LAW CHANGES
Although the likelihood of legislative changes is uncertain, there is always the possibility that the tax treatment of the Contract could change by legislation or otherwise. Consult a tax advisor with respect to legislative developments and their effect on the Contract.
We have the right to modify the Contract in response to legislative changes that could otherwise diminish the favorable tax treatment that annuity contract owners currently receive. We make no guarantee regarding the tax status of any contract and do not intend the above discussion as tax advice.
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The General Account is made up of all of F&G Life’s assets, including the Fixed Interest Strategy and the Separate Account. It does not include any insulated separate accounts established by the Company. F&G Life exercises sole discretion over the investment of General Account assets, and bears the associated investment risk. You will not share in the investment experience of General Account assets. The General Account invests its assets in accordance with state insurance law. All of the assets of the General Account are chargeable with the claims of any of our contract owners as well as our creditors and are subject to the liabilities arising from any of our other business.
We place certain assets supporting the Index-Linked Index Strategies in the Separate Account. We have exclusive and absolute ownership and control of the assets of the Separate Account. You do not share in the investment performance of assets allocated to the Separate Account. The Separate Account is not registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended. It is non-unitized, non-insulated and was established under the laws of Iowa solely for the purpose of supporting our obligations under the Contract. Like our General Account, all of the assets of the Separate Account are chargeable with the claims of any of our contract owners as well as our creditors and are subject to the liabilities arising from any of our other business.
CHANGES TO THE SEPARATE ACCOUNT
Where permitted by applicable law, we reserve the right to make certain changes to the structure and operation of the Separate Account. We will not make any such changes without receiving any necessary approval of any applicable state insurance department. We will notify you of any changes in writing. These changes include, among others, the right to:
• | Manage the Separate Account under the direction of a committee at any time; |
• | Make any changes required by applicable law or regulation; and |
• | Modify the provisions of the Contract to reflect changes to the Index-Linked Interest Strategies and the Separate Account and to comply with applicable law. |
Some, but not all, of these future changes may be the result of changes in applicable laws or interpretations of law. We reserve the right to make other structural and operational changes affecting the Separate Account.
SUSPENSION OF PAYMENTS OR TRANSFERS
We may suspend or delay the payment of death benefits and withdrawals, the calculation of annuity payments, and transfers when we cannot calculate a Strategy Account Value under any of the following circumstances:
• | the New York Stock Exchange is closed (other than customary weekend and holiday closings); |
• | the closing value of an Index is not published; |
• | trading on the New York Stock Exchange is restricted; |
• | the calculation of the Strategy Interim Value is not reasonably practical due to an emergency; or |
• | during any other period when a regulator, by order, so permits. |
If a value for an Index cannot be obtained on any day due to any of these circumstances, we will use the value of the Index as of the next Business Day that the value is available. If the beginning day of a Crediting Period falls on a Business Day for which we cannot obtain a value for an Index, the beginning day of the Crediting Period will not change.
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[Disclosure will be included in a pre-effective amendment to the registration statement.]
We reserve the right to amend the Contract to meet the requirements of applicable federal or state laws or regulations. You will be notified in writing of any changes, modifications or waivers.
At least once each calendar year during the Accumulation Phase, we will send you an annual statement that will show your Account Value, any transactions made to your Contract during the year, any surrender charge deductions, the amount of the death benefit, and any Index-Linked Interest credited to your Index-Linked Interest Strategies. Each statement will show information as of a date not more than four months prior to the mailing date. On request, we will send you a current statement with the information described above.
Certain transactions may be permitted by telephone and electronically on the Internet and may require that we have properly signed authorization for your Contract on record. In addition, you may authorize someone else to make transactions by telephone, and if available on the Internet, on your behalf. F&G Life will not be liable for any failure to question or challenge such requests as long as there is a valid signed authorization on record at F&G Life. Transactions submitted by Internet will require certain identification information, such as a password or personal identification information.
Although we use reasonable procedures, including recording all telephone instructions and requiring certain personal identification information to prevent unauthorized account access, we cannot assure you that telephone or Internet activity will be completely secure or free of delays or malfunctions. If you choose to make transactions by telephone or Internet, you must be willing to assume the risk of loss that may occur despite our reasonable efforts to verify identity. We are not responsible for the negligence or wrongful acts of third parties.
We are regularly a party to litigation, arbitration proceedings and governmental examinations in the ordinary course of our business. While we cannot predict the outcome of any pending or future litigation or examination, we do not believe that any pending matter, individually or in the aggregate, will have a material adverse effect on our business.
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INFORMATION ON FIDELITY & GUARANTY LIFE INSURANCE COMPANY
Fidelity & Guaranty Life Insurance Company (F&G Life) is an Iowa domiciled life insurance company. The Company was initially organized in 1959 in Maryland and transferred its state of domicile to Iowa in 2013. F&G Life is a direct, wholly owned subsidiary of Fidelity & Guaranty Life Holdings, Inc., a Delaware corporation (“FGLH”), which is an
indirect, wholly owned subsidiary of Fidelity National Financial, Inc. (“FNF”). FNF is a New York Stock Exchange listed company with its headquarters in Jacksonville, Florida.
Through a network of approximately 200 independent marketing organizations representing approximately 44,000 independent agents, and through leading independent broker dealers and banks, F&G Life offers various types of fixed and index-linked annuities and life insurance products. The annuities serve as a retirement and savings tool for which customers rely on principal protection and predictable income streams. In addition, indexed universal life (“IUL”) insurance products provide customers with a complementary product that allows them to build on their savings and provide a payment to their designated beneficiaries upon the insured’s death. F&G is expanding offerings in the institutional market, beginning with Pension Risk Transfer (“PRT”) in 2021.
The Company prepares financial information in conformity with statutory accounting standards prescribed or permitted by the Insurance Division, Department of Commerce of the state of Iowa (“Statutory” accounting). Companies domiciled in the state of Iowa prepare their Statutory-basis financial statements in accordance with guidance promulgated by the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (“NAIC”) Accounting Practices and Procedures Manual, subject to any deviations prescribed or permitted by Iowa.
Additional information about F&G Life is available on our website, which can be accessed at www.fglife.com > Investors. Information on our website is neither part of nor incorporated into this prospectus or other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The Company’s SEC filings may be obtained on the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov. The SEC maintains on that internet site reports, proxy and information statements and other information regarding issuers that file electronically with the SEC.
STATUS PURSUANT TO SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
F&G Life relies on the exemption provided by Rule 12h-7 under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 from the requirement to file reports pursuant to Section 15(d) of that Act.
53
Unless the context otherwise requires, references to “we,” “our,” “us,” and “the Company” are to Fidelity & Guaranty Life Insurance Company.
We are a life insurance company with operations that date back to 1959. We are headquartered in Des Moines, Iowa.
For information about our various business divisions, please see “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations – Overview.”
[Disclosure will be included in a pre-effective amendment to the registration statement.]
[Disclosure will be included in a pre-effective amendment to the registration statement.]
[Disclosure will be included in a pre-effective amendment to the registration statement.]
[Disclosure will be included in a pre-effective amendment to the registration statement.]
[Disclosure will be included in a pre-effective amendment to the registration statement.]
Our board of directors (our “Board”) manages the business affairs of the Company. It consists of five directors, all of whom are employees of affiliates of F&G Life.
Our Board does not have any independent directors. The Board and the Audit Committee of FNF satisfy Iowa’s independence requirements.
DIRECTORS AND EXECUTIVE OFFICERS
Set forth below is a list of our directors and executive officers:
[Disclosure will be included in a pre-effective amendment to the registration statement.]
