Who’s not selling FIAs — and why not
December 22, 2015 by JAMIE E. GREEN, WARREN S. HERSCH, EMILY HOLBROOK
Despite fixed indexed annuity sales growth over the past two decades and the product’s popularity among consumers, some advisors are still shunning the product. In fact, though they are actively selling other types of annuities, 30 percent of respondents have not sold an FIA in the past year. Non-sellers are more likely to be selling at lower production levels (less than $250,000 in new annuity premium) and have less than 10 years in the industry, suggesting experience may be a factor.
Reasons for not selling FIAs vary, with 32 percent of respondents stating that they recommend other financial instruments, followed by about a quarter (24 percent) responding that FIAs are not a good fit for their clients. Investment-oriented advisors are much more likely to state that they recommend other financial instruments compared with their insurance-oriented counterparts (65 percent vs. 24 percent, respectively). Only 7 percent of investment-oriented advisors state they are not permitted to sell the product.
