Growth Potential Score (GPS): 2026 Annuity Rankings

Why we built the GPS

Accumulation annuities are sold on a single number: the current rate (for MYGAs) or the current cap (for FIAs). Both numbers are honest. Both numbers are useless on their own. The buyer who funded an FIA in 2018 because the initial cap was 9.5% and watched the renewal drop to 4.25% by 2022 doesn't think the carrier lied. The carrier just did what carriers always reserve the right to do. The buyer doesn't have a fraud claim; the buyer has a cap-rate-trap problem.

We invented the GPS because nothing else captures it. Carriers don't publish "historical renewal rate integrity." Brokers don't show it. AM Best ratings don't measure it. The agent showing you the 10% cap doesn't tell you that the same carrier dropped a 9% cap to 4% three years after issue on a different product line. The GPS scores that history alongside the current rate, and rewards carriers that hold caps over time.

The framework is proprietary. We publish the weights and the scores. We do not take money from carriers to alter the rankings. Hans is appointed with most of the carriers on the top-10 list and not appointed with some of them. The scores don't change based on appointment status.

The GPS framework: 7 weighted criteria

Total weight: 100%. We loaded 25% on current rate and 20% on rate-maintenance history because those two together explain 70% of the dollar outcome over a 10-year hold. The remaining 55% adjusts for downside risk, structure quality, and access.

GPS averages by annuity type

Top 10 highest-GPS products (2026)

Rankings reflect mid-2026 declared rates, caps, bonuses, and the most recent 3-5 years of renewal rate behavior. Rates change frequently; confirm current values before purchasing.

What the top 10 tells you

Five of the top 10 are MYGAs (positions 1-5). Five are accumulation FIAs (positions 6-10). The pattern matches the type-level averages.

If you have a 3-7 year horizon and want a known dollar outcome, the math points to a MYGA. The locked rate compounds, the surrender charge protects the carrier's hedging cost, and you know what you'll have at maturity. If you have a 10+ year horizon and are willing to accept variable annual credits in exchange for the chance to outperform fixed yields, an FIA's 0% floor plus participation in market upside is the structural winner.

The decision between Athene MaxRate (A+, ~5.85%) and Atlantic Coast Life Safe Harbor 10 (7.65%, June 2026) was the most common GPS question in 2026. On September 22, 2026 AM Best cut Atlantic Coast Life to C+ (Marginal) from B (Fair), under review with negative implications (AM Best press release, 9/22/2026). At that rating the 180bp rate premium no longer pays for the credit risk, and Hans does not recommend the product for new money.

Worst-GPS products (the avoid list for accumulation)

• SPIAs: GPS 5. By design. They spend principal. Don't buy a SPIA for growth. Read the IQS framework instead.
• Low-cap legacy FIAs: GPS 25-40. Old products with cap structures from the 2-3% Treasury era still being sold in 2026. The carrier benefits; the buyer doesn't.
• RILAs with shallow buffers: GPS 35-50. A -5% buffer in a -25% market year exposes the buyer to -20% loss. The "buffered" label is misleading when the buffer is thin.
• VA platforms with 1.5%+ M&E: GPS 30-50. Annual fee load compounds against returns. A taxable index fund will usually outperform after-tax for non-qualified money.
• FIAs with high bonus but suppressed caps: GPS 40-55. The 10% premium bonus looks great on day one; the 3.5% cap suppression for 10 years gives the bonus back. Net IRR usually trails a clean 6.5% cap product.

The cap-rate trap: why "current cap" lies

Every FIA carrier reserves the right to change cap rates at the start of each crediting period (usually annually). The "current cap" displayed on the illustration is the cap on the day you sign. The contract guarantees a minimum cap (often 1-2%) and a maximum cap (often 15-25%). Anywhere in that range is the carrier's call.

The cap-rate trap works like this. The carrier offers a 9-10% cap at issue to win the sale. After year 1, with the buyer locked into a 10-year surrender schedule, the carrier reduces the cap to 5-6%. The buyer has no recourse. The contract permits it. The illustration didn't lie; it just showed the issue cap, not the renewal pattern.

Our GPS scores rate-maintenance history because we have access to 5+ years of renewal-cap data across most major FIA carriers. Carriers that consistently maintain caps within 15-20% of issue (Athene Performance Elite, Allianz Accumulation Advantage, F&G Prosperity Elite) score high. Carriers known to suppress renewal caps after the surrender cliff is past score low, sometimes regardless of their current declared cap.

Bonus structures explained

Premium bonuses (typically 5-15% applied to the premium at issue) are real money. The carrier funds them by extending the surrender schedule, suppressing cap rates, or both. The bonus is not a gift; it's a financing tool the carrier uses to win the sale and recover the cost over the contract life.