The Company does not have any employees. It is provided personnel, including its executive officers, by FNF, through FNF’s indirect wholly owned subsidiary Fidelity & Guaranty Life Business Services, Inc. (“FGLBS”) pursuant to the Amended and Restated Services Agreement, effective January 1, 2007, between the Company and FGLBS (the “Services Agreement”).
54
As a result, the Company does not determine or pay any compensation to its executive officers or additional personnel provided to the Company by FGLBS for the Company’s operations. FNF, acting directly or through a subsidiary other than the Company, determines and pays the salaries, bonuses and other compensation earned by the Company’s executive officers and by additional personnel provided to the Company by FNF. FNF also determines whether and to what extent the Company’s executive officers and additional personnel will be provided with benefits pursuant to employee benefit plans. The Company does not have employment agreements with its executive officers and does not provide pension or retirement benefits, perquisites or other personal benefits to its executive officers. The Company does not have arrangements to make payments to its executive officers upon their termination or in the event of a change in control of the Company.
See “Transactions with Related Persons, Promoters and Certain Control Persons” for more information about the Services Agreement.
SECURITY OWNERSHIP OF CERTAIN BENEFICIAL OWNERS AND MANAGEMENT
The Company is a wholly-owned subsidiary of FGLH and an indirect subsidiary of FNF. None of the Company’s directors or executive officers beneficially owns shares of the Company’s common stock
TRANSACTIONS WITH RELATED PERSONS, PROMOTERS, AND CERTAIN CONTROL PERSONS
[Disclosure will be included in a pre-effective amendment to the registration statement.]
55
We are subject to a wide variety of laws and regulations, including state insurance laws and regulations that govern most aspects of our business. We are also subject to federal, state, and local tax laws that affect our products, and state and federal regulations that affect our distributors and customers. In addition, certain of our products, including registered index-linked annuities, are regulated by the SEC.
Insurance and securities regulatory authorities make inquiries of us regarding compliance with insurance, securities, and other laws and regulations. We cooperate with such inquiries and take corrective action when warranted.
Our customers and distribution partners may be impacted by changes in regulations that may affect their ability or desire to purchase or distribute our products. Additionally, many of the laws and regulations to which we are subject are regularly subject to re-examination and change, and existing or future laws and regulations may become more restrictive or otherwise adversely affect our operations.
Insurance Regulation
We are licensed and regulated in all states in which we conduct insurance business, and all policy and contract forms are filed for approval in states where required. In many instances, the laws and regulations are based on models developed by the National Association of Insurance Commissioners, which provides standardized insurance industry model laws and regulations, and standardized accounting and reporting guidance. The extent of this regulation varies, but most states have broad administrative power dealing with many aspects of our business. These laws and regulations govern the financial condition of insurers, including standards of solvency, types and concentration of investments, establishment and maintenance of reserves, credit for reinsurance, insurer use of captive reinsurance
companies, mergers, and requirements of capital adequacy, and establish minimums for guaranteed crediting rates on life insurance policies and annuity contracts, corporate governance standards for insurers, and the business conduct of insurers, including risk management, marketing and sales practices, product designs, underwriting practices, privacy, agent appointments, and claims handling.
We are subject to oversight by state insurance departments through examination of our policies, procedures and practices from time to time through market conduct and financial examinations; by enacting and enforcing reporting obligations; and by conducting inquiries and/or market analysis. In addition, statutes and regulations usually require the licensing of insurers and their agents, the approval of policy forms and related materials and the approval of rates for certain lines of insurance.
56
This prospectus contains forward-looking statements that are intended to enhance the reader’s ability to assess the Company’s future financial and business performance. Forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements that represent the Company’s beliefs concerning future operations, strategies, risks, financial results or other developments, and contain words and phrases such as “may,” “expects,” “should,” “believes,” “anticipates,” “estimates,” “intends,” or similar expressions.
These statements are based on estimates and assumptions made by the Company in light of information currently known to management and are subject to significant business, economic and competitive uncertainties, many of which are beyond the Company’s control or are subject to change. Whether actual results and developments will conform to our expectations is subject to a number of risks, uncertainties and contingencies that could cause actual results to differ materially from expectations, or that could cause management to deviate from currently expected or intended courses of actions, including, among others:
[Disclosure will be updated in a pre-effective amendment to the registration statement.]
Consequently, any forward-looking statements should be regarded solely as F&G Life’s current plans, estimates and beliefs and are based on management’s beliefs and assumptions about the businesses in which F&G Life competes, global and domestic economic conditions and other factors. F&G Life does not intend, and will not undertake any obligation, to update any forward-looking statements to reflect future events or circumstances or changed assumptions after the date of such statements.
58
MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS
Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations (“MD&A”) reflects the results of operations and changes in financial position of Fidelity & Guaranty Life Insurance Company. Unless the context otherwise requires, references to “we,” “our,” “us,” and “the Company” are to Fidelity & Guaranty Life Insurance Company.
[Disclosure will be updated in a pre-effective amendment to the registration statement.]
59
APPENDIX B: STRATEGY INTERIM VALUE
We calculate the Strategy Interim Value for each Indexed-Linked Interest Strategy at the end of each Business Day throughout the entire Crediting Period. The calculation is based on a formula designed to measure the market value of your investment in an Indexed-Linked Interest Strategy at any point during the Crediting Period. Specifically, the formula we use derives the market value of a portfolio of hypothetical investments in derivatives and fixed income instruments. These values are intended to provide equity between you, the Contract owner, and us, the insurance company, when you make a withdrawal from your Contract. These values provide us with protection from the trading risk that we will have to incur and/or reflect changes in the Strategy Account Value of each Index-Linked Interest Strategy throughout the Crediting Period, including on the Crediting Date.
You should note that even if an underlying index is experiencing positive change, the Strategy Interim Value may be less than the Strategy Base Value. This is due to, among other factors, market inputs for volatilities, interest rates and dividends.
The calculation we use tracks the change in a hypothetical portfolio of investments in fixed income assets and derivatives, by applying an equity adjustment and asset adjustment to the Strategy Base Value of the Index-Linked Strategy.
Equity Adjustment:
• | The Equity Adjustment, which may be positive or negative, reflects changes in the value of a hypothetical portfolio of derivative instruments that are used to hedge market risks allowing us to support the Index-Linked Interest associated with each Index-Linked Interest Strategy. |
• | Equity Adjustment(t) = Fair Value of Derivatives(t) – Unamortized Option Cost(t) – Unwind Cost(t) |
• | Fair Value of Derivatives(t) = The price at time t of a hypothetical portfolio of derivatives that matures on the Crediting Date and represents the buy/sell positions that support the crediting method in the underlying index. |
• | Unamortized Option Cost(t) = The initial option cost of the supporting derivative portfolio paid at the beginning of the Crediting Period, less the total “depreciation” (straight-line) up to time t |
• | Unwind Cost(t) is the cost of unwinding the derivative positions at time t |
• | On a Crediting Date, the Equity Adjustment is equal to zero |
Asset Adjustment:
• | The Asset Adjustment, which may be positive or negative, is to account for changes in market interest rates that impact the value of a hypothetical portfolio of fixed income assets. The Asset Adjustment is applicable on any day during the Asset Adjustment Period. |
• Asset Adjustment(t) = A * | ( | 1 – | ( | 1+B
| ) | D | ) | where | ||||||||
1+C |
• | A: Asset adjustment notional = Strategy Base Value at the start of time t |
• | B: Beginning Reference index value |
• | C: Current Closing Reference index value at time t |
• | D: Days till end of Asset Adjustment Period/365 as of time t |
• | Asset Adjustment Period: 6-years |
• | Reference index: Bloomberg US Aggregate Yield-to-Worst Index |
B-1
Fair Value of Derivatives
We utilize a fair value methodology to value the hypothetical portfolio of derivatives that support the Indexed-Linked Interest Strategies.
