Allianz Endurance 10 and Endurance 15 combines the benefit of enhanced retirement income options with the reassurance of a fixed index annuity to create a versatile and flexible retirement solution.
A prudent plan shouldn’t rely solely on future Social Security to pay for an individual’s retirement years.
One way to accumulate additional assets for retirement income is an annuity.
The money in an annuity has the potential to create an additional source of retirement income that can supplement Social Security.
Assets placed in an annuity can even provide a variety of income streams.
This is one reason why many individuals use annuities to help them achieve their long-term financial goals, including retirement income.
Here’s how a deferred annuity works.
A deferred annuity is a contract between a contract owner and a life insurance company.
As the contract owner, you pay a premium to the insurance company.
In exchange for your premium, the insurance company promises to make regular income payments to you over a period of time, beginning at some point in the future.
This is called annuitization.
You should not buy an annuity for short-term purposes.
You generally have to keep your premium in a deferred annuity such as the Allianz Endurance 10 and Endurance 15 for a specified period of time before you begin receiving income payments.
By doing this, you avoid the assessment of penalties, such as surrender charges.
Annuities offer important benefits.
Potential growth during the annuity’s accumulation phase:
During this initial phase, an annuity may be an ideal vehicle to help you accumulate money for your retirement.
Income for life and other options during the retirement income phase:
When you are ready to start taking income, the annuity offers you a range of payout options.
Some options may offer an immediate, single payment.
Others may include income payments scheduled over a specific period of time, including your entire lifetime.
Tax deferral that can help your money grow:
The money in your annuity can grow tax-deferred.
This means you don’t have to pay taxes until you begin to withdraw money from the annuity.
The power of tax deferral, compounded over the life of your annuity’s accumulation phase, may have a positive impact on the value your annuity generates for your retirement.
Distributions may be subject to a surrender charge.
Distributions are subject to ordinary income tax and, if taken prior to age 59.5, a 10% federal tax penalty.
Death benefit protection for your beneficiaries:
As we noted earlier, annuities are insurance products.
So it’s only natural that they can give you reassurance, knowing your beneficiaries are protected if you pass away before you start receiving income.
Fixed index annuities are different.
A fixed index annuity earns interest based on changes in an external index.
This is different from traditional annuities, in which credit interest calculated at a fixed rate set in the contract.
The selected index varies from day to day and is not predictable.
When you buy a fixed index annuity you own an insurance contract – you are not buying shares of any stock, bond, or index.
Many fixed index annuities also permit contract owners to allocate premium to a traditional fixed interest option, where interest is credited at a fixed rate of interest not based on any external index.
The value of a fixed index annuity will not drop below a guaranteed minimum specified in the contract.
This means that if you surrender your contract or die, you (or your beneficiaries) are guaranteed to receive at least a minimum value.
To summarize, a fixed index annuity offers contract owners:
- The potential for growth by basing interest earned on the performance of a nationally recognized index or indexes (Interest earned on a fixed index annuity could be more or less than the interest earned in a traditional fixed annuity.)
- A guaranteed minimum value
Allianz Endurance 10 and Endurance 15 Annuity Benefits
Allianz Endurance 10 = 7 Years of Deferral
Allianz Endurance 15 = 10 Years of Deferral
You can earn interest on your premium payments based on changes in your choice of index options and a fixed interest option.
- You receive a 10% bonus or 15% bonus, added to the Enhanced Withdrawal Benefit (EWB) value on all premium received in the first three years.
- You receive enhanced interest credited annually to the EWB value.
- You can choose an EWB income option that can give you the opportunity to generate greater retirement income or choose traditional annuitization.
To receive the Enhanced Withdrawal Benefit bonus or any enhanced interest,
- you must hold your annuity in deferral for at least seven contract years and
- select one of two EWB income options that require payments for at least an additional 10 years.
Bonus annuities may include higher surrender charges, longer surrender charge periods, lower caps, or other restrictions that are not included in similar annuities that don’t offer a bonus feature.
Growth potential
Allianz Endurance 10 and Endurance 15 lets you benefit when the market index is heading up.
When the market increases, the value of your Allianz Endurance 10 and Endurance 15 can also increase.
Accumulation value
This is equal to the total premium paid plus 100% of any interest earned.
