Clear Spring Life
A Delaware-domiciled annuity issuer with legal roots to 1985 - formerly Guggenheim Life and Annuity Company, rebranded Clear Spring Life in 2022 inside the Group 1001 platform - carrying an A- (Excellent) rating from AM Best with a Positive outlook across a focused shelf of fixed indexed and multi-year guaranteed annuities.
Financial strength
A-
AM Best
AM Best A- (Excellent)
Clear Spring Life carries an A- (Excellent) Financial Strength Rating from AM Best - the fourth-highest of thirteen categories - with a Positive outlook as of the October 2025 rating action for the Group 1001 Life & Annuity Group.
Formerly Guggenheim Life
Incorporated in 1985 and operated for years as Guggenheim Life and Annuity Company before adopting the Clear Spring Life name in May 2022 - same legal carrier and contracts, new brand under Group 1001.
Group 1001 platform
A wholly owned subsidiary of CSLIC Holdings, LLC within Group 1001 - a private insurance and financial-services platform, and the same group behind sibling carriers Delaware Life and Gainbridge.
FIA shelf
Clear Spring Life's annuity lineup centers on four fixed indexed annuities - ClearFlex, Highlander, Highlander 7, and ViStar - with crediting strategies tied to the S&P 500 and engineered volatility-controlled benchmarks.
Preserve MYGA
A declared-rate multi-year guaranteed annuity with multiple filed guarantee-period lengths rounds out Clear Spring Life's annuity lineup for buyers who want a fixed, guaranteed term.
Run live numbers on Clear Spring Life products
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Growth FIAs
Selected product: ClearFlex
An accumulation-focused fixed indexed annuity group with index-linked crediting and, for some versions, premium-bonus designs.
Other current products
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Explore Clear Spring Life products
Known Clear Spring Life product pages, grouped by what each product group is built to do. Confirm current rates and availability in the analyzer or on the product page.
Fixed Index Annuity - Growth
Index-linked annuities built for protected growth, with product pages for checking caps, participation rates, and fixed-account options.
- Growth-oriented FIAs grouped by accumulation purpose
- Individual product pages are the place to check rates, terms, riders, and disclosures
Best for: Buyers comparing principal-protected growth potential before checking a product page for current strategy details.
ClearFlex
A ten-year, A.M. Best A- rated fixed indexed annuity from Clear Spring Life with the widest crediting menu in the carrier's lineup — six strategies spanning the S&P 500 cap, S&P 500 participation, three engineered-index participation strategies (S&P MARC, S&P 500 Sector Rotator, BNP Paribas Technology Balanced 7), and a daily-crediting fixed allocation — with a market value adjustment and no lifetime-income rider in the design.
Comparable FIA metric
Cap, participation, and trigger rates vary by state and strategy - view product for live rates.
Highlander
A ten-year, A.M. Best-rated fixed indexed annuity from Clear Spring Life with a published premium bonus vesting over eleven years, built around a no-fee S&P 500 annual point-to-point cap plus participation-rate alternatives on the same and proprietary indexes, with no lifetime-income rider in the design.
Comparable FIA metric
Cap, participation, and trigger rates vary by state and strategy - view product for live rates.
Highlander 7
A seven-year, A.M. Best A- rated fixed indexed annuity from Clear Spring Life, built around a no-fee S&P 500 annual point-to-point cap plus participation-rate alternatives on the same and proprietary indexes, with a shorter surrender commitment than the ten-year Highlander chassis and no lifetime-income rider in the design.
Comparable FIA metric
Cap, participation, and trigger rates vary by state and strategy - view product for live rates.
ViStar
A ten-year, A.M. Best A- rated fixed indexed annuity from Clear Spring Life, built around an S&P 500 annual point-to-point cap plus participation-rate strategies on three proprietary engineered indexes including the macroeconomic-factor S&P Economic Cycle Factor Rotator, with no lifetime-income rider in the design.
Comparable FIA metric
Cap, participation, and trigger rates vary by state and strategy - view product for live rates.
