Annuity Planning · Tool 8 of 12
VA Fee Drag Analyzer
Quantify the cumulative impact of VA fees over time. M&E + admin + fund + riders vs same VA without riders vs taxable brokerage at 0.20%. honest conversation about whether the rider economics work.
Fee drag headline
Total fees paid over horizon
$520,523
Rider cost (vs no riders)
$278,289
Total fee load: 3.25%/yr. Over 20 years that compounds to $520,523 in dollars out of the VA. vs raw growth.
Side-by-side ending value
VA with full riders
$1,096,879
VA without riders
$1,375,168
Taxable brokerage @ 0.20%
$1,785,128
Account value over time
11120
VA with riders
VA without riders
Taxable brokerage
Three trajectories from the same premium. The gap between With Riders and Without Riders is what the rider stack costs you. The brokerage line is the alternative at a 0.20% expense ratio.
Suitability signals
- Total annual fee load: 3.25%.
- Rider cost over horizon: $278,289. If the GLWB benefit base never gets activated, that's pure drag.
- Brokerage delta: $688,249 higher in a plain taxable brokerage at the same gross return. The advisor needs a tax-deferral or guarantee narrative strong enough to justify the gap.
- Engine flags: Total annual fee load is 3.25%. typical VA is 1.5–2.5%. Verify the rider stack justifies the cost. · Non-qualified VA gains are Income-in-Respect-of-a-Decedent at death. no stepped-up basis. Heirs pay ordinary income tax on accumulated gain.
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