The accumulation value is available as a lump sum anytime after seven years, or for annuitization after five years.
Enhanced Withdrawal Benefit (EWB) value
This is the total premium paid plus an EWB bonus.
Anytime the accumulation value earns interest, the EWB value earns interest at a factor of 110%.
For example, if your interest rate is 8%, your EWB value would earn 8% x 110% = 8.8%.
If the accumulation value does not earn interest, the EWB value will remain unchanged.
Flexibility
Take the money or stay.
If you want to access your money in a lump sum or receive a steady stream of income, the Allianz Endurance 10 and Endurance 15 gives you the flexibility you need.
Anytime after your 7th contract year (Endurance 10) or 10th contract year (Endurance 15), you can take your annuity’s full accumulation value (minus any loans).
Or, to take advantage of your Enhanced Withdrawal Benefit value, you can choose one of two EWB income options.
Remember that your EWB value includes an EWB bonus as well as enhanced interest credited at a factor of 110%.
You don’t have to decide right now, you can decide anytime seven years down the road or longer.
All of your income options, including traditional annuitization, will be discussed later on in this brochure.
Access your money when you need cash.
After the contract anniversary following your most recent premium payment, you may annually withdraw up to 10% of your total premium paid – without surrender charges or other contract penalties.
Withdrawals reduce contract values and the value of any income and death benefits.
Principal Protection
Allianz Endurance 10 and Endurance 15 protects your principal and locks in interest automatically.
Since this is a fixed index annuity, your principal is never subject to market index risk.
A downturn in the market index(es) cannot reduce your contract values.
There are no up-front asset fees.
100% of your premium is credited to the accumulation value and 100% of your premium plus bonus are credited to the EWB value on the day it is received.
There is a surrender charge in the first seven or 10 years of this contract.
Surrender charges may result in the loss of all or part of any indexed interest or fixed interest you have earned and a partial loss of principal. (These are discussed in more detail later on in this brochure.)
Allianz Endurance 10 and Endurance 15 offers a guaranteed minimum value.
Your contract offers a guaranteed minimum value that you’d receive only if it were higher than your contract’s cash surrender value.
The guaranteed minimum value equals 90% of your total premium, minus any withdrawals, and grows at an annual interest rate no less than 1.5%.
Guarantees are backed by the financial strength and claims-paying ability of Allianz Life Insurance Company of North America.
Allianz Endurance 10 and Endurance 15 offers a death benefit.
The Enhanced Withdrawal Benefit value, which includes a 10% bonus or 15% bonus and enhanced interest credits, is available to your beneficiary if taken as annuity payments over a period of at least five years.
Your beneficiary also has the option to receive the greater of:
- the contract’s accumulation value or
- guaranteed minimum value in either a lump sum or
- in scheduled annuity payments.
The death benefit paid to a properly designated beneficiary (other than the estate) will pass without the costs and delays of probate.
Allianz Endurance 10 and Endurance 15 Annuity basics
Allianz Endurance 10 and Endurance 15 is a fixed index annuity that offers a choice of fixed interest and/or indexed interest options.
Indexed interest is based on changes in these indexes:
- S&P 500
- Nasdaq-100
- FTSE 100
- A blended index that includes recognized U.S. indexes, an international index, and a bond index
If you are age 80 or younger, when you make the initial premium payment of $10,000 or more, you can enjoy all the benefits offered by the Allianz Endurance 10.
You can also add money at any time during the first three contract years.
Any additional premium payments you make would receive an EWB bonus and will earn fixed interest until the following contract anniversary.
Indexed interest crediting options
Potential indexed interest is calculated based on your choice of the four index options and these three crediting method(s):
- Monthly sum crediting
- Monthly average crediting
- Annual point-to-point crediting
- Fixed Interest
Choose from several allocation options for flexibility.
When you purchase your Allianz Endurance 10 and Endurance 15, you can base your annuity’s potential growth exclusively on one or more of several available index/crediting options.
In addition to these options for potential indexed growth, you can also allocate some, or all, of your premium to a fixed interest option.
You can allocate premium to as many as 10 options, in increments of 1% or more.
Change your mind?
No problem! Shortly after your contract anniversary each year, we’ll notify you that you can change your allocations.
