What Is an Indexed Annuity? How Interest Is Credited | Jeffrey S. McLeod
1:14 · Uploaded 2026-02-03 · 668 views (YouTube)
Summary
In this 1:14 Annuities Explained video, Jeffrey Scott McLeod, LUTC, covers “What Is an Indexed Annuity? How Interest Is Credited.” When you buy an index annuity, you own an insurance contract. Because of the way they credit interest to your annuity's value. Index annuities credit interest using a formula based on the changes in the index to which the annuity is linked. The formula decides how additional interest, if any, is calculated and credited. When you get it depends on the features of your particular annuity. Your index annuity, like other fixed annuities,. Also promises to pay a minimum guaranteed interest. The current rate is what your annuity is paying and the minimum guaranteed rate is set by state law Insurance education only—not securities advice.
Key takeaways
Index annuities credit interest using a formula based on the changes in the index to which the annuity is linked.
The current rate is what your annuity is paying and the minimum guaranteed rate is set by state law.
When you buy an index annuity, you own an insurance contract.
Because of the way they credit interest to your annuity's value.
Confirm every feature, rate, and charge in the insurance contract and illustration for your state—not in a video alone.
Fixed indexed annuities are a type of fixed annuity that earn interest based on changes in a market index; the interest rate is guaranteed never to be less than zero, even if the market goes down. When you buy an indexed annuity, you are not investing directly in the market or the index.
Fixed annuities guarantee at least a minimum interest rate set by the insurer. Deferred annuities also differ by premium pattern and by fees and charges.
The 2022 NAIC Buyer’s Guide for Deferred Annuities explains that an annuity is a contract with an insurance company. With an annuity, the insurer promises to pay income on a regular basis for a period you choose—including the rest of your life.
Source: NAIC Buyer’s Guide for Deferred Annuities (2022). The guide does not endorse any company or policy. For your state insurance department, see www.naic.org.
Jeffrey Scott McLeod, LUTC, is a licensed insurance producer. Content on this page is educational and discusses insurance products only—not securities, brokerage, or investment advisory services. Texas license 901162. Arkansas / National Producer Number 558629. Product availability, rates, and features vary by state and insurer. Read the NAIC Buyer’s Guide and the insurance contract before you buy.