We've been in operation for over 30 years out of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, and prefer to be your one-stop shop for you and your client when it comes to providing insurance needs. Our goal is to help change your client's life and provide them with a better, safer retirement—one where their money is working for them.

I bring to you today Jake Coag Rolli, the Nassau Annuity Sales Manager and a carrier that URL is very fond of. Jake will get into it more, but when they say on this first slide “working harder to be the carrier of your choice,” they really mean it. Nassau has fantastic fixed guaranteed rates of over 5%, top income rider payouts, and very competitive rates in the marketplace.

Not to mention, they have a brand-new product offering in a space I wasn’t aware Nassau operated in prior to this, which I think will really excite agents joining us today. So Jake, thank you so much for joining us. I appreciate you giving us some time and look forward to hearing the new information about Nassau.

Awesome, Cody. I appreciate the intro and, of course, our partnership together. We’ve had a great partnership with strong opportunities to close more sales together, and I couldn’t be more excited to kick off another week with you and the entire URL team. Thank you to everyone joining the call today.

As Cody mentioned, we have a lot of exciting things to talk about with Nassau—not only from a product manufacturer perspective, but as Cody mentioned, we operate under the tagline “working hard to be your carrier of choice.” You’re going to see a lot of areas where we can put more efficiencies back into your business to help you close more sales.

We are a U.S.-based company. I know the Nassau name probably makes you think of the Bahamas, but the name actually comes from our founders, who were born and raised in Nassau County, New York. It’s a way to recognize where they grew up and the drive and motivation that led them to start Nassau. While the name may seem new, we’ve actually been in operation for 172 years. Along that timeframe, we’ve insured the likes of Abraham Lincoln.

This history often gets positive feedback from agents, as they can share it with clients and prospects. Since the Nassau name was introduced in 2016, the company has undergone a transformation from a corporate perspective and, most importantly for you, from a financial perspective. When you make recommendations and promises to clients, you want to ensure the carrier will be there when your client is ready to access those benefits.

Nassau currently has over $20 billion in assets under management and over 400,000 policies in force. The most important numbers, in my view, are the AM Best upgrades in the last three and a half years, reflecting substantial improvement, and a solvency ratio at one of the top levels in the industry, 106%, meaning for every dollar of liabilities, Nassau has $1.06 in assets. They are very well-positioned, and you can expect continued positive momentum.

Let’s also talk about efficiencies and service. Our speed to issue today is 17 to 18 days. For those impacted negatively by service from other carriers in 2022, you’ll find Nassau’s service very competitive. If you haven’t used our Suitability Instant Decision Guarantee tool, it’s a game changer. You input about five minutes of client data, hit submit, and over 75% of applications receive an automatic green light—meaning the case is already approved.

For the 23% that don’t receive the auto green light, it doesn’t mean the case is declined. It just means something didn’t line up with the algorithm. You can contact the suitability team, discuss the case, and get a code to move it forward. Our suitability decline rate over the last year has been only 1.2%. This tool is client- and agent-friendly, helping you issue policies faster and get paid quicker.

Even if you don’t use it before the e-app, it’s a fantastic conversation starter with clients. If it shows approval, you can tell clients Nassau has already reviewed their information and deemed the case suitable. If it doesn’t get auto-approved, the message is still positive: the team will contact you for more information. Either way, it’s reassuring to clients.

Another benefit is that once the data is input and you get auto-approval or a code from the suitability analyst, it imports everything into the e-application so you don’t have to re-key data. This tool is increasingly popular, with over 60% of applications using it. Overall, roughly 90% of applications are submitted electronically, showing a big focus on leveraging technology.

Now, let’s focus on the Nassau portfolio. We have four core FIA products. Each contract offers something different to meet clients’ needs. If clients want guaranteed lifetime income, Nassau Personal Income Annuity is an industry leader. For competitive income with critical care, long-term care benefits, or legacy protection, Nassau Personal Protection Choice is ideal. The Nassau Growth Annuity is an accumulation-based product, and the Nassau Bonus Annuity provides bonus accumulation. Each product helps maximize client benefits based on their retirement puzzle.

