• Written By
    Christian Simmons

    Christian Simmons

    Financial Writer and Certified Educator in Personal Finance

    Christian Simmons is a financial writer who has worked professionally as a journalist since 2016. As an active member of the Association for Financial Counseling & Planning (AFCPE), Christian prides himself on his ability to break down complex financial topics in ways that Annuity.org readers can easily understand.

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  • Edited By
    Savannah Pittle
    Savannah Pittle, senior financial editor for Annuity.org

    Savannah Pittle

    Senior Financial Editor

    Savannah Pittle is an accomplished writer, editor and content marketer. She joined Annuity.org as a financial editor in 2021 and uses her passion for educating readers on complex topics to guide visitors toward the path of financial literacy.

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  • Reviewed By
    Timothy Li, MBA
    Timothy Li, MBA Headshot

    Timothy Li, MBA

    Business Finance Manager

    Timothy Li, MBA, has dedicated his career to increasing profitability for his clients, including Fortune 500 companies. Timothy currently serves as a business finance manager where he researches ways to increase profitability within the supply chain, logistics and sales departments.

    Read More
  • Updated: May 5, 2023
  • 3 min read time
  • This page features 10 Cited Research Articles
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Why You Can Trust Annuity.org
Annuity.org has provided reliable, accurate financial information to consumers since 2013. We adhere to ethical journalism practices, including presenting honest, unbiased information that follows Associated Press style guidelines and reporting facts from reliable, attributed sources. Our objective is to deliver the most comprehensive explanation of annuities and financial literacy topics using plain, straightforward language.

Our Partnerships, Vision and Goals

We pride ourselves on partnering with professionals like those from Senior Market Sales (SMS) — a market leader with over 30 years of experience in the insurance industry — who offer personalized retirement solutions for consumers across the country. Our relationships with partners including SMS and Insuractive, the company’s consumer-facing branch, allow us to facilitate the sale of annuities and other retirement-oriented financial products to consumers who are looking to purchase safe and reliable solutions to fill gaps in their retirement income. We are compensated when we produce legitimate inquiries, and that compensation helps make Annuity.org an even stronger resource for our audience. We may also, at times, sell lead data to partners in our network in order to best connect consumers to the information they request. Readers are in no way obligated to use our partners’ services to access the free resources on Annuity.org.

Annuity.org carefully selects partners who share a common goal of educating consumers and helping them select the most appropriate product for their unique financial and lifestyle goals. Our network of advisors will never recommend products that are not right for the consumer, nor will Annuity.org. Additionally, Annuity.org operates independently of its partners and has complete editorial control over the information we publish.

Our vision is to provide users with the highest quality information possible about their financial options and empower them to make informed decisions based on their unique needs.

About Transamerica

Transamerica’s history began in 1906, when Amadeo P. Giannini founded his first bank in San Francisco. In 1928, he consolidated this bank into what is now known as Bank of America. Within two decades of acquiring the Occidental Life Insurance Company, Giannini’s bank led the private banking sector.

In July of 1999, Transamerica became part of Aegon N.V., a top international financial organization. According to Transamerica, together they “serve 30.4 million customers in the U.S. and employ more than 22,000 people around the world.” Transamerica offers several annuity and life insurance options.

Credit Ratings

Independent credit rating agencies issue credit ratings for several life insurance and annuity companies. The ratings often indicate if a company is financially sound. This means that they are likely to uphold their end of an annuity contract.

Transamerica holds strong ratings from three of the most respected credit rating agencies in the country: AM Best, Moody’s and Standard & Poor’s Global.

Transamerica Financial Strength Ratings

Credit Agency Rating
AM Best A (Excellent)
Moody’s A1 (Stable)
S&P Global A+ (Stable)
Source: Transamerica

Annuity Products Offered by Transamerica

As an annuity provider, Transamerica offers several kinds of annuities designed to either provide the potential for growth, provide a guaranteed rate of return or provide income for life.

Registered Index-Linked Annuities

Also known as structured annuities, registered index-linked annuities (RILAs) are long-term savings options. These annuities are tax-deferred and provide more room for potential growth than a fixed-indexed annuity, with less risk than a variable annuity. They offer downside protection against volatile markets, low interest rates and high inflation.

Tax-deferred growth opportunities are available through a diverse range of indexes, including the S&P 500, and these RILAs include buffers to protect the principal invested from negative market performance. Transamerica offers no explicit fees options in some RILAs, providing a low-cost investment.

Transamerica RILA Products:

  • Transamerica Structured Index Advantage℠ Annuity

Variable Annuities

A variable annuity grows in value over an accumulation period based on market performance. The wide range of investment options available, including bond and stock options, make variable annuities a way to expand your retirement investments and tailor your financial planning or investments to meet your specific needs.

The value of the annuity is linked to an investment portfolio and market performance, so there is some risk that it could fluctuate in challenging market years. Therefore, variable annuities are often options for investors who can recover from some market risk when aiming for potentially higher returns over the long term.

Transamerica Variable Annuity Products:

Transamerica B-Share Variable Annuity
Seven-year surrender charge schedule
Transamerica I-Share II Variable Annuity
No surrender charge
Transamerica Axiom℠ III Variable Annuity
Five-year surrender charge schedule
Transamerica Principium℠ IV Variable Annuity
Five-year surrender charge schedule

The four variable annuity products have a minimum initial premium of $1,000 (qualified) and $5,000 (non-qualified). Transamerica offers an in-depth analysis of each variable annuity product.

Additional Living Benefits/Riders

Living benefit riders are available at an additional annual cost and ensure a defined payout while the policyholder is still alive. Some types of living benefits guarantee the policyholder’s principal while others guarantee a certain rate of growth if specific conditions are met. The two riders are available for variable annuity customers.

Transamerica Living Benefit Products:

  • Transamerica Principal Optimizer℠
  • Transamerica Income Edge℠ 1.2

Client Resources

Customers of Transamerica Annuity can log in to their accounts online with their customer number and/or username and password.

For website help or questions about products and services, Transamerica can be reached via their online Customer Service portal or through the phone.

Transamerica Contact Information

1-800-797-2643

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Last Modified: May 5, 2023