Brighthouse Adds Indexed Annuity With Lifetime Income Rider

A new family of annuities from Brighthouse Financial could help a client create a stream of retirement income that will increase along with prices.

The Charlotte, North Carolina-based company introduced the Brighthouse SecureKey Fixed Indexed Annuities Monday.

The contracts offer a fixed minimum level of interest; a chance for the client to earn extra interest; an optional guaranteed lifetime withdrawal benefit rider, or GLWB rider that can convert the annuity assets into a lifetime stream of income for one or two people; and options that can increase the amount of income that the client gets at retirement.

Myles Lambert, Brighthouse Financial’s chief distribution and marketing officer, said in a comment about the product launch that the new annuities provide a balance between safety and the potential for market growth.

What it means: When interest rates were low, and life insurers had a hard time earning good returns on the assets supporting annuity benefits guarantees, many insurers backed away from offering your clients products with significant benefits guarantees.

Now that interest rates are up and life insurers can earn higher returns on their own investments, annuity benefit guarantees may be making a comeback.

The contracts: The new Brighthouse annuities are single-premium, deferred, nonvariable indexed annuities.

A client can tie part or all of the crediting rate for the annuity assets to the performance of one or more investment indexes.