This directory is not a statement of current availability. Confirm current rates, state availability, premium bands, and rider terms in the analyzer or on each product page.
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Find your fit
Start with the job for the money, then open the live Clear Spring product page that matches that goal.
Company overview
What Clear Spring Life is
Clear Spring Life is the consumer-facing brand of Clear Spring Life and Annuity Company, the Delaware-domiciled insurer that issues and guarantees the annuities covered here. It focuses on principal protection, tax-deferred accumulation, and retirement income through relatively simple, understandable product designs.
Checked 2026-07-16 · AnnuityRatesHQ carrier research, June 2026
The insurer was incorporated in 1985 and later operated as Guggenheim Life and Annuity Company. Group 1001 acquired it through CSLIC Holdings, LLC in 2021, and the company adopted the Clear Spring Life and Annuity Company name in May 2022. It is a sibling to Delaware Life and Gainbridge within the Group 1001 platform.
Renamed 2022 · AnnuityRatesHQ carrier research, June 2026
Buyers can compare ClearFlex and Highlander, along with Preserve Multi Year Guaranteed Annuity, in Clear Spring Life's annuity lineup.
Verified July 2026 · CANNEX Financial Exchanges via AdvisorWorld
Scale, labeled
Incorporated
1985
Delaware-domiciled stock life insurer; formerly Guggenheim Life and Annuity Company.
Incorporated 1985 · AnnuityRatesHQ carrier research, June 2026
Owner
Group 1001
Wholly owned by CSLIC Holdings, LLC within Group 1001 - a sibling to Delaware Life and Gainbridge.
Acquired 2021 · AnnuityRatesHQ carrier research, June 2026
Group AUM
$86.1B
Group 1001 combined assets under management as of March 31, 2026 - a group-level figure across all Group 1001 companies, not Clear Spring alone.
As of March 31, 2026 · AnnuityRatesHQ carrier research, June 2026; Group 1001 (parent/group metrics)
AM Best
A- (Excellent)
A- Financial Strength Rating with a Positive outlook (Group 1001 Life & Annuity Group, October 2025).
Checked 2026-07-16 · AnnuityRatesHQ carrier research, June 2026; AM Best
History highlights
Clear Spring Life and Annuity Company was incorporated in 1985, later operating as Guggenheim Life and Annuity Company and building an annuity business distributed through independent marketing organizations.
Incorporated 1985 · AnnuityRatesHQ carrier research, June 2026
Group 1001 acquired the former Guggenheim Life and Annuity Company through CSLIC Holdings, LLC after regulatory approval in 2021.
Acquired 2021 · AnnuityRatesHQ carrier research, June 2026
The company adopted the Clear Spring Life and Annuity Company name in May 2022 and sits alongside Delaware Life and Gainbridge within Group 1001.
Renamed 2022 · AnnuityRatesHQ carrier research, June 2026
In October 2025, AM Best revised the outlook to Positive from Stable for the Group 1001 Life & Annuity Group while affirming the A- (Excellent) rating, citing improving risk-adjusted capitalization and strong operating performance.
Checked 2026-07-16 · AnnuityRatesHQ carrier research, June 2026; AM Best
A 1985 insurer repositioned inside Group 1001
The legal insurer traces to 1985 and operated for years as Guggenheim Life and Annuity Company before Group 1001 acquired it. The transformation to Clear Spring Life is continuity plus repositioning, not a brand-new carrier.
Checked 2026-07-16 · AnnuityRatesHQ carrier research, June 2026
Group 1001 completed the acquisition through CSLIC Holdings, LLC in 2021, and the company was renamed Clear Spring Life and Annuity Company in May 2022. Group affiliation provides shared technology, services, and capital context, but annuity obligations remain claims of Clear Spring Life and Annuity Company - the parent does not directly guarantee the contracts. Delaware Life and Gainbridge are separate sibling carriers with their own product shelves and profiles.