For each Index-Linked Interest Strategy, we value a hypothetical portfolio of derivatives, each of which is tied to the performance of the underlying Index for the Index-Linked Interest Strategy in which you are invested. We use derivatives to provide an estimate of the gain or loss on the Strategy Base Value that could have occurred at the end of the Crediting Period. This estimate also reflects the impact of the Cap Rate, Performance Trigger Rate, and Protection Option at the end of the Crediting Period, as well as the estimated cost of exiting the derivative positions prior to the end of the Crediting Period of the Index-Linked Interest Strategy (and the time to Contract Anniversaries for an Annual Lock Index-Linked Interest Strategy). The valuation of the options is based on standard market-consistent methods for valuing derivatives, such as the Black-Scholes methods, and based on inputs from third party vendors. The methodology used to value these options is determined solely by us and may vary, higher or lower, from other estimated valuations or the actual selling price of identical derivatives. Any variance between our estimated fair value price and other estimated or actual prices may differ from one Index-Linked Interest Strategy to another Index-Linked Interest Strategy. These prices can change daily.
The options valued for each Indexed-Linked Interest Strategy type are as follows:
A. | At-the-money call option: This represents the market value of the option to receive an amount equal to the percentage growth in the Index during the Crediting Period. |
B. | Out-of-the-money call option: This represents the market value of the option for gain in excess of the Cap Rate. |
C. | Digital option: This represents the market value of the option to provide the Performance Trigger Rate under positive Index returns. |
D. | At-the-money put option: This represents the market value of the option to receive an amount equal to the percentage loss of the index during the Crediting Period. |
E. | Out-of-the-money put option: This represents the market value of the option to receive an amount equal to the excess loss beyond the Protection Option. |
Fair Value of Portfolio of Options – Point-to-Point Cap Rates with Buffer
• | Is equal to: A minus B minus E |
Fair Value of Portfolio of Options – Performance Trigger Rates with Buffer
• | Is equal to: C minus E |
Fair Value of Options Calculation – Point-to-Point Cap Rate with Floor
• | Is equal to: A minus B plus D minus E |
Note: For the Annual Lock Index-Linked Interest Strategy, we value a derivative structure that assesses the compounded performance at each Contract Anniversary during the Crediting Period of the Annual Lock Index Linked Interest Strategy. The market consistent model is calibrated by us to account for additional market risks relevant to the Annual Lock Index-Linked Interest Strategy.
B-2
Strategy Interim Value Examples:
Item | 1-Year Strategy | 1-Year Strategy | 3-Year Strategy | 3-Year Strategy | 6-Year Strategy | 6-Year Strategy | ||||||||||||||||||
Crediting Period (in months) | 12 | 12 | 36 | 36 | 72 | 72 | ||||||||||||||||||
Valuation date (in months) | 9 | 9 | 9 | 33 | 9 | 69 | ||||||||||||||||||
Time to Maturity (in months) | 3 | 3 | 27 | 3 | 63 | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||
Strategy Premium | $ | 100,000 | $ | 100,000 | $ | 100,000 | $ | 100,000 | $ | 100,000 | $ | 100,000 | ||||||||||||
Protection Option | Buffer | Floor | Buffer | Buffer | Buffer | Buffer | ||||||||||||||||||
Buffer/Floor Rate | 10.00 | % | 10.00 | % | 10.00 | % | 10.00 | % | 10.00 | % | 10.00 | % | ||||||||||||
Cap Rate | 12.00 | % | 10.00 | % | 18.00 | % | 18.00 | % | 100.00 | % | 100.00 | % | ||||||||||||
Example: No change in the value of the Index relevant to the Index- Linked Interest Strategy and Asset Adjustment Reference Index rate |
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Strategy Base Value (a) | $ | 100,000 | $ | 100,000 | $ | 100,000 | $ | 100,000 | $ | 100,000 | $ | 100,000 | ||||||||||||
Equity Adjustment (b) | $ | 2,433 | -$49 | $ | 859 | $ | 3,244 | $ | 873 | $ | 3,139 | |||||||||||||
Asset Adjustment (c) | $ | 0 | $ | 0 | $ | 0 | $ | 0 | $ | 0 | $ | 0 | ||||||||||||
Strategy Interim Value (a) + (b) – (c) = (d) | $ | 102,433 | $ | 99,951 | $ | 100,859 | $ | 103,244 | $ | 100,873 | $ | 103,139 | ||||||||||||
Strategy Account Value (d) = (e) | $ | 102,433 | $ | 99,951 | $ | 100,859 | $ | 103,244 | $ | 100,873 | $ | 103,139 | ||||||||||||
Example: The value of the Index relevant to the Index-Linked Interest Strategy decreased by 10% and no change in Asset Adjustment Reference Index rate |
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Strategy Base Value (a) | $ | 100,000 | $ | 100,000 | $ | 100,000 | $ | 100,000 | $ | 100,000 | $ | 100,000 | ||||||||||||
Equity Adjustment (b) | -$3,058 | -$6,282 | -$4,626 | - | $2,666 | -$6,579 | -$2,984 | |||||||||||||||||
Asset Adjustment (c) | $ | 0 | $ | 0 | $ | 0 | $ | 0 | $ | 0 | $ | 0 | ||||||||||||
Strategy Interim Value (a) + (b) – (c) = (d) | $ | 96,942 | $ | 93,718 | $ | 95,374 | $ | 97,334 | $ | 93,421 | $ | 97,016 | ||||||||||||
Strategy Account Value (d) = (e) | $ | 96,942 | $ | 93,718 | $ | 95,374 | $ | 97,334 | $ | 93,421 | $ | 97,016 | ||||||||||||
Example: The value of the Index relevant to the Index-Linked Interest Strategy increased by 40 % and Asset Adjustment Reference Index rate increased by 25% |
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Strategy Base Value (a) | $ | 100,000 | $ | 100,000 | $ | 100,000 | $ | 100,000 | $ | 100,000 | $ | 100,000 | ||||||||||||
Equity Adjustment (b) | $ | 11,700 | $ | 10,062 | $ | 13,549 | $ | 17,847 | $ | 27,372 | $ | 39,709 | ||||||||||||
Asset Adjustment (c) | $ | 1,290 | $ | 1,290 | $ | 1,290 | $ | 800 | $ | 1,290 | $ | 62 | ||||||||||||
Strategy Interim Value (a) + (b) – (c) = (d) | $ | 110,410 | $ | 108,772 | $ | 112,260 | $ | 117,047 | $ | 126,082 | $ | 139,647 | ||||||||||||
Strategy Account Value (d) = (e) | $ | 110,410 | $ | 108,772 | $ | 112,260 | $ | 117,047 | $ | 126,082 | $ | 139,647 | ||||||||||||
Example: The value of the Index relevant to the Index-Linked Interest Strategy increased by 10% and Asset Adjustment Reference Index rate increased by 25% |
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Strategy Base Value (a) | $ | 100,000 | $ | 100,000 | $ | 100,000 | $ | 100,000 | $ | 100,000 | $ | 100,000 | ||||||||||||
