Maybe they bought you lunch in the teacher’s lounge and gave a short presentation about the basics of the 403(b) plan. E-mail: info@warwickfa.com, © Securities offered though LPL Financial, member, Your Primary Source for Trusted Financial Guidance, An Independent Review of: The AXA EQUI-VEST® (Series 201) contract for employer-sponsored 403(b) retirement plans, AXA Equitable Life Insurance Company Variable Annuity Review, Separate Account Charges: 1.20 % (Mortality & Expense charge 0.95% + other expenses 0.25%), Underlying Portfolio Operating Expenses: 1.03% (average fund expense). But you remember you have a death benefit! The problem is I've been looking for AXA's fees for the last hour and can't find any comprehensive information on management fees. Warwick, NY 10990, Direct: 845-981-7300 If you have extra money to do 457 and 403b then go for it, but I'd start with Ohio 457 for each of you, fees will be lower than your current 403 be offering, hard to get any lower going forward. pensation from AXA, the lergy Advantage 403(b) Plan provider in the amount of .25% of every $100 in the plan annually. AXA also reminds you that you should buy this annuity based on its features and benefits, so let’s take a look at those. Because they levy high fees on the plan participants, the school district doesn't have to cover any of the plan expenses. BENEFITS & FEATURES AS ADVERTISED BY THE AXA EQUI-VEST ANNUITY: ADDITIONAL BENEFITS AND FEATURES OF THE AXA VARIABLE ANNUITY, Ask a Question or Schedule a Consultation, North American Securities Administrators Association, clicking on the prospectus link within this article, Podcast: Bruce McNutt and Ken Ford discuss 403b’s. AXA has not endorsed this review in any way, nor do I receive any compensation for this review. Deferred annuity contracts such as EQUI-VEST® provide for conversion to payout status at or before the contract’s “maturity date.” This is called annuitization. Here are some of the rider benefit fees: Axa pays a commission of 1.5 percent to 2 percent on every future dollar an employee contributed to a 403(b) … This creates ongoing compensation for your broker. The average mutual fund fees and expense ratio is 1.02% a year, according to the Investment Company Institute. Please note that AXA Equitable will not process your request if the Employer sponsoring your 403(b) plan, or its designee, has specifically advised that hardship withdrawals are not permitted in its plan. You listened and absorbed as much as you could, but there is a chance that some of the facts were not fully understood during the sales process. This means that if you move jobs you won’t need to worry about changing your MPO log in details. Deferred annuities are long-term contracts and most annuities of this type charge surrender fees during the first 5 to 10 years of the contract. Learn facts/information you need to know about one of the most popular products being. This creates ongoing compensation for your broker. Unlike other fee-only planners, I find that some annuities may be a part of a comprehensive financial plan when used correctly. Having a Roth IRA at Vanguard and a 403b account at Fidelity is not a problem—I wouldn’t bother moving the Roth IRA. It enables compounding growth of your investments and can reduce the amount of tax you pay along the way. by Vanguard Fan 1367 » Mon Oct 21, 2019 8:59 am, Powered by phpBB® Forum Software © phpBB Limited. I wanted to roll my amount (only about 9k thus far) in another account due to Axa being tough to deal with and fees being towards 2%. Typically speaking, a surrender fee is only assessed when an investor makes a withdrawal prior to a specified time. That’s right. Does anyone know what the AXA 403(b) fees are? As previously noted, mutual funds may be less expensive, but do not offer the same features and benefits. Administration Charge: This fee is charged on the insurance side and it will be the lower of either 2% or $30 of your account value plus any amounts withdrawn. Statistically speaking, the chances of meeting with an untimely death when the market is down AND when you’ve lost a portion of your contributions may be relatively low. My own stupidity for not checking on that before I started investing. Find out why I suggest every teacher dump their AXA 403(b): [VIDEO REMOVED FOLLOWING PRESSURE FROM AXA’S LEGAL COUNSEL] AXA Advisors, LLC, makes available a 403(b)(7) group custodial account program through PlanConnect, LLC. If you are interested in a more detailed analysis specific to your situation, feel free to contact me. If you own this annuity, or you’ve been pitched this by an agent/advisor and want an independent, objective review—then you’re in the right place. This would give people access to both Vanguard and Fidelity options, along with a bunch of others. I don’t think small differences of about 0.05% make a significant difference unless you are dealing with very large accounts. These frequently asked questions and answers provide general information and should not be cited as authority. This independent review will cover the following information on the AXA Equi-Vest Annuity: How will this AXA annuity product review help you? The one rider I analyzed had a 1% fee and it locked in returns at the high-water mark. The investment returns and principal value of the available sub-account portfolios will fluctuate so that the value of an investor’s unit, when redeemed, may be worth more or less than their original value. In this case, AXA charges its contract holders a 5% penalty on any funds withdrawn that exceed the free withdrawal amount, but the duration of this fee starts over when you make a contribution. Thanks again for reading, and as always, if you have any questions or would like to have your retirement portfolio reviewed, don’t hesitate to reach out and schedule your no-obligation consultation.  