Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company

09/15/2026 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 09/15/2026 07:40

Nationwide and Annexus Offer First IUL with a Strategy Linked to an Actively Managed Mutual Fund

15
September
2026
|
09:30 AM
America/New_York

Nationwide and Annexus Offer First IUL with a Strategy Linked to an Actively Managed Mutual Fund

Nationwide New Heights IUL II launches with a strategy linked to American Funds The Growth Fund of America and a new index from S&P Dow Jones Indices

Columbus, OH - Nationwide and Annexus have launched Nationwide New Heights® Indexed Universal Life (IUL) II, the first indexed universal life insurance policy to offer a strategy linked to an actively managed mutual fund1. The product features index strategies linked to American Funds® The Growth Fund of America® Class F-32, alongside the S&P 500® Distance Stabilizer Index from S&P Dow Jones Indices.

"Nationwide is proud to continue our focus on industry-defining IUL innovation with our product development partner, Annexus, and our investment partner, Capital Group, the world's largest global active fund manager3," said Chuck Bremer, vice president of product development for Nationwide's life insurance business. "This builds on the success of New Heights Select, which we introduced as the first fixed indexed annuity to offer a strategy tied to an actively managed mutual fund."

The Growth Fund of America is an actively managed mutual fund that offers a flexible approach to growth investing. The fund seeks opportunities in traditional growth stocks as well as cyclical companies and turnaround situations with significant potential for growth of capital. The Growth Fund of America distinguishes itself through Capital Group's distinct multi-manager system, with a team of 12 portfolio managers averaging 29 years of investment industry experience.

"The expansion of our strategic collaborations with industry leaders like Nationwide, Capital Group and S&P Dow Jones Indices reflects our commitment to delivering first-to-market innovation and meaningful outcomes for financial professionals and their clients," said Ron Shurts, CEO and Co-Founder of Annexus.

New Heights IUL II will also include the S&P 500 Distance Stabilizer Index4. Developed in collaboration with Société Générale, the index dynamically adjusts its exposure to the S&P 500 without relying on fixed volatility targets, bonds or commodities, helping provide greater stability over time. The structure of the S&P 500® Distance Stabilizer Index facilitates Nationwide New Heights IUL II's ability to provide higher participation rates and more stable strategy renewal rates.

New Heights IUL II also features the following features:

  • Performance Lock, an optional feature that allows policy owners to lock in gains once a selected performance level has been reached. After activation, the segment's indexed value is locked in and protected from market downturns for the rest of the term.
  • A High Par 5 Strategy provides a "better-of" 5-year rate-lock guarantee on 1-year point-to-point index segments. The option is now available with three indices and on all new premiums throughout the life of the policy, providing more certainty through changing interest rate environments.
  • An 8% Enhanced DCA rate, which provides an enhanced crediting rate as clients are gradually moved into indexed strategies each month over the first year.

Financial professionals interested in Nationwide New Heights IUL II should contact their Nationwide wholesaler or Annexus-affiliated distribution company. Individual investors interested in learning more should contact their financial professional or visit www.newheightsiul.com.

About Nationwide

Nationwide, a Fortune 100 company based in Columbus, Ohio, is one of the largest and strongest diversified financial services and insurance organizations in the United States. Nationwide is rated A+ by Standard & Poor's. An industry leader in driving customer-focused innovation, Nationwide provides a full range of insurance and financial services products including auto, business, homeowners, farm and life insurance; public and private sector retirement plans, annuities and mutual funds; excess & surplus, specialty and surety; and pet, motorcycle and boat insurance.

For more information about Nationwide and Nationwide's ratings, visit www.nationwide.com or Company Ratings -- Nationwide.

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Nationwide, Nationwide is on your side and the Nationwide N and Eagle are service marks of Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company. © 2026

About Annexus
For over two decades, Annexus has developed market-leading fixed indexed annuities, registered indexed-linked annuities, and indexed universal life insurance products that help Americans grow and protect their retirement savings. The company has built strategic relationships with the industry's top insurance carriers and the world's largest investment banks. For more information, visit annexus.com.