Three bonus structures, ranked from cleanest to most problematic:

• Graded vesting (clean): Bonus vests 20% per year over 5 years, fully vested by year 5. If you surrender at year 3, you keep 60% of the bonus. Transparent.
• Linear vesting with cliff (moderate): Bonus vests linearly with the surrender schedule. Fully vested only at end of surrender period (usually year 10-14). Common; widely accepted.
• Bonus with full recapture if surrendered (suspect): If you surrender for any reason during the surrender period, the full bonus is clawed back. Sometimes combined with a high surrender charge. The bonus is essentially a marketing illusion for any buyer who might need liquidity.

The GPS rewards graded vesting at full points and discounts cliff-vesting bonuses by 30-50%. We refuse to award high marks for "phantom" bonuses that the buyer can never actually realize.

RILA buffer mechanics

A Registered Index-Linked Annuity (RILA) is a hybrid structure. The buyer gets a higher cap rate than a comparable FIA, in exchange for accepting some downside risk via a "buffer" (e.g., -10% buffer means the buyer absorbs nothing for the first 10% of market loss, then loses anything past that) or a "floor" (e.g., -10% floor means buyer loses up to 10%, carrier absorbs anything past).

Buffer math example. S&P 500 returns -20% in a year. With a -10% buffer, the buyer loses (-20% + 10% buffer absorbed by carrier) = -10%. With a -10% floor, the buyer loses 10% (the floor), and the carrier eats the additional -10%.

RILAs that score well on the GPS pair a deep buffer (-15% or -20%) with a competitive cap (8-12%). RILAs that score poorly pair a shallow buffer (-5% or -10%) with a similar cap. The buyer's downside exposure isn't compensated by the upside.

RILAs are FINRA-regulated as securities; sale requires a securities license, not just a state insurance license. Disclosure documents are denser than FIA materials. For the right buyer (typically pre-retiree with 7-15 year horizon and tolerance for some downside), the right RILA can be the best of both accumulation worlds.

The MYGA vs FIA decision by horizon

This is the most common GPS question. The honest answer:

• 3-5 year horizon: MYGA almost always wins. A 5-year MYGA at 5.85% (A+) compounds to ~33% over 5 years, guaranteed. An FIA with a 7-8% cap, in the same period, requires three strong index years to match. Historically that happens roughly 50-60% of the time.
• 6-9 year horizon: It depends. The MYGA still wins in flat or down markets; the FIA wins in strong markets. The 0% floor protects against the worst case; the cap limits the best case.
• 10+ year horizon: FIA usually wins, especially in non-qualified money where the tax deferral compounds. The S&P 500 has finished positive in ~73% of rolling 10-year windows since 1928; the FIA captures that upside (subject to cap) with no negative years.

Why we don't rank VA platforms higher

The variable annuity used to be the dominant accumulation annuity. It still has a place, specifically for buyers who want true market exposure within a tax-deferred wrapper and don't have other tax-advantaged room (already maxed 401(k) and IRA). For that buyer, a low-cost VA (Jackson Perspective II, Lincoln ChoicePlus Assurance) can be the right answer.

For most buyers, the VA fee load (1.0-1.5% M&E + subaccount expenses) eats the tax-deferral benefit relative to a taxable index fund. Vanguard's total-stock-market index fund charges 0.04% annually. A VA charges 30-50x that for the same equity exposure plus an insurance wrapper. The tax deferral has to make up that gap before the VA wins.

For non-qualified money in a low-bracket taxpayer, it rarely does. The GPS reflects that: most VAs score 50-65, well behind MYGAs and accumulation FIAs.

GPS in the Big Kahuna Finder

The GPS is one of four scoring frameworks we use to triangulate the right annuity for a specific buyer. The other three are the Income Quality Score (IQS), the Death Benefit Quality Score (DBQS), and the Goldstein Complexity Index.

For a buyer whose primary goal is accumulation, we filter to GPS > 70, then apply secondary filters: 3-7 year horizon (MYGA) vs 10+ (FIA), A-rated only vs willing-to-go-A-minus, bonus vs no-bonus. The top 12 products that survive that filter are documented in our Best Annuities for Growth Potential (2026) ranking.

Related scoring frameworks and rankings

• Income Quality Score (IQS): Ranking Annuities for Lifetime Income
• Death Benefit Quality Score (DBQS): Ranking Annuities for Legacy
• Goldstein Complexity Index: Ranking Annuities by Transparency
• Best Annuities for Growth Potential (2026): Top 12 by GPS
• Best Annuities for Lifetime Income (2026): Top 12 by IQS
• Best Annuities for Highest Death Benefit (2026): Top 12 by DBQS
• Why MYGA Is Best for Most Retirees
• Allianz 222 FIA Review
• AM Best Rating Explained for Annuity Buyers

Frequently Asked Questions

Is the GPS the same thing as a "buy rating"?

