Note: This article was updated after initial publication to reflect information from Hedgeness about 2018 and 2019 data comparability.
Big U.S. variable annuity issuers might be moving toward similar expense structures for popular living benefits riders — and the value of the rider benefits may be increasing rapidly.
Hedgeness Inc., a Chicago-based financial services data analytics company, has included data supporting that possibility in a new batch of rider rating data.
(Related: Unexpected Ways to Reduce RMDs, Optimize Retirement Cash Flow)
Hedgeness included 13 products in its latest rating table, up from seven last year.
A link to the new Hedgeness variable annuity rating data is available here.
Value Ranges
For 2019, the products’ overall expense charge levels ranged from 2.64% up to 3.61%. The 2019 benefits value figures ranged from 18.49 up to 41.31.
For 2018, the range was 2.69% to 3.49% for expense charges, and 26.30 to 36.36 for benefits value figures.