Changes to your allocations must be submitted in writing.
If we receive your changes within 21 days after your contract anniversary, they will be effective during that contract year.
Allocation changes received more than 21 days after your contract anniversary won’t take effect until your next contract anniversary.
Retirement income options
There are three different options for taking retirement income.
The first two options, scheduled withdrawals, and lifetime withdrawals are taken from your EWB value and you can still benefit from potential interest.
The third option is the traditional annuity payments.
Option I: Scheduled withdrawals
Under this option, you may take up to 10% of your EWB value each contract year.
After each year of positive interest, your maximum withdrawal will grow with enhanced interest.
If you choose this option and request the maximum annual distribution, after exactly 10 years of income payments, you will receive your annuity’s full EWB value.
This includes the EWB bonus plus any enhanced interest credited over the entire life of the annuity.
With this option, you can suspend or restart payments, or revise your payment amount, as long as you don’t exceed the maximum in any contract year.
You can also switch the remaining EWB value into Option II or cancel your contract and receive the remaining accumulation value as a lump sum.
Option II: Lifetime withdrawals
You can access your annuity’s EWB value in payments that last as long as you live.
The amount of your payments will be determined based upon the age when you start your lifetime income stream.
Your initial payment will equal a percentage of your EWB value.
After each subsequent year with positive interest, your lifetime income payment will grow with enhanced interest.
You must be at least 60 but no older than 90 years of age to elect this option.
Although you cannot suspend payments, revise your payment amount, or switch the remaining EWB value to Option I, you are free at any time to cancel your contract and receive your remaining accumulation value as a lump sum.
EWB withdrawals will be subject to ordinary income tax.
Option III: Traditional annuitization
If you utilize a traditional annuitization option, your annuity payments are based on your accumulation value (which does not include the EWB bonus on enhanced interest reflected in your EWB value).
These annuity options can have certain tax advantages.
As long as you keep your contract for at least five years, you can choose to receive annuity payments in any of the following ways:
Interest-only
You have the option to receive interest-only annuity payments for five years.
Interest will be paid as earned based on the amount of your accumulation value.
After five years of interest-only payments, you can take your full accumulation value as a lump-sum payment.
Installments for a guaranteed period
You can choose to receive annuity payments in equal installments for a period from 10 to 30 years.
Each installment would consist of part principal and part interest.
Installments for life
You have the option to receive annuity payments in equal installments for the rest of your life.
Payments end upon your death.
Installments for life with a guaranteed period
You can choose to receive annuity payments in equal installments for the rest of your life.
Upon your death, annuity payments will be paid to your beneficiary for the balance of the guaranteed period, the same way as you previously selected.
Installments for a selected amount
You may receive annuity payments in equal installments of an amount that you choose, as long as the payments last for at least 10 years.
Payments continue until your accumulation value is gone.
Joint and survivor
You can have equal installments paid until your death, then continue to be paid to your survivor.
In this case, you can select 100%, 2⁄3, or 1⁄2 of your payment amount to be paid to your survivor until his/her death.
Payout Factors
The payout rate used to determine your annuity payments depends on the age of your contract and the payout option selected. The interest rate in payout is guaranteed to be at least 1%.
Allianz Endurance 10 and Endurance 15 gives you ways to access your money if a need arises.
Free withdrawals
In each contract year, you can take up to 10% of your contract’s paid premium in one or more free withdrawals.
There will be no surrender charge applied, as long as the money is withdrawn after the contract anniversary following your most recent premium payment.
If within the same contract year of a free withdrawal, the contract is surrendered or additional premium is added, we will retroactively apply a surrender charge to any withdrawals taken that contract year.
This could result in a loss of bonus, indexed interest and fixed interest, and a partial loss of principal.
Withdrawals will decrease the values of the contract and its death benefit.
A free withdrawal is eligible to receive indexed interest at the end of the contract year.
The amount of indexed interest is based on the applicable indexed interest rate and the length of time during that contract year that the free withdrawal amount remained in the contract.
Contract loans
The loan interest rate is 7.4% annually in advance.
Loans are not available with IRA, SEP, or some other qualified plans.
Unpaid loans will be treated as partial surrenders, subject to surrender charges, and will decrease the value of the contract and its death benefit.
