ales Inducements

The Company offered enhanced crediting rates or bonus payments to contract holders on certain of its individual and group annuity products. The expense associated with offering a bonus is deferred and amortized over the life of the related contract in a pattern consistent with the amortization of deferred policy acquisition costs. Amortization expense associated with expenses previously deferred is recorded over the remaining life of the contract. Consistent with the Unlock, the Company unlocks the amortization of the sales inducement asset. For further information concerning the Unlock, see Note 8 - Deferred Policy Acquisition Costs and Present Value of Future Profits of Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements.

Changes in sales inducement activity are as follows:



	For the years ended December 31,
	2013			2012			2011
Balance, beginning of period	$	325		$	434		$	459
Sales inducements deferred	—			7			20
Amortization — Unlock charge [1]	(72		)	(82		)	(28		)
Amortization charged to income	(33		)	(34		)	(17		)
Amortization charged to business dispositions [2]	(71		)	—			—
Balance, end of period	$	149		$	325		$	434

[1] Includes Unlock charge of $52 in the first quarter of 2013 related to elimination of future estimated gross profits on the Japan variable annuity block due to the increased costs associated with expanding Japan variable annuity hedging program.

[2] Represents accelerated amortization of $22 and $49 in the first quarter of 2013 recognized upon the sale of the Retirement Plans and Individual Life businesses, respectively. For further information, see Note 2 - Business Dispositions of Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements.