Jun 20, 2024
Corporate
By Dale Uthoff, Chief Product Officer, Group 1001 Life and Annuity
Annuities can offer flexibility both in how you save for and receive money in retirement. It comes down to knowing that there are different types of annuities, each designed to address a specific need or life stage.
According to LIMRA, U.S. annuity sales were $113.5 billion during the first quarter of 2024, 21% higher than the first quarter of 2023. Yet I often hear from people who are confused by annuities or overwhelmed by the many product offerings. As Chief Product Officer at Group 1001 Life and Annuity, here are some of the most common misconceptions I hear and the reality.
Myth: Annuities are expensive with high fees.
Reality: Many annuities have no fees whatsoever. Products like multi-year guaranteed annuities and many fixed indexed annuities do not charge fees to the policyholder. There are annuities with fees, and those fees are generally used to cover additional benefits such as lifetime income offerings. The fee is used by the insurer to help cover the cost of insuring the lifetime income benefit.
Myth: Annuities are complicated.
Reality: Some annuities are complicated, but many are relatively straightforward. Annuities such as multi-year guaranteed annuities are quite simple. These products offer a guaranteed interest for the term of the annuity. These offer similar benefits and use cases to certificates of deposits but offer the additional advantage of tax deferral. In other words, the interest isn’t taxable until withdrawn from the contract.
Myth: Annuities are only for retirees.
Reality: Annuities can help savers, too. Annuities can be an extremely useful part of building a retirement portfolio. Whether you are accumulating savings or trying to establish a stream of guaranteed lifetime income, annuities can be helpful. Additionally, the tax-deferred growth accumulation of annuities can provide a faster accumulation of retirement savings and defer taxes until retirement.
Myth: I can easily create lifetime income from my retirement accounts.
Reality: We don’t know how long we are going to live or how well retirement account assets are going to perform in the future. Therefore, it’s very difficult to predict how much you can safely withdraw from your retirement accounts on an annual basis. Some historical rules of thumb like 4% per year are designed to cover most scenarios including those that combine poor market performance and a lengthy retirement. Annuities can often deliver a higher level of retirement income than these rules of thumb because the insurance company is taking the risk and pooling large numbers of policyholders.
Myth: The insurance company keeps my remaining money when I die.
Reality: With most types of annuities, there are specific death benefits. Some of these annuities even provide options for beneficiaries to select a lump sum or ongoing payments. When planning estates, people most often think about life insurance, but annuities can have features useful for this as well. There are, however, specific types of annuities (life contingent single premium immediate annuities) that can be structured to make payments only as long as you live. The benefit of this is to achieve the highest possible income payment while you are alive, but the tradeoff can be reduced or non-existent death benefits. As with anything, there are tradeoffs with different options.
Myth: Once I invest in an annuity, my money is locked up and can’t be touched.
Reality: Nearly all annuities allow you to withdraw some of the money – usually up to 10% of the amount or the earnings on the contract (whichever is greater) without any penalty. You also generally can withdraw amounts in excess of that amount but will incur surrender or early withdrawal penalties. An annuity is a longer term commitment than some other savings vehicles which allows the insurance company to provide attractive rates of return compared to other options. While you have some ability to get your money back early from an annuity, it is best to be confident that you can invest for the full term of the contract.
As you can see, there are many myths and realities around annuities. Annuities have evolved and continue to evolve. Today’s annuity marketplace is more diverse than ever before. Today’s products include many combinations of benefits, elements of flexibility, and ways for policyholders to save money, invest for retirement, and convert retirement savings into a guaranteed lifetime income stream. Because of all the benefits and uses, it’s important to do your research and speak with a financial professional you trust to determine whether a specific financial product is right for you.
Dale Uthoff is the Chief Product Officer for Group 1001 Life and Annuity. Dale oversees all product efforts for the Group 1001 Life and Annuity Business Unit. This includes product development and product management for fixed, indexed, and variable annuity products sold by Group 1001 companies. The opinions expressed herein are his own and not necessarily those of my employer.
Mar 27, 2025
Corporate
Get to know some of the leaders at Group 1001. Liz Dorrance, Vice President, Strategic Marketing. Liz is a seasoned marketing leader with over 20 years of experience in building and supporting brands through strategic digital and content marketing. As Vice President of Strategic Marketing at Group 1001, she has successfully aligned marketing strategies to drive sales, engage audiences, and enhance brand awareness. Liz began her career in advertising agencies, working with major brands such as P&...
Mar 25, 2025
Corporate
Get to know some of the leaders at Group 1001. Meet Santiago Jeyaseelan, Vice President of Product Management.As the Vice President of Product Management at Gainbridge®, a Group 1001 company, Santiago oversees tech product development for D2C and B2B platforms and the overall platform strategy. He is an experienced product leader with a proven track record of building engaging products and platforms across both B2B and D2C distribution models at scale. He has driven rapid growth for retail banks...
