Aspida Annuity Review (2026)

Where Aspida's financial strength comes from

AM Best rates Aspida Life Insurance Company A- (Excellent), one full letter grade below the agency's top tier. The company is owned by Ares Management Corporation, a global alternative asset manager that runs more than $400 billion across credit, private equity, real estate and infrastructure strategies. That kind of institutional backing gives Aspida access to sophisticated investment management and meaningful capital support, which helps explain how the company can offer rate-competitive MYGAs while still holding an A- grade rather than a lower one.

Aspida was known as Global Bankers Insurance Group before it rebranded in 2021. The name change was not just cosmetic. It came alongside a real shift toward broader distribution through the independent agent channel and a step up in financial backing, moving the company well beyond the smaller, less capitalized position it held in its earlier years. AM Best's current A- grade reflects that newer, better-capitalized version of the company, not the smaller carrier Aspida used to be. It is a similar playbook to what other alternative asset managers have done elsewhere in the annuity business: bring institutional capital and investment expertise to an existing insurance license, then use that combination to compete harder on price.

Ratings can move over time, so confirm the current grade directly with AM Best before you commit any money. Your state's guaranty association adds a second layer of protection on top of Aspida's own rating, typically up to a set dollar limit that is decided state by state rather than nationally. Treat that backstop as a safety net behind the carrier's rating, not as a reason to skip checking the rating itself.

What annuities does Aspida sell?

• Multi-year guaranteed annuities, the Synergy Choice series: a locked, guaranteed rate that runs from your deposit date through the end of the term, with no market exposure at any point along the way. It functions much like a CD, except the growth is tax-deferred until you withdraw it, rather than taxed as it is earned.
• Fixed index annuities: growth tied to the performance of a market index, with a floor built in so a down year in the index never reduces the money you have already put in. Aspida offers a choice of crediting strategies within its FIA lineup, and both product lines are sold exclusively through independent agents rather than directly to the public.

Neither product line involves owning shares or units of anything. You are not invested in the market itself; your money sits in Aspida's general account, and the index is only used as a yardstick for how much interest gets credited to your contract each year. That distinction is part of why an FIA can promise a zero-loss floor that a mutual fund or ETF never could.

Aspida's Synergy Choice MYGA lineup

Synergy Choice is available in 2, 3, 5 and 7 year terms, giving you a shorter option if you might need the money sooner and a longer option if you are comfortable locking in a rate for most of a decade. Aspida also structures its pricing in tiers: a standard deposit band and a larger deposit band, generally starting around $100,000, that typically earns a better rate than a smaller deposit in the same term. Because the actual rates move often, sometimes weekly, we do not publish them on this page. Use the rate box above to see today's numbers by term and deposit size for your state.

To see how the math behind a MYGA works, here is a purely hypothetical example. If you deposited $100,000 into a 5-year Synergy Choice contract crediting a hypothetical 5.5% rate, compounded annually and left untouched, your value would grow to about $129,684 by the end of the term, a gain of roughly $29,684. Your own quote will reflect the actual rate available for your term, state and deposit amount on the day you apply, which is why we point you to the live rate box on this page instead of printing a number that could be stale within days.

Who is Aspida best for?

• MYGA buyers who want a competitive A- rate from an institutionally backed carrier. The Ares relationship adds real credibility behind Aspida's A- grade, and buyers chasing strong guaranteed yields within the A- tier will usually find Aspida worth a quote alongside its closest peers.
• FIA buyers who want a newer, feature-forward carrier. Aspida has stayed active in rolling out new index-crediting options, which can appeal to buyers who would rather have a modern, evolving product design than a decades-old legacy lineup.
• Buyers who are already working with an independent agent, since Aspida distributes exclusively through that channel rather than selling directly to consumers, and its products, pricing and paperwork are all built around that model.

How does Aspida compare to other carriers?

The annuity market has dozens of carriers competing for your business at any given time, so it is worth lining up at least three to five options side by side before committing any money. A few things are worth checking every time, no matter which carriers you are comparing:

• AM Best financial strength rating. Look for A- or better if you want a stronger cushion of confidence, and confirm the rating's current date on AM Best's site rather than relying on an older review you found somewhere else.
• Guaranteed interest rate and term. Even a small difference in rate compounds into real money over a 5 to 10 year contract; our MYGA calculator shows you the actual dollar impact for your own numbers.
• Surrender charge schedule. Know exactly when, and under what circumstances, you can access your money without triggering a penalty, and how that schedule declines year by year.
• Free withdrawal provisions. Most carriers let you take out a set percentage of your value each year with no charge at all, which matters if you might need some access before the term ends.
• Cap rates and participation rates. On a fixed index annuity, these set the ceiling on how much of the index's gain you actually get to keep, and they can vary a great deal between carriers offering the same index.

How to reach Aspida

Aspida sells only through licensed independent agents, so you cannot open a contract directly with the company online, and the customer service line above is best used to service an existing policy rather than to start a new one. A licensed strategist can request a quote on your behalf, confirm what is actually available in your state, answer questions about the paperwork, and walk you through funding the contract once you decide to move forward.

Other annuity companies to consider

If Aspida is on your list, these carriers are worth comparing as well:

• Knighthead Life: another newer, institutionally backed MYGA carrier competing in a similar rate tier.
• Athene: larger and more highly rated, backed by Apollo Global Management instead of Ares.
• F&G: a well-established carrier with a broad MYGA and fixed index annuity lineup.
• EquiTrust: a long-standing fixed index annuity carrier worth a side-by-side look before you commit.