SEPARATE ACCOUNT A OF GOLDEN AMERICAN LIFE INSURANCE CO
485BPOS, 1997-02-14
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     AS FILED WITH THE SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION ON FEBRUARY 14, 1997
                                                       Registration No. 33-23458
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------

                          SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
                               WASHINGTON, D.C.  20549
                                           
                           Post-Effective Amendment No. 20
                                          to
                                           
                                       FORM S-6
                                           
                  FOR REGISTRATION UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933
                       OF SECURITIES OF UNIT INVESTMENT TRUSTS
                              REGISTERED ON FORM N-8B-2
                                           
                                  SEPARATE ACCOUNT A
                                (EXACT NAME OF TRUST)
                                           
                        GOLDEN AMERICAN LIFE INSURANCE COMPANY
                                 (NAME OF DEPOSITOR)
                                           
                           1001 Jefferson Street, 4th Floor
                                Wilmington, DE  19801
                                     302-576-3400
           (ADDRESS AND TELEPHONE NUMBER OF DEPOSITOR'S PRINCIPAL OFFICES)
                                           
MARILYN TALMAN, ESQ.                       COPY TO:
Golden American Life Insurance Company     Susan S. Krawczyk, Esq.
1001 Jefferson Street,                     Sutherland, Asbill & Brennan, L.L.P.
Wilmington, DE 19801                       1275 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W.
(NAME AND ADDRESS OF AGENT FOR             Washington, D.C.  20004-2404
     SERVICE OF PROCESS)

           APPROXIMATE DATE OF COMMENCEMENT OF PROPOSED SALE TO THE PUBLIC:
      A soon as practical after the effective date of the Registration Statement

IT IS PROPOSED THAT THIS FILING WILL BECOME EFFECTIVE:
         [X]  immediately upon filing pursuant to paragraph (b)
         [ ]  on  _________  pursuant to paragraph (b) 
         [ ]  60 days after filing pursuant to paragraph (a)(i)
         [ ]  on  _________  pursuant to paragraph (a)(i)
         [ ]  75 days after filing pursuant to paragraph (a)(ii)
         [ ]  on  _________  pursuant to paragraph (a)(ii) of Rule 485.

IF APPROPRIATE, CHECK THE FOLLOWING BOX:
         [ ]  this Post-Effective Amendment designates a new effective date for
              a previously filed Post-Effective Amendment.
                                     ------------

                          DECLARATION PURSUANT TO RULE 24F-2
The Registrant has previously filed a declaration of indefinite registration of
its shares of beneficial interest pursuant under the Securities Act of 1933
pursuant to Rule 24f-2 under the Investment Company Act of 1940.  The Rule 24f-2
Notice for the year ended December 31, 1995 was filed on February 28, 1996.

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<PAGE>

                              CROSS REFERENCE SHEET
                             PURSUANT TO RULE 495(A)


   N-8B-2 Item                          Prospectus Heading
- -----------------        --------------------------------------------------
        1                Cover Page

        2                Cover Page

        3                Facts About Golden American, Account A and the
                         Fixed Account

        4                Other Important Information

        5                Facts About Golden American, Account A and the
                         Fixed Account

        6                Facts About Golden American, Account A and the
                         Fixed Account

        7                Not Applicable

        8                Financial Statements

        9                Other Important Information

        10               Summary of the Policy; Facts About The Policy;
                         Other Important Information

        11               Facts About Golden American, Account A and the
                         Fixed Account

        12               Facts About Golden American, Account A and the
                         Fixed Account

        13               Summary of the Policy; Charges and Deductions

        14               Summary of the Policy; Facts About The Policy

        15               Facts About The Policy

        16               Summary of the Policy; Facts About The Policy

        17               Summary of the Policy; Your Policy Benefits

        18               Facts About Golden American, Account A and the
                         Fixed Account

        19               Other Important Information

        20               Facts About Golden American, Account A and the
                         Fixed Account

        21               Summary of the Policy; Your Policy Benefits


<PAGE>
<PAGE>

   N-8B-2 Item                          Prospectus Heading
- -----------------        --------------------------------------------------
        22               Not Applicable

        23               Not Applicable

        24               Other Important Information

        25               Facts About Golden American, Account A and the
                         Fixed Account

        26               Not Applicable

        27               Facts About Golden American, Account A and the
                         Fixed Account

        28               Facts About Golden American, Account A and the
                         Fixed Account

        29               Facts About Golden American, Account A and the
                         Fixed Account

        30               Management

        31               Not Applicable

        32               Not Applicable

        33               Not Applicable

        34               Not Applicable

        35               Facts About Golden American, Account A and the
                         Fixed Account

        36               Not Applicable

        37               Not Applicable

        38               Other Important Information

        39               Other Important Information

        40               Not Applicable

        41               Other Important Information

        42               Not Applicable

        43               Not Applicable

        44               Facts About The Policy; Insurance Benefits; Other
                         Important Information

        45               Not Applicable


<PAGE>
<PAGE>

   N-8B-2 Item                          Prospectus Heading
- -----------------        --------------------------------------------------
        46               Facts About The Policy; Your Policy s Benefits

        47               Facts About Golden American, Account A and the
                         Fixed Account

        48               Not Applicable

        49               Not Applicable

        50               Not Applicable

        51               Cover Page; Summary of Policy; Facts About The
                         Policy; Your Policy Benefits

        52               Facts About Golden American, Account A
                         and the Fixed Account; Other Important Information

        53               Facts About Golden American, Account A and the
                         Fixed Account; Federal Income Tax Considerations

        54               Not Applicable

        55               Not Applicable

        56               Not Applicable

        57               Not Applicable

        58               Not Applicable

        59               Financial Statements

<PAGE>
<PAGE>
 
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
+              GOLDENSELECT GENESIS I & GOLDENSELECT GENESIS FLEX              +
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
GOLDEN AMERICAN LIFE INSURANCE COMPANY
Golden American Life Insurance Company is a stock company domiciled in Wilming-
ton, Delaware
 
              FLEXIBLE PREMIUM VARIABLE LIFE INSURANCE PROSPECTUS
 
              GOLDENSELECT GENESIS I AND GOLDENSELECT GENESIS FLEX
 
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
This prospectus is for individual and group flexible premium variable life in-
surance policies offered by Golden American Life Insurance Company ("Golden
American," "We," "Our" or "Us"). Both the individual policy and the group pol-
icy and any certificates issued thereunder (collectively the "Policies" and
separately the "Policy") permit the Policyowner ("You" or "Your") to make addi-
tional premium payments, to take policy loans and partial withdrawals subject
to certain restrictions, and under certain circumstances, to change the death
benefit option and to change the Face Amount.
 
