Is Integrity Life a Good Insurance Company?
Is Integrity Life a Good Insurance Company?
Jason Stolz CLTC, CRPC, DIA, CAA
Integrity Life Insurance Company is not a household name — and that is exactly why retirement savers who find it often feel like they have discovered something. Founded in 1966 in Cincinnati, Ohio, Integrity Life is a subsidiary of Western & Southern Financial Group, a mutual insurance holding company with roots going back to 1888. Western & Southern has $132.3 billion in assets owned and managed as of early 2026, and it is one of only a handful of financial groups in the country to hold AM Best A+ (Superior) — the second-highest financial strength rating possible. That rating flows directly to Integrity Life, which carries AM Best A+, S&P AA-, and Fitch AA. Only about 5% of rated carriers ever reach A+. Most buyers arrive at Integrity Life through an independent agent who has identified it as one of the strongest-rated options in the MYGA and fixed indexed annuity market. The product lineup is tight and purposeful: the Indextra fixed indexed annuity for buyers who want market-linked growth potential with principal protection, the MultiVantage SPDA for buyers who want a fixed deferred annuity with a first-year interest bonus built in, the New Momentum flexible premium deferred for buyers contributing over time, the SPDA Series II with a return-of-premium guarantee, and the IncomeSource SPIA for buyers who need guaranteed income starting quickly. Life insurance and critical illness products round out the portfolio. The one coverage note: Integrity Life operates in DC and all states except New York, where a sister entity — National Integrity Life Insurance Company — issues identical products under the same A+ rating and Western & Southern parent. At Diversified Insurance Brokers, Jason Stolz, CLTC, CRPC, DIA, CAA, evaluates Integrity Life for clients who want one of the highest carrier ratings available in the fixed annuity market without sacrificing product competitiveness.
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What Integrity Life Offers Retirement Savers
| What You Get | How It Works | Why It Matters for Your Retirement |
|---|---|---|
| AM Best A+ Financial Strength | AM Best A+ (Superior); S&P AA-; Fitch AA — backed by Western & Southern Financial Group, a mutual holding company with $132.3 billion in assets owned and managed | Only about 5% of rated carriers reach A+; for buyers whose primary concern is the carrier’s ability to pay obligations decades from now, A+ is the highest attainable confidence level outside A++ |
| Indextra Fixed Indexed Annuity | Single premium FIA that links interest to market index performance with your principal fully protected — you earn interest when markets rise and lose nothing when they fall | Buyers who want more growth potential than a fixed rate provides but cannot accept market losses get index participation with an absolute floor — the A+ rating behind the guarantee is the differentiator |
| Indextra with Custom Crediting | A version of the Indextra with customizable index crediting strategies — different participation rates, caps, or spreads to match how closely you want your interest linked to index performance | For buyers who want to fine-tune their growth strategy rather than accept a single default crediting method — the choice between aggressive participation and conservative protection stays in the buyer’s hands |
| MultiVantage SPDA | Single premium deferred annuity with a first-year interest bonus added to the guaranteed base rate; available guarantee periods of 4, 5, 7, or 10 years; maximum issue age of 89 | The first-year bonus rewards buyers who commit — it effectively front-loads additional growth into year one while the remaining guaranteed term continues earning the base rate |
| IncomeSource SPIA | Single premium immediate annuity — deposit a lump sum and guaranteed income begins within the first year; payment options include life-only, joint life, and period certain | For buyers who need income now rather than later — the SPIA turns retirement savings into a guaranteed paycheck backed by one of the highest-rated carriers in the market |
| New York Coverage | New York residents are served by National Integrity Life Insurance Company — a sister entity under the same Western & Southern parent and identical AM Best A+ rating; Integrity Life covers DC and all other states | New York’s insurance regulations require a domiciled carrier; the two-entity structure means New York buyers get the same product and the same financial backing without any gap in coverage |
The Western & Southern Connection — Why It Matters
Understanding Integrity Life fully requires understanding Western & Southern Financial Group, because the financial strength that backs every Integrity Life guarantee comes from the parent organization, not just the subsidiary alone. Western & Southern was founded as a mutual life insurer in 1888 — it has been continuously paying policyholder obligations for over 135 years — and it has grown into a Fortune 500 financial services group with $132.3 billion in assets owned and managed. It is structured as a mutual holding company, meaning it has no outside shareholders. Profits flow back into the organization and its policyholders rather than to investors. That ownership structure is directly analogous to what makes Thrivent, GBU, and other mutual or fraternal carriers attractive to retirement savers — no shareholder extraction competing with policyholder obligations. Western & Southern’s A+ rating from AM Best reflects balance sheet strength, operating performance, and enterprise risk management that puts it in the top tier of the global insurance industry. When Integrity Life guarantees that your Indextra principal cannot go below zero or that your MultiVantage rate is locked in for seven years, those guarantees are ultimately backed by $132 billion in assets under a mutual holding structure that has been stress-tested for over a century. For buyers comparing Integrity Life against Thrivent — another AM Best A++ carrier with a mutual-adjacent structure — our resource on Is Thrivent a Good Insurance Company covers that comparison directly, including the meaningful difference that Thrivent requires a Christian faith affiliation and Integrity Life does not.
