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Valuing variable annuities with guaranteed minimum lifetime withdrawal benefits

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  • Steinorth, Petra
  • Mitchell, Olivia S.

Abstract

Variable annuities with guaranteed minimum lifetime withdrawal benefits (VA/GLWB) offer retirees longevity protection, exposure to equity markets, and access to flexible withdrawals in emergencies. We model how risk-averse retirees optimally withdraw from the products, balancing returns and the embedded longevity protection. Assuming reasonable individual preferences, the resulting cash flow generates a Money’s Worth Ratio of around 0.9 for our stylized VA/GLWB in the post-crisis product, considerably lower than what was offered prior to 2008. Sensitivity analyses with respect to portfolio choice, mortality, fees, and guaranteed withdrawal rates show that MWRs range from 0.80 to 1.0, with the portfolio choice making the biggest difference. For most parameter choices, the utility value of the VA/GLWB exceeds that of a similar mutual fund, but it is less than for a fixed annuity. Interestingly, VA/GLWB withdrawals in early retirement can optimally exceed contract maximum withdrawals, despite the fact that this reduces future withdrawal guarantees.

Suggested Citation

  • Steinorth, Petra & Mitchell, Olivia S., 2015. "Valuing variable annuities with guaranteed minimum lifetime withdrawal benefits," Insurance: Mathematics and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 64(C), pages 246-258.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:insuma:v:64:y:2015:i:c:p:246-258
    DOI: 10.1016/j.insmatheco.2015.04.001
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    2. Pavel V. Shevchenko & Xiaolin Luo, 2016. "A Unified Pricing of Variable Annuity Guarantees under the Optimal Stochastic Control Framework," Risks, MDPI, vol. 4(3), pages 1-31, July.
    3. Maria Alexandrova & Nadine Gatzert, 2019. "What Do We Know About Annuitization Decisions?," Risk Management and Insurance Review, American Risk and Insurance Association, vol. 22(1), pages 57-100, March.
    4. Thorsten Moenig, 2021. "Efficient valuation of variable annuity portfolios with dynamic programming," Journal of Risk & Insurance, The American Risk and Insurance Association, vol. 88(4), pages 1023-1055, December.
    5. Bacinello, Anna Rita & Maggistro, Rosario & Zoccolan, Ivan, 2024. "Risk-neutral valuation of GLWB riders in variable annuities," Insurance: Mathematics and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 114(C), pages 1-14.
    6. Ankush Agarwal & Christian-Oliver Ewald & Yongjie Wang, 2023. "Hedging longevity risk in defined contribution pension schemes," Computational Management Science, Springer, vol. 20(1), pages 1-34, December.
    7. Pavel V. Shevchenko & Xiaolin Luo, 2016. "A unified pricing of variable annuity guarantees under the optimal stochastic control framework," Papers 1605.00339, arXiv.org.
    8. Balter, Anne G. & Kallestrup-Lamb, Malene & Rangvid, Jesper, 2021. "Macro longevity risk and the choice between annuity products: Evidence from Denmark," Insurance: Mathematics and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 99(C), pages 355-362.
    9. Milevsky, Moshe A. & Salisbury, Thomas S., 2022. "Refundable income annuities: Feasibility of money-back guarantees," Insurance: Mathematics and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 105(C), pages 175-193.
    10. Alicia H. Munnell & Gal Wettstein & Wenliang Hou, 2022. "How best to annuitize defined contribution assets?," Journal of Risk & Insurance, The American Risk and Insurance Association, vol. 89(1), pages 211-235, March.
    11. Areski Cousin & Ying Jiao & Christian y Robert & Olivier David Zerbib, 2021. "Optimal asset allocation subject to withdrawal risk and solvency constraints," Working Papers hal-03244380, HAL.
    12. Kirkby, J. Lars & Nguyen, Duy, 2021. "Equity-linked Guaranteed Minimum Death Benefits with dollar cost averaging," Insurance: Mathematics and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 100(C), pages 408-428.
    13. Hsieh, Ming-hua & Wang, Jennifer L. & Chiu, Yu-Fen & Chen, Yen-Chih, 2018. "Valuation of variable long-term care Annuities with Guaranteed Lifetime Withdrawal Benefits: A variance reduction approach," Insurance: Mathematics and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 78(C), pages 246-254.
    14. Moenig, Thorsten, 2021. "Variable annuities: Market incompleteness and policyholder behavior," Insurance: Mathematics and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 99(C), pages 63-78.

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