Two A+ employee-owned/mutual carriers. We compare North American Co. (A+) and Western & Southern (A+) on MYGA rates, financial strength, product range, and customer experience.
Highlighted cells indicate the carrier that wins on that metric.
Sammons Financial Group fixed-indexed leader
North American Company for Life and Health Insurance is a subsidiary of Sammons Financial Group, a privately-held employee-owned conglomerate. They have a respected reputation among fee-only RIAs for clean MYGA and fixed-indexed products.
Get North American Co. quote Read full review →Conservative mutual with strong ratings
Western & Southern Financial Group is a privately-held mutual holding company with subsidiaries including Integrity Life, National Integrity, and Columbus Life. Strong A+ A.M. Best rating — one of the safest non-public carriers.
Get Western & Southern quote Read full review →| Term | North American Co. | Western & Southern | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2-year | — | — | — |
| 3-year | 5.45% | 5.00% | +0.45 pts |
| 5-year | 5.85% | 5.15% | +0.70 pts |
| 7-year | 5.65% | 4.95% | +0.70 pts |
| 10-year | — | — | — |
North American Co. wins on 3 of 5 terms (2 tied). Illustrative rates for comparison — not a live quote. Confirm current rates with a licensed specialist.
| Metric | North American Co. | Western & Southern |
|---|---|---|
| A.M. Best Rating | A+ | A+ |
| Our rating | 4.5/5 | 4.6/5 |
| Founded | 1886 | 1888 |
| Min Purchase | $20,000 | $20,000 |
| State Coverage | 49 states | 50 states |
| 5-year MYGA (published) | 5.85% | 5.15% |
Choose North American Co. if you prioritize sammons Financial Group fixed-indexed leader. Their standout feature is: a+ A.M. Best — top-tier financial strength.
Choose Western & Southern if you prioritize conservative mutual with strong ratings. Their standout feature is: a+ A.M. Best — top-tier financial strength.
On published rate alone, North American Co. posts the higher figure on more of the terms shown here. For safety-first buyers, the carrier with the higher A.M. Best rating wins (tied here). Both clear our A- preferred-tier threshold on the letter grade alone. An A.M. Best rating is an opinion of an insurer's ability to meet its obligations, not a guarantee, and it can be changed or withdrawn at any time; annuity guarantees are not FDIC-insured. Track Retirement is not a licensed insurance agent and does not recommend either contract; this comparison is general information, not advice.
The headline MYGA rate is only meaningful if the carrier honors a multi-decade contract. North American Co. and Western & Southern differ on both axes — use the table for the numbers and the framing below for the decision.
Illustrative, 24% tax bracket, both lines after tax: $6,635 more over 5 years, almost all of it from the rate difference (5.75% vs 4.4%) rather than from deferral. The 4.4% CD leg is an assumed APY, not a quote; the FDIC all-institution average is 1.41%. A MYGA is an insurance contract, not FDIC-insured.
Whichever carrier you lean toward, most of the gap above is the rate difference rather than the tax treatment — the deferral itself is the smaller part. Either way it only pays off if the money can stay put for the full term with a strong insurer.
Read the full North American Co. review and Western & Southern review, learn how to vet carrier safety, and see the full field in best annuity companies.
North American Co. posts the higher figure on 3 of 5 MYGA term lengths in these illustrative, representative rates. Its 5-year figure is 5.85% vs. 5.15%. These are illustrative figures, not a live quote — your actual rate depends on premium, state, and carrier filing, and a higher posted rate often comes from a lower-rated carrier.
North American Co. is rated A+ by A.M. Best; Western & Southern is rated A+. Both currently sit at or above our A- financial-strength floor on the letter grade alone. An A.M. Best rating is an opinion of an insurer's ability to meet its obligations; it is not a guarantee, and it can be changed or withdrawn at any time. Annuity guarantees are not FDIC-insured.
For MYGAs, neither carrier charges explicit fees. The quoted rate is what you earn, provided you hold to term.
North American Co. operates in approximately 49 states; Western & Southern in approximately 50. State counts are approximate and change as filings are approved or withdrawn — some carriers are not admitted in every state, and California, New York and Oregon in particular have their own filing requirements. Confirm with the carrier or a state-licensed agent that a specific contract is available where you live before you apply.
No carrier, advertiser, or listed agent can pay for a ranking, and none reviews our content before publication. Figures are drawn from primary sources — A.M. Best, NAIC, the IRS, SSA, and Treasury — and checked against them. Our content is researched and drafted with the help of AI tools and verified against those sources; see our editorial policy.
Track Retirement scores every annuity carrier on financial strength (A.M. Best), MYGA rate competitiveness, product breadth, surrender flexibility, and state availability. All affiliate relationships disclosed. See our full methodology.