1 Wink's LifeSpecs tool as of 08/14/26.

2 American Funds The Growth Fund of America - Class F-3 is not a market index. It is a mutual fund, and its index value reflects the mutual fund's total return. If a mutual fund-linked index strategy is selected for investment, you will not be investing in the linked mutual fund. You will not be a shareholder or beneficial owner of the fund, and you will have no rights with respect to the fund.

3 Source: Morningstar Direct as of June 30, 2026. This does not include, money market funds, feeder funds or fund of funds.

4 The full name of the S&P 500® Distance Stabilizer Index is S&P 500® Distance Stabilizer TCA Index (USD) ER.

This material is not a recommendation to buy or sell a financial product or to adopt an investment strategy. Investors should discuss their specific situation with their financial professional.

Nationwide New Heights® IUL II is issued by Nationwide Life and Annuity Insurance Company, Columbus, Ohio.

All guarantees and benefits of the insurance policy are subject to the claims-paying ability of the issuing insurance company. They are not backed by the broker-dealer and/or insurance agency selling the policy, or any affiliates of those entities other than the issuing company affiliates, and none makes any representations or guarantees regarding the claims-paying ability of the issuer.

Indexed universal life insurance policies are not stock market investments, do not directly participate in any stock or equity investments, and do not receive dividend or capital gains participation. Past performance of an index is no indication of future crediting rates.

American Funds® The Growth Fund of America® - Class F-3 is not a market Index. It is a mutual fund, and its Index Value reflects the mutual fund's total return. If you select a mutual fund-linked Index Strategy for investment, you will not be investing in the linked mutual fund. You will not be a shareholder or beneficial owner of the fund and you will have no rights with respect to the fund.

The Index Strategies linked to American Funds' The Growth Fund of America are not market indexes. They are based on a retail mutual fund whose investment returns are used to determine the performance of the associated Index Strategies. You will not become a shareholder of the mutual fund by investing in the Index Strategies, nor will you have any voting, dividend, liquidation, or any other rights typically afforded to the mutual fund's shareholders. Actual investment results as a shareholder of the mutual fund may differ. American Funds' The Growth Fund of America and their trademarks and data have been licensed for use by Nationwide Life Insurance Company. All Capital Group trademarks mentioned are owned by The Capital Group Companies, Inc. ("Capital Group") or an affiliated company or fund. All other company and product names mentioned are the property of their respective companies. This Product is not sponsored, endorsed, recommended, offered, sold, issued or promoted by Capital Group or any of its affiliates, or any of their respective third-party licensors. Capital Group has no obligation or liability in connection with the administration or marketing of this Product. Capital Group makes no representation or warranty, express or implied, to the owners of this Product or any member of the public regarding the suitability or advisability of investing in this Product or any Index Strategy. Capital Group has not prepared any part of this document and no statements made herein should be attributed to Capital Group.

The "S&P 500®" and the "S&P 500® Distance Stabilizer Index" are products of S&P Dow Jones Indices LLC or its affiliates ("SPDJI"), and have been licensed for use by Nationwide Life and Annuity Insurance Company. S&P®, S&P 500®, SPX®, SPY®, US 500™, The 500™, iBoxx®, iTraxx® and CDX® are trademarks of S&P Global, Inc. or its affiliates ("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. Nationwide New Heights® IUL II is not sponsored or, sold 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 product.

The S&P 500® Distance Stabilizer TCA Index (USD) ER is an excess return index. Indexes calculated on an excess return basis include calculation elements that reduce index performance. Because of this, an excess return version of an index will have lower performance than a total return version of the same index would, especially in high interest rate environments. Some excess return indexes also deduct a notional charge(s) in calculating index performance. This deduction(s) will reduce the potential positive change in index performance and increase the potential negative change in index performance.

Nationwide, Nationwide is on your side, the Nationwide N and Eagle, and Nationwide New Heights are service marks of Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company. © 2026

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Nationwide and Annexus Offer First IUL with a Strategy Linked to an Actively Managed Mutual Fund
Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company published this content on September 15, 2026, and is solely responsible for the information contained herein. Distributed via Public Technologies (PUBT), unedited and unaltered, on September 15, 2026 at 13:40 UTC. If you believe the information included in the content is inaccurate or outdated and requires editing or removal, please contact us at [email protected]