Don't take our word for it. Here is where to check ours.

AM Best is the rating agency that specialises in insurance, and its grade is the single most useful number about any annuity carrier. Search the company name, then read two things: the letter grade and the outlook. An A− with a negative outlook and an A− with a stable outlook are different purchases. Note that AM Best rates the issuing entity, which is often not the brand on the brochure — check the first page of the contract for the legal name.

Free account required to view a rating. Our ratings guide explains the 13-point scale.

Every state runs a guaranty association that continues annuity payments if a carrier becomes insolvent — up to a limit set by state law, commonly in the neighbourhood of $250,000 of present value, higher in several states. That limit is the number that should size your premium, particularly with a B-tier carrier. Coverage follows your state of residence, so it changes if you move in retirement.

Full state-by-state directory. Confirm your own state's current annuity limit directly with the association.

A rating measures the promise to pay. It says nothing about what claiming is like. The NAIC's Consumer Insurance Search returns complaint counts, licensing status, and financial data by company, and the complaint index — complaints relative to premium volume — is the number worth finding. Around 1.0 is average. Well below is genuinely good; well above deserves an explanation.

Complaint indices are noisy on small carriers with thin books. Read them alongside the rating, not instead of it.

Insurance producer licences are issued by states, not by any federal body. If someone is selling you a fixed annuity, a MYGA, or an indexed contract, their licence lives at your state insurance department — and they will not appear in FINRA's database at all. Look them up by name before the second meeting, and confirm they are licensed in your state, not just their own.

Select your state for its department's licence lookup and complaint line.

Variable annuities and registered index-linked annuities are securities as well as insurance contracts, so anyone selling one needs securities registration on top of an insurance licence. BrokerCheck shows registration history, exam record, and any disclosure events. It covers securities registration only — an absence here means nothing if the product is a fixed annuity.

Free, no account. Use alongside the state lookup above, not in place of it.

Any variable annuity or RILA files a prospectus with the SEC, and it is public. It is long and it is dull, and it is also the only document that states the fees, the caps, and the surrender terms without a sales layer on top. Search the issuing insurance company's name; the insurance-product search is the faster route if you know the contract name.

Fixed and indexed annuities are not SEC-registered and will not appear here. That is normal, not a warning sign.

IRS Publication 575 is the primary source for pension and annuity income — the exclusion ratio, periodic versus nonperiodic payments, and the reporting rules behind Form 1099-R. Publication 571 covers 403(b) plans, and 939 covers the General Rule for older nonqualified contracts. These are dense but authoritative, and they settle arguments.

Our taxation guide and 1099-R walkthrough translate these into plain language.