Premiums are allocated among the divisions of Separate Account A ("Account A")
and, if available, the Fixed Interest Division (the "Fixed Account", and to-
gether with Account A the "Accounts"). The Investments available through the
divisions of Account A include mutual fund portfolios (the "Series") of The GCG
Trust (the "GCG Trust") and the Equi-Select Series Trust (the "ESS Trust").
Each premium is allocated according to Your instructions, subject to any re-
strictions for the initial premium during the Free Look Period. After the Free
Look Period, You may change the allocation of Your Investment Value.
 
The Policy can be purchased on a single life basis or a joint and last survivor
("survivorship") basis. The Policy provides life insurance coverage on the
Insured(s). While the Policy is in force, the death benefit may vary to reflect
the Policy's investment results but will never be less than the Face Amount.
The death benefit is payable upon the death of the Insured if purchased on a
single life basis and the last surviving Insured if purchased on a survivorship
basis.
 
We guarantee that the coverage will remain in force during the lifetime of the
Insured(s) (but in no event beyond the Maturity Date) for a period called the
Guarantee Period. During the Guarantee Period We may terminate the Policy only
if there is Debt and the Cash Surrender Value is negative. After the Guarantee
Period the Policy will remain in force as long as the Cash Surrender Value is
sufficient to cover the charges due.
 
The Genesis Flex Policy is designed to comply with the Life Insurance Premium
Payment Test under Federal tax law. As a result, any loans received under a
Genesis Flex Policy should not be taxable to You. The Genesis I Policy will not
comply with the Life Insurance Premium Payment Test and thus will be a "modi-
fied endowment contract" under Federal tax law. Loans, partial withdrawals and
surrenders under a Genesis I Policy may be taxable in whole or in part and may
also be subject to a 10% penalty tax.
 
For more information on both types of policies, see Federal Income Tax Consid-
erations, Modified Endowment Contracts.
 
You may turn in the Policy for its Cash Surrender Value at any time while the
Policy is in force. The Cash Surrender Value will vary with the investment re-
sults of the divisions of Account A in which you are invested and interest
credited with respect to allocations to the Fixed Account. With respect to pre-
miums allocated to Account A, We do not guarantee any minimum Cash Surrender
Value.
 
Within certain limits, You may return the Policy for a refund. It may not be
advantageous to replace existing insurance with the Policy.
 
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
THESE SECURITIES HAVE NOT BEEN APPROVED OR DISAPPROVED BY THE SECURITIES AND
EXCHANGE COMMISSION OR ANY STATE SECURITIES COMMISSION NOR HAS THE SECURITIES
AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION OR ANY STATE SECURITIES COMMISSION PASSED UPON THE AC-
CURACY OR ADEQUACY OF THIS PROSPECTUS. ANY REPRESENTATION TO THE CONTRARY IS A
CRIMINAL OFFENSE.
 
POLICIES AND UNDERLYING SERIES SHARES WHICH FUND THE POLICIES ARE NOT INSURED
BY THE FDIC OR ANY OTHER AGENCY. THEY ARE NOT DEPOSITS OR OTHER OBLIGATIONS OF
ANY BANK AND ARE NOT BANK GUARANTEED. THEY ARE SUBJECT TO MARKET FLUCTUATION,
REINVESTMENT RISK AND POSSIBLE LOSS OF PRINCIPAL INVESTED.
 
PLEASE READ THIS PROSPECTUS AND KEEP IT FOR FUTURE REFERENCE. IT IS NOT VALID
UNLESS ACCOMPANIED BY THE CURRENT PROSPECTUSES FOR THE GCG TRUST AND THE ESS
TRUST. THE FIXED ACCOUNT MAY NOT BE AVAILABLE IN ALL STATES. YOU MAY CONTACT
OUR CUSTOMER SERVICE CENTER TO FIND OUT ABOUT STATE AVAILABILITY.
 
ISSUED BY:        DISTRIBUTED BY:     ADMINISTERED AT:
Golden American Life Insurance Company
                  Directed Services, Inc. Wilmington, Delaware 19801
                                      Customer Service Center
                                      Mailing Address: P.O. Box 8794
                                      Wilmington, DE 19899-8794 1-800-366-0066
    
                       PROSPECTUS DATE: FEBRUARY 20, 1997
     
<PAGE>
 
 TABLE OF CONTENTS
 
THIS PROSPECTUS DOES NOT CONSTITUTE AN OFFERING IN ANY JURISDICTION IN WHICH
SUCH OFFERING MAY NOT LAWFULLY BE MADE. NO PERSON IS AUTHORIZED TO MAKE ANY
REPRESENTATIONS IN CONNECTION WITH THIS OFFERING OTHER THAN THOSE CONTAINED IN
THIS PROSPECTUS.
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
                                                                            PAGE
<S>                                                                         <C>
    
