The ASI Annuity Option is our most popular service offering. Whether your company has a Defined Benefit Plan, Defined Contribution Plan, or Money Purchase Plan, the ASI Annuity Option will help your retirement plan realize such benefits as:

• Decreased underfunding issues
• Relief from payment liability
• Administrative cost reduction
• PBGC Premium Offset

ASI accomplishes these things by coordinating with the employer to use the participant's current retirement vehicle in concert with the unique annuity contracts we possess with numerous carriers. Our Master Annuity Contracts enable the purchase of a low expense highly rated annuity, allowing more money to be paid to the annuitant versus what is typically paid by an average insurance company's rate book annuity.

Having set a high standard, annuity quotes are only requested from the insurance companies committed to this specialized market. Annuity Services takes several factors into consideration before we will pursue an annuity placement with an insurance company:

• ASI analyzes the ratings provided by the major rating companies such as AM Best, Fitch, Moody's and Standard and Poor's Corporation.
• An insurance company must also have the proven capability to administer the program.
• We review the company's investment quality and mix to confirm that a company has no questionable derivatives.
• Our analysis of insurance companies ensures further financial stability for the annuitant, and peace of mind for the plan sponsor.

Because we are committed to value, ASI remains vigilant and available to you throughout this process in order to ensure a timely receipt of a top quality annuity product.

Expected benefits of using ASI:

• The employer is equipped with the ability to reduce underfunding, eliminate payment liability, and transfer record-keeping and tax reporting obligations to the annuity provider.
• The participant is provided with a safe and reliable income stream free from market risk, as well as a tax advantage. The retirement benefit can be structured to eliminate Lump Sum Distribution Tax if it is paid over a 10 year period or longer. The result is that tax is paid on benefits as received by the participant in the year they are paid.

The Process:

1. As an employee is about to retire, the plan administrator will contact ASI with the following information required for a quote:
   • The employee's name, gender, and date of birth.
   • The amount of benefit to be provided - In the case of a money purchase plan or 401(k), the amount of the account balance available.
   • The form of annuity (Joint and survivor, life with period certain, life only ~ the plan document will outline the forms of annuity to be provided).


2. ASI queries the annuity market on behalf of the plan sponsor.
3. A non-biased quotation summary is prepared for the plan sponsor.
4. After carrier selection, ASI provides the proper forms and funding instructions.
5. Upon completion of funds transfer, annuity certificates are issued and given to the plan sponsor for distribution.
   

Annuity Services does not accept funding for an annuity purchase, nor does ASI give preference or show bias toward any insurance company bidding for an annuity.