Sun Life Enhances Masters Variable Annuity Investment Options

March 10, 2008 (PLANSPONSOR.com) - The U.S. division of Sun Life Financial Inc. has introduced new investment options for its Masters Variable Annuity suite.

According to a Sun Life press release, new options include a 90/10 Masters Model for customers seeking investments heavily weighted in stock funds, as well as three diversified fund family portfolios. Sun Life also enhanced the Build Your Own Portfolio option for customers who wish to customize their investment strategy within any of the four Masters variable annuities.

Sun Life’s new 90/10 Masters Model brings together five investment managers: First Eagle Funds, Davis Advisors, Fidelity Investments, Franklin Templeton Investments, and PIMCO, according to the announcement. The 90/10 model is rebalanced quarterly to maintain existing allocation percentages and is available with all of the optional living benefits offered with Sun Life Financial Masters variable annuities, including Income ON Demand.

The three diversified fund family portfolios offerings include the Franklin Templeton VIP Founding Funds Allocation, the AllianceBernstein VPS Balanced Wealth Strategy Portfolio, and the Van Kampen UIF Equity & Income Portfolio. With these additions, Sun Life now offers a total of nine fund family portfolios.

For advisers who wish to customize their clients’ portfolios, the Build Your Own Portfolio now offers additional fund selections. Advisers can choose from 56 investment options across 15 fund families from a lineup that now includes options from four new fund managers – AllianceBernstein, Goldman Sachs, Lazard, and Wellington Management.

Each money manager has been screened for expertise and performance history and the addition of these money managers allows advisers to choose from a wider array of asset classes, investments styles, and market capitalizations when customizing their clients’ portfolios.

More information is at www.sunlife-usa.com .

«