F&G Annuities carrier profile

Who F&G Annuities is in the annuity market

Fidelity & Guaranty Life Insurance Company writes indexed and guaranteed annuities from Des Moines, Iowa, distributed largely through independent channels. Its product design frequently gives the buyer a choice between a free crediting option and a charged, enhanced one — a choice that is easy to make at issue and rarely revisited afterwards.

• —Accumulation-oriented indexed designs alongside income-oriented ones
• —Enhanced participation-rate options available for an explicit annual charge
• —Multi-year guaranteed contracts at declared rates
• —Independent distribution with frequent product-version changes

Test the charged option against the free one

Where an enhanced crediting option carries an annual charge, the only honest test is historical: has the enhanced option credited more than the free option, net of the charge, in the years since issue?

That is a factual question the contract's own credited-interest history answers. Frequently the answer is no, and the remedy is a reallocation at the next anniversary rather than an exchange.

Product versions differ more than names suggest

Surrender terms and crediting mechanics can differ materially between versions of a product sold in different years and different states. Brochures and illustrations circulating today may not describe the contract in force.

The contract schedule page is authoritative. A review reads it before quoting a surrender term.

Allocation is the lever that still moves

Most elections made at issue are permanent. Index allocation usually is not — it can typically be changed at each contract anniversary, which makes it the practical point of intervention for a contract that is otherwise locked.

What to check on a F&G Annuities contract

• —Whether a charged enhanced crediting option is currently elected
• —Credited interest by contract year since issue, option by option
• —The exact surrender term printed on the contract schedule page
• —The next contract anniversary date, which is the reallocation window

Questions owners ask

What is F&G's A.M. Best rating?

F&G Annuities is recorded in the AnnuityScore carrier network with an A.M. Best financial strength rating of A (Excellent). Ratings are published and revised by A.M. Best.

Is a participation-rate charge worth paying?

Only if the enhanced option has out-credited the free option net of the charge. The contract's own credited-interest history answers that without speculation.

Can index allocations be changed after purchase?

In most indexed contracts, yes — typically at each contract anniversary. Benefit elections made at issue are usually permanent, but allocation is not.