Mar 24, 2025
Corporate
Get to know some of the leaders at Group 1001. Meet Christopher Brew, Chief Claims Officer.Christopher is a claims, operations, and consulting executive with over 35 years of experience in the property and casualty insurance industry. As the Chief Claims Officer for Clear Spring Property and Casualty Group and a member of the executive leadership team, Christopher is responsible for claims management across the four Clear Spring Property and Casualty companies. Chris graduated from St. Joseph...
Mar 21, 2025
Corporate
Get to know some of the leaders at Group 1001. Meet Stephanie Weiss, Assistant Vice President and Senior Counsel, Corporate Governance and Regulatory. Stephanie is an experienced legal professional, having spent the past 16 years specializing in governance, regulatory, and corporate secretarial matters for financial institutions. As a leader in Group 1001’s Legal department, Stephanie ensures compliance and best practices across the organization. Stephanie holds a J.D. from Indiana University Ro...
Mar 19, 2025
Corporate
Get to know some of the leaders at Group 1001. Meet Joshua Nissley, Vice President, Financial Planning and Business Intelligence.As Vice President, Financial Planning and Business Intelligence, Joshua leads Financial Planning and Analysis for Group 1001’s Life & Annuity business and reports to the CFO. His team's responsibilities include preparing the annual business plan and monthly management reporting of financials and KPIs. Joshua has an undergraduate degree in Mathematics from Cedar...
Mar 18, 2025
Corporate
Get to know some of the leaders at Group 1001. Meet Daniel Getler, Vice President, Index and Fund Solutions.As Vice President, Index and Fund Solutions, Daniel leads initiatives related to the indexes and funds that underlie our annuity offerings. He has over 15 years of experience in investments, specializing in quantitative investing across active and passive strategies. Before joining Group 1001, he worked on custom index design at Invesco, led quantitative research on ESG investing at Arabes...
Mar 3, 2025
Work Life
Group 1001 proudly celebrates Women’s History Month, recognizing women's invaluable contributions throughout American history. For the second year in a row, we kicked off Women’s History Month at the racetrack. We featured 800+ women employee names on the NTT IndyCar Series No. 26 Gainbridge® Honda driven by Colton Herta of Andretti Global and the NASCAR Cup Series No. 7 car driven by Justin Haley of Spire Motorsports. Also, the names of a select group of women in financial services with Del...
Feb 6, 2025
Work Life
Black History Month is an annual celebration of African Americans' achievements and a time to recognize their central role in U.S. history. At Group 1001, we foster a culture where diversity is actively sought and inclusion is embedded in our work. Hear from our employees about what Black History Month means to them:"Black History Month is a time to reflect and pay homage to all the great men and women who fought and died in the pursuit of freedom from slavery, colonization, racism, and...
Jan 14, 2025
Corporate
Delaware Life Insurance Company, a Group 1001 company, announces three new innovative fixed index annuities (FIAs) – Momentum Growth™, Momentum Growth Plus™, and DualTrack Income™. These FIAs offer investors all the features and benefits of a traditional FIA with the flexibility to control and customize their risk while helping capitalize on positive equity markets to help them reach their retirement goals faster. They are available exclusively through Independent Marketing Organizations (IMOs)....
Dec 11, 2024
Corporate
Delaware Life Insurance Company (“Delaware Life”), a Group 1001 Insurance company, today announced that S&P Global Ratings (“S&P”) has upgraded its issuer credit and financial strength rating from BBB+ to A- with a stable outlook.Delaware Life’s upgraded S&P rating was assigned based on several factors cited by S&P, including the company’s strong capital, diversified distribution channels and wholesaler distribution model, as well as its strong operating performance. Please refer...
Nov 18, 2024
Sponsorship
The final Parity Week by Gainbridge® grant for 2024 was announced Tuesday, November 12 at The ANNIKA driven by Gainbridge at Pelican. Group 1001 President and CEO Dan Towriss presented Gainbridge® ambassador Caitlin Clark with the 22nd grant for $22,000 to the Caitlin Clark Foundation. “Aligning with Caitlin’s foundation is a way to make a positive impact and create a better tomorrow for women and girls in sports and education,” said Towriss. “Caitlin is not only a leader for young girls compet...
Nov 15, 2024
Corporate
This week, employees attended the Nasdaq Closing Bell to celebrate the recent launch of Delaware Life's select Fixed Indexed Annuity products featuring the innovative Nasdaq-100 Volatility Control 12%™ Index. We are proud to be a Nasdaq partner. Learn more about how our annuities can help you power your retirement savings here.
