Goldstein Scorecard: Incomplete (dated October 4, 2026). See how it is graded.
Americo Annuities Review: Who Issues Them, the AM Best Rating, What Americo Lists Publicly, and the “Eagle Platinum” Question
Written & reviewed by Hans Goldstein, EA, Independent Licensed Insurance Producer · CA license 4273294 · NPN 20602398Admitted to practice before the IRS
Facts verified against Americo’s and Eagle Life’s own websites on October 4, 2026 · Updated
Americo annuities are issued by Americo Financial Life and Annuity Insurance Company of Kansas City, Missouri, which Americo says is rated A (Excellent) by AM Best as of January 2026.
Its public Retirement page describes fixed indexed annuities and MYGAs only in general terms: no product names, rates, caps or surrender schedules are posted (checked October 4, 2026). There is no Americo “Eagle Platinum” on its site; Eagle Life is a separate insurer.
Correction (October 4, 2026): an earlier version of this page was titled “Americo Financial Life MYGA Review: Mid-Tier Mutual” and listed a multi-term 3, 5 and 7-year MYGA with 10% free withdrawals from year 2, a COMDEX of 82 and a star score.
Americo does not describe itself as a mutual (it calls its holding company privately held), and none of the product terms could be matched to a public Americo document, so they were removed.
Also see: CIT Bank Platinum Savings Review
CD vs MYGA, after tax
What $100,000 earns in 5 years: CD vs MYGA, after tax
Rates used: CD 5.00%, the top nationally available 5-year CD (Bankrate, October 14, 2026); change it to the rate you are offered. MYGA 5.95%, the best A-rated rate we track as of October 13, 2026: Delaware Life Pinnacle Plus 5-year (AM Best A-, negative outlook, 7/31/2026), $100,000 and up, effective October 6, 2026 (Delaware Life rate sheet).
| CD, interest taxed every year | $121,081 |
|---|---|
| MYGA, tax-deferred, before tax | $133,507 |
| MYGA after paying tax on all the interest at withdrawal | $126,136 |
| Tax deferral alone adds about | $674 |
| MYGA ahead of the CD, after tax | $5,055 |
Assumes 22% federal and 0% state income tax, no withdrawals, rates held for the whole term. MYGA interest is taxed as ordinary income when you withdraw it, not as capital gains. Gains taken before age 59 1/2 can owe a 10% IRS penalty, and cashing out early can cost a surrender charge.
In an IRA both grow tax-deferred, so the edge there is the rate alone. Bank and credit union deposits are FDIC or NCUA insured up to the limits; a MYGA is backed by the issuing insurer's claims-paying ability and your state's guaranty association up to its limits, not the FDIC. General education, not tax, legal or financial advice.
Americo: verified company facts
| Item | What Americo publishes |
|---|---|
| Issuer of Americo products | Americo Financial Life and Annuity Insurance Company, Kansas City, MO (formerly known as The College Life Insurance Company, founded in 1946) |
| Holding company | Americo Life, Inc., described as one of the largest independent, privately held insurance companies in the U.S. (citing AM Best, July 2025); the holding company is not responsible for its insurers’ obligations |
| Other Americo companies | Great Southern Life Insurance Company (founded 1909), United Fidelity Life Insurance Company, National Farmers Union Life Insurance Company |
| AM Best | A (Excellent), 3rd of 15 categories, January 2026 |
| Other ratings shown | None listed on the page |
| Where licensed | DC and all states except New York |
| Annuity types described | Fixed indexed annuities and multi-year guaranteed annuities (MYGAs), described generically; Americo also sells permanent whole life insurance |
| Annuity product names, rates, caps, surrender schedules | Not publicly disclosed on americo.com; ask for the product guide and dated rate sheet |
Is there an Americo Eagle Platinum annuity?
We could not find one. A search of americo.com for “Platinum” and “Eagle” returned no product (site search, October 4, 2026). The name most likely mixes Americo with Eagle Life Insurance Company, a separate insurer.
Eagle Life’s site lists American Equity Investment Life Insurance Company and American Equity Investment Life Insurance Company of New York as member companies, and its current annuities are Eagle Select Income Focus, Eagle Select Focus 5 and 7, Eagle Guaranteed Flex 5 and Eagle Guarantee Focus 3, 5 and 7, with no Platinum product (Eagle Life, Our annuities).
