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7. Variable Insurance Products
Achievable Life & Health
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Variable Insurance Products

The differences between variable and fixed products are highly testable. The following 5 concepts sum up the key differences:

  1. Licenses needed/regulated
  2. Assumption of investment risk
  3. Separate vs. general account
  4. Variable contracts hedge against inflation
  5. Prospectus required with sale of variable contract

Licenses

The term “variable contract” encompasses variable life insurance policies and variable annuities. Variable contracts are insurance products, and as such, are regulated by the NAIC (National Association of Insurance Commissioners), who require an insurance license to sell these products. Variable contracts are also securities, and fall under the regulatory jurisdiction of the SEC. Therefore, to sell a variable contract, a Series 6 or Series 7 investment license is required as well as an insurance license.

Separate vs. General Account

The assets in an insurance company’s general account are attachable by claims of the insurance company’s creditors. The premiums and cash values of traditional or fixed insurance products are held in the general account. If the insurance company becomes insolvent, those assets may be forfeited to the creditors of the insurance company.

A separate account is an investment fund kept separate from the insurance company’s general account and is not attachable by creditors of the insurance company. As required by the SEC, cash values of variable contracts are held in the insurance company’s separate account.

Assumption of Investment Risk

A fixed contract is issued with the stated rate of return, 4%, for example. If the insurance company is unable to earn 4% on the assets in the product, they lose money. Because a fixed contract has a guaranteed rate of return and the principal or cash value in a fixed product is also guaranteed not to decline, the insurance company assumes the investment risk.

There are no guarantees as to rate of return or principal invested with a variable contract. The assets in a variable contract are invested in securities. As the market value of the securities fluctuates, so will the value of the contract itself. The investor could lose some or all of their money. All variable contracts must be convertible (at the discretion of the owner) into fixed contracts for at least 24 months from issuance to accommodate investors who may not have initially understood the risks associated with variable contracts.

Hedge Against Inflation

Historically, the stock market has outpaced inflation. Theoretically, over any extended period, the market value of publicly traded securities will increase with inflation. As a result, variable contracts offer a hedge against inflation. If inflation is high, the return of a variable contract should go up due to the increase in the value of the underlying securities.

While it is true that the purchasing power of a fixed annuity will increase during deflationary periods, the owner of a fixed contract earning a fixed rate would have a negative “real return” (actually losing money) during a period where inflation exceeded the rate guaranteed by the contract.

For example, let’s look at two quick scenarios assuming you have a fixed annuity that is paying a guaranteed rate of

  1. Inflationary period (prices are rising):

    • Let’s say inflation is .
    • Your annuity gives you a return.
    • So, your real rate of return .
    • Because prices are rising, your money buys less each. In this scenario, during a period where inflation is , by earning on your money you are actually losing money because you are not keeping pace with inflation.
  2. Deflationary period (prices are falling):

    • Let’s say prices drop by per year (deflation ).
    • Your annuity still gives you a return.
    • So, your real rate of return .
    • Because prices are dropping (which is rare in the real world) your money buys more every year. Purchasing power of a fixed return increases with deflation.
Key points
  • Deflation boosts a fixed annuity’s purchasing power because a fixed income can buy more each year.
  • Inflation erodes the purchasing power of a fixed annuity unless the return outpaces inflation.

For the purpose of the exam, just know that a variable insurance product provides a hedge against inflation while a fixed insurance product does not.

Prospectus

When an insurance company issues a variable policy or annuity (or any other issuer sells a security) the transaction is called a “primary market transaction.”

Before securities can be offered to the public, a registration statement must be filed with the SEC. The registration statement announces the issuers’ intent to sell the security. Along with the registration statement the issuer files a copy of the prospectus with the SEC. The prospectus is intended to provide full and fair disclosure to the potential investor. It is a formal written offer to sell securities that discloses facts investors need to make informed decisions. With the sale of a variable product, a prospectus must be delivered at time of solicitation prior to accepting premium; and variable life insurance policies require a 10-day free-look provision from the date of policy delivery.

Differences between fixed and variable insurance products

Lesson Summary

The differences between variable and fixed products can be summarized through 5 key concepts:

  • Licenses needed/regulated

    • Variable contracts are insurance products regulated by the NAIC, requiring an insurance license to sell. They are also securities regulated by the SEC, necessitating a Series 6 or Series 7 investment license in addition to the insurance license.
  • Assumption of investment risk:

    • Fixed contracts have a guaranteed rate of return, where the insurance company assumes the investment risk. Variable contracts have no guaranteed rate of return on principal, relying on investments in securities that can fluctuate in value, exposing investors to potential losses.
  • Separate vs. general account:

    • General accounts hold funds of fixed products, which are accessible to the insurance company’s creditors if it becomes insolvent. Separate accounts, mandated by the SEC, hold cash values of variable contracts and are not attachable by the insurance company’s creditors.
  • Variable contracts hedge against inflation:

    • Variable contracts offer a hedge against inflation as their market value tends to increase with inflation, unlike fixed contracts that may result in a negative “real return” during periods of high inflation.
  • Prospectus required with sale of variable contract:

    • Before offering securities, including variable contracts, a registration statement must be filed with the SEC along with a prospectus. The prospectus provides comprehensive information to potential investors, enabling informed decision-making. It must be delivered during solicitation before premium acceptance.

Chapter Vocabulary

Definitions
General Account
An investment portfolio used by the insurer for investment of premiums and cash values of fixed products. This portfolio generally consists of safe, conservative, guaranteed investments, such as real estate and mortgages.
Separate Account
Segregated funds held and invested independently of other assets by an insurer for the purpose of a group retirement fund.
Variable Annuity
An annuity contract under which the premium payments are used to purchase stock and the value of each unit is relative to the value of the investment portfolio.
Variable Contract
Contracts such as variable annuities or variable life insurance that contain an element of risk for the investor, depending on the performance of the separate account backing the contract. Generally, these contracts are products of insurers but regulated by both state insurance departments and the federal government.
Variable Life Insurance
Life insurance whose face value and/or duration varies depending upon the value of underlying securities.
Variable Universal Life
Combines the flexible premium features of universal life with the component of variable life in which excess credited to the cash value of the account depends on investment results of separate accounts. The policyholder selects the accounts into which the premium payments are to be made.

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