IMPORTANT TERMS............................................................   3
SUMMARY OF THE POLICY......................................................   5
FACTS ABOUT GOLDEN AMERICAN, ACCOUNT A AND THE FIXED ACCOUNT
 Golden American...........................................................  10
 Account A.................................................................  10
 Account A Divisions.......................................................  10
 Changes Within Account A..................................................  14
 The Fixed Account.........................................................  15
FACTS ABOUT THE POLICY
 Who May be Covered by a Policy............................................  15
 Death Benefit Options.....................................................  15
 Premium Payments..........................................................  15
 Making Additional Premium Payments........................................  16
 Allocation of Premium Payments............................................  17
 Your Right to Reallocate..................................................  17
 Transfers from the Fixed Account..........................................  17
 Dollar Cost Averaging.....................................................  18
 What Happens if a Division is not Available...............................  18
 Your Investment Value.....................................................  18
 Investment Value in Each Division of Account A............................  19
 Tabular Value.............................................................  19
 Measurement of Investment Experience......................................  19
CHARGES AND DEDUCTIONS
 Deductions for Deferred Loading...........................................  20
 Deductions for Insurance Based Charges....................................  20
 Deductions for Transaction and Other Charges..............................  22
 Deductions from Divisions of Account A....................................  22
 Trust Expenses............................................................  22
YOUR POLICY'S BENEFITS
 Your Policy's Cash Surrender Value........................................  22
 Policy Loans..............................................................  23
 Taking Partial Withdrawals................................................  23
 Your Right to Cancel or Exchange Your Policy..............................  25
INSURANCE BENEFITS
 Death Benefit Proceeds....................................................  25
 Variable Insurance Amount.................................................  26
</TABLE>
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
                                                                           PAGE
<S>                                                                        <C>
 Net Single Premium Factor................................................  27
 Changes in Face Amount...................................................  27
 Guarantee Period.........................................................  27
 Changing the Death Benefit Option........................................  28
 When Your Guarantee Period Ends Before the Maturity Date.................  28
 Policy Guarantees........................................................  29
CHOOSING AN INCOME PLAN
 Payment When Named Person Dies...........................................  29
OTHER IMPORTANT INFORMATION
 Other General Policy Provisions..........................................  30
 Your Voting Privileges...................................................  32
 Sales and Other Agreements...............................................  32
 Servicing Agent..........................................................  33
 Group or Sponsored Arrangements..........................................  33
 State Regulation.........................................................  33
 Registration Statement...................................................  33
 Legal Considerations for Employers.......................................  33
 Legal Proceedings........................................................  34
 Legal Matters............................................................  34
 Experts..................................................................  34
 Reinsurance..............................................................  34
 Additional Information...................................................  34
MANAGEMENT................................................................  34
FEDERAL INCOME TAX CONSIDERATIONS
 Golden American -- Tax Status............................................  36
 Deferred Acquisition Costs...............................................  36
 Death Benefits...........................................................  36
 Survivorship Policies and Policies Issued to Individuals with Substandard
  Mortality Risks.........................................................  36
 Surrender................................................................  36
 Partial Withdrawals......................................................  37
 Loans....................................................................  37
 Change of Ownership or Assignment........................................  37
 Modified Endowment Contracts.............................................  37
 Code Section 1035 Exchanges..............................................  39
 Diversification Standards................................................  39
 Ownership Treatment......................................................  39
ILLUSTRATIONS.............................................................  40
FINANCIAL STATEMENTS......................................................  44
     
</TABLE>
 
                                       2
<PAGE>
 
 IMPORTANT TERMS
 
ACCOUNT A
Refers to Separate Account A, a separate investment account.
 
ATTAINED AGE
For each Insured, the Issue Age plus the number of full years elapsed since
the Policy Date.
 
CASH SURRENDER VALUE
The Investment Value, less any unrecovered deferred charges, plus any accrued
general account loan interest credit, less any policy charges incurred but not
yet deducted.
 
CUSTOMER SERVICE CENTER
The facility where We provide service to Policyowners. The address is shown on
the cover.
 
DEBT
Any loan plus accrued interest.
 
FACE AMOUNT
The portion of the death Benefit that will not vary with Investment perfor-
mance.
 
FREE LOOK PERIOD
The period of time within which a Policyowner may examine a Policy and return
it for a refund.
 
GUARANTEE PERIOD
The time during which We guarantee that the coverage under the Policy will re-
main in force regardless of Investment experience unless there is Debt and the
Cash Surrender Value is negative. Additional payments may increase Your Guar-
antee Period while partial withdrawals may reduce it. A change in the death
Benefit option may also result in an increase or decrease in the Guarantee Pe-
riod.
 
INSURED
A person who has become insured under the Policy.
 
INVESTMENT DATE
The date the initial premium is received and the date from which We begin mea-
suring Investment experience. It may or may not be the same as the Policy
Date.
 
INVESTMENT RESULTS
The Investment performance of the divisions of Account A and interest credited
to the Fixed Account.
 
INVESTMENT VALUE
The sum of the amounts under Your Policy invested in each division of Account
A and in the Fixed Account.
 
ISSUE AGE
An Insured's age on his or her birthday nearest the Policy Date.
 
ISSUE DATE
The date the insurance under the Policy become effective. The contestable and
suicide periods are measured from this date. Under group certificates this is
called the Coverage Date.
 
JOINT INSURED
The person named as such in the application or enrollment form.
 
LIFE INSURANCE PREMIUM PAYMENT TEST
This test, also referred to as the "seven-pay test" under Federal income tax
law, provides that cumulative premiums paid under a policy at any time during
the policy's first seven years cannot exceed certain guidelines. See Federal
Income Tax Considerations, Modified Endowment Contracts.
 
MATURITY DATE
The Policy Anniversary nearest the 100th birthday of the Insured under a sin-
gle life policy or the younger Insured under a survivorship policy. On this
date coverage under the Policy terminates and the Cash Surrender Value is pay-
able to the Policyowner.
 
NET AMOUNT AT RISK
The difference, as of the beginning of the Processing Period, between (i) the
death Benefit, and (ii) Cash Surrender Value plus Debt, both adjusted for in-
terest at an annual rate of 4%.
 
NET RATE OF RETURN
The Investment performance for a division of Account A during a Valuation Pe-
riod.
 
NET SINGLE PREMIUM FACTOR
A factor based on the age, sex and underwriting class of the Insured(s). We
use the Net Single Premium Factor to calculate the Variable Insurance Amount,
which provides an amount sufficient to insure that the Policies qualify as
life insurance under Federal income tax laws.
 
