Simplified approach and new options make pacific protective growth more responsive to clients’ evolving needs
NEWPORT BEACH, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Pacific Life announced recently that it has enhanced its registered index-linked annuity (RILA), Pacific Protective Growth, which offers opportunities to track market indexes while providing levels of protection during market downturns.
“After our successful launch of Pacific Protective Growth in late 2024, we challenged ourselves to enhance the product further,” said Nick Weber, vice president, annuity product development, Pacific Life. “We’re introducing powerful enhancements that meet our ongoing goals of greater simplicity, clarity and flexibility for clients, making the product even more responsive to their evolving needs.”
RILAs continue to experience growth, with 2025 seeing industry-wide sales 20% higher than in 2024.1 These annuities blend growth potential and risk management for clients looking for a balanced investment option. Pacific Life’s RILA is part of the company’s full spectrum of annuity choices, which provides options for clients of varying risk tolerances.
Enhancements to Pacific Protective Growth include:
- A new Annual Lock with Cap Rate crediting strategy that offers annual index measurement in each year of a 6-year term. This new strategy maintains the same maximum crediting rate (cap) in each of those years.
- All-buffer protection options to help simplify client conversations.
- A greater range of terms (now 1, 2, 3 or 6 years) and new 100% buffer option on the popular Cap Rate crediting strategy to provide greater flexibility for creating a personalized accumulation and protection approach.
The product continues to offer an optional lifetime withdrawal benefit, Income Guard, for an additional cost; five indexes,2 including two that track index-based exchange-traded funds; and two strategies distinctive from most other RILAs and not found together anywhere else:
- The Tiered Participation Rate with Cap Rate crediting strategy acts as a multiplier for index performance, potentially accelerating growth with interest credited at a rate higher than the actual index return.
- The Performance Mix crediting strategy calculates the weighted average of returns from three indexes, with the highest weight going to the best-performing index over the past 6 years.
“We’re committed to enhancing our product in ways that demonstrate our focus on innovation and support of financial professionals and their clients,” said Kevin Kennedy, chief sales and marketing officer, Consumer Markets, Pacific Life. “As customer needs evolve, we look forward to continuing to offer a broad range of retirement income solutions designed to help meet them.”
About Pacific Life
Pacific Life provides a variety of products and services designed to help individuals and businesses in the retail, institutional, workforce benefits, and reinsurance markets achieve financial security. Whether your goal is to protect loved ones or grow your assets for retirement, Pacific Life offers innovative life insurance and annuity solutions, as well as mutual funds, that provide value and financial security for current and future generations. Supporting our policyholders for nearly 160 years, Pacific Life is a Fortune 500 company headquartered in Newport Beach, California. For additional company information, including current financial-strength ratings, visit PacificLife.com.
1LIMRA, “U.S. Retail Annuity Sales Top $460 Billion in 2025, Marking Fourth Year of Record Sales,” February 12, 2026.
2The indexes are unmanaged and not available for direct investment. The index performance does not include the reinvestment of dividends. Not all indexes, protection options, and terms are available on every crediting strategy.