Nov 7, 2024
Corporate
Group 1001, a leading financial services company, announces Tony Marichal as Vice President of Annuity Operations of Group 1001 Life & Annuity.Reporting to Chief Operating Officer Martin Woll, Marichal oversees the annuity operations for two Group 1001 companies, Delaware Life Insurance Company and Clear Spring Life and Annuity Company. He is responsible for creating efficiencies across operations, building effective training and development plans, and ensuring the customer experience is a d...
Oct 31, 2024
Corporate
Group 1001 and Franklin Skills PartnershipOne year ago, Group 1001 and Franklin Skills (formerly Franklin Apprenticeship) partnered to launch Group 1001’s first apprenticeship program. This program provides employees with on-the-job tech training under the supervision of skilled IT managers and mentors and customized instruction that aligns directly with their jobs. Working with Franklin Skills, Group 1001 tailored the program to address the unique needs of both the company and the apprentices. ...
Oct 21, 2024
Corporate
Gainbridge®, through its Group 1001 affiliate, announced today a partnership with RetireOne, the leading independent platform in the annuity marketplace for registered investment advisors (RIAs). RetireOne, an outsourced insurance desk, provides RIAs and their customers valuable solutions that are simple to use, easy to understand, and delivered with outstanding service. RIAs now have platform access to two of Gainbridge®’s high-yield multi-year guaranteed annuity (MYGA) products – FastBreak™1 a...
Oct 7, 2024
Corporate
Group 1001 announces that Dan Healy has been appointed the Chief Risk Officer, Group 1001, and Mark McCallister has been promoted and will succeed Dan as Chief Internal Audit Officer. Healy has been with Group 1001 for more than nine years and has been acting as the interim Chief Risk Officer for the Life & Annuity business unit for the past several months. He consistently demonstrates exceptional leadership and a deep understanding of our risk management process. In his new role, he will ov...
Sep 5, 2024
Community
On June 11, 2024, we launched our second annual 1001 Hours of Impact with a wall build for Habitat for Humanity of Boone County. Since then, more than 350 employees in 12 states and 19 cities volunteered their time and talents. In less than 12 weeks, we surpassed our goal of 1,001 hours and secured 1,600+ volunteer hours.From packing and distributing 270 backpacks, to rebuilding a gym for 1,460 high school and middle school students, helping distribute 34,342 meals, building 130 bikes, caring fo...
Sep 4, 2024
Sponsorship
Gainbridge®, Parity, and the Women’s Sports Foundation (WSF®) announce the recipients of grants for “Parity Week by Gainbridge®:Investing in the Future of Women’s Sports.” This year, $150,000 in grants is being awarded to 21 deserving organizations and athletes that support girls and women through sports and/or education.Gainbridge®, a Group 1001 company, and its sister company Parity, a brand sponsorship platform committed to closing the gender income and opportunity gap in professional sports,...
Aug 16, 2024
Corporate
Delaware Life Insurance Company, a Group 1001 company, announces its inclusion in the annual Barron’s list of “Top 100 Best Annuities.” This is the fifth consecutive year that Barron's has ranked Delaware Life Insurance Company annuities in the top 100. Delaware Life Accelerator Prime® Variable Annuity was recognized as a top 100 annuity in the categories of Single Life and Joint Life. The list includes the top annuities in a variety of categories, from “ones offering guaranteed lifetime inc...
Aug 15, 2024
Work Life
Indy Women in Tech (IWiT) Senior Marketing & Communications Specialist Jessica Maginn has been named one of the Indianapolis Business Journal's (IBJ) "20 in their Twenties" for 2024.IBJ’s 20 in their Twenties honors emerging leaders who are making an impact on their communities at the very start of their careers. Honorees are chosen by a committee that includes IBJ editors, IBJ Media staff, and previous 20 in their Twenties honorees.As the Senior Marketing & Communications ...
Aug 2, 2024
Community
Group 1001 employees are making an impact in their communities through volunteering. Outside of our corporate volunteer program, 1001 Hours of Impact, many have dedicated their time, energy, and passion to causes close to their hearts. Here are a few ways Group 1001 employees are creating a better tomorrow.Pato Moschcovich, Lead Backend Developer ENGin connects English-speaking volunteers with motivated Ukrainians for online speaking practice and cross-cultural exchange. Pato started volunteerin...
Jul 24, 2024
Corporate
Group 1001 has won the 2024 U.S. Insurance Award for Community Outreach Project of the Year – Pro Bono and Volunteer for 1001 Hours of Impact. This award from Business Insurance recognizes a community outreach project in 2023 by an organization operating in the commercial insurance and risk management sector that involved pro bono or volunteer work. Nominations for all categories were reviewed by a panel of Business Insurance editors who selected the finalists for each category. The finalists we...
