Equitable enhances its investment-only variable annuity

NEW YORK – December 13, 2023 – Equitable today announced enhancements to its Investment Edge investment-only variable annuity that add new options designed to increase growth potential and provide additional flexibility to customize investment options. This announcement continues Equitable’s strong track record of innovation in the annuity market.

Growth Multiplier — a new investment option that adds a set multiple to a positive S&P 500 return­ – allows individuals who are willing to take on more investment risk by forgoing partial downside protection to take advantage of potentially larger investment gains.

“We know clients are looking for opportunities to continually grow their retirement savings, especially given the lingering higher inflation that we are experiencing,” said Steve Scanlon, Head of Individual Retirement at Equitable. “Our new Growth Multiplier investment option is designed to help solve for this and is the latest example of our ongoing commitment to innovate.”

Equitable is also adding its Dual Step-Up segment, a popular investment option in its Structured Capital Strategies® PLUS registered index-linked annuity, to Investment Edge. Dual Step-Up provides the potential for a positive return even during flat or down markets by guaranteeing a positive return equal to the performance cap rate if the selected index return is greater than or equal to the chosen buffer at the end of the investment period.

Scanlon added, “Many individuals value the opportunity for partial downside protection in their portfolios even when markets are up. These enhancements to Investment Edge provide our clients with more investment options to meet a wide range of risk appetites and the flexibility to create a truly customized solution to support their financial future.”

Investment Edge will now include 52 additional buffered investment options. The new investment options include shorter one- or five-year investment durations that give clients the flexibility to reallocate their underlying investments in times of uncertainty and higher buffers to provide additional partial downside protection options. New investment segment options include:

• Standard segments with -20% and -40% investment buffers
• One-year, Step-Up segment option with a -15% buffer and five-year Step-Up segment with a -10% buffer
• Dual-Direction segment options with -15% and -20% buffers

Clients also have the option to transfer between segment investment options prior to the segment maturity date, adding flexibility to adjust asset allocations as their circumstances or market conditions change. Investment Edge now has more than 80 different structured options and more than 100 variable investment options offered by world class asset managers.