The 2026 Annuity Awareness Report
An original data study of anonymized, aggregated AnnuityScore assessment responses — what annuity owners do and don't know about their own fees, surrender periods, riders and crediting rates.
By The AnnuityScore Review Desk · Published 2026-07-30
Findings are pending a larger sample
To protect respondent privacy, no statistic is published until the anonymized cohort reaches at least 25 completed assessments. Figures will appear here automatically once that threshold is met.
Methodology
Based on anonymized AnnuityScore assessments. No statistic is published until the cohort reaches at least 25 records. Every figure is computed server-side as a count, percentage or average across the whole cohort. No individual response is read, displayed or re-identifiable, and no name, email, phone number, address or contract identifier is used in the calculation. Any cell below the minimum cohort size of 25 records is suppressed entirely. Percentages are rounded to the nearest whole number and may not total 100. Respondents are self-selected visitors who chose to complete a free educational assessment, so results describe this population rather than all annuity owners.
Frequently asked questions
What data is the 2026 Annuity Awareness Report based on?
It is based solely on anonymized, aggregated responses to the free AnnuityScore assessment. Only counts, percentages and averages are used. No individual response, name, email, phone number, location or contract detail appears anywhere in the report.
How is the Annuity Position Score™ calculated?
The score is deterministic and weighted across five pillars — cost, surrender position, riders, crediting rate and suitability fit — for a maximum of 100 points. Every respondent is scored with the identical rule set, so aggregate averages are directly comparable.
Is any personal information published in this report?
No. The report queries an aggregate-only statistics function and suppresses every figure until the cohort reaches a minimum of 25 assessments. There is no row-level, personal, or re-identifiable data in the report or in the query behind it.
Can this report be cited?
Yes. Cite it as "The 2026 Annuity Awareness Report, AnnuityScore" with the page URL and the sample size and date range shown in the methodology note.
Does a low awareness score mean an annuity is a bad contract?
No. The report measures what owners know about their contracts, not whether those contracts are suitable. Many contracts that owners cannot describe in detail are still appropriate for their situation.
See where your own contract stands
The assessment behind this report takes about three minutes and is free. Your answers are added to future editions only in anonymized, aggregate form.
Educational information only. Nothing here is a recommendation to buy, keep, or exchange any contract. Cite as “The 2026 Annuity Awareness Report, AnnuityScore”.