Nassau annuity review.
A Hartford acquirer built on the old Phoenix Companies, rated B++ with a ratings trajectory pointing the right direction — the rare B-tier carrier whose story is improvement rather than yield alone.
The issuer behind the guarantee.
An annuity guarantee is a promise from one company, sometimes lasting forty years. The product matters less than the balance sheet standing behind it.
| AM Best rating | B++ (Good), FSR stable |
|---|---|
| Recent action | Issuer credit ratings upgraded February 2025 |
| Trajectory | B+ negative (2020) → B++ → positive → ICR upgrade |
| Assets under management | Roughly $25 billion |
| Roots | Phoenix Companies legacy; Hartford, CT |
| Known products | MyAnnuity MYGA series; Income Accelerator FIA |
Checked against public sources on 19 August 2026. Ratings change without notice — a rating without a date is not a rating.
The trajectory is the differentiated fact, and it deserves precise reading
Nassau's ratings arc runs: B+ with a negative outlook in 2020, amid losses at a legacy variable subsidiary and acquisition strain; upgraded to B++; outlook revised positive in early 2024 after a strong year; and issuer credit ratings upgraded a notch in February 2025 with the B++ financial strength rating affirmed and stable. Agencies move grudgingly in both directions, so a five-year climb is meaningful evidence of a balance sheet being repaired in public. It is not the same as an A- — Nassau still sits a notch below the tier most planners set as their floor, its portfolio has historically carried a meaningful structured-credit allocation AM Best has noted, and the premium-sizing discipline of the B tier applies in full. But among B++ carriers competing on rate, the one with a documented improvement arc is a different risk than the one drifting sideways, and Nassau is currently the clearest example of the former.
Three things to understand about Nassau.
The acquisition model explains the paper trail
Nassau has grown by acquiring in-force blocks — Phoenix at its founding, later blocks from other carriers, and the Foresters life and annuity business folded in along the way. If a legacy contract from an acquired carrier now shows Nassau on the statement, the terms did not change; the balance sheet behind them did, and this page's rating discussion is now your rating discussion.
MyAnnuity is the rate product; read the withdrawal variant
The MyAnnuity MYGA series is quoted in variants with different free-withdrawal provisions — including a zero-free-withdrawal version that pays a higher rate for full illiquidity. The spread between variants is the visible price of access to your own money during the term; choose it deliberately rather than by whichever row topped the comparison table.
B++ plus improvement is a specific trade, not a general endorsement
The honest sizing: premiums inside your state guaranty limit, rate premium understood as credit compensation, and the improvement arc treated as a favorable tiebreaker among tier-mates rather than a reason to size up. If the trajectory continues, today's buyers will have been paid B-tier rates by a carrier that finished the term stronger than it started — which is exactly the bet, stated plainly.
How to read any carrier.
Palm Wealth Capital publishes independent annuity research and education. No carrier pays for placement on this site. Nothing here is individualized investment, tax, or legal advice, and no page on this site is a recommendation to buy or avoid any contract. Annuity guarantees rely on the financial strength and claims-paying ability of the issuing insurance company.
Holding a Nassau contract — or being shown one?
Send the illustration or statement. We will check Nassau’s current AM Best rating and outlook against the date on this page, read the surrender schedule and any market value adjustment, price the riders, and tell you what the guaranteed terms are rather than the illustrated ones. If the answer is that you don’t need it, that is the answer you get — there is nothing here for us to sell you.
Carriers buyers weigh against this one.
Evaluating an indexed contract from this carrier? Start with how participation rates, caps, and spreads work — the three numbers that decide what any index year actually credits.