The Product Lineup and Who Each Fits
The Indextra FIA is Integrity Life’s flagship product for the growth-seeking retirement saver who cannot afford to lose principal. The single-premium structure means you commit a lump sum at inception, it earns interest linked to a market index during the accumulation period, and your original deposit is protected on the downside — no market year can reduce your contract value below what you put in, adjusted only for any withdrawals you have taken. Two versions are available — one with a set crediting structure and one with more customizable index strategies — both backed by the same A+ financial strength. For buyers evaluating how a fixed indexed annuity actually works before committing to Integrity Life’s version specifically, our resource on best fixed indexed annuities covers the mechanics and the full competitive landscape. The MultiVantage SPDA with its first-year interest bonus is designed for accumulation-focused buyers who want a fixed guaranteed rate across a defined term, with the bonus front-loading additional yield into year one. The 10-year guarantee period option — available on MultiVantage — is uncommon among A-rated carriers and valuable for buyers who want to lock in a favorable rate environment for an entire decade. Our resource on best MYGA annuity rates covers where MultiVantage sits competitively on any given day. The IncomeSource SPIA is for buyers whose need is immediate — converting a lump sum into a guaranteed monthly payment that begins quickly. For the segment of retirement savers evaluating immediate income options across the A-rated market, our resource on the best immediate annuity for monthly income places Integrity Life’s SPIA in context. For buyers currently relying on a 401(k) balance who are evaluating when to transition safe money into a guaranteed vehicle, our resource on how long a 401(k) lasts in retirement often clarifies the timing decision that precedes an Integrity Life placement.
What to Know Before You Compare
Integrity Life’s A+ rating makes it one of the strongest carriers in the independent annuity market, but the right product is still the one that fits your specific goal, timeline, and deposit amount on the day you are comparing. The MultiVantage first-year bonus improves effective yield compared to a flat-rate MYGA, but the comparison still requires accounting for the full term rate, not just year one — our resource on annuity free withdrawal rules covers the surrender schedule mechanics that affect real access to your money during the guarantee period. For buyers using non-qualified funds — after-tax money not in an IRA or 401(k) — the tax treatment of Integrity Life’s products follows standard fixed annuity rules, covered in our resource on non-qualified annuities. For buyers evaluating Integrity Life’s FIA against income-focused carriers like Nationwide, our resource on Is Nationwide a Good Insurance Company covers that comparison. The state guaranty association provides a safety net behind Integrity Life’s own financial strength — though at A+, the primary protection is the carrier’s balance sheet — and our resource on state guaranty association protections covers the specific coverage limits that apply in each state. For buyers who want an independent review of any Integrity Life illustration before committing, our resource on getting a second opinion on your annuity quote covers why that validation step matters even when the carrier’s financial strength is not in question.
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Frequently Asked Questions: Is Integrity Life a Good Insurance Company?
What makes Integrity Life’s financial strength rating significant?
Integrity Life holds AM Best A+ (Superior) — the second-highest rating available, held by only about 5% of rated carriers. The strength behind that rating is not Integrity Life alone but the full Western & Southern Financial Group, a mutual holding company founded in 1888 with $132.3 billion in assets owned and managed. Western & Southern also holds A+ from AM Best alongside S&P AA- and Fitch AA — multi-agency confirmation that all three major rating firms agree on the carrier’s financial durability. The mutual holding structure means no outside shareholders extract profits; all financial gains stay within the organization and its policyholders. For a retirement saver placing a lump sum into a 10-year annuity, the carrier’s financial strength 10 years from now matters as much as its strength today — and Western & Southern’s 135-year continuous operating history through multiple market crises is the strongest durability credential in the independent annuity market. For context on how A+ compares to the A- rating most carriers carry, our resource on what an AM Best rating means covers the full framework.
What is the Indextra FIA and who is it for?