Equity Adjustment (b) | $ | 7,180 | $ | 5,845 | $ | 5,308 | $ | 9,410 | $ | 8,030 | $ | 10,712 | ||||||||||||
Asset Adjustment (c) | $ | 1,290 | $ | 1,290 | $ | 1,290 | $ | 800 | $ | 1,290 | $ | 62 | ||||||||||||
Strategy Interim Value (a) + (b) – (c) = (d) | $ | 105,890 | $ | 104,556 | $ | 104,018 | $ | 108,610 | $ | 106,740 | $ | 110,650 | ||||||||||||
Strategy Account Value (d) = (e) | $ | 105,890 | $ | 104,556 | $ | 104,018 | $ | 108,610 | $ | 106,740 | $ | 110,650 | ||||||||||||
Example: The value of the Index relevant to the Index-Linked Interest Strategy decreased by 10% and Asset Adjustment Reference Index rate increased by 25% |
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Strategy Base Value (a) | $ | 100,000 | $ | 100,000 | $ | 100,000 | $ | 100,000 | $ | 100,000 | $ | 100,000 | ||||||||||||
Equity Adjustment (b) | -$3,058 | -$6,282 | -$4,626 | -$2,666 | -$6,579 | -$2,984 | ||||||||||||||||||
Asset Adjustment (c) | $ | 1,290 | $ | 1,290 | $ | 1,290 | $ | 800 | $ | 1,290 | $ | 62 | ||||||||||||
Strategy Interim Value (a) + (b) – (c) = (d) | $ | 95,653 | $ | 92,429 | $ | 94,085 | $ | 96,533 | $ | 92,132 | $ | 96,954 | ||||||||||||
Strategy Account Value (d) = (e) | $ | 95,653 | $ | 92,429 | $ | 94,085 | $ | 96,533 | $ | 92,132 | $ | 96,954 |
B-3
Example: The value of the Index relevant to the Index-Linked Interest Strategy decreased by 40% and Asset Adjustment Reference Index rate increased by 25% |
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Strategy Base Value (a) | $ | 100,000 | $ | 100,000 | $ | 100,000 | $ | 100,000 | $ | 100,000 | $ | 100,000 | ||||||||||||
Equity Adjustment (b) | -$ | 29,979 | -$ | 9,797 | -$ | 27,276 | -$ | 29,629 | -$ | 30,447 | -$ | 29,957 | ||||||||||||
Asset Adjustment (c) | $ | 1,290 | $ | 1,290 | $ | 1,290 | $ | 800 | $ | 1,290 | $ | 62 | ||||||||||||
Strategy Interim Value (a) + (b) – (c) = (d) | $ | 68,731 | $ | 88,914 | $ | 71,435 | $ | 69,571 | $ | 68,264 | $ | 69,981 | ||||||||||||
Strategy Account Value (d) = (e) | $ | 68,731 | $ | 88,914 | $ | 71,435 | $ | 69,571 | $ | 68,264 | $ | 69,981 | ||||||||||||
Example: The value of the Index relevant to the Index-Linked Interest Strategy increased by 40 % and Asset Adjustment Reference Index rate decreased by 25% |
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Strategy Base Value (a) | $ | 100,000 | $ | 100,000 | $ | 100,000 | $ | 100,000 | $ | 100,000 | $ | 100,000 | ||||||||||||
Equity Adjustment (b) | $ | 11,700 | $ | 10,062 | $ | 13,549 | $ | 17,847 | $ | 27,372 | $ | 39,709 | ||||||||||||
Asset Adjustment (c) | -$ | 1,310 | -$ | 1,310 | -$ | 1,310 | -$ | 809 | -$ | 1,310 | -$ | 62 | ||||||||||||
Strategy Interim Value (a) + (b) – (c) = (d) | $ | 113,009 | $ | 111,372 | $ | 114,859 | $ | 118,656 | $ | 128,681 | $ | 139,771 | ||||||||||||
Strategy Account Value (d) = (e) | $ | 113,009 | $ | 111,372 | $ | 114,859 | $ | 118,656 | $ | 128,681 | $ | 139,771 | ||||||||||||
Example: The value of the Index relevant to the Index-Linked Interest Strategy increased by 10% and Asset Adjustment Reference Index rate decreased by 25% |
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Strategy Base Value (a) | $ | 100,000 | $ | 100,000 | $ | 100,000 | $ | 100,000 | $ | 100,000 | $ | 100,000 | ||||||||||||
Equity Adjustment (b) | $ | 7,180 | $ | 5,845 | $ | 5,308 | $ | 9,410 | $ | 8,030 | $ | 10,712 | ||||||||||||
Asset Adjustment (c) | -$ | 1,310 | -$ | 1,310 | -$ | 1,310 | -$ | 809 | -$ | 1,310 | -$ | 62 | ||||||||||||
Strategy Interim Value (a) + (b) – (c) = (d) | $ | 108,490 | $ | 107,155 | $ | 106,618 | $ | 110,219 | $ | 109,339 | $ | 110,774 | ||||||||||||
Strategy Account Value (d) = (e) | $ | 108,490 | $ | 107,155 | $ | 106,618 | $ | 110,219 | $ | 109,339 | $ | 110,774 | ||||||||||||
Example: The value of the Index relevant to the Index-Linked Interest Strategy decreased by 10% and Asset Adjustment Reference Index rate decreased by 25% |
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| ||||||||||||||||||||||
Strategy Base Value (a) | $ | 100,000 | $ | 100,000 | $ | 100,000 | $ | 100,000 | $ | 100,000 | $ | 100,000 | ||||||||||||
Equity Adjustment (b) | -$ | 3,058 | -$ | 6,282 | -$ | 4,626 | -$ | 2,666 | -$ | 6,579 | -$ | 2,984 | ||||||||||||
Asset Adjustment (c) | -$ | 1,310 | -$ | 1,310 | -$ | 1,310 | -$ | 809 | -$ | 1,310 | -$ | 62 | ||||||||||||
Strategy Interim Value (a) + (b) – (c) = (d) | $ | 98,252 | $ | 95,028 | $ | 96,684 | $ | 98,142 | $ | 94,731 | $ | 97,078 | ||||||||||||
Strategy Account Value (d) = (e) | $ | 98,252 | $ | 95,028 | $ | 96,684 | $ | 98,142 | $ | 94,731 | $ | 97,078 | ||||||||||||
Example: The value of the Index relevant to the Index-Linked Interest Strategy decreased by 40% and Asset Adjustment Reference Index rate decreased by 25% |
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| ||||||||||||||||||||||
Strategy Base Value (a) | $ | 100,000 | $ | 100,000 | $ | 100,000 | $ | 100,000 | $ | 100,000 | $ | 100,000 | ||||||||||||
Equity Adjustment (b) | -$ | 29,979 | -$ | 9,797 | -$ | 27,276 | -$ | 29,629 | -$ | 30,447 | -$ | 29,957 | ||||||||||||
Asset Adjustment (c) | -$ | 1,310 | -$ | 1,310 | -$ | 1,310 | -$ | 809 | -$ | 1,310 | -$ | 62 | ||||||||||||
Strategy Interim Value (a) + (b) – (c) = (d) | $ | 71,331 | $ | 91,513 | $ | 74,034 | $ | 71,180 | $ | 70,863 | $ | 70,105 | ||||||||||||
Strategy Account Value (d) = (e) | $ | 71,331 | $ | 91,513 | $ | 74,034 | $ | 71,180 | $ | 70,863 | $ | 70,105 |
(1) | Each example assumes that the strategy premium of $100,000 at the start of the Crediting Period. |
(2) | Each example assume that the start of the Crediting Period date is the Contract Effective Date. |
(3) | An implied volatility of 20%, index dividend yield of 1.95%, and swap rate of 2.20% are assumed to generate the hypothetical examples. |
(4) | Each example assumes a 0% unwind cost. |
(5) | Each example assumes an Asset Adjustment Period equals to 6 years. |
B-4
Example: Effect of Withdrawal when the Strategy Base Value is greater than the Strategy Interim Value
Assuming the Strategy Base Value starts with $100,000 and 9 months into the Crediting Period, the Contract owner requested to withdraw $20,000. At that time, the Equity Adjustment is -14.5% and the Asset Adjustment is +5.5%
Strategy Base Value | $ | 100,000.00 | ||
Strategy Interim Value (1) | $ | 80,000.00 | ||
Amount Withdrawn (2) | $ | 20,000.00 | ||
Proportional Withdrawal (3) | $ | 25,000.00 | ||
