According to the complaint, Horowitz met some of his victims by attending other financial advisors' "seminar dinners" on
equity indexed annuities. The complaint alleges that he presented himself as having developed proprietary trading software that would lead to high returns and profits.
In the U.S., the company said due to low interest rates, it has re-priced its
equity indexed annuities three times so far this year.
Investors choosing fixed index or
equity indexed annuities should keep in mind that the contract will not be credited with the dividends that are generated by the equities (if an equity index is being used) underlying the selected measuring index.
Wilkerson:
Equity indexed annuities have been plagued by controversy, and we don't offer them to our clients.
Marketing of
equity indexed annuities continues to run into compliance headwinds despite a go-ahead from Congress and the courts as well as a commitment from the industry to clean up its act.
Moore even suggested not calling them "
equity indexed annuities" because of the potential confusion; as a fixed product, she said, they should simply be called "indexed annuities."
THE SECURITIES AND Exchange Commission on December 8 agreed to a two-year delay of the effective date of Rule 151A, which would require that
equity indexed annuities be regulated as securities.
Beginning in 2011,
equity indexed annuities will be considered securities and therefore can be sold only by agents who are equity licensed.
EQUITY INDEXED ANNUITIES AMERICAN EQUITY INVESTMENT LIFE INSURANCE COMPANY WWW.AMERICAN-EQUITY.COM 888-221-1234 Product name Bonus gold Availability All states except AK CT DE MN OK OR UT WA Maximum issue age 80 (Q); 85 (NQ) Minimum purchase $5,000 Crediting method 9 different crediting methods available Minimum 80% of 1st year premiums & premium bonus, guaranteed rate compounded annually at MGIR (Currently 3%) Available riders Lifetime income Benefit rider, nursing Care rider, Terminal illness rider Unique features True 10% Premium Bonus (for issue ages 0-80, 5% for 81-85); Full Contract value Upon Death.
Gwin, who formerly held insurance licenses in Missouri and Arkansas, gained the trust of northwest Arkansas retirees by selling them
equity indexed annuities. Several years later, he sold these residents securities guaranteeing them between 8 percent and 18 percent a year based on a vague business involving short-term trading that was never clearly explained.
But some advisers received thank-you notes, a good number of which probably came from clients who had purchased indexed annuities, a hybrid type of investment previously called
equity indexed annuities.
"Particularly in comparison to the market in other states, there are very few
equity indexed annuities currently offered to consumers in New York, due to the fact that the limitations created by the current law do not allow for insurers to offer the favorable benefits and features that are afforded to consumers in other states."
