I won’t paint this product with one big brush.

April 30, 2026 by Sheryl J. Moore

Today’s indexed annuity rant-

“…indexed annuity’s ability to offer market-linked upside with principal protection is particularly attractive.”

Oh yes! Market-linked upside that is limited. Market-linked upside that provides 250% of the growth in a market that is at record highs. Market-linked upside which may wane each year you own the annuity. Market-linked upside that is provided by an index that no one had ever heard about a month before the annuity’s launch. Market-linked upside that comes with a 3% fee.

Don’t get me started!

And principal protection? How can we really say this? The principal is not protected from things such as (income/death) rider fees, fees for huge premium bonuses, fees for greater participation in the index’s performance, and flat out “product fees.”

This ain’t the late ’90’s indexed annuities. They have been complicated, made convoluted and generally become less consumer-friendly.

*********************************sjm sad face*********************************

Yes, there are most definitely exceptions to this.

And no, I won’t paint this product with one big brush.

However, we need to be intentional in our product development, training, marketing and sales. Words matter. People matter.

How can we do a better job? I believe it starts with insurance companies. What say you? -sjm