Nationwide Defined Protection®
The Nationwide Defined Protection® Annuity is a single-purchase-payment deferred annuity with growth opportunities based on the performance of an underlying index or indexes and some protection from downside market risk at a defined level you select. The minimum initial purchase amount is $25,000.
Nationwide Defined Protection does not directly participate in any stock, equity investments or index. It is not possible to invest directly in an index.
Withdrawals will reduce the contract value and death benefit. Some withdrawals may be subject to additional charges and adjustments. Withdrawals before age 59 1/2 may be subject a 10% early withdrawal federal tax penalty in addition to ordinary income taxes. Please keep in mind all guarantees and protections are subject to the claims-paying ability of Nationwide Life Insurance Company.
Key features
Protection from market risk
With three levels of protection, the Nationwide Defined Protection Annuity lets you select how much of your investment you want to protect from market losses during each Strategy Term.1 Negative index performance (or the Strategy Spread2) will never cause your earnings to be less than the Protection Level you select at the beginning of the Strategy Term, assuming no Non-Preferred Withdrawals are taken.3
Growth potential
The Nationwide Defined Protection Annuity was designed to capture market growth opportunities based on the performance of underlying indexes and the associated Participation Rate.4
Customize your Strategy
You can select the balance between protection and performance that helps meet your goals and risk tolerances by allocating your assets to a maximum of five Strategies. Each Strategy includes several factors that are used when crediting earnings such as: Protection Level, Index, Participation Rate, Strategy Term and Strategy Spread. Not all Strategies may be available at all times or in all states.
Index lock-in feature
Once each Strategy Term, you may lock in the index value on any business day before the end of the Strategy Term. The locked-in index value is then used when calculating earnings any time between the lock-in date and the end of the Strategy Term.
Tax deferral
Your annuity value may grow tax-deferred.
What are my index options?
Nationwide Defined Protection Annuity offers growth potential based on the performance of underlying indexes. You have the option of choosing from the BlackRock Select Factor Index, J.P. Morgan Mozaic II℠ Index, MSCI EAFE Index, NYSE® Zebra Edge® Index, SG Macro Compass Index, S&P 500® Average Daily Risk Control 10% USD Price Return Index and S&P 500® Index.. This gives you the opportunity to further diversify your contract and your portfolio.
BlackRock Select Factor Index
This index seeks to deliver diversified multi-asset exposure by dynamically targeting five equity style factors each backed by strong academic evidence. The index dynamically adjusts factor holdings to emphasize the most attractive opportunities and targets a consistent level of volatility with a focus on stability during market extremes.
J.P. Morgan Mozaic IISM Index
This index's asset selection is based on the tendency for asset classes exhibiting positive returns to be more likely to continue to deliver performance. Each month the index evaluates 15 global asset classes and selects the nine with the greatest returns in the past six months. It then strategically allocates to each in order to smooth volatility within the index and create more consistent returns.5
MSCI EAFE Index
This index provides opportunity for exposure to a global mix of equities. Recognized as the preeminent benchmark for developed markets outside of North America, it represents equities in Europe, Australasia and the Far East.7
NYSE® Zebra Edge® Index
This rules-based index applies the behavioral finance research of Roger Ibbotson and his team at Zebra Capital to select the least popular and volatile stocks from the 500 largest U.S. publicly traded companies. The index then allocates between the selected stocks, U.S. Treasuries and a cash account to help reduce risk and provide consistent long-term returns.6
SG Macro Compass Index
A global, multi-asset index that seeks to identify expected changes in economic growth and inflation to forecast the market environment and make strategic allocations based on the forecast.
S&P 500® Average Daily Risk Control 10% USD Price Return Index
The index seeks to limit the volatility of the S&P 500® to a target level of 10% by allocating to cash. This helps to reduce exposure to dramatic fluctuations that can occur during unstable market conditions.
Read the S&P 500® Average Daily Risk Control 10% USD Price Return Index Guide
S&P 500® Index
Widely recognized as the leading indicator of the performance of the American economy and one of the most commonly followed equity indexes, the S&P 500 has nearly 60 years of history and consists of 500 large-cap, publicly traded companies.
Nationwide Defined Protection® resources
Nationwide Defined Protection Annuity product guide
Current rates
See the current rates for Nationwide Defined Protection Annuity in all states except: MO, NY, OR, PA, VA and VI.
Current rates
See the current rates for Nationwide Defined Protection Annuity in PA.