As we discuss the portfolio, we’ll cover positioning and sales strategy, showing how advisors use different contracts in various scenarios. For context, there was a slight rate decrease on April 1. The four-year MIGA was reduced by 15 basis points, now at 5.1%. It remains highly competitive in the four- and five-year spectrum.

With the MIGA space booming, agents have had a lot of success using the 10% free withdrawal and interest-only withdrawals starting 30 days after issue. For example, a $100,000 account at 5.15% could provide a client with $5,150 per year—over $400 per month—which is a substantial boost in income for both clients and agents.

For that client, after the five years, they’re getting all $100,000 of their money back. This has been a very popular topic and a very easy conversation for many of our agents. Even with slightly lower rates than what you see here, these rates are still industry-leading and top of the line for what we’re offering clients.

Absolutely. When you think about sales positioning, I had a conversation on Friday with an advisor who said, “I’m an FIA guy. I like FIAs. I like the story. But it’s hard for me not to sell MIGA with rates guaranteeing over 5%.” Back in the day, if you averaged 6% on an FIA, that was considered strong. But if I can give a client 5.5% guaranteed, how can I not present that story?

While I completely agree, the challenge is that MIGA products pay significantly less to the advisor. Think about the split annuity concept—it doesn’t have to be all or nothing. You could put part of a client’s money into the fixed account of an FIA and maybe allocate $20,000 of a $100,000 case to MIGA to take advantage of the great rate, then put the remaining $80,000 into the FIA and let that contract perform as intended. This is a way to leverage both the MIGA and FIA benefits.

Moving forward, you saw some of the great rates we offer on MIGA. From an industry perspective, what excites me most is the Nassau Bonus Annuity, launched in February. This 10-year product has a few key features. For clients aged 80 and below, it offers a 10% account value bonus. For ages 81 to 85, it offers a 7% account value bonus. While not all agents market to clients 81–85, the 7% bonus is a great way to incentivize repositioning assets that may be earmarked for grandchildren, charity, or other purposes.

The Nassau Bonus Annuity is a 10-year contract and also provides access to cash—10% penalty-free—starting 30 days after issue. The 10% is based on the account value, so that bonus applies to the penalty-free amount. For example, a client with a $100,000 premium would have an account value of $110,000. If they needed access to cash in year one, up to $11,000 would be available penalty-free, with no chargeback to the advisor for the first-year withdrawal.

There are 13 ways to allocate funds, but we typically focus on three indices. About half of the allocation strategies include a buy-up option to increase the participation rate for a 1% annual strategy fee. Both the Nassau Bonus Annuity and Nassau Growth Annuity include a built-in return of premium, or “return of fee” feature. This ensures that if a client elects enhanced strategies and experiences flat or down markets, the principal is protected at the end of the contract or upon death. This feature prevents clients from being penalized for maximizing growth opportunities during flat or down markets.

The first key feature of the Bonus Annuity is the 10% bonus. The second is the crediting rates. Most clients allocate to the one-year S&P cap, which currently has a strong 9.1% annual cap. There are three index options: NASDAQ 100, S&P 500, and the Smart Passage Index, which uses the 200 least volatile stocks in the S&P 500. The Smart Passage Index has a 16.5% volatility target, compared to the industry average of 5–6%. With market volatility around 25%, a higher volatility target allows more index exposure and higher upside potential, while still protecting principal.

Other key numbers include the fixed index account on the Bonus Annuity, which offers a 3.45% rate with the 10% first-year bonus applied, and a guaranteed floor of 2.55%. Compared to other products with floors near 0–0.5%, this is highly competitive. Each strategy allows customized illustrations, helping advisors decide on fee versus no-fee strategies depending on the client’s goals. Fee strategies can maximize upside without chipping away at principal during lower rates, while no-fee strategies provide stability for clients who prefer that approach.

This brings us to the Nassau Growth Annuity, which is essentially the Bonus Annuity without the bonus. It’s available for ages 0–85, up to $1 million, and has the same structures, cash access, 13 index options, and return of fee feature. The differentiator is higher upside opportunity, with an 11.5% annual cap on Group A states and a 4.5% fixed rate, compared to 3.45% on the Bonus Annuity. Minimum guaranteed rates remain at 2.55%. The conversation with clients becomes a question of whether to elect the bonus upfront or aim for higher upside with the Growth Annuity.