 
                                       3
<PAGE>
 
 IMPORTANT TERMS (CONTINUED)
 
OPTION I DEATH BENEFIT
The greater of the Face Amount and the Variable Insurance Amount.
 
OPTION II DEATH BENEFIT
The greater of (i) the Face Amount plus the Option II Death Benefit Adjustment
and (ii) the Variable Insurance Amount.
 
OPTION II DEATH BENEFIT ADJUSTMENT
The greater of (i) the Option II Guaranteed Death Benefit and (ii) the Invest-
ment Value plus Debt.
 
OPTION II GUARANTEED DEATH BENEFIT
The Option II Guaranteed Death Benefit is subject to a maximum of two times
the sum of each premium paid less any partial withdrawals associated with each
premium. After the Guarantee Period, the Option II Guaranteed Death Benefit is
zero.
 
POLICY ANNIVERSARY
The anniversary of the Policy Date.
 
POLICY DATE
The date used to determine Processing Dates, Policy Years and Policy Anniver-
saries. It may or may not be the same as the Issue Date. The Policy Date will
usually be the date Our Customer Service Center receives the initial premium.
 
POLICYOWNER
The person or entity who owns a Policy and is entitled to exercise all rights
under the Policy.
 
POLICY YEAR
The period between each Policy Anniversary.
 
PROCESSING DATES
 
The dates on which We deduct charges from the Investment Value. These dates
occur quarterly. The first processing date is one quarter after the Policy
Date.
 
PROCESSING PERIOD
The period between consecutive Processing Dates. The first Processing Period
begins on the Policy Date.
 
SPECIALLY DESIGNATED DIVISION
The Liquid Asset Division. We allocate distributions from a portfolio under-
lying a division of Account A in which reInvestment is not available to the
Liquid Asset Division.
 
TABULAR NET AMOUNT AT RISK
The difference, as of the beginning of the Processing Period, between (i) the
death Benefit, and (ii) the Tabular Value, adjusted for interest. The calcula-
tion does not reflect loans.
 
TABULAR VALUE
The amount We calculate to determine the length of the Guarantee Period, as
well as to limit the mortality cost deduction and Our right to cancel Your
Policy during the Guarantee Period. Under the Option II Death Benefit, the
Tabular Value will be substituted for the Option II Death Benefit Adjustment
in determining the death Benefit in the calculation designed to limit the mor-
tality cost.
 
VALUATION DATE
The day at the end of a Valuation Period when each division is Valued.
 
VALUATION PERIOD
Each business day together with any non-business days before it. A business
day is any day that the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) is open for trading, or
any day on which the SEC requires that mutual funds, unit Investment trusts or
other Investment portfolios be Valued.
 
VARIABLE INSURANCE AMOUNT
The Investment Value plus any Debt multiplied by the Net Single Premium Fac-
tor.
 
                                       4
<PAGE>
 
 SUMMARY OF THE POLICY
 
This summary is intended to provide only a brief overview of the more
significant aspects of the Policy. Further detail is provided in this
prospectus and in the Policy. The Policy, together with its attached
application or enrollment form and any endorsements and optional benefit
riders, constitutes the entire agreement between You and Us and should be
retained.
 
PURPOSES OF THE POLICIES
These are flexible premium variable life insurance policies offering a choice
of investments and an opportunity for the Investment Value, Cash Surrender
Value and death benefit to grow based on Investment Results.
 
We do not promise that the value of your Policy will increase. Depending on
the Policy's Investment Results, the Investment Value, Cash Surrender Value
and death benefit may increase or decrease on any day. You bear the investment
risk. We do guarantee to keep the Policy in force during the Guarantee Period
so long as there is no Debt. If there is Debt, the Policy will remain in force
provided that the Cash Surrender Value is zero or positive. The Policy will
lapse after the Guarantee Period if the Cash Surrender Value falls below zero.
See Insurance Benefits, When Your Guarantee Period Ends Before the Maturity
Date.
 
Life insurance is not a short-term investment. The Policyowner should evaluate
the need for insurance and the Policy's long-term investment potential before
purchasing a Policy.
 
AVAILABILITY
We can issue a single life policy for an Insured age 75 or under, or a survi-
vorship policy, if both Insureds are age 75 or under. Under survivorship poli-
cies, at least one Insured must be age 20 or older. We will take under consid-
eration applications for Insured(s) up to age 80.
 
The minimum Genesis I premium is $25,000 ($15,000 if under a 1035 exchange,
see Federal Income Tax Considerations, Code Section 1035 Exchanges). The mini-
mum planned annual premium under Genesis Flex will be no more than $5,000.
 
PLANNED PREMIUMS (GENESIS FLEX ONLY)
Premium payments can be made on a planned basis during the first 10 Policy
Years following issue of the Policy or an increase in Face Amount, subject to
the above minimum planned annual premium requirements. Subject to Our rules,
planned premiums may be available for periods other than 10 years and may be
payable on a basis other than annual.
 
UNPLANNED PREMIUMS
Additional premium payments may be made on an unplanned basis provided the In-
sured is age 80 or under. Under survivorship policies, both Insureds must be
alive and also age 80 or under. The minimum unplanned premium is $5,000 under
a Genesis I Policy and $500 under a Genesis Flex Policy. We may also require
evidence of insurability for unplanned premiums. See Facts About The Policy,
Premium Payments and Making Additional Premium Payments.
 
GROUP OR SPONSORED ARRANGEMENTS
For certain group or sponsored arrangements, We may reduce the minimum premium
requirements. See Other Important Information, Group or Sponsored Arrange-
ments. We may also reduce the charges in a Policy where the initial or total
premium payments exceed Our published rules. However, any reductions in Policy
charges will reflect difference in costs or services and will not discriminate
unfairly against any person.
 
LIFE INSURANCE PREMIUM PAYMENT TEST (GENESIS FLEX)
Genesis Flex is designed to comply with the Life Insurance Premium Payment
Test. As such, certain distributions under a policy, such as loans, receive
favorable tax treatment afforded life insurance policies under Federal tax
law.
 