Jul 11, 2024
Corporate
Delaware Life Insurance Company, a Group 1001 company, has been named a Ward’s 50® top-performing life-health company for 2024. This placement positions Delaware Life Insurance Company in the top 50 of more than 700 life-health insurance companies for outstanding financial results in the areas of safety, consistency, and performance over a five-year period.Each Ward’s 50 company has passed all safety and consistency screens and achieved superior performance over the course of five years. Top per...
Jun 25, 2024
Corporate
Group 1001, a leading financial services company, announces Martin Woll as Chief Operating Officer of Group 1001 Life & Annuity. A member of the executive leadership team and reporting to Group 1001’s President and CEO, Woll will lead the operations team, including the client experience, facilities, and corporate real estate.“We are excited to welcome Martin to Group 1001,” said Dan Towriss, Group 1001 President and CEO. “Martin brings a wealth of knowledge across operations and proven leade...
Jun 19, 2024
Work Life
Sponsorship
Community
On June 11, Group 1001 kicked off its summer corporate volunteer program, 1001 Hours of Impact, with a wall build with Habitat for Humanity of Boone County. The aim of 1001 Hours of Impact is for employees across all offices and locations to collectively secure 1,001+ volunteer hours from June through August. True to Group 1001’s commitment to transforming communities through education and sports, Indiana Fever’s Caitlin Clark – brand ambassador for Gainbridge®, a Group 1001 company – and Indian...
May 21, 2024
Corporate
To give consumers a simple, tailored way to diversify returns and guarantee higher minimum growth, Delaware Life Insurance Company (Delaware Life), a Group 1001 company, announces the addition of two diversified, multi-strategy Precision Portfolios as part of the Growth Pathway fixed index annuity (FIA). As an additional enhancement, Growth Pathway is now the only FIA to offer the Invesco QQQ ETF. Clients can choose from two diversified Precision Portfolio options – one without volatility contro...
May 9, 2024
Sponsorship
As part of this year’s “Parity Week by Gainbridge®: Investing in the Future of Women’s Sports,” Gainbridge®announces grants totaling $150,000 to deserving organizations that support girls and women through sports and/or education from Gainbridge®, Parity, and Women’s Sports Foundation®.Gainbridge®, a Group 1001 company, is partnering with its sister company Parity, a brand sponsorship platform committed to closing the gender income and opportunity gap in professional sports, to award multiple gr...
May 8, 2024
Work Life
May is Military Appreciation Month. This month, Group 1001 recognizes and honors those who have served, including our own employees.Chris Kennedy, Chief Information Security OfficerWhat branch did you serve in and for how long? United States Marine Corps, 1997-2004Can you share a little about your service and role?My military career was unique, especially for the Marine Corps. I started as an NROTC Midshipman at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, TN. My exposure there showed me optionality in N...
May 1, 2024
Sponsorship
Community
There’s nothing like May in Indiana. Every year, Americans count down the days until the Indianapolis 500® – the largest single-day spectator sporting event in the world – returns to the track. May is also an exciting month for Group 1001 and its employees, as Gainbridge®, a Group 1001 company, is the presenting sponsor of the Indy 500®. With the parallels between racing and our business – a commitment to success, innovation, technology, and making every second count – Group 1001 celebrates May ...
Apr 15, 2024
Corporate
Gainbridge®, a Group 1001 company, and Save®Advisers, LLC, a technology and wealth management company, announced the launch of Market+ to address the needs of savers who want market participation with a minimum guaranteed return.Market+ offers a hybrid yield structure, featuring a 3% guaranteed annual yield (returned in the form of an annual payment) alongside a market-linked yield with a variable APY of 5.41%*. The investment program has a three-year term and is principal guaranteed only when h...
Apr 11, 2024
Sponsorship
Corporate
Delaware Life Insurance Company (“Delaware Life”), a Group 1001 company and a leader in annuity and life insurance products, and DUPR (Dynamic Universal Pickleball Rating), today announced a long-term partnership dedicated to driving growth and innovation in pickleball. Under the agreement, Delaware Life is the exclusive presenting sponsor of DUPR, pickleball’s leading data and technology platform. DUPR’s proprietary global rating system evaluates player performance based on match results to gen...
Apr 1, 2024
Sponsorship
Group 1001 and Indy Women in Tech (IWiT) were proud to sponsor the Indiana Robotics State Championship on March 23 at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. The competition is the largest state championship in the country, gathering 354 robotics teams from elementary, middle, and high schools across the state with 10,000 people in attendance.Joe Hogsett, Mayor of Indianapolis, and Dr. Katie Jenn, Indiana Secretary of Education, kicked off the event. Throughout the day, teams participated in three di...