Eagle Life shows AM Best A (as of 11/2024), S&P A (05/2024) and Fitch A (07/2025) on its home page.
If an agent quoted you an “Eagle Platinum” annuity, the quote should name the issuing insurance company and a contract form number. Verify the company’s legal name on the application, the form number and the state approval. A product no longer sold may still exist as an in-force contract, but its renewal rates are set by its issuer, not by this page. Related: American Equity GuaranteeShield MYGA.
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Goldstein Scorecard (dated October 4, 2026)
| Dimension | Grade | Basis (sourced fact) |
|---|---|---|
| Financial strength | A- | AM Best A (Excellent), 3rd of 15 categories, January 2026, per Americo; no other agency ratings shown. |
| Rate or cap competitiveness | Incomplete | No public rate or cap sheet for any Americo annuity. |
| Guaranteed floor | Incomplete | Growth Commander publishes a 1.00% minimum cap and 5.00% minimum participation (Americo Growth Commander eKit, checked October 4, 2026); minimums for LibertyMark and OptiMark are not publicly disclosed. |
| Liquidity | Incomplete | No public surrender schedule, MVA or free withdrawal terms. |
| Costs | Incomplete | No public rider or strategy fee information. |
| Transparency | D | Annuity types are described, but no product name, rate or contract term is published. |
| Guaranteed minimum cap | 1.00% (Growth Commander) | Growth Commander 6 and 10: 1.00% on the S&P 500 cap strategies (Americo Growth Commander eKit, checked October 4, 2026). LibertyMark and OptiMark: not publicly disclosed. |
| Minimum participation rate | 5.00% (Growth Commander) | Growth Commander participation strategies (Americo Growth Commander eKit). LibertyMark and OptiMark: not publicly disclosed. |
| Overall | Incomplete | Fewer than half the dimensions can be graded from public sources. |
How these contract minimums compare across products: guaranteed minimum caps across FIAs (October 2026).
Get the current numbers for your amountor call 213-414-2808
Pros and cons
- Pro: AM Best A (Excellent), dated January 2026, from the issuer itself.
- Pro: both an indexed and a fixed-rate (MYGA) option are described, and the company is licensed in DC and every state except New York.
- Con: no annuity product names, rates, caps or surrender schedules are published, so nothing can be compared before you talk to an agent.
- Con: not available in New York.
- Con: the “Eagle Platinum” name in circulation mixes two unrelated insurers, which makes the issuer easy to misidentify.
Who it’s for, and when to look elsewhere
Fits: a buyer who has an Americo product guide, contract form number and dated rate sheet in hand and wants to check the issuer and its rating, or an owner of an Americo annuity confirming who stands behind it.
Look elsewhere if:
- The agent cannot produce a dated product guide or Statement of Understanding with the issuing company’s legal name.
- You were shown a cap or bonus without an effective date.
- You mainly want a known rate. A MYGA locks a declared rate for the term, backed by the claims-paying ability of the issuing insurer. For comparison, A-rated-or-better insurers were paying about 5.50% to 6.05% on 5-year MYGAs and the best nationally available 5-year CDs about 4.70% to 5.00% APY (MYGAs: public carrier rate sheets, October 14, 2026; CDs: Bankrate and Popular Direct, October 18, 2026). Current rates: MYGA rates.
Run the numbers: annuity surrender charge calculator · annuity calculator · MYGA growth calculator. Related: how annuity crediting actually works · FIA cap rates compared · annuity second opinion · Americo Instant Decision IUL review
Questions to ask your agent
- Which insurance company issues this contract, by full legal name, what is the product name, and what is the contract form number?
- What are the guaranteed minimum cap, participation rate and minimum interest rate in the contract (or, for a MYGA, the guaranteed minimum rate after the term)? Please put them in writing.
- Show me the full surrender schedule by year, whether there is an MVA, the free withdrawal amount and any bonus recapture or vesting.
- Give me the current rate sheet with its effective date for my state.