MODIFIED ENDOWMENT CONTRACTS (GENESIS I)
Genesis I is generally a "modified endowment contract". As such, the amount of
certain distributions made during the Insured's lifetime, such as policy
loans, partial withdrawals or surrenders, will be includible in Your gross in-
come to the extent of any income in the Policy. A 10% penalty tax may also be
imposed on income if distributed before You attain age 59 1/2.
 
For more information on "modified endowment contracts," and the Life Insurance
Premium Payment Test, see Federal Income Tax Considerations, Modified Endow-
ment Contracts.
 
THE DEATH BENEFIT OPTIONS
All Policies are purchased with the Option I Death Benefit in effect. After
the first Policy anniversary, while the Insured(s) is living and the Policy is
in effect, You may be able to change the Death Benefit Option under the Poli-
cy. Thereafter, subject to Our
 
                                       5
<PAGE>
 
 SUMMARY OF THE POLICY (CONTINUED)
 
rules, You may change, no more frequently than once every three Policy Years,
between the two death benefit options (see below). Currently the Option II
Death Benefit is only available for Genesis I.
 
OPTION I DEATH BENEFIT
The Option I Death Benefit provides a death benefit that is the greater of (i)
the Face Amount and (ii) the Variable Insurance Amount.
 
OPTION II DEATH BENEFIT
The Option II Death Benefit provides a death benefit that is greater of (i)
the Face Amount plus the Option II Death Benefit Adjustment and (ii) the Vari-
able Insurance Amount.
 
CHANGES IN DEATH BENEFIT OPTION
We must receive written notice of any change in death benefit option in a form
satisfactory to Us. Any change in death benefit option will take effect on the
Processing Date on or next following the date We approve the change. We limit
the number of death benefit option changes You can make. See Insurance Bene-
fits, Changing the Death Benefit Option.
 
For more information on death benefit options, See Facts About the Policy,
Death Benefit Options.
 
CHANGING THE FACE AMOUNT
After the first Policy Anniversary, You may request an increase or decrease in
Face Amount. Any increase in Face Amount will be subject to evidence of insur-
ability satisfactory to Us. See Insurance Benefits, Changes in Face Amount.
 
PERIOD OF COVERAGE
Your Policy will remain in force during the Guarantee Period, regardless of
investment experience. However, if there is Debt and the Cash Surrender Value
is negative, We can terminate the Policy. After the Guarantee Period, Your
Policy will remain in force as long as there is sufficient Cash Surrender
Value to cover the charges due. See Insurance Benefits, Guarantee Period. Un-
der the Genesis I Policy, We may limit the Guarantee Period to a specified
number of years under group or sponsored arrangements. See Other Important In-
formation, Group or Sponsored Arrangements.
 
HOW THE DEATH BENEFIT VARIES
The death benefit may increase or decrease on any day depending on Your
Policy's Investment Results but will never be less than the Face Amount. See
Insurance Benefits, Death Benefit Proceeds.
 
THE DIVISIONS
    
There are nineteen divisions in Account A offered under this prospectus. You
may invest Your Investment Value in up to nineteen of these divisions at any
time, subject to any restrictions. You may also change Your Investment Value
allocation. The divisions of Account A invest in shares of the Series of the
GCG Trust and ESS Trust, at their net asset value. Each Series has a different
investment objective. See Facts About Golden American Account A Divisions.
     
 
THE FIXED ACCOUNT
In addition to the divisions of Account A described above, you may also allo-
cate Your Investment Value to the Fixed Account. Premium payments may be allo-
cated to the Fixed Account to the extent elected by you at the time of the
initial premium payment or as subsequently elected. We will periodically de-
termine and credit a rate of interest (the "Guaranteed Interest Rate") for at
least a one year period from the date of the allocation to the Fixed Account.
This rate will be no less than 4% annually and will expire on the last day of
the calendar month one year after the allocation to the Fixed Account was made
(the "Expiry Date"). The Fixed Account may not be available in Your state. See
Facts About Golden American, Account A and The Fixed Account.
 
HOW THE INVESTMENT VALUE VARIES
Your Policy's Investment Value varies each day based on its Investment Re-
sults. You bear the risk of poor Investment performance and You receive the
Benefits from favorable Investment performance. See Facts About the Policy,
Your Investment Value.
 
CASH SURRENDER VALUE
You may surrender the policy and receive its cash surrender Value at any time.
See Your Policy's Benefits, Your Policy's Cash Surrender Value.
 
PREMIUM PAYMENT ALLOCATION
We allocate Your initial premium to the Liquid Asset Division prior to the end
of the Free Look Period. After the Free Look Period, We allocate Your Invest-
ment Value to the divisions of Account A you specify. However, if we receive
written instructions with your initial premium to allocate all or a portion of
such premium to the Fixed Account, we will do so even prior to the end of the
Free Look Period. See Facts About the Policy, Allocation of Premium Payments.
 
 
                                       6
<PAGE>
 
 SUMMARY OF THE POLICY (CONTINUED)
 
CHARGES DEDUCTED FROM YOUR INVESTMENT VALUE
We periodically deduct charges from Your Investment Value. We deduct any de-
ferred or incurred charges upon surrender. See Charges and Deductions. We also
accelerate recovery of any deferred loading for excess partial withdrawals.
See Your Policy's Benefits, Taking Partial Withdrawals. We may reduce certain
charges under group or sponsored arrangements. See Other Important Informa-
tion, Group or Sponsored Arrangements. We may also reduce certain charges for
Policies purchased in combination with certain annuity products that We offer.
The charges We deduct are:
 
DEFERRED LOADING
Recovery of Deferred Loading. We deduct a sales load equal to 6.0% of each
premium. This sales load is deducted in equal installments over a six-year pe-
riod (a deduction of 1.0% of premium per year).
 