New Strategy Interim Value | $ | 60,000.00 | ||
New Strategy Base Value | $ | 75,000.00 |
(1) | Strategy Interim Value Immediately before withdrawal. |
(2) | Amount withdrawn is the Specific Gross Withdrawal, including any applicable surrender charge thereon that apply to this strategy. |
(3) | Proportional Withdrawal is equal to (C / D) x E where: |
• | C is the Gross Withdrawal, including any applicable Surrender Charge thereon; |
• | D is the Strategy Interim Value immediately prior to the Gross Withdrawal; and |
• | E is the Strategy Base Value immediately prior to the Withdrawal. |
Example: Effect of Withdrawal when the Strategy Base Value is lesser than the Strategy Interim Value
Assuming the Strategy Base Value starts with $100,000 and 9 months into the Crediting Period, the Contract owner requested to withdraw $20,000. At that time, the Equity Adjustment is +4.5% and the Asset Adjustment is +0.5%
Strategy Base Value | $ | 100,000.00 | ||
Strategy Interim Value (1) | $ | 104,000.00 | ||
Amount Withdrawn (2) | $ | 20,000.00 | ||
Proportional Withdrawal (3) | $ | 19,230.77 | ||
New Strategy Interim Value | $ | 84,000.00 | ||
New Strategy Base Value | $ | 80,769.23 |
(1) | Strategy Interim Value Immediately before withdrawal. |
(2) | Amount withdrawn is the Specific Gross Withdrawal, including any applicable surrender charge thereon that apply to this strategy. |
(3) | Proportional Withdrawal is equal to (C / D) x E where: |
• | C is the Gross Withdrawal, including any applicable Surrender Charge thereon; |
• | D is the Strategy Interim Value immediately prior to the Gross Withdrawal; and |
• | E is the Strategy Base Value immediately prior to the Withdrawal. |
Note: You should note that the level of protection offered by Floors and Buffers only apply when Index-Linked Interest is applied on Crediting Date. In the case of Index-Linked Interest Strategies with an Annual Lock, the Buffer applies on each Contract Anniversary.
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S&P 500® Index
The “S&P 500® Index” is a product of S&P Dow Jones Indices LLC, a division of S&P Global, or its affiliates (“SPDJI”) and has been licensed for use by Fidelity & Guaranty Life Insurance Company. Standard & Poor’s® and S&P® are registered trademarks of Standard & Poor’s Financial Services LLC, a division of S&P Global (“S&P”); Dow Jones® is a registered trademark of Dow Jones Trademark Holdings LLC (“Dow Jones”); these trademarks have been licensed for use by SPDJI and sublicensed for certain purposes by Fidelity & Guaranty Life Insurance Company. It is not possible to invest directly in an index. These Annuity products are not sponsored, endorsed, sold or promoted by SPDJI, Dow Jones, S&P, any of their respective affiliates (collectively, “S&P Dow Jones Indices”). Neither S&P Dow Jones Indices make any representation or warranty, express or implied, to the owners of these Annuity products or any member of the public regarding the advisability of investing in securities generally or in these Annuity products particularly or the ability of the S&P 500® Index to track general market performance. Past performance of an index is not an indication or guarantee of future results. S&P Dow Jones Indices only relationship to Fidelity & Guaranty Life Insurance Company with respect to the S&P 500® Index is the licensing of the Index and certain trademarks, service marks and/or trade names of S&P Dow Jones Indices and/or its licensors. The S&P 500® Index is determined, composed and calculated by S&P Dow Jones Indices without regard to Fidelity & Guaranty Life Insurance Company or the Annuity products. S&P Dow Jones Indices have no obligation to take the needs of Fidelity & Guaranty Life Insurance Company or the owners of Annuity products into consideration in determining, composing or calculating the S&P 500® Index. Neither S&P Dow Jones Indices are responsible for and have not participated in the determination of the prices, and amount of Annuity products or the timing of the issuance or sale of Annuity products or in the determination or calculation of the equation by which Annuity products is to be converted into cash, surrendered or redeemed, as the case may be. S&P Dow Jones Indices have no obligation or liability in connection with the administration, marketing or trading of Annuity products. There is no assurance that investment products based on the S&P 500® Index will accurately track index performance or provide positive investment returns. S&P Dow Jones Indices LLC is not an investment or tax advisor. A tax advisor should be consulted to evaluate the impact of any tax-exempt securities on portfolios and the tax consequences of making any particular investment decision. Inclusion of a security within an index is not a recommendation by S&P Dow Jones Indices to buy, sell, or hold such security, nor is it considered to be investment advice.
NEITHER S&P DOW JONES INDICES NOR THIRD PARTY LICENSOR GUARANTEES THE ADEQUACY, ACCURACY, TIMELINESS AND/OR THE COMPLETENESS OF THE S&P 500® INDEX OR ANY DATA RELATED THERETO OR ANY COMMUNICATION, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO, ORAL OR WRITTEN COMMUNICATION (INCLUDING ELECTRONIC COMMUNICATIONS) WITH RESPECT THERETO. S&P DOW JONES INDICES SHALL NOT BE SUBJECT TO ANY DAMAGES OR LIABILITY FOR ANY ERRORS, OMISSIONS, OR DELAYS THEREIN. S&P DOW JONES INDICES MAKES NO EXPRESS OR IMPLIED WARRANTIES, AND EXPRESSLY DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES, OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE OR USE OR AS TO RESULTS TO BE OBTAINED BY FIDELITY & GUARANTY LIFE INSURANCE COMPANY, OWNERS OF THE ANNUITY PRODUCTS, OR ANY OTHER PERSON OR ENTITY FROM THE USE OF THE S&P 500® INDEX OR WITH RESPECT TO ANY DATA RELATED THERETO. WITHOUT LIMITING ANY OF THE FOREGOING, IN NO EVENT WHATSOEVER SHALL S&P DOW JONES INDICES BE LIABLE FOR ANY INDIRECT, SPECIAL, INCIDENTAL, PUNITIVE, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO, LOSS OF PROFITS, TRADING LOSSES, LOST TIME OR GOODWILL, EVEN IF THEY HAVE BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBLITY OF SUCH DAMAGES, WHETHER IN CONTRACT, TORT, STRICT LIABILITY, OR OTHERWISE. THERE ARE NO THIRD PARTY BENEFICIARIES OF ANY AGREEMENTS OR ARRANGEMENTS BETWEEN S&P DOW JONES INDICES AND FIDELITY & GUARANTY LIFE INSURANCE COMPANY, OTHER THAN THE LICENSORS OF S&P DOW JONES INDICES.
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Russell 2000® Index
Fidelity & Guaranty Life Insurance Company annuity products (the “Products”) have been developed solely by Fidelity & Guaranty Life Insurance Company. The Products are not in any way connected to or sponsored, endorsed, sold or promoted by the London Stock Exchange Group plc and its group undertakings (collectively, the “LSE Group”). FTSE Russell is a trading name of certain of the LSE Group companies.
All rights in the Russell 2000® Index (the “Index”) vest in the relevant LSE Group company which owns the Index. “Russell®” and “Russell 2000®” are trade-marks of the relevant LSE Group company and are used by any other LSE Group company under license.
The Index is calculated by or on behalf of FTSE International Limited or its affiliate, agent or partner. The LSE Group does not accept any liability whatsoever to any person arising out of (a) the use of, reliance on or any error in the Index or (b) investment in or operation of the Products. The LSE Group makes no claim, prediction, warranty or representation either as to the results to be obtained from the Products or the suitability of the Index for the purpose to which it is being put by Fidelity & Guaranty Life Insurance Company.
NASDAQ-100® Index
The Product(s) is not sponsored, endorsed, sold or promoted by Nasdaq, 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 Product(s). The Corporations make no representation or warranty, express or implied to the owners of the Product(s) or any member of the public regarding the advisability of investing in securities generally or in the Product(s) particularly, or the ability of the NASDAQ-100® Index to track general stock market performance. The Corporations’ only relationship to Fidelity &Guaranty Life Insurance Company (“Licensee”) is in the licensing of the Nasdaq®, NASDAQ-100® Index, 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 Product(s). Nasdaq has no obligation to take the needs of the Licensee or the owners of the Product(s) 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 Product(s) to be issued or in the determination or calculation of the equation by which the Product(s) is to be converted into cash. The Corporations have no liability in connection with the administration, marketing or trading of the Product(s).
THE CORPORATIONSDONOTGUARANTEETHEACCURACYAND/ORUNINTERRUPTEDCALCULATIONOF NASDAQ-100® INDEXORANYDATAINCLUDEDTHEREIN. THE CORPORATIONSMAKENOWARRANTY,EXPRESSORIMPLIED,ASTORESULTSTOBEOBTAINEDBY LICENSEE,OWNERSOFTHEPRODUCT(S),ORANYOTHERPERSONORENTITYFROMTHEUSEOFTHE NASDAQ-100® INDEXORANYDATAINCLUDEDTHEREIN. THE CORPORATIONSMAKENOEXPRESSORIMPLIEDWARRANTIES,ANDEXPRESSLYDISCLAIMALLWARRANTIESOFMERCHANTABILITYORFITNESSFORAPARTICULARPURPOSEORUSEWITHRESPECTTOTHE NASDAQ-100® INDEXORANYDATAINCLUDEDTHEREIN. WITHOUTLIMITINGANYOFTHEFOREGOING,INNOEVENTSHALLTHE CORPORATIONSHAVEANYLIABILITYFORANYLOSTPROFITSORSPECIAL,INCIDENTAL,PUNITIVE,INDIRECT,ORCONSEQUENTIALDAMAGES,EVENIFNOTIFIEDOFTHEPOSSIBILITYOFSUCHDAMAGES.
MSCI EAFE Index
THIS ANNUITY IS NOT SPONSORED, ENDORSED, SOLD OR PROMOTED BY MSCI INC. (“MSCI”), ANY OF ITS AFFILIATES, ANY OF ITS INFORMATION PROVIDERS OR ANY OTHER THIRD PARTY INVOLVED IN, OR RELATED TO, COMPILING, COMPUTING OR CREATING ANY MSCI INDEX (COLLECTIVELY, THE “MSCI PARTIES”). THE MSCI INDEXES ARE THE EXCLUSIVE PROPERTY OF MSCI. MSCI AND THE MSCI INDEX NAMES ARE SERVICE MARK(S) OF MSCI OR ITS AFFILIATES AND HAVE BEEN LICENSED FOR USE FOR CERTAIN PURPOSES BY JACKSON. NONE OF THE MSCI
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PARTIES MAKES ANY REPRESENTATION OR WARRANTY, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, TO THE ISSUER OR OWNERS OF THIS ANNUITY OR ANY OTHER PERSON OR ENTITY REGARDING THE ADVISABILITY OF INVESTING IN ANNUITIES GENERALLY OR IN THIS ANNUITY PARTICULARLY OR THE ABILITY OF ANY MSCI INDEX TO TRACK CORRESPONDING STOCK MARKET PERFORMANCE. MSCI OR ITS AFFILIATES ARE THE LICENSORS OF CERTAIN TRADEMARKS, SERVICE MARKS AND TRADE NAMES AND OF THE MSCI INDEXES WHICH ARE DETERMINED, COMPOSED AND CALCULATED BY MSCI WITHOUT REGARD TO THIS ANNUITY OR THE ISSUER OR OWNERS OF THIS ANNUITY OR ANY OTHER PERSON OR ENTITY. NONE OF THE MSCI PARTIES HAS ANY OBLIGATION TO TAKE THE NEEDS OF THE ISSUER OR OWNERS OF THIS ANNUITY OR ANY OTHER PERSON OR ENTITY INTO CONSIDERATION IN DETERMINING, COMPOSING OR CALCULATING THE MSCI INDEXES. NONE OF THE MSCI PARTIES IS RESPONSIBLE FOR OR HAS PARTICIPATED IN THE DETERMINATION OF THE TIMING OF, PRICES AT, OR QUANTITIES OF THIS ANNUITY TO BE ISSUED OR IN THE DETERMINATION OR CALCULATION OF THE EQUATION BY OR THE CONSIDERATION INTO WHICH THIS ANNUITY IS REDEEMABLE. FURTHER, NONE OF THE MSCI PARTIES HAS ANY OBLIGATION OR LIABILITY TO THE ISSUER OR OWNERS OF THIS ANNUITY OR ANY OTHER PERSON OR ENTITY IN CONNECTION WITH THE ADMINISTRATION, MARKETING OR OFFERING OF THIS ANNUITY.
ALTHOUGH MSCI SHALL OBTAIN INFORMATION FOR INCLUSION IN OR FOR USE IN THE CALCULATION OF THE MSCI INDEXES FROM SOURCES THAT MSCI CONSIDERS RELIABLE, NONE OF THE MSCI PARTIES WARRANTS OR GUARANTEES THE ORIGINALITY, ACCURACY AND/OR THE COMPLETENESS OF ANY MSCI INDEX OR ANY DATA INCLUDED THEREIN. NONE OF THE MSCI PARTIES MAKES ANY WARRANTY, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, AS TO RESULTS TO BE OBTAINED BY THE ISSUER OF THE ANNUITY, OWNERS OF THE ANNUITY, OR ANY OTHER PERSON OR ENTITY, FROM THE USE OF ANY MSCI INDEX OR ANY DATA INCLUDED THEREIN. NONE OF THE MSCI PARTIES SHALL HAVE ANY LIABILITY FOR ANY ERRORS, OMISSIONS OR INTERRUPTIONS OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH ANY MSCI INDEX OR ANY DATA INCLUDED THEREIN. FURTHER, NONE OF THE MSCI PARTIES MAKES ANY EXPRESS OR IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, AND THE MSCI PARTIES HEREBY EXPRESSLY DISCLAIM ALL WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, WITH RESPECT TO EACH MSCI INDEX AND ANY DATA INCLUDED THEREIN. WITHOUT LIMITING ANY OF THE FOREGOING, IN NO EVENT SHALL ANY OF THE MSCI PARTIES HAVE ANY LIABILITY FOR ANY DIRECT, INDIRECT, SPECIAL, PUNITIVE, CONSEQUENTIAL OR ANY OTHER DAMAGES (INCLUDING LOST PROFITS) EVEN IF NOTIFIED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES.