Nationwide Defined Protection® FAQs
- Nonqualified
- IRA
- Roth IRA
- SEP IRA
- Simple IRA
- Charitable remainder trust
- 401(a) (investment only)
Annuities have limitations. They are long-term vehicles designed for retirement purposes. They are not intended to replace emergency funds, to be used as income for day-to-day expenses, or to fund short-term savings goals. Investing involves risk. A registered index-linked annuity is not a stock market investment and does not directly participate in any stock or equity investment. Guarantees are subject to the claims-paying ability of the issuing insurance company. If you take withdrawals before you're age 59½, you may have to pay a 10% early withdrawal federal tax penalty in addition to ordinary income taxes. Withdrawals may trigger early surrender charges, reduce your death benefit and contract value.
The BlackRock Select Factor Index(“Index”) is a product of BlackRock Index Services, LLC and has been licensed for use by Nationwide Life Insurance Company and Nationwide Life and Annuity Insurance Company (“Licensee”). BlackRock®, BlackRock Select Factor Index and the corresponding logos are registered and unregistered trademarks of BlackRock. This Product is not sponsored, endorsed, sold or promoted by BlackRock Index Services, LLC, BlackRock, Inc., or any of its affiliates, or any of their respective third party licensors (including the Index calculation agent, as applicable) (collectively, “BlackRock”). BlackRock has no obligation or liability in connection with the administration or marketing of this Product. BlackRock makes no representation or warranty, express or implied, to the owners of this Product or any member of the public regarding the advisability of investing in this Product or the ability of the Index to track general market performance. BlackRock does not guarantee the adequacy, accuracy, timeliness, and/or completeness of the Index or any data or communication related thereto nor does it have any liability for any errors, omissions or interruptions of the Index.
The SG Macro Compass Index (the “SG Index”) is the exclusive property of SG Americas Securities, LLC (together with its affiliates, “SG”). SG has contracted with S&P Opco, LLC (a subsidiary of S&P Dow Jones Indices LLC) (“S&P”) to maintain and calculate the SG Index. “SG Americas Securities, LLC”, “SGAS”, “Société Générale”, “SG”, “Société Générale Indices”, “SGI”, and “SG Macro Compass Index” (collectively, the “SG Marks”) are trademarks or service marks of SG. The SG Index has been licensed to Nationwide Life Insurance Company (the “Licensee”) for use in the Nationwide Defined Protection® Annuity (the “Product”). SG’s sole contractual relationship with the Licensee is as licensor of the SG Index and the SG Marks. SG has no obligation to make payments under the Product. None of SG, S&P or other third-party licensor (collectively, the “SG Index Parties”) to SG is acting, or has been authorized to act, as agent of the Licensee or has sponsored, promoted, solicited, negotiated, endorsed, offered, sold, issued, supported, structured or priced any Product or provided investment advice to the Licensee. The SG Index Parties make no representation or warranty, express or implied, to investors in the Product and hereby disclaim all warranties (including, without limitation, those of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose or use): (a) regarding the advisability of investing in any products linked to the SG Index or (b) the suitability or appropriateness of an exposure to the SG Index in seeking to achieve any particular objective, including meeting its stated target volatility. No SG Index Party shall have any responsibility or liability for any losses in connection with the Product, including with respect to design, issuance, administration, actions of the Licensee, marketing, trading or performance of the Product. SG has not prepared any part of this document and no statements made herein can be attributed to SG. SG does not act as an investment adviser or provide investment advice in respect of the SG Index or the Product and does not accept any fiduciary or other duties in relation to the SG Index, the Licensee, the Product or any investors in the Product. SG shall have no liability for any act or failure to act in connection with the determination, adjustment or maintenance of the SG Index. Without limiting the foregoing, SG shall have no liability for any damages or lost profits, even if notified of the possibility of such damages. In calculating the daily performance of the SG Index, SG deducts fixed transaction and replication costs that cover, among other things, rebalancing and replicating the SG Index. The total amount of these embedded costs is unpredictable and depends on numerous factors, including leverage of the SG Index, which may be as high as 200%, performance of indexes underlying the SG Index, market conditions and changes in the macro regimes, among other factors. The embedded costs, which are increased by the SG Index’s leverage, will reduce the performance of the SG Index. The volatility control applied by the SG Index may also reduce the overall return.