- How are you paid on this product? Commission comes from the insurer and is built into the product’s pricing, not deducted from my premium. What percentage is it, and does a longer surrender term pay you more? (Background: how annuity commissions work.)
From my desk
When a carrier publishes its rating but not its products, the first thing I check is the product guide and the contract form number from the agent, then the issuer’s legal name on the application. Marketing names change; form numbers and issuing companies do not.
The number buyers most often misread on an indexed annuity is the current cap, because it is not the contractual minimum. I ask for the guaranteed minimum cap in writing and read it next to the surrender table. On a MYGA, the number to watch is the rate after the initial term.
Against a MYGA, I put the indexed contract’s guaranteed value column next to a MYGA compounding at its declared rate for the same years. Without a dated rate sheet and a guaranteed column, there is nothing to compare.
Frequently asked questions
Who issues Americo annuities?
Americo Financial Life and Annuity Insurance Company of Kansas City, Missouri, formerly known as The College Life Insurance Company. Americo says it is the brand name for products issued by insurance subsidiaries controlled by the holding company Americo Life, Inc., and that Americo is authorized in DC and every state except New York.
What annuities does Americo sell?
Americo’s public Retirement page (checked October 4, 2026) describes two types, fixed indexed annuities and multi-year guaranteed annuities, but does not name any annuity product or post rates, caps or surrender schedules. Ask the agent for the product name, contract form number and dated rate sheet.
What is Americo’s AM Best rating?
Americo’s Who We Are page shows Americo Financial Life and Annuity Insurance Company rated A (Excellent) by AM Best, as of January 2026, the 3rd of 15 rating categories.
Is there an Americo Eagle Platinum annuity?
We could not find one. A search of americo.com for Platinum and Eagle returned no product (October 4, 2026). Eagle Life Insurance Company is a separate insurer whose site lists American Equity Investment Life Insurance Company and its New York company as member companies, and its current annuity list has no Platinum product.
Are Americo and Eagle Life the same company?
No. Americo products are issued by Americo Financial Life and Annuity Insurance Company under the holding company Americo Life, Inc. Eagle Life Insurance Company lists American Equity companies as its member companies and shows its own ratings: AM Best A (11/2024), S&P A (05/2024) and Fitch A (07/2025).
Is Americo a mutual insurance company?
Americo does not describe itself that way. Its Who We Are page calls its holding company, Americo Life, Inc., one of the largest independent, privately held insurance companies in the United States, citing AM Best admitted-asset rankings as of July 2025.
Sources (checked October 4, 2026)
- Americo, Who We Are: AM Best A (Excellent), January 2026; company history, group and holding company
- Americo, Retirement: annuity types described; issuer and state footnote
- Americo, site search for “platinum”: no product found, October 4, 2026
- Eagle Life, home page: AM Best A (11/2024), S&P A (05/2024), Fitch A (07/2025)
- Eagle Life, Our annuities: current product list and member companies
- MYGA and CD benchmark: public carrier rate sheets (MYGAs, October 14, 2026) and DepositAccounts (CDs, September 24, 2026); see MYGA rates
Hans Goldstein is an independent licensed insurance producer (CA license 4273294, NPN 20602398). Not affiliated with Americo, Eagle Life or American Equity. Facts are copied from the pages named, with their dates. No carrier paid for this review.
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Disclosure
This review is based on the carrier's public product materials and rates as of the date shown above. Annuity rates, caps, participation rates, payout factors, crediting methods, and long-term care benefit structures change often, sometimes monthly. Confirm current figures in the latest carrier disclosure and the contract before you buy. This is general education, not a personal recommendation or an offer of any product. Hans Goldstein is an independent licensed insurance producer (CA license 4273294, NPN 20602398) appointed with several A-rated carriers. His appointment with the carrier reviewed here may vary, and this review is not an endorsement. No carrier paid for this review. Always read the actual contract and consult a licensed advisor before purchasing any annuity or long-term care insurance product. Past index performance does not predict future credited interest. Annuities and hybrid life+LTC policies are long-term contracts with surrender charges; they are not suitable for funds you may need before the end of the surrender period. AM Best ratings and tax treatment are subject to change. Tax discussion of IRC §7702B, §1035, and the Pension Protection Act of 2006 reflects law as of 2026 and is subject to change.