INSURANCE BASED CHARGES
 
TAXES
Premium Taxes. Your premium incurs a charge for premium or other state and lo-
cal taxes when it is received. For Genesis I Policies We deduct a premium tax
charge equal to 2.40% of premium. This premium tax charge is designed to ap-
proximate the average premium tax that We expect to pay. Currently, the pre-
mium tax charge is deferred and will be deducted in equal annual installments
over a six year period (a deduction of 0.40% per year). For Genesis Flex Poli-
cies, the amounts We deduct depend on the Insured's state of residence. These
charges are expressed as a percentage of premium and can range from 2.0% to
4.0%. See Deductions for Insurance Based Charges, Taxes, Premium Taxes.
 
Corporate Tax Charge. We reserve the right to deduct a corporate tax charge
equal to 1.38% of each premium payment. When assessed, the charge will be de-
ducted in equal installments over a six year period from the date we receive
and accept each premium payment.
 
ISSUE CHARGES
Per Policy Charge. We charge $200 for Policies written on a single life basis
and $300 for Policies written on a survivorship basis. This charge is cur-
rently waived for the Genesis I Policy.
 
Deferred Face Amount Charge. We charge an amount per $1,000 of initial Face
Amount and any increases in Face Amount deducted in equal installments over a
six year period following receipt of the initial premium or increase in face
amount. This charge will vary based on the age and sex of the Insured (the
younger Insured for survivorship policies) and the Policy chosen and will
never exceed a maximum of $12 per $1,000 of Face Amount. A portion of this
charge will be considered to be an additional sales load.
 
MORTALITY CHARGES
Mortality Cost. We deduct an amount per $1,000 of Net Amount at Risk. The
amount is based on each Insured's sex, Attained Age and underwriting class.
 
Minimum Death Benefit Guarantee Charge. We deduct an amount per $1,000 of Tab-
ular Net Amount at Risk. The amount is based on the Attained Age of the In-
sured (the younger Insured for survivorship policies). The charge will never
exceed $0.15 per $1,000 of Face Amount per quarter.
 
TRANSACTION AND OTHER CHARGES
 
ANNUAL ADMINISTRATIVE CHARGE
 Currently We impose an annual administrative charge of $40. We guarantee the
 charge will never exceed $80 per Policy Year. If total premiums paid equal
 $100,000 or more, or if the Investment Value is at least $100,000 at the time
 the charge is due, the charge will be zero.
 
LOAN INTEREST CHARGE
 On each Policy Anniversary, We calculate the loan interest charge and deduct
 it from the Investment Value. This charge is 5.0% annually (accrued daily) of
 the outstanding loans.
 
EXCESS ALLOCATION CHARGE
 We currently allow unlimited allocation changes without charge but reserve
 the right to charge $25 for each allocation change in excess of twelve in a
 Policy Year. We also reserve the right to limit allocation changes.
 
PARTIAL WITHDRAWAL CHARGE
 If You take more than four partial withdrawals per Policy Year, We currently
 do not intend but reserve the right to impose a charge of the lesser of $25
 and 2.0% of the amount withdrawn for each additional partial withdrawal.
 
DEDUCTIONS FROM DIVISIONS OF ACCOUNT A
 
ASSET BASED CHARGES
 
MORTALITY AND EXPENSE RISK CHARGE
We deduct from each division of Account A, a daily asset based charge equiva-
lent to an annual rate of 0.90%.
 
 
                                       7
<PAGE>
 
 SUMMARY OF THE POLICY (CONTINUED)
 
ASSET BASED ADMINISTRATIVE CHARGE
We deduct from each division of Account A, a daily asset based charge equiva-
lent to an annual rate of 0.10%.
 
TRUST EXPENSES
There are fees and expenses deducted from each Series. See Facts About Golden
American, Account A Divisions. The Investment performance of the Series and
expenses and deductions of certain charges from the GCG Trust and ESS Trust
will affect Your Investment Value. Please read the Trust prospectuses for de-
tails.
 
LOANS
After the Free Look Period, You may borrow up to 90% of the sum of the Cash
Surrender Value plus Debt. Any existing Debt will be deducted from a new loan.
The interest rate We charge is 5.0% annually. We credit interest on the amount
held in Our general account as collateral for policy loans. Portions of the
collateral amount may earn interest at different rates, but in no event will
any portion earn less than 4.0% annually. We may offer a preferred loan fea-
ture. See Your Policy's Benefits, Policy Loans. Loans under "modified endow-
ment contracts" may be subject to a 10% penalty tax. See Federal Income Tax
Considerations, Modified Endowment Contracts, Penalty Tax.
 
Depending upon the Investment Results and the amounts borrowed, loans may
cause a Policy to lapse. If the Policy lapses with a loan outstanding, certain
amounts may be included in Your taxable income.
 
PARTIAL WITHDRAWALS
After the Free Look Period, You may take partial withdrawals from the Invest-
ment Value. Partial withdrawals may be taken four times per Policy Year with-
out charge. Partial withdrawals are subject to certain restrictions and par-
tial withdrawals above a maximum amount may be subject to an accelerated re-
covery of the deferred loading. Under Policies purchased in connection with a
1035 Exchange, partial withdrawals may not be permitted during the first seven
Policy Years. See Your Policy's Benefits, Taking Partial Withdrawals.
 
DOLLAR COST AVERAGING
Under this program, You may choose to have a specified dollar amount trans-
ferred from the Fixed Account, the Limited Maturity Bond Division or the Liq-
uid Asset Division to the other divisions of Account A on a monthly basis. The
objective of dollar cost averaging is to shield Your Investment from short-
term price fluctuations. See Facts About the Policy, Dollar Cost Averaging.
 
HOW BENEFITS ARE TAXED
Under current tax law, life insurance policies receive certain tax Benefits.
Generally, the Death Benefit is fully excludable from the beneficiary's gross
income for Federal income tax purposes according to Section 101(a)(1) of the
Internal Revenue Code. You will not be taxed on any increase in Cash Surrender
Value while the Policy remains in force unless You take a partial withdrawal
or a loan as discussed below.
 