S&P 500 Average Daily Risk Control 10% USD Price Return Index (“S&P 500 Average Daily Risk Control USD Price Return Index”) is a product of S&P Dow Jones Indices LLC or its affiliates (“SPDJI”), and has been licensed for use by Nationwide. Standard & Poor’s® and S&P® are registered trademarks of Standard & Poor’s Financial Services LLC (“S&P”); Dow Jones® is a registered trademark of Dow Jones Trademark Holdings LLC (“Dow Jones”); and these trademarks have been licensed for use by SPDJI and sublicensed for certain purposes by Nationwide. The Product is not sponsored, endorsed, sold or promoted by SPDJI, Dow Jones, S&P, their respective affiliates, and none of such parties make any representation regarding the advisability of investing in such product(s) nor do they have any liability for any errors, omissions, or interruptions of the S&P 500 Average Daily Risk Control 10% USD Price Return Index.
The “S&P 500” is a product of S&P Dow Jones Indices LLC (“SPDJI”), and has been licensed for use by Nationwide Life and Annuity Insurance Company (“Nationwide”). Standard & Poor’s®, S&P® and S&P 500® are registered trademarks of Standard & Poor’s Financial Services LLC (“S&P”); DJIA®, The Dow®, Dow Jones® and Dow Jones Industrial Average® are trademarks of Dow Jones Trademark Holdings LLC (“Dow Jones”); and these trademarks have been licensed for use by SPDJI and sublicensed for certain purposes by Nationwide. Nationwide Defined ProtectionSM Annuity is not sponsored, endorsed, sold or promoted by SPDJI, Dow Jones, S&P or their respective affiliates, and none of such parties makes any representation regarding the advisability of investing in such product(s), nor do they have any liability for any errors, omissions or interruptions of the S&P 500®.
The J.P. Morgan Mosaic IISM Index (“Index”) has been licensed to Nationwide Life and Annuity Insurance Company (the “Licensee”) for the Licensee’s benefit. Neither the Licensee nor Nationwide Defined Protection℠ Annuity (the “Product”) is sponsored, operated, endorsed, recommended, sold or promoted by J.P. Morgan Securities LLC (“JPMS”) or any of its affiliates (together and individually, “JPMorgan”). JPMorgan makes no representation and gives no warranty, express or implied, to contract owners taking exposure to the Product. Such persons should seek appropriate professional advice before making any investment. The Index has been designed and is compiled, calculated, maintained and sponsored by JPMS without regard to the Licensee, the Product or any contract owner. JPMorgan is under no obligation to continue compiling, calculating, maintaining or sponsoring the Index. JPMorgan may independently issue or sponsor other indices or products that are similar to and may compete with the Index and the Product. JPMorgan may also transact in assets referenced in the Index (or in financial instruments such as derivatives that reference those assets). These activities could have a positive or negative effect on the value of the Index and the Product.
The NYSE® Zebra Edge® Index has been licensed by ICE Data Indices, LLC (together with its subsidiaries and affiliates, “IDI”) to UBS AG and sublicensed by UBS AG (together with its subsidiaries and affiliates, “UBS”) to Nationwide Life and Annuity Insurance Company (“Nationwide”). Neither Nationwide nor the Nationwide New Heights® Select Fixed Indexed Annuity (the “Product”) is sponsored, operated, endorsed, recommended, sold or promoted by Zebra Capital Management, LLC (together with its affiliates and subsidiaries, “Zebra”), IDI or UBS, and in no event shall Zebra, IDI or UBS have any liability with respect to the Product or the Index. Zebra, IDI and UBS make no representations, give no express or implied warranties and have no obligations with regard to the Index, the Product or otherwise to any investor in the Product, client or other third party. The mark NYSE® is a registered trademark of NYSE Group, Inc., Intercontinental Exchange, Inc. or their affiliates and is being utilized by ICE Data Indices, LLC under license and agreement. The marks Zebra® and Zebra Edge® are registered trademarks of Zebra Capital Management, LLC, may not be used without prior authorization from Zebra Capital Management, LLC, and are being utilized by ICE Data Indices, LLC under license and agreement.
The product referred to herein is not sponsored, endorsed, or promoted by MSCI, and MSCI bears no liability with respect to any such product or any index on which such product is based. The contract contains a more detailed description of the limited relationship MSCI has with Nationwide and any related funds.
Nationwide Defined Protection Annuity is an individual, single-purhase-payment deferred annuity with index-linked strategies issued by Nationwide Life Insurance Company, Columbus, Ohio. The general distributor is Nationwide Investment Services Corporation, member FINRA, Columbus, Ohio.
Nationwide Defined Protection is a registered trademark of Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company.