SILAC^® FIAs Reimagined: Strategically Simplified to Supercharge Retirement

In today’s crowded FIA landscape, success isn’t about offering the most—it’s about offering what’s most meaningful. That philosophy guided SILAC Insurance Company’s recent redesign of its fixed indexed annuity (FIA) lineup, resulting in a more strategic, simplified suite of products tailored to the evolving needs of policyholders and the professionals who serve them.

“Every product we offer is built with a purpose,” says Carrie Freeburg, Chief Product Officer at SILAC. “We’ve always focused on adaptability, but now we’ve taken it a step further—aligning each product with a clear objective so our agents can confidently recommend the right fit, and policyholders can make more informed retirement decisions.”

Why Reimagine the Lineup Now?

The life insurance and annuity space has seen a surge of innovation in recent years, but also a wave of complexity. As new products and carriers flood the market, the pressure on financial professionals to stay current—and compliant—has never been greater.

“Our distribution partners told us loud and clear that clarity matters,” Freeburg explains. “So we took a hard look at everything in our lineup and asked: Where are we truly competing? Are we giving agents and clients the best chance to win?”

SILAC’s response: simplify, specialize, and refocus. That meant removing underutilized features, repackaging key benefits, and ensuring every product in the suite aligned with a singular purpose—whether that’s accumulation, liquidity, income, or legacy planning.

A Suite Built Around Specialty

SILAC’s reimagined FIA lineup now includes four product families, each targeting a specific retirement goal:

• Teton® Series – Built for clean accumulation

• Denali™ Series – Offers enhanced accumulation 

• Evolve™ – A stand-alone lifetime income engine

• Vega® Series – Specializes in wealth transfer and legacy planning

Elevation® and Elevation Plus® are optional riders that can be added to the Teton and Denali Series. They provide enhanced liquidity and premium bonus benefits.

“Before the redesign, we had overlapping features across multiple products, which created confusion in positioning,” Freeburg says. “Now, each product has a well-defined role. If you're focused on accumulation, the choice is between Teton and Denali. If your client needs both growth and access to funds, Elevation can be added to Teton or Denali. If income is the goal, it's Evolve. If legacy planning is the focus, then Vega is the solution.” 

Standardizing riders, commission structures, and bonus levels across compatible product lines also simplifies decision-making for agents. Agents no longer need to choose between Denali and Teton based on which riders are available. That creates consistency and empowers smarter recommendations.

Removing Product Drag—and Redirecting Value

A key principle in SILAC’s redesign was identifying and eliminating “product drag”—features that added cost without adding meaningful value.

“We evaluated every benefit on a stand-alone basis and analyzed how often the benefit was actually being used,” Freeburg explains. “Even small drags of 1 or 2 basis points can add up. If those features weren’t being utilized, we redirected that value into stronger premium bonuses, better rates, and cleaner benefits.”

For example, life event withdrawal benefits, which were rarely used, were removed to improve other product features. The Denali line, once positioned as a hybrid between accumulation and income, was streamlined to focus on accumulation. Evolve, previously a rider on Denali, is now its own product with a singularly focused on providing lifetime income.

“We didn’t want ‘jack of all trades, master of none’ products,” Freeburg says. “We want each product to lead in its category.”

Introducing the Bloomberg Versa 10 Index

One of the most exciting enhancements in the reimagined suite is the addition of the Bloomberg Versa 10 Index, developed in partnership with Bloomberg, RBC and SALT Financial. This versatile, multi-asset index is available across all of SILAC’s FIA products and is designed to perform in various market conditions.

This is the first index in the SILAC lineup with exposure to gold and the U.S. dollar. It’s structured to allocate dynamically, meaning it can shift in and out of those components based on performance.

The index targets a 10% volatility level, higher than the traditional 5% seen in most FIAs. That design gives policyholders greater exposure to equity growth while still managing risk.

“In a year marked by volatility and global uncertainty, Versa 10 has stood out,” she adds. “It’s one of the few indexes that’s actually up year-to-date in 2025, and we’re proud to make it available through our entire suite.”

What are Elevation and Elevation Plus?

Two riders now available across both Denali and Teton are Elevation and Elevation Plus—liquidity-enhanced accumulation solutions offering free withdrawal features and up to a 20% premium bonus. Both options offer a 10% free withdrawal benefit and cumulative withdrawals, giving clients added flexibility without sacrificing long-term growth. 

Instead of charging an annual fee for these enhanced benefits, these riders use a smarter structure: an annual spread that is never charged if the credited interest is zero.

“This is an elegant solution that aligns with client expectations,” Freeburg explains. “If there’s no interest credit, there’s no spread deduction. It’s a win-win.”

Income Reimagined: Evolve Stands Alone

SILAC’s new Evolve product is its first income-focused offering with a guaranteed roll-up rate. Policyholders receive 6% plus any index interest credited, giving them strong growth potential for their income base.

“Evolve is different from most income riders because of its dual strength: guaranteed roll-up and accumulation,” Freeburg says. “It’s designed for clients seeking income soon after retirement or years down the line. And if they never need the income, there’s still an account value to rely on.”

Keeping It Simple—Without Sacrificing Sophistication

Even with four distinct product lines, SILAC has made a concerted effort to reduce complexity.

“We’re not here to impress with jargon—we’re here to deliver results,” says Freeburg. “We’ve kept the design tight. Every feature is designed to support the product’s specialty-” 

This discipline ensures that every product is not only high-performing, but also intuitive to position. “Our distribution partners don’t want 20 variations of the same thing,” she adds. “They want precision, clarity, and flexibility.”

To support the rollout, SILAC is offering a full suite of education webinars, marketing tools, and one-on-one support to help agents understand the new positioning.

Built on a Legacy of Adaptability

SILAC has nearly 90 years of experience serving American families and financial professionals. Its roots date back to the Great Depression, when the company famously provided food to all employees to ensure no one went hungry.

“That legacy of practical care still drives how we build products today,” Freeburg reflects. “We don’t chase gimmicks. We solve real problems, with real value, for real people.”

Looking Ahead

As the FIA space continues to evolve, SILAC remains committed to innovation that balances protection, performance, and purpose.

“Retirement planning isn’t one-size-fits-all,” Freeburg says. “But our job is to make it easier to navigate. With this new lineup, we’ve clarified our message and elevated our solutions. We’re confident that advisors—and their clients—will feel the difference.”

Visit www.SILACins.com/INN to download your own Launch Toolkit!