Both products are priced with a “fixed option budget,” providing consistency during renewal periods. This means the same dollar amount is used to purchase options for the underlying indices each year, smoothing out volatility impacts on participation rates. If volatility is higher during renewal, option costs are higher, reducing participation rates. If volatility is lower, participation rates increase. This transparency maintains integrity and avoids the “bait-and-switch” scenarios seen with some competitors.

Consistency is key. Savvy clients often ask about renewal rates, and being able to show them printed, verified rates from the company builds trust. Today’s pricing environment is significantly better than 5–7 years ago. For clients with older FIAs, which may have cap rates around 2–2.5%, the Nassau Bonus or Growth Annuity provides an opportunity for a 10% bonus and caps of 9.1–11.5%, maximizing upside potential.

The simplest way to differentiate the two is by thinking about old money versus new money. For new money—say a client has $100,000 sitting in a checking account, under the mattress, or from a recent inheritance—they don’t need much incentive to move it.

So let’s start by talking about how I look at new money versus old money. New money, to me, is cash that’s just sitting there or recently inherited—money that doesn’t have a lot of history or existing penalties. That’s where Nassau Growth Annuity really makes sense. You can maximize the caps, maximize the participation rates, and really give your client the chance to grow that money as much as possible. Old money, on the other hand, might be sitting in an older product that was issued five, six years ago and has lower caps or surrender charges. In that case, it might justify moving to something like the Nassau Bonus Annuity because even with a surrender, the upside with the higher rates makes the move worth it. Honestly, in the pricing environment we’re in today, I’m seeing the Bonus Annuity as the solution more often than not, unless you really think the markets are going to bounce back quickly, in which case the Growth Annuity can be the right play.

Now, let’s pivot to income. This is where the Nassau Personal Income Annuity comes in. It’s designed for a client who wants guaranteed lifetime income—something they can’t outlive—and to cover that fixed income gap Social Security might not meet. With the Income Today strategy, we give an immediate 30% bonus to the income account. So, if a client comes in with $100,000, they have $130,000 in their income account right away. If they defer for a year before activating income, we add another 7.5%, and if they wait two years, that’s another 7.5%, giving a total 45% bonus. The Income Tomorrow strategy is more for clients planning further out, growing their income account at a guaranteed 14% simple per year for up to ten years or until they activate income. I love this because it allows me to sit down with clients and show side-by-side projections, help them see the timing, and decide what makes sense for their situation.

One of the things I really emphasize with this product is tax efficiency. These bonuses and roll-ups only apply to the income account, not the accumulation value. That means the client is never taxed on that 45% bonus or the 14% annual roll-up. So we’re maximizing guaranteed income while minimizing tax liability, which is huge for clients who are in higher brackets. And the flexibility is there too. You can combine this with a Growth Annuity in a split-annuity approach—part goes to guaranteed income, part continues to grow. If the client needs extra income down the road, they can take withdrawals without reducing their guaranteed lifetime income.

We also touch on the Personal Protection Choice product. This is a great way to combine income, critical care, long-term care, and legacy protection all in one product. You’ve got options like the Care Protection Benefit, which can increase income up to 250% if the client needs nursing home care, and the Family Protection Rider, which provides a 100% lump sum death benefit. It’s a very comprehensive approach for someone looking for income and protection under one umbrella.

Finally, I always remind advisors about the Nassau Elite Program. Every premium dollar you submit counts toward qualifying, and once you hit $1.75 million in credits, you’re in. You get bonuses on FIA and MIGA production, a dedicated new business and post-service case manager, and top qualifiers even get a trip with a guest. It’s a nice way to reward consistent production and partnership.

When you put it all together, Nassau really offers a complete portfolio. You’ve got accumulation with upside potential, guaranteed income that clients can’t outlive, protection features, and incentives for advisors. Bonus Annuities are a home run, especially in volatile markets—you can give a client that first-year 10% bonus, lock in minimum guaranteed interest rates, and secure gains even when the market isn’t performing. There’s a lot of flexibility, a lot of value, and it’s really set up for long-term client success.