Randal J. Freitag - Lincoln National Corp.
Management
Tom, this is Randy. Thanks for the question. I think that comparing MoneyGuard to traditional LTC is like comparing apples and oranges, or apples and tangerines, or any other two things you can think of that are very, very different. So, let's talk about MoneyGuard and the differentiators that we see in that product. The first one I'd point out is just product design. MoneyGuard is a limited benefit product, where a policyholder can get typically up to about six years of benefit. And inside of that benefit, the first two years or so are going to come from their own funds. The second thing I'd point out about MoneyGuard is the risk profile of a linked benefit product, a product with multiple benefits. In the case of MoneyGuard, that's with an LTC – a limited LTC benefit and mortality benefit. Now, those two benefits work together to create a very stable risk profile, so that product returns are impacted only modestly by increases in either mortality or morbidity incidents. I think that's another key differentiator. The other thing I'd point out about MoneyGuard is the pricing environment that that product was priced in. So, the pricing for MoneyGuard, especially over the last 5 to 10 years, when we sold the bulk of our book, benefited from having significantly more experienced data at its disposal. It really allowed us to develop a set of assumptions around lapsation, morbidity incidents, those sorts of things that really reflected all of the bad experience that the traditional LTC players are having to reflect in their models today. The other thing I'd point out is, additionally, the bulk of MoneyGuard was priced in a low rate environment. The environment that's existed over the past decade. And lastly, Tom, I would just point out that our experience on this book, whether it's mortality, morbidity incidence, whether it's lapsation, has been very consistent with the expectations that we had when we priced the product. So, no. I don't see these products as being similar at all. MoneyGuard is part of an overall financial planning process that allows a policyholder to fill part of a need, multiple needs that they may have. It's a great product, and it's why you have seen sales of this sort of product grow dramatically. It's why you're seeing other entrants come into the space.