Honest, straightforward and a solid value.
Just what you would expect from a company like USAA.
The Flexible Retirement fixed annuity is pretty simple and not a lot of moving parts.
Tax deferral, a bonus for first year deposits, a moderate 7 year surrender fee schedule, a 1 percent guaranteed minimum and rates that vary based from 1 percent to 2.05 percent based on deposit amounts.
Not a huge amount to compare between different companies with a product like this. Rates generally seem to be within a common range of 1 percent at the short end and 2 percent or so at longer durations.
Sort of comes down to whether the tax deferral is of interest based on where you are with pre-retirement, retirement, etc. There does not seem to be an "outlier" fixed annuity out there with 4 percent rates. If there is, then it is likely that there are some other "gotchas" that come with the product.
Given that the rates and product features are sort of commodities, the real decision feature involves the company behind the product.
This is where you cannot go wrong with a company like USAA. Long, proven track record of serving its community and customers very, very well. Also a level of comfort associated with promises and long-term guarantees from a company like USAA.