No purchaser, seller or holder of this product, or any other person or entity, should use or refer to any MSCI trade name, trademark or service mark to sponsor, endorse, market or promote this product without first contacting MSCI to determine whether MSCI’s permission is required. Under no circumstances may any person or entity claim any affiliation with MSCI without the prior written permission of MSCI.
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APPENDIX D: EXAMPLES OF CREDITING METHODS
Below are examples of how the various Crediting Methods would function under varying return scenarios. All examples assume that you do not make any withdrawals during the Crediting Period. If you make a withdrawal, your Strategy Account Value will be based on the Strategy Interim Value. Please see Appendix B for examples on how the Strategy Interim Value is calculated under various hypothetical scenarios.
Point-to Point Cap Rate with Buffer
When you elect an Index-Linked Interest Strategy with a Crediting Method with a Cap Rate and a Buffer, you are partially protected from negative Index Change at the end of the Crediting Period, up to the stated Buffer amount. Any positive Index Change may be limited by the Cap Rate. Here are some examples of how a 10% Cap Rate and 10% Buffer work in combination based on different scenarios at the end of a Crediting Period:
Scenario 1: The Index Change for the Crediting Period is 20%. Due to the 10% Cap Rate, the Adjusted Index Change, which determines the amount of Index-Linked Interest credited to the Strategy Account Value, is 10%.
Scenario 2: The Index Change for the Crediting Period is 6%. Since the Index Change was positive but did not exceed the Cap Rate, the amount of Index-Linked Interest credited to the Strategy Account Value is based on the full return of 6%.
Scenario 3: The Index Change for the Crediting Period is -8%. Although the Index Change was negative, it was still within the 10% Buffer amount, so all of the negative return is absorbed by the 10% buffer and no Index-Linked Interest is credited to the Strategy Account Value.
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Scenario 4: The Index Change for the Crediting Period is -12%. Since the negative Index Change exceeds the 10% Buffer, your Strategy Account Value is partially protected up to the 10% Buffer and the amount of negative Index- Linked Interest credited to the Strategy Account Value is based on the 2% loss.
Point-to-Point Cap Rate with Floor
When you elect an Index-Linked Interest Strategy with a Cap Rate and a Floor, you are exposed to negative Index Change at the end of the Crediting Period up to the stated Floor amount and any losses beyond that Floor are absorbed by us. Any positive Index Change may be limited by the Cap Rate. Here are some examples of how a 10% Cap Rate and 10% Floor work in combination based on different scenarios at the end of a Crediting Period.
Scenario 1: The Index Change for the Crediting Period is 20%. Due to the 10% Cap Rate, the Adjusted Index Change, which determines the amount of Index-Linked Interest credited to the Strategy Account Value, is 10%.
Scenario 2: The Index Change for the Crediting Period is 6%. Since the Index Change was positive but did not exceed the Cap Rate, the amount of Index-Linked Interest credited to the Strategy Account Value is based on the full return of 6%.
Scenario 3: The Index Change for the Crediting Period is -8%. Since the Index Change was negative but did not exceed the -10% Floor amount, the amount of negative Index-Linked Interest credited to the Strategy Account Value is based on the full -8% loss.
Scenario 4: The Index Change for the Crediting Period is -18%. Since the negative Index Change exceeds the -10% Floor, the amount of negative Index-Linked Interest credited to the Strategy Account Value is based on the – 10% floor and you are protected against the additional -8% Index Change.
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Performance Trigger Rate with Buffer
When you elect an Index-Linked Interest Strategy with a Performance Trigger Rate and Buffer, you are partially protected from negative Index Change at the end of the end of the Crediting Period, up to the stated Buffer amount. Any positive Index Change will be subject to the Performance Trigger Rate. If the Index Change is zero or positive at the end of the Crediting Period, the full amount of the Performance Trigger Rate will be credited to the Strategy Account Value. Here are some examples of how a 5% Performance Trigger Rate and 10% Buffer work in combination based on different scenarios at the end of a Crediting Period:
Scenario 1: The Index Change for the Crediting Period is 12%. Since the Index Change is positive, the Adjusted Index Change, which determines the amount of Index-Linked Interest credited to the Strategy Account Value, is equal to the stated Performance Trigger Rate of 5%.
Scenario 2: The Index Change for the Crediting Period is 2%. Since the Index Change is positive, the Adjusted Index Change, which determines the amount of Index-Linked Interest credited to the Strategy Account Value, is equal to the Performance Trigger Rate of 5%.
Scenario 3: The Index Change for the Crediting Period is -8%. Although the Index Change was negative, it was still within the 10% Buffer amount, so all of the negative return is absorbed by the 10% buffer and no Index-Linked Interest is credited to the Strategy Account Value.
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Scenario 4: The Index Change for the Crediting Period is -12%. Since the negative Index Change exceeded the 10% Buffer, Strategy Account Value is partially protected up to the 10% Buffer and the amount of negative Index-Linked Interest credited to the Strategy Account Value is based on the 2% loss.
Annual Lock Cap Rate with Buffer
When you elect an Annual Lock Index-Linked Interest Strategy with a Cap Rate and a Buffer, you are partially protected from negative Index Change, up to the stated Buffer amount for each Contract Year during the Crediting Period. Any positive Index Change is subject to the Cap Rate for each Contract Year during the Crediting Period. On each Contract Anniversary, the Index Change (positive, negative, or flat), adjusted for the Cap Rate and the Buffer, is “locked in” for calculation of Interest-Linked Interest at the end of the Crediting Period. At the end of the Crediting Period (6 Years in this example) the annual “locked in” changes are compounded to determine the Index-Linked Interest credited to your Strategy Account Value. No Interest Linked Interest is credited to your Strategy Account Value until the end of the Crediting Period. Here are some examples of how a 10% Cap Rate and 10% Buffer work in combination in an Index-Linked Strategy with an Annual Lock:
Year 1: The Index Change for the Contract Year is 13%. Due to the 10% Cap Rate, the Adjusted Index Change locked in for that Contract Year is 10%.
Year 2: The Index Change for the Contract Year is -5%. Although the Index Change was negative, it was still within the 10% Buffer amount, so all of the all of the negative return is absorbed by the 10% buffer and the Adjusted Index Change locked in for that Contract Year is 0%.
Year 3: The Index Change for the Contract Year is 10%. Since the Index Change was positive but did not exceed the Cap Rate, the full 10% Index Change is locked in for that Contract Year.
Year 4: The Index Change for the Contract Year is -12%. Since the negative Index Change exceeds the 10% Buffer, you are partially protected from loss up to the 10% Buffer and the Adjusted Index Change locked in for that Contract Year is the remaining 2% loss.
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Year 5: The Index Change for the Contract Year is 15%. Due to the 10% Cap Rate, the Adjusted Index Change locked in for that Contract Year is 10%.
Year 6: The Index Change for the Contract Year is 11%. Due to the 10% Cap Rate, the Adjusted Index Change locked in for that Contract Year is 10%.
At the end of the Crediting Period (Year 6 in this example), all the locked in Adjusted Index Changes for Years 1-6 are compounded to determine the Index-Linked Interest that will be credited to the Strategy Account Value. In this example, the total compounded return is 43.48%
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PART II: INFORMATION NOT REQUIRED IN PROSPECTUS
Item 13. Other Expenses of Issuance and Distribution.