If You surrender Your Policy for its Cash Surrender Value or take a partial
withdrawal, You may recognize ordinary income that would be subject to tax.
You may also recognize ordinary income that would be subject to tax upon a
loan received under the Policy and, depending upon the circumstances, You may
be subject to an additional 10% tax upon surrender of the Policy, a partial
withdrawal, or taking a policy loan. See Federal Income Tax Considerations.
 
CANCELLATION AND EXCHANGE RIGHT
If You return Your Policy during the Free Look Period, We will refund any pre-
miums paid without interest. Generally under a Genesis I Policy, this period
ends 10 days from the date You receive the Policy. For purposes of administer-
ing Our allocation rules, We deem this period to end 15 days after a Policy is
mailed from Our Customer Service Center. Some states may require that We pro-
vide a longer Free Look Period.
 
Under a Genesis Flex Policy, the Free Look Period generally ends on the latest
of (i) 10 days after You receive Your Policy, (ii) 45 days from the date You
complete part I of the application or enrollment form, or (iii) 10 days from
the mailing of the notice of cancellation right. See Your Policy's Benefits,
Your Right to Cancel or Exchange Your Policy.
 
You also have an Option during the first 24 months to convert Your Policy so
that Your Benefits do not vary based on the Net Rate of Return. You may also
convert Your Policy if there is a change of the Investment adviser of any
portfolio or if there is a material change in the Investment objectives of or
restrictions in any portfolio in which the divisions invest. In each case this
conversion is accomplished by transferring Your entire Investment Value to Our
general account. See Your Policy's Benefits, Your Right to Cancel or Exchange
Your Policy.
 
 
                                       8
<PAGE>
 
 SUMMARY OF THE POLICY (CONTINUED)
 
REPLACEMENT OF EXISTING COVERAGE
Before purchasing a Policy, the Policyowner should ask his or her registered
representative if changing, or adding to, current insurance coverage would be
advantageous. Generally, it is not advisable to purchase another policy as a
replacement for existing coverage. This is especially true if the primary de-
cision for replacement is based on a comparison of policy illustrations.
 
ILLUSTRATIONS
Illustrations in this prospectus or used in connection with the purchase of
the Policy are based on hypothetical Investment rates of return. These rates
are not guaranteed. They are illustrative only and should not be deemed a rep-
resentation of past or future performance. Actual rates of return may be more
or less than those reflected in the illustrations and, therefore, actual Val-
ues will be different than those illustrated.
 
                                       9
<PAGE>
 
 FACTS ABOUT GOLDEN AMERICAN, ACCOUNT A AND THE FIXED ACCOUNT.
 
GOLDEN AMERICAN
Golden American Life Insurance Company ("Golden American" or the "Company") is
a stock life insurance company organized under the laws of the State of Dela-
ware and is a wholly owned subsidiary of Equitable of Iowa Companies ("Equita-
ble of Iowa"). Prior to December 30, 1993, Golden American was a Minnesota
corporation. Prior to August 13, 1996, Golden American was a wholly owned in-
direct subsidiary of Bankers Trust Company. On August 13, 1996, Equitable of
Iowa acquired all of the interest in BT Variable, Inc., the corporate parent
of Golden American and Directed Services, Inc., and changed the name of BT
Variable, Inc. to EIC Variable, Inc. ("EIC Variable"). We are authorized to do
business in the District of Columbia and all states except New York. We offer
variable annuities and variable life insurance. Administrative services for
the Policies are provided at our Customer Service Center, the address is shown
on the cover. As of December 31, 1995 Golden American had stockholder's equity
of approximately $98.1 million and total assets of approximately $1.2 billion,
including approximately $1.05 billion of separate account assets.
 
    
Equitable of Iowa is the holding company for Equitable Life Insurance Company
of Iowa, USG Annuity & Life Company, Locust Street Securities, Inc., Equitable
Investment Services, Inc. ("EISI"), Equitable of Iowa Securities Network,
Inc., EIC Variable, Inc., Directed Services, Inc. ("DSI") and Golden American.
As of September 30, 1996, Equitable of Iowa had over $11.9 billion in assets.
     
 
ACCOUNT A
All obligations under a Policy are general obligations of Golden American. Ac-
count A is a separate Investment account used to support Our variable life
policies and for other purposes permitted by applicable laws and regulations.
We may offer other variable life insurance policies investing in Account A
which are not described in this prospectus. The assets of Account A are kept
separate from Our general account and any other separate accounts We may have.
 
We own all the assets in Account A. Income and realized and unrealized gains
and losses from assets in Account A are credited to or charged against Account
A without regard to other income, gains or losses on Our other Investment ac-
counts. As required, the assets in Account A are at least equal to the re-
serves and other liabilities of Account A. These assets may not be charged
with liabilities from any other business We conduct. However, if the assets
exceed the required reserves and other liabilities, We may transfer the excess
to Our general account.
 
Account A was established pursuant to Minnesota law on July 14, 1988 and fol-
lowing the redomestication of Golden American, operates under Delaware law.
Account A may invest in mutual funds, unit investment trusts and other invest-
ment portfolios which We determine to be suitable for the Policies' purposes.
Account A is treated as a unit investment trust under Federal securities laws.
It is registered as an investment company with the Securities and Exchange
Commission (the "SEC") under the Investment Company Act of 1940 (the "1940
Act"). It is also governed by the laws of Delaware and other states in which
We do business. Registration with the SEC does not involve any supervision by
the SEC of the management or investment policies or practices of Account A.
 
ACCOUNT A DIVISIONS
Currently, each division of Account A invests in a Series of the GCG Trust or
the ESS Trust. DSI serves as the Manager to each Series of the GCG Trust, and
EISI serves as the Manager to each Series of the ESS Trust. The Trusts, DSI
and EISI have retained several portfolio managers to manage the assets of each
Series. The investment objectives of the various Series are described below.
There may be restrictions on the amounts that can be allocated to certain di-
visions based on state laws and regulations. There is no guarantee that any
Series will meet its investment objective. Success in meeting the investment
objective of a Series depends on various factors, particularly how well the
portfolio manager anticipates changing economic and market conditions.
 