No. The GPS measures accumulation potential only. A MYGA scores 80 because it delivers reliable compound growth. But if you want lifetime income or death-benefit protection, the MYGA is the wrong product regardless of its GPS. Use the GPS to compare products within an accumulation mandate, not to decide whether accumulation is the right goal.

Why does the Atlantic Coast Life 7.65% rate rank #2 instead of #1?

The 7.65% rate was the highest in the MYGA market in June 2026. The score was set when the carrier was rated B, which pushed it to #2 behind Wichita National (B+, 6.25%). On September 22, 2026 AM Best cut Atlantic Coast Life to C+ (Marginal), and Hans no longer recommends the product for new money.

How often does the GPS get updated?

We refresh rankings quarterly to capture rate changes, cap adjustments, and new product launches. MYGA rates move weekly for most carriers; FIA caps move monthly. Significant shifts trigger interim updates.

What's the difference between a cap and a participation rate?

A cap is a ceiling on credited interest in a period (e.g., 8% cap: if the index rises 15%, you get 8%). A participation rate is a percentage of the index gain credited (e.g., 60% participation: if the index rises 15%, you get 9%). Some products use both. Uncapped participation-rate strategies are rare and usually paired with a spread (e.g., 100% participation minus 3% spread).

Are FIA gains taxed as ordinary income or capital gains?

Ordinary income on withdrawal. There's no capital-gains treatment inside an annuity wrapper. This is one reason the tax-deferral benefit matters most for high-bracket taxpayers and least for low-bracket retirees who would have paid 0-15% capital gains on a taxable index fund anyway.

Can I exchange an underperforming FIA for a better one without tax consequences?

Yes, via IRC §1035 exchange. The carrier-to-carrier transfer preserves tax deferral. Watch for surrender charges on the old contract; the math has to clear the surrender cost plus any acquisition costs of the new contract. We have a separate analysis at 1035 Exchange Rules.

Why don't bonus annuities always score higher?

Because the bonus is funded somewhere. Carriers recover the bonus cost through suppressed caps, extended surrender schedules, vesting cliffs, or all three. The GPS scores the bonus and the recovery mechanism together. A clean graded-vest bonus from a strong carrier (Athene Ascent Pro Bonus) scores high; a cliff-vest bonus paired with a suppressed cap scores low.

Should I use a MYGA or a CD?

If the funds are non-qualified and you don't need the interest as current income, the MYGA wins on after-tax compound growth because interest defers until withdrawal. If you need annual interest income or the funds may be needed before the MYGA surrender period ends, a CD or treasury ladder usually wins. We have a side-by-side analysis at Annuity vs CD calculator.

Want the GPS run on the annuity you've been quoted?

Talk to Hans Goldstein, a licensed independent insurance producer.

If a broker has put a MYGA, FIA, or RILA in front of you, get the GPS computed on that specific product before you sign. Most buyers find the product they were pitched scores 10-20 points lower than a comparable contract from a different carrier, and the renewal-cap history doesn't appear anywhere in the agent's materials.

Send your details. Within one business day you'll get a written GPS analysis of your quote, side-by-side against the top-3 alternatives in the same structure, and a 15-minute call if you want one.

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Hans Goldstein · 213-414-2808 · NPN 20602398, independent licensed insurance producer appointed with multiple A-rated carriers

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Disclosure

This article reflects publicly available product materials and approximate rates, caps, participation rates, and bonuses as of the date stated above. Annuity rates, caps, participation rates, and crediting methods change frequently, often weekly for MYGAs and monthly for FIAs. Confirm current figures in the latest carrier disclosure and the contract before you buy. The Growth Potential Score (GPS) is a proprietary scoring framework developed by Hans Goldstein for informational and comparative purposes; it is not endorsed by, affiliated with, or licensed from any carrier or rating agency. This is general education, not a personal recommendation or an offer of any product. Hans Goldstein is an independent licensed insurance producer (NPN 20602398) appointed with multiple A-rated carriers across the annuity and long-term care insurance market; specific appointment status with any carrier discussed may vary, and discussion of a carrier is not an endorsement or representation of carrier appointment. No compensation has been received from any carrier in connection with the publication of this article. Always read the actual contract and consult a licensed advisor before purchasing any annuity product. Past index performance does not predict future credited interest. Annuities 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 §72 and §1035 reflects law as of 2026 and is subject to change.