The estimated expenses for the issuance and distribution of the contracts described in this prospectus, other than any underwriting discounts and commissions, are as follows:
Securities and Exchange Commission Registration Fees | $ | 0 | ||
Estimated Printing and Filing Fees | $ | 0 | ||
Estimated Accounting fees and expenses | $ | 0 | ||
Estimated Legal fees and expenses | $ | 100,000 |
Item 14. Indemnification of Directors and Officers.
As more fully set forth in its By-Laws, the Registrant, to the fullest extent and under the circumstances permitted by the Iowa Business Corporation Act or any other applicable Iowa statutory or decisional law, as amended or interpreted, shall indemnify any person who was or is a party or is threatened to be made a party to any threatened, pending or completed action, suit or proceeding, whether civil, criminal, administrative or investigative by reason of the fact that such person is or was a director or officer of the Registrant, or is or was serving at the request of the Registrant as a director or officer of another corporation, against expenses (including attorney’s fees), judgments, fines and amounts paid in settlement actually and reasonably incurred by such person in connection with such action, suit or proceeding.
The foregoing right of indemnification is not exclusive of any other rights to which those seeking indemnification may be entitled under the Registrant’s Articles of Incorporation, By-Laws, any agreement, vote of shareholders or disinterested directors or otherwise and shall continue as to a person who has ceased to be director or officer and shall inure to the benefit of the heirs, executors and administrators of such a person.
The Registrant may pay expenses, including attorney’s fees, incurred in defending any such action, suit or proceeding in advance of the final disposition of such action, suit or proceeding as authorized by the directors in the specific case, upon receipt of (a) a written affirmation of the director’s or officer’s good faith belief that (i) the director or officer has met the relevant standard of conduct required for indemnification or (ii) such action, suit or proceeding involved conduct for which liability has been eliminated under the Registrant’s Articles of Incorporation and (b) a written undertaking by or on behalf of the director or officer to repay such amount unless it shall ultimately be determined that such director or officer is entitled to be indemnified by the Registrant.
The Iowa Business Corporation Act provides for permissive indemnification in certain situations, mandatory indemnification in other situations, and prohibits indemnification in certain situations. The Code also specifies procedures for determining when indemnification payments can be made.
Item 15. Recent Sales of Unregistered Securities.
None.
Item 16. Exhibits and Financial Statement Schedules.
Exhibit | Description | |
1. | Underwriting and selling agreements* | |
3.a | Restated Articles of Incorporation, filed herewith | |
3.b | By-Laws, filed herewith | |
4.a | Form of Non-Participating Single Premium Deferred Annuity with Index-Lined Interest Strategies, filed herewith |
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* | To be filed by amendment. |
Item 17. Undertakings.
A. | The undersigned registrant hereby undertakes: |
1. | To file, during any period in which offers or sales are being made of the securities registered hereby, a post-effective amendment to this registration statement: |
i. | To include any prospectus required by section 10(a)(3) of the Securities Act of 1933; |
ii. | To reflect in the prospectus any facts or events arising after the effective date of this registration statement (or the most recent post-effective amendment hereof) which, individually or in the aggregate, represent a fundamental change in the information set forth in this registration statement. Notwithstanding the foregoing, any increase or decrease in volume of securities offered (if the total dollar value of securities offered would not exceed that which was registered) and any deviation from low or high end estimated offering range may be reflected in the form of prospectus filed with the Commission pursuant to Rule 424(b), if, in the aggregate, the changes in volume and price represent no more than 20 percent change in maximum aggregate offering price set forth in the “Calculation of Registration Fee” table in the effective registration statement; and |
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iii. | To include any material information with respect to the plan of distribution not previously disclosed in this registration statement or any material change to such information in this registration statement. |
2. | That, for the purpose of determining any liability under the Securities Act of 1933, each such post-effective amendment shall be deemed to be a new registration statement relating to the securities offered therein, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof. |
3. | To remove from registration by means of a post-effective amendment any of the securities being registered which remain unsold at the termination of the offering. |
4. | That, for the purpose of determining liability under the Securities Act of 1933 to any purchaser, each prospectus filed pursuant to Rule 424(b) as part of a registration statement relating to an offering, other than registration statements relying on Rule 430B or other than prospectuses filed in reliance on Rule 430A, shall be deemed to be part of and included in the registration statement as of the date it is first used after effectiveness. Provided, however, that no statement made in a registration statement or prospectus that is part of the registration statement or made in a document incorporated or deemed incorporated by reference into the registration statement or prospectus that is part of the registration statement will, as to a purchaser with a time of Contract of sale prior to such first use, supersede or modify any statement that was made in the registration statement or prospectus that was part of the registration or made in any such document immediately prior to such date of first use. |
5. | That, for the purpose of determining liability of the registrant under the Securities Act of 1933 to any purchaser in the initial distribution of the securities, the undersigned registrant undertakes that in a primary offering of securities of the undersigned registrant pursuant to this registration statement, regardless of the underwriting method used to sell the securities to the purchaser, if the securities are offered or sold to such purchaser by means of any of the following communications, the undersigned registrant will be seller to the purchaser and will be considered to offer or sell such securities to such purchaser: |
i. | Any preliminary prospectus or prospectus of the undersigned registrant relating to the offering required to be filed pursuant to Rule 424; |
ii. | Any free writing prospectus relating to the offering prepared by or on behalf of the undersigned registrant or used or referred to by the undersigned registrant; |
iii. | The portion of any other free writing prospectus relating to the offering containing materials or information about the undersigned registrant or their securities provided by or on behalf of the undersigned registrant; and |
iv. | Any other communication that is an offer in the offering made by the undersigned registrant to the purchaser. |
B. | In so far as indemnification for liability arising under the Securities Act of 1933 (the “Act”) may be permitted to directors, officers and controlling persons of the registrant pursuant to the foregoing provisions, or otherwise, the registrant has been advised that, in the opinion of the Securities and Exchange Commission, such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Act and is, therefore, unenforceable. In the event that a claim for indemnification against such liabilities (other than the payment by the registrant of expenses incurred or paid by a director, officer or controlling person of the registrant in the successful defense of any action, suit or proceeding) is asserted by such director, officer or controlling person in connection with the securities being registered, the registrant will, unless in the opinion of its counsel the matter has been settled by controlling precedent, submit to a court of appropriate jurisdiction the question whether such indemnification by it is against public policy as expressed in the Act and will be governed by the final adjudication of such issue. |
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SIGNATURES
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, the registrant has duly caused this registration statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized in the City of Des Moines, State of Iowa, on August 31, 2022.
Fidelity & Guaranty Life Insurance Company | ||
By: | /s/ Christopher O. Blunt |
Name: | Christopher O. Blunt | |
Title: | President and Chief Executive Officer |
Pursuant to the requirement of the Securities Act of 1933, this Registration Statement has been signed below by the following persons in the capacities indicated below on August 31, 2022.
Signature | Title | |
/s/ Christopher O. Blunt | President, Chief Executive Officer and Director (principal executive officer) | |
Christopher O. Blunt | ||
/s/ Wendy J.B. Young | Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer and Director (principal financial officer) | |
Wendy J.B. Young | ||
/s/ Mark Wiltse | Senior Vice President, Chief Accounting Officer and Treasurer (principal accounting officer) | |
Mark Wiltse | ||
/s/ Anthony J. Park | Director | |
Anthony J. Park | ||
/s/ Raymond R. Quirk | Director | |
Raymond R. Quirk | ||
/s/ Michael J. Nolan | Director | |
Michael J. Nolan |
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