A variable annuity in a 403(b) does not give you any additional tax benefits. You have a heart attack and go into the hospital. The AXA EQUI-VEST® 201 series for 403(b) plan is a deferred annuity contract that is designed for school district employees. I was signed up with AXA at a school professional development meeting. Trying to get something introduced in our district that gave people the most options and made sense financially. Detailed information about these fees can be found by digging through the prospectus. 401(k) plans, on the other hand, are provided by employers engaged in for-profit businesses. One thing to be aware of with this particular annuity is that the surrender charge is based on how long your contributions have been in the contract. It’s always satisfying for me to break down complicated financial products out there to try and provide some clarity on how they really work. This material was created for educational and informational purposes only and is not intended as ERISA, tax, legal or investment advice. 2000 A.M. Best Company, Inc. 20 Apr. by gr7070 » Fri Oct 18, 2019 11:02 am, Post The school district name was in the pull down, they accepted the application and opened the account. As a participant in a 403(b) account, you have the choice to invest in either mutual funds or annuities. The sales agent may also tell you that these investments all benefit from tax-deferred growth. In my case, the current charge is 1.15%, but it could go up to a max of 1.24%. Mutual funds typically do not charge you this fee. Read prospectuses carefully before investing. There is also "other expenses" of .25%. This is a review, not a recommendation to buy or sell a variable annuity. If you don’t need the benefits of an annuity at this time, then paying for these fees for the next 10 to 20 years may not be in your best interest. Get And Sign Axa Hardship Withdrawal 403b 2012-2021 Form . https://ada.axa-equitable.com/pdf/ada__ ... losure.pdf. No match provided. by krow36 » Tue Sep 18, 2018 12:21 pm, Post How do the fees in this particular annuity stack up against the fees inside other investment options? Personal Income Benefit investment options give you the ability to turn your retirement savings into an annual withdrawal benefit. Whether the higher fees make sense for you will depend on your specific needs and situation. At least AXA engaged, letting me know that the Equi-Vest 201 variable annuity that it offers via a prospectus that runs 132 pages would cost a minimum of 1.81 percent annually in one version and possibly a fair bit more.” I’m just reporting on the main facts; to find answers specific to your situation may require a review of the full prospectus for applicable the details. Even if you do die, your account didn’t drop below your total contributions, so the death benefit guarantee did not provide any guarantee in this example. Investment Options:  AXA EQUI-VEST variable annuity offers a wide range of investment options inside this contract. BrightHouse (in Administration) is the UK's largest rent-to-own lender. by krow36 » Sun Oct 20, 2019 11:28 pm, Post Asset allocation does not ensure a profit or protect against a loss. A fee charged by an investment manager to manage an investment fund. The range was much narrower for large plans, with all-in costs ranging from 0.34% to 0.58%. Tax-deferred Growth: One of this annuity’s main advantages is that the investments inside this product give you tax-deferred growth. Third, you really have to ask yourself, what are the chances that you will die during the same year as a big market downturn? They are sold only by prospectus. For such cases, tax deferral is not an additional benefit for the annuity.”. If you are like many school district employees, there is a good chance you are using a 403(b) plan as a way to supplement your pension in order to build a healthier retirement. by tchasteen » Tue Feb 14, 2017 5:31 pm, Post The max they can charge is 1.34%. The surrender fees are stupid. by KESP » Sat Feb 11, 2017 1:57 pm, Post AXA pays agents 1.5% to 2% commissions on every future dollar you contribute to your 403(b) annuity. While the difference between .25% and 1% might not sound like a lot, assuming a hypothetical investment of $100,000 earning a 4% annual return, in 20 years’ time, that difference could reduce your portfolio by nearly $30,000. In this case, the AXA Equi-Vest variable annuity agrees to pay out your total contributions even if your account takes a terrible market hit. A modest $250 month investment with an 8% return over 35 years yields drastically different results depending on the 403(b) fees. Bonds are subject to market