Reliance Standard Life Insurance Company has introduced a new annuity product for use by individuals seeking to preserve capital and generate steady returns. The Reliance Accumulator™ is a fixed index annuity product that builds on the success of Reliance Standard’s legacy Keystone Index annuity, which will continue to remain available.
The Reliance Accumulator offers five, seven and 10 year durations, a fixed interest strategy and five index interest strategies based on two specific indices from Standard and Poor’s.
Similar to the Keystone, the product will offer three index interest strategies tied to the S&P 500®: Annual Point to Point Capped; Annual Point to Point Participation Rate; and, Annual Monthly Average Capped.
The Reliance Accumulator will also offer two index strategies tied to the S&P MARC (multi-asset risk control) 5 percent ER index: Annual Point to Point Participation Rate; and, Annual Point to Point Spread Strategy. “The increase in S&P 500® index volatility over the last few years has been challenging for many of our clients and partners,” said David Whitehead, senior vice president of Sales and Marketing for Reliance Standard’s Retirement Services business. “So we decided to prioritize adding a volatility control index to our menu of index interest strategies.”
According to Whitehead, the S&P MARC 5 percent ER Index met multiple requirements. Among them, the new index: Is sponsored by Standard and Poor’s to ensure stability and diversity; uses a volatility control strategy to ensure more predictable hedge costs; and, offers diversification through exposure to equities (S&P 500®), commodities (gold) and fixed income instruments (10 year Treasury).
In addition to offering a participation rate index interest strategy, Reliance Standard will offer a higher participation rate strategy with a spread that will then be deducted to calculate the index interest amount. Because the index manages volatility to five percent daily, Reliance Standard will rate lock the MARC 5 percent participation rate and spread strategies for exchanges and transfers.
As they transition to all electronic new business submissions to speed processing, all Reliance Accumulator applications must be submitted electronically via Firelight, Annuity Net or Affirm.
For more information, contact Reliance Standard Retirement Services Sales at annuity.marketing@rsli.com or 800-435-7775 (x3696).
