Frequently Asked
Questions

Here's the full journey from your first visit to a funded annuity contract:

1. Browse rates. Visit the MYGA marketplace to compare current guaranteed rates across all available terms. Use the growth illustrator to project how your premium grows.
2. Select a product and apply. Click Apply next to the term you want. This pre-fills your plan selection in the application.
3. Complete the guided interview. The online interview collects your personal information, beneficiaries, premium amount, tax status, and suitability details. It takes about 10 minutes and auto-saves as you go — you can stop and resume anytime via a saved link.
4. Review and e-sign. Before submitting, you'll review a complete summary of your application. You're then directed to a secure e-signature page to sign your documents digitally.
5. Agent review. Your assigned agent reviews the completed application for accuracy and completeness before submitting it to the carrier.
6. Carrier underwriting. Marquette Insurance Company reviews your application. This typically takes 2–4 weeks. You can check your application status anytime in the consumer portal.
7. Policy issued. Once approved, your policy is issued and your funds are applied to the contract. Your guaranteed rate is locked from the effective date.

The online interview takes approximately 10 minutes to complete from start to e-signature. You can save your progress at any point and return later via a secure emailed link — no account required.

After submission, carrier review typically takes 2–4 weeks. Your agent will keep you informed of status changes through the portal.

No account is required to browse rates or start an application. During the interview you can optionally save your progress by entering your email — we'll send you a secure link to resume where you left off.

Once your application is submitted, you'll receive access to the consumer portal where you can track your application status and communicate with your agent.

A Multi-Year Guaranteed Annuity (MYGA) is a fixed annuity that credits a guaranteed interest rate for a set term — typically 3, 5, 7, or 10 years. Think of it as similar to a bank certificate of deposit (CD), but issued by an insurance company with typically higher rates and tax-deferred growth.

Key characteristics:

• Your principal is fully protected — you cannot lose money to market fluctuations
• The credited rate is contractually guaranteed for the full term
• Earnings compound tax-deferred until withdrawn
• A single lump-sum premium is placed at contract issue

Yes. MYGAs are principal-protected insurance contracts. Your initial premium — plus any premium bonus credited at issue — is your guaranteed minimum account value. The carrier cannot credit less than the stated guaranteed rate, and your account value will not decrease due to market activity.

The Marquette Guaranteed Accumulator credits a 3% premium bonus at contract issue. This means that on a $100,000 premium, your contract starts with a value of $103,000 — and all future interest is calculated on that higher amount.

The bonus is fully vested from day one. There are no vesting schedules or clawback provisions on the Marquette product. However, it is important to understand that products with premium bonuses may have longer surrender charge periods or slightly different rate structures than products without — always compare the all-in rate rather than just the bonus percentage.

The Enhanced Death Benefit (EDB) Rider is an optional add-on that pays 110% of the account value to your named beneficiaries upon the annuitant's death — rather than the standard 100%.

Adding the rider comes at a cost: the crediting rate is slightly reduced for each term. You can see the adjusted rates with and without the rider on the MYGA marketplace page by checking the EDB toggle.

Whether the rider is worth it depends on your estate planning goals. If leaving the maximum possible to beneficiaries is a priority, the rider can make sense. If accumulation is the primary goal, the higher crediting rate without the rider generally produces more value over the full term.

Rates displayed on the marketplace reflect current available rates and are updated as carriers adjust them. Rates are subject to change without notice prior to your application being submitted and accepted.

Once your contract is issued, your rate is locked for the full term. It cannot be reduced by the carrier after the policy effective date.

Yes, with conditions. The Marquette Guaranteed Accumulator allows a 10% annual free withdrawal — you may withdraw up to 10% of the account value each year without triggering a surrender charge.

Withdrawals beyond 10% within a contract year are subject to surrender charges, which decrease gradually over the term and reach zero by the end of the surrender period. Refer to the product brochure or your contract for the specific surrender charge schedule.

At the end of your contract term you typically have several options:

• Renew at the then-current rates for a new term
• Surrender the contract for the full account value (no surrender charge after the term ends)
• 1035 exchange or rollover into a new annuity contract
• Annuitize — convert the account value into a stream of guaranteed income payments

Your carrier will notify you before the term ends with your options and any new available rates.

Tax treatment depends on how the annuity is funded:

• Non-Qualified: Funded with after-tax dollars. Earnings grow tax-deferred — you pay no taxes until you withdraw. When you do withdraw, only the earnings (interest) portion is taxed as ordinary income; your original premium is returned tax-free.
• Traditional IRA: Pre-tax contributions and deferred earnings are taxed as ordinary income upon withdrawal. Required minimum distributions (RMDs) begin at age 73.
• Roth IRA: Contributions are after-tax. Qualified withdrawals — including all earnings — are tax-free.
• Inherited IRA: Subject to specific IRS rules depending on your relationship to the original account holder and the year of death.

Consult a qualified tax advisor for guidance specific to your situation.

A 1035 exchange (named for Section 1035 of the Internal Revenue Code) allows you to transfer funds from an existing annuity or life insurance policy directly into a new annuity contract — without triggering a taxable event.

To complete a 1035 exchange, a transfer form is required in addition to your annuity application. The funds move carrier-to-carrier; you do not take personal possession of the money. Alex. and Co. will coordinate this with your agent.

An IRA rollover allows you to move funds from an existing IRA (at a bank, brokerage, or former 401(k)) into an IRA annuity contract. There are two methods:

• Direct transfer (trustee-to-trustee): Funds move directly from the existing custodian to the new carrier. No taxes are withheld and there is no 60-day rollover window to worry about. This is the preferred method.
• 60-day rollover: You receive the funds, then deposit them into the new annuity within 60 days. If you miss the window or have taxes withheld, it may be treated as a taxable distribution.

A transfer form is required in addition to the application. Indicate your transfer method in Section 5 (Premium & Tax Status) of the interview.

Alex. and Co. is compensated by the insurance carrier upon successful policy placement — not by charging you a fee. You receive the same product at the same guaranteed rate whether you purchase through us or directly through the carrier.

We are an independent insurance marketing organization (IMO), which means we are not owned by or beholden to any single carrier. Our only incentive is finding you the right product at the best available rate.

We currently offer annuity products in: Alabama, Arizona, Indiana, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Texas, Utah, and Puerto Rico.

We are actively working to expand into additional states. If your state is not listed, you can request to be notified when we become available in your area.

After your application is submitted, an Alex. and Co. agent will be assigned to your application. You can see your agent's details and send them messages directly from the consumer portal using the link provided in your confirmation email.

You can also reach us any time via the contact form.

Every state has a Life and Health Insurance Guaranty Association that protects policyholders if a licensed insurer becomes insolvent. Coverage limits vary by state but are typically $250,000 per person per insurer for annuity contracts.

Marquette Insurance Company maintains strong financial reserves and is subject to state regulatory oversight. We vet carrier financial strength before presenting any product to clients.

Your application data is transmitted and stored securely using industry-standard encryption. SSNs entered in the interview are handled with particular care — they are used only for application purposes and are not stored in plain text.

E-signatures are processed through a dedicated secure signing platform. For full details on how we handle your data, see our Privacy Policy.