Defined terms for the annuity market and lifetime income landscape.
Income view is the Longevity Standard analytical frame that fixes a savings balance and compares the lifetime annual income each arrangement produces from it.
Independent distribution is the annuity sales structure in which contracts are placed through independent intermediaries that hold appointments with multiple carriers and represent products from across the market rather than from a single carrier.
An independent marketing organization (IMO) is a wholesale-level distribution firm that contracts with insurance carriers to aggregate independent agents, provide back-office and sales-support services, and channel annuity and life insurance premium volume from those agents to the carriers.
An index crediting strategy is the complete specification of how an indexed annuity calculates the credit for a crediting period, including the underlying index, the calculation method, and the parameter terms that govern how index movement translates into the credit applied to the contract.
An indexed annuity is an annuity in which credited interest is linked to the performance of a market index through parameters set by the insurer, rather than to a declared fixed rate or to direct market participation. Why it matters Indexed annuity is the umbrella term most often used loosely to cover several distinct arrangements. Naming it precisely separates the fixed indexed annuity, where the insurer controls crediting parameters and principal is not exposed to index loss, fr