The Indextra is Integrity Life’s fixed indexed annuity — a single premium contract that earns interest linked to the performance of a market index, with your original principal fully protected against market losses. If the index performs well, your contract earns a portion of that gain up to a cap or participation rate. If the index falls, your contract value does not go down — the floor is zero on indexed interest, not negative. Two versions are available: one with a standard crediting design and one with customizable index strategies that let you choose among different participation structures. The Indextra is designed for buyers in or approaching retirement who want more growth potential than a fixed-rate MYGA provides but cannot accept the volatility of keeping money in the market. The A+ rating behind the Indextra guarantee is the key differentiator — many FIA carriers hold A- or B++ ratings, and the guarantee is only as strong as the carrier behind it. For buyers who want to understand how the Indextra compares across the full competitive FIA market, our resource on best fixed indexed annuities covers that landscape, and our resource on sequence of returns risk explains why principal protection matters most in the early years of retirement income draws.
How does the MultiVantage first-year interest bonus work?
The MultiVantage SPDA is Integrity Life’s single premium deferred fixed annuity — it earns a guaranteed rate across a defined term with a first-year interest bonus added on top of the base rate for year one. The bonus effectively gives the MultiVantage a higher effective yield in year one compared to a flat-rate MYGA at the same base rate. Available guarantee periods run 4, 5, 7, and 10 years, and the maximum issue age of 89 is notably higher than most MYGA carriers offer. The important evaluation point: when comparing the MultiVantage against a flat-rate MYGA from another carrier, look at the full-term effective yield, not just the year-one return that includes the bonus. The bonus inflates year-one numbers, so a proper comparison accounts for the full compounding effect across the entire guarantee period. Our resource on best MYGA annuity rates covers current MultiVantage rates in competitive context. For buyers transferring from a CD into an annuity, our resource on transferring a CD into an annuity covers the mechanics and tax treatment of that move.
Does Integrity Life cover New York?
New York residents are served by National Integrity Life Insurance Company — a sister entity under the same Western & Southern parent, domiciled in White Plains, New York as required by state insurance regulations. National Integrity Life carries the same AM Best A+ rating and issues the same product lineup under NY-specific forms. From the buyer’s perspective, the product and the financial strength backing it are identical; the different legal entity exists because New York requires annuity issuers to be domiciled in the state. Integrity Life itself operates in Washington, D.C. and all other states. Whether your contract says Integrity Life or National Integrity Life, the financial guarantee behind it comes from Western & Southern Financial Group’s $132.3 billion in assets under the same A+ parent.
How does Integrity Life compare to other top-rated annuity carriers?
Integrity Life’s A+ rating puts it in a peer group that is genuinely small. Among carriers actively distributed through independent agents in the annuity market, A+ holders are rare — most of the competitive MYGA and FIA market consists of A- and B++ carriers that price more aggressively precisely because they carry more risk. Integrity Life’s rates are competitive within the A+ tier, though they will sometimes be lower than A- carriers who can afford to offer higher yields because they carry less financial cushion. The honest trade-off: the A+ buyer is accepting slightly lower rates in exchange for dramatically higher carrier stability. For buyers evaluating Thrivent — the other high-rated annuity carrier with a comparable mutual structure — our resource on Is Thrivent a Good Insurance Company covers that comparison, noting that Thrivent carries AM Best A++ but requires a Christian faith affiliation and Integrity Life does not. For buyers whose primary concern is current rate rather than maximum carrier rating, our rate comparison tools above cover the full competitive market in real time, and our resource on MYGA strategies for affluent individuals covers how to think about carrier rating versus rate when deploying larger retirement balances.
About the Author:
Jason Stolz, CLTC, CRPC, DIA, CAA and Chief Underwriter at Diversified Insurance Brokers (NPN 20471358), is a senior insurance and retirement professional with more than 25 years of real-world experience helping individuals, families, and business owners protect their income, assets, and long-term financial stability. As a long-time partner of the nationally licensed independent agency Diversified Insurance Brokers, Jason provides trusted guidance across multiple specialties—including fixed and indexed annuities, long-term care planning, personal and business disability insurance, life insurance solutions, Group Health, Travel Medical and Evacuation Insurance, and short-term health coverage. Diversified Insurance Brokers maintains active contracts with over 100 highly rated insurance carriers, ensuring clients have access to a broad and competitive marketplace.
His practical, education-first approach has earned recognition in publications such as VoyageATL, as well as his agency's featured coverage in Kiplinger— highlighting his commitment to financial clarity and client-focused planning. Drawing on deep product knowledge and years of hands-on field experience, Jason helps clients evaluate carriers, compare strategies, and build retirement and protection plans that are both secure and cost-efficient. Visitors who want to explore current annuity rates and compare options across multiple insurers can also use this annuity quote and comparison tool.
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