SmartSelect
Western-Southern Life Assurance Company
4.5%
5-yr guarantee
10%
Free W/D
Live product data
Rates as of May 29, 2026, based on the latest AdvisorWorld scan of CANNEX data.
5-year guaranteed declared rate
4.5% guaranteed for 5 years
A multi-year guaranteed annuity from Western-Southern Life Assurance Company that publishes 3-, 4-, 5-, 6-, and 7-year terms, a clean year-by-year declining surrender ladder, an annual free-withdrawal allowance, and a three-waiver package (nursing home, RMD, terminal illness) — broadly filed across the country, with a revised successor (SmartSelect Two) now also on the market.
Best fit
Safety-first buyers who want a single declared rate locked in for a fixed multi-year window from a top-tier-rated carrier with multi-agency financial-strength corroboration, value a clean year-by-year declining surrender schedule, want the certainty of an explicit RMD waiver alongside the annual free-withdrawal allowance, and are comparing the carrier's SmartSelect family with full knowledge of the SmartSelect Two successor filing.
AM Best
A+ Superior
Surrender period
7 years
Free withdrawal
10%/yr
Product analyst notes
How to think about this contract
Why it can stand out
- Issued by a Western & Southern Financial Group carrier that publishes a multi-agency financial-strength view — A.M. Best, S&P, and Moody's all rate the company in the top tier of life-insurance issuers — so a buyer locking principal for a multi-year window is doing so with one of the more thoroughly graded carriers in the MYGA market.
- Multiple guarantee-period lengths are published on this filing — 3-, 4-, 5-, 6-, and 7-year terms — so a buyer can match the rate-lock to the horizon they actually want without being forced into a single fixed term.
- Clean year-by-year declining surrender ladder that steps down by a full percentage point every year from the year-one charge to a low single-digit charge in the final year, with annual free-withdrawal access alongside the schedule — a buyer who needs partial liquidity in the back half of the contract pays a materially smaller charge than they would on a flat schedule.
- Three contractual surrender-charge waivers are published — nursing home, RMD, and terminal illness — so required-minimum-distribution withdrawals for qualified buyers do not trigger a surrender charge on top of the annual free-withdrawal allowance, and standard hardship escape valves are built in without paying for an optional rider.
What to confirm
- Free-withdrawal allowance is published alongside the surrender schedule but is still a small percentage of the contract value each year. This is a deferral product, not a checking account — buyers who need ongoing access to most of the principal should size the premium accordingly.
- Premium bands are not published on the live feed for this filing, so the declared rates shown here should be treated as a single rate sheet that does not vary by premium amount; there is no band-based rate uplift to confirm.
- SmartSelect Two is the carrier's revised successor filing on the same chassis — same surrender ladder, same waiver set, same broad availability — and currently publishes a slightly higher 5-year declared rate. New buyers should cross-check the SmartSelect Two sibling page before locking the rate on this filing; this page exists for buyers comparing the carrier's full SmartSelect lineup or holding an in-force SmartSelect contract.
- This is a fixed declared-rate contract: no upside participation in any market index, no built-in lifetime-income mechanism, and no income rider available on this filing. Buyers looking for market-linked growth participation or guaranteed lifetime income should be comparing FIAs or income-rider products, not this one.
Not ideal for
Buyers who need ongoing access to most of the principal, want market-linked upside or guaranteed lifetime income, require a death benefit with a guaranteed roll-up or step-up, or are placing a new contract today and have not yet looked at SmartSelect Two — the successor filing on the same chassis is the natural next click before locking the rate on this page.
Guaranteed Rates by Term
| Term | Guaranteed Rate |
|---|---|
| 3-Year | 4.2% |
| 4-Year | 4.4% |
| 5-Year | 4.5% |
| 6-Year | 4.25% |
| 7-Year | 4.25% |
Key Features
Free withdrawal
10%/yrAnnual amount that may be available without surrender charges, subject to contract terms.
Surrender waivers
3Nursing home waiver, RMD waiver, Terminal illness waiver
Death benefit
Standard Death BenefitBeneficiary value depends on contract terms, withdrawals, and rider elections.
Annuitization options
Single and jointContract conversion options should be confirmed before purchase.
Fund types
Non-qualified, QualifiedAvailability can vary by state and product terms.
Surrender Schedule
Yr 1
7%
Yr 2
6%
Yr 3
5%
Yr 4
4%
Yr 5
3%
Yr 6
2%
Yr 7
1%
After
0%
Nursing home waiver, RMD waiver, Terminal illness waiver, Surrender waivers
Carrier Ratings
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