EclipseMark 5 review

Yes, for the specific buyer it's built for. This is a good annuity for someone who wants principal protection with real upside potential, likes having more than one or two ways to earn interest, and values a shorter 5-year commitment over a longer one. It is not a good fit for someone whose top priority is guaranteed lifetime income, because there is no rider path to get there on this contract — not even an optional one.

The core appeal is growth with a floor under it. Someone would buy EclipseMark 5 because they want exposure to index-linked crediting without direct market risk, and they'd rather commit for five years than seven or ten. The built-in GMAB adds a second reason: even in a worst-case scenario where every crediting strategy nets out flat, the contract is structured to return no less than the premium paid (adjusted for withdrawals) once the surrender period ends. That's a meaningful backstop that most FIAs don't include for free.

I think EclipseMark 5 is best for someone in or near retirement, using qualified or non-qualified savings, who wants conservative growth with downside protection and doesn't need the money to generate a paycheck. It's a reasonable fit for a buyer who's comparing a 5-year MYGA against an FIA and wants the possibility of upside beyond a fixed rate. It's a poor fit for anyone building an income floor for retirement — this product doesn't have the tools for that job — and it's currently off the table for California and New York residents.

You are not buying stock market participation. You're buying an insurance contract that credits interest based on how an external index performs, subject to caps, participation rates, or a blended guaranteed-rate-plus-index formula, depending on which strategy you elect. Your principal isn't exposed to index losses — a bad year for the S&P 500 means a 0% credit that year, not a loss of account value. What you're layering on top of that standard FIA structure is a no-cost guarantee that, regardless of how the crediting strategies perform, your account will be worth at least what you put in (less withdrawals) by the time the surrender period ends.

EclipseMark 5 offers six crediting options across three indices: the S&P 500, the S&P 500 IQ 0.5% Decrement Index, and the BofA Global MegaTrends Index. The menu includes a standard annual point-to-point cap strategy, a "Cap Lock" version that locks in a 5-year guaranteed cap at issue with no ability to transfer between strategies later, a participation-rate strategy, a "Duo Growth Rate" strategy that combines a guaranteed minimum earnings rate with index growth up to a cap, a point-to-point strategy with a floor, and a fixed interest account. As of the late-2025 / early-2026 rate sheet, the base (no-bonus) version priced the S&P 500 IQ cap strategy at 9.75%, the S&P 500 standard cap at 7.25%, the BofA Global MegaTrends participation rate at 100%, and the fixed account at 3.75% — all guaranteed for either one or five years depending on the strategy. Those figures are a snapshot, not a promise; ask for the current rate sheet before applying. The contract's lifetime minimum guarantees are a 1.00% cap, a 10% participation rate, a 0.10% guaranteed earnings rate, and a 0.10% fixed account rate, which is the floor the carrier can never credit below even if current rates fall.

The built-in Guaranteed Minimum Accumulation Benefit, marketed as the "EclipseMark" benefit, is the feature that separates this contract from a plain-vanilla 5-year FIA. It carries no separate charge and cannot be turned off or reduced, and it guarantees the contract will be worth no less than 100% of premiums paid (less withdrawal adjustments) at the end of the 5-year surrender period. Most FIAs rely on their standard minimum guaranteed surrender value formula — here, 87.5% of premium — to set the contract's floor. EclipseMark 5 layers a stronger, product-specific guarantee on top of that, which matters most to a buyer who's nervous about a multi-year stretch of flat or negative index performance.

EclipseMark 5 allows withdrawals of up to 15% of the annuity fund value each contract year, starting in year two, free of surrender charges — a notably larger allowance than the 10% figure common among 5-year FIA peers. Amounts above that, or any withdrawal in year one, are subject to the surrender schedule below, and a market value adjustment (MVA) can also apply, meaning the penalty can move up or down with interest rates rather than staying fixed. Additional surrender-charge waivers are available for nursing home confinement (30+ consecutive days, after year one), a terminal illness diagnosis (after year one), and IRS-required minimum distributions on tax-qualified contracts. One catch worth flagging: the penalty-free provision requires an active distribution request each time — scheduled or automatic withdrawals don't qualify. This is still a 5-year commitment, and it should be funded with money you don't expect to need in a lump sum before the surrender period ends.

There's no annual contract fee, mortality-and-expense charge, product fee, or administration charge disclosed on this contract — a clean structure with no visible drag on your account value. The built-in GMAB is free, which is unusual; carriers typically charge for any accumulation-value guarantee stronger than the base MGSV. The real tradeoffs are structural rather than fee-based: caps and participation rates limit how much index gain actually reaches your account, the Cap Lock strategy forfeits any ability to move between strategies once elected, and the MVA means a surrender in a rising-rate environment could cost more than the stated surrender charge alone. There's also no income rider on this product at any price — if you later decide you want guaranteed lifetime withdrawals, you'd need to look elsewhere or convert to income through annuitization, which is a blunter tool than a dedicated rider.

Legal Entity: Standard Insurance Company

Parent: StanCorp Financial Group, Inc.

AM Best Rating: A (Excellent), 3rd of 13 ratings