Acquired 2021 · AnnuityRatesHQ carrier research, June 2026
As of March 31, 2026, Group 1001 reported roughly $86.1 billion of combined assets under management and more than 540,000 active annuity contracts and life policies across the platform - enterprise-level scale for the parent group, not insurer-level figures for Clear Spring.
As of March 31, 2026 · AnnuityRatesHQ carrier research, June 2026; Group 1001 (parent/group metrics)
Financial strength
AM Best
A-
Excellent financial-strength rating - the fourth-highest of thirteen AM Best categories. Outlook revised to Positive from Stable for the Group 1001 Life & Annuity Group in the October 2025 rating action.
Checked 2026-07-16
What makes Clear Spring Life different
A rebrand, not a restart
The Clear Spring Life name dates to 2022, but the legal insurer traces to 1985 and a prior Guggenheim identity - the rebrand changed the brand, not the legal carrier or the contracts it stands behind.
Checked 2026-07-16 · AnnuityRatesHQ carrier research, June 2026
Group 1001 platform, carrier accountability
Backed by Group 1001 alongside Delaware Life and Gainbridge - the group reporting roughly $86.1 billion of combined AUM as of March 31, 2026 - Clear Spring gains shared technology, services, and capital context while remaining the legal carrier standing behind its own contracts.
As of March 31, 2026 · AnnuityRatesHQ carrier research, June 2026; Group 1001 (parent/group metrics)
Improving ratings trajectory
AM Best rates Clear Spring A- (Excellent), and in October 2025 revised the Group 1001 Life & Annuity Group outlook to Positive from Stable, citing improving risk-adjusted capitalization and strong operating performance - potential upward momentum, not a guaranteed upgrade.
Checked 2026-07-16 · AnnuityRatesHQ carrier research, June 2026; AM Best
Simple, segmented product shelf
The current annuity lineup spans four fixed indexed annuities - ClearFlex, Highlander, Highlander 7, and ViStar - plus the Preserve MYGA, with no lifetime-income rider in the Highlander or ClearFlex designs and caps, participation rates, and guaranteed terms shown with current values for each product.
Verified July 2026 · CANNEX Financial Exchanges via AdvisorWorld
About Clear Spring Life
Clear Spring Life is the consumer-facing brand of Clear Spring Life and Annuity Company, the Delaware-domiciled insurer that issues the annuities covered here. Incorporated in 1985 and formerly Guggenheim Life and Annuity Company, it was acquired by Group 1001 in 2021 and renamed in May 2022.
Checked 2026-07-16 · AnnuityRatesHQ carrier research, June 2026
Clear Spring carries an A- (Excellent) rating from AM Best with a Positive outlook as of October 2025, and sits within the Group 1001 platform alongside Delaware Life and Gainbridge. Its annuity lineup includes four fixed indexed annuities plus the Preserve multi-year guaranteed annuity; group AUM and contract figures are parent-level context, not insurer-level guarantees.
Checked 2026-07-16 · AnnuityRatesHQ carrier research, June 2026; AM Best
Clear Spring combines the ClearFlex, Highlander, and ViStar indexed families with the Preserve fixed-rate annuity.
Verified July 2026 · CANNEX Financial Exchanges via AdvisorWorld
Free Comparison Report
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Sources
- Clear Spring Life corporate site — 2026-07-16
- AnnuityRatesHQ carrier research - Clear Spring overview, incorporated 1985 (formerly Guggenheim Life and Annuity), Group 1001 ownership via CSLIC Holdings (2021), renamed 2022, AM Best A- with Positive outlook (October 2025) — Checked 2026-07-16
- Group 1001 platform metrics (parent/group): ~$86.1B AUM and 540,000+ active contracts/policies as of March 31, 2026 - enterprise-level, not insurer-level — As of March 31, 2026
- Live product catalog (ClearFlex, Highlander, Highlander 7, ViStar FIAs; Preserve MYGA), rates, riders: CANNEX Financial Exchanges via AdvisorWorld — Verified July 2026