and interest rate risk if sold prior to maturity. I’m also on a mission to inform teachers about this commonly available variable annuity. AXA variable annuity 403b: 3.36% in fees AXA mutual fund 403b: 1.25% in fees Fidelity 403b: 0.07% in fees You can calculate the cost of these fees over time using this calculator: http://www.bankrate.com/calculators/ret ... lator.aspx I used $50,000, kept for 20 years and assumed a market return of 6%. You lose 47% of your account value to fees! So, even if you die, you’ve been paying that 1.25% M&E fee all this time to guarantee that your beneficiary (in this case, your spouse,) will still get all the money you paid into this account. Does being more conservative inside this variable annuity mean you won’t lose money right before your retirement date? No matter how simple or complex, you can ask it here. If you currently own this annuity: Now may be a good time to take another look and evaluate this product in light of your long term goals. However, think carefully about whether or not this specific variable annuity with the structure of its surrender fees, agent commissions, and income rider options would best support your retirement goals. It’s a perk that comes with the plan. Securities offered through LPL Financial, Member FINRA/SIPC. by krow36 » Mon Feb 13, 2017 10:12 pm, Post A fee charged to facilitate transactions between buyers and sellers. Any investment inside a 403(b), 401(k), IRA, or tax-qualified retirement plan has the potential to grow tax-deferred, even if they aren’t inside an annuity. The account fees are high. the amount of the withdrawal charge deducted is equal to 5% of any contribution withdrawn attributable to contributions made within the current and five prior contract years, measured from the date of the withdrawal.”. This is a detailed post about a popular 403(b) annuity product, the AXA EQUI-VEST variable annuity. Answer: We recommend always using a personal email address for your MPO account rather than a work email. The true cost of fees over the course of teaching career is illustrated below. A 403(b) is a retirement plan provided by employers in nonprofit organizations. If you work in K-12 school and participate or plan to participate in a 403(b), there is a good chance you may get pitched the AXA EQUI-VEST variable annuity. I spoke with a different AXA adviser and he told me the same thing. It looks like it might be teacher specific. Investment advice offered through Private Advisor Group, a registered investment advisor. That might sound good for someone who is nearing retirement and wanting to protect their nest egg. For the younger investor in their 40s or 50s, paying the additional 1 percent for an income guarantee now may not make sense, especially when you consider that the income rider fee is assessed for the life of the policy. This offers a guaranteed rate of interest and a guarantee of principal. (All those extra fees with no value added!) The EQUI-VEST overview states: “There is risk of substantial loss of principal because you would None of the third parties referenced in this communication are affiliated with Warwick Valley Financial Advisors, Private Advisor Group or LPL Financial. Aspire got right back to me and answered all my questions; seem easy to deal with. I have a Axa 403B I would like to track in quicken. Option, not options. And that’s in addition to the fees that are charged by that product’s mutual funds that make up your sub-accounts. Says AXA: “The percentage varies depending on the type of contribution (e.g., payroll, rollover, or direct transfer) and the date of the contribution or transfer. The SEC’s Office of Investor Education and Advocacy has issued bulletins warning investors how much fees can impact the growth potential of a portfolio. (Source: 403bwise.org) See Also: When 2% Costs Everything–How Investment Fees Cost You Your Freedom. During this phase, you may receive periodic payments for life or for a specified period of time. If you have an annuity or other financial product you’d like to see an in-depth review on just let me know, I’d be happy to take a stab at it. tchasteen- honestly, I wasn't even aware Vanguard waived the $15/fund. A 403(b) plan, which is like a 401(k) for educators and non-profit employees, can help supplement your pension or other retirement savings. to have my pretax dollars from my income invested in a retirement -403b The rep never disclosed any information about having to stay with the company for 6 years even if i ended employment, turned 60 or just wanted to transfer my funds to another financial institution's 403B. by merdock69 » Wed Oct 16, 2019 3:31 pm, Post A 403(b) plan (also called a tax-sheltered annuity or TSA plan) is a retirement plan offered by public schools and certain 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organizations. This annuity also gives the agent commissions based on your contributions. So, then you might select a Target Date Allocation Portfolio. While some riders are part of an existing contract, many others may carry additional fees, charges and restrictions, and the policy holder should review their contract carefully before purchasing. What state are you in? 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