Equity indexed annuities (EIA’s) have fast become the most popular type of annuity. Even though EIA’s are categorized as a ‘fixed’ annuity, they can be considered a safe investment alternative. How so? EIA’s participate in the stock market while guaranteeing your principal and locking in your gains. This means that you can never loose money or earned interest, even though you are ‘invested’ in the stock market. EIA’s are the only product which offers stock market related gains with the ultimate loss protection. Simply said, you make money when the market goes up but you cannot loose money when the market goes down.