DSI and EISI (together, the "Managers") provide the overall business manage-
ment and administrative services necessary for the Series' operation and pro-
vide or procure the services and information necessary to the proper conduct
of the business of the Series. See the Trusts' Prospectuses for details.
 
DSI is responsible for providing or procuring, at DSI's expense, the services
reasonably necessary for the ordinary operation of the Series of the GCG
Trust. DSI does not bear the expense of brokerage fees and other transactional
expenses for securities or other assets (which are generally considered part
of the cost for assets), taxes (if any) paid by a Series of the GCG Trust, in-
terest on borrowing, fees and expenses of the independent trustees, and ex-
traordinary expenses, such as litigation or indemnification expenses. See the
GCG Trust prospectus for details.
 
                                      10
<PAGE>
 
 FACTS ABOUT GOLDEN AMERICAN, ACCOUNT A AND THE FIXED ACCOUNT. (CONTINUED)
 
 
Each Trust pays its respective Manager for its services a monthly fee based on
the following percentages of the average daily nets assets of the Series. DSI
and EISI (and not the Trusts) pay each portfolio manager a monthly fee for
managing the assets of the Series.
THE GCG TRUST
- -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
SERIES                    FEES (based on combined assets of the indicated groups of Series)
- ------------------------  -----------------------------------------------------------------
<S>                       <C>
    
Multiple Allocation,
Fully Managed,            1.00% of first $750 million;
Capital Appreciation,
Rising Dividends,         0.95% of next $1.250 billion;
All-Growth, Real Estate,
Hard Assets,              0.90% of next $1.5 billion; and
Strategic Equity, Small   0.85% of amount in excess of $3.5 billion
Cap, and Value Equity
Series:
Emerging Markets Series:  1.50% of average daily net assets
Managed Global:           1.25% of first $500 million;
                          1.05% of amount in excess of $500 million
Limited Maturity Bond
and                       0.60% of first $200 million;
Liquid Asset Series:      0.55% of next $300 million; and
                          0.50% of amount in excess of $500 million
     
 
- -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
THE ESS TRUST
- -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
<CAPTION>
SERIES                    FEES
- ------------------------  -----------------------------------------------------------------
<S>                       <C>
    
OTC, Research, and Total
Return Portfolios:        0.80% of first $300 million;
                          0.55% of amount in excess of $300 million
Growth & Income and
Value + Growth
Portfolios:               0.95% of first $200 million;
                          0.75% of amount in excess of $200 million
     
</TABLE>
 
- -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The following divisions invest in shares of the corresponding Series of the
GCG Trust.
 
MULTIPLE ALLOCATION DIVISION
 
MULTIPLE ALLOCATION SERIES
OBJECTIVE
 The highest total return, consisting of capital appreciation and current in-
 come, consistent with the preservation of capital and elimination of unneces-
 sary risk.
INVESTMENTS
 Investment in equity and debt securities and the use of certain sophisticated
 investment strategies and techniques.
PORTFOLIO MANAGER
 Zweig Advisors Inc.
 
FULLY MANAGED DIVISION
 
FULLY MANAGED SERIES
OBJECTIVE
 High total investment return over the long term, consistent with the preser-
 vation of capital and prudent investment risk.
INVESTMENTS
 Invests primarily in common stocks. The Series also may invest in fixed in-
 come securities and money market instruments to preserve its principal value
 during uncertain or declining market conditions. The Series' strategy is
 based on the premise that, from time to time, certain asset classes are more
 attractive long-term investments than others.
PORTFOLIO MANAGER
 T. Rowe Price Associates, Inc.
 
CAPITAL APPRECIATION DIVISION
 
CAPITAL APPRECIATION SERIES
OBJECTIVE
 Long-term capital growth.
INVESTMENTS
 Invests in common stocks and preferred stock that will be allocated among
 various categories of stocks referred to as "components" which consist of the
 following: (i) The Growth Component -- Securities that the Portfolio Manager
 believes have the following characteristics: stability and quality of earn-
 ings and positive earnings momentum;
 
                                      11
<PAGE>
 
 FACTS ABOUT GOLDEN AMERICAN, ACCOUNT A AND THE FIXED ACCOUNT. (CONTINUED)
 
 dominant competitive positions; and demonstrate above-average growth rates as
 compared to published S&P 500 earnings projections; and (ii) The Value Compo-
 nent -- Securities that the portfolio manager regards as fundamentally under-
 valued, i.e., securities selling at a discount to asset value and securities
 with a relatively low price/earnings ratio. The securities eligible for this
 component may include real estate stocks, such as securities of publicly-
 owned companies that, in the portfolio manager's judgement, offer an optimum
 combination of current dividend yield, expected dividend growth, and discount
 to current real estate value.
PORTFOLIO MANAGER
    
 Chancellor LGT Asset Management, Inc.
     
 
RISING DIVIDENDS DIVISION
 
RISING DIVIDENDS SERIES
OBJECTIVE
 Capital appreciation, with dividend income as a secondary Objective.
INVESTMENT
 Investment in equity securities of high quality companies that meet the fol-
 lowing four criteria: consistent dividend increases; substantial dividend in-
 creases; reinvested profits; and an under-leveraged balance sheet.
PORTFOLIO MANAGER
    
 Kayne, Anderson Investment Management, L.P.
     
 
ALL-GROWTH DIVISION
 
ALL-GROWTH SERIES
OBJECTIVE
 Capital appreciation.
INVESTMENTS
 Investment in securities selected for their long-term growth prospects.
PORTFOLIO MANAGER
    
 Pilgrim Baxter & Associates, Ltd.
     
 
REAL ESTATE DIVISION
 
REAL ESTATE SERIES
OBJECTIVE
 Capital appreciation, with current income as a secondary Objective.
INVESTMENTS
 Investment in publicly traded equity securities of companies in the real es-
 tate industry listed on national exchanges or on the National Association of
 Securities Dealers Automated Quotation System.
PORTFOLIO MANAGER
 E.I.I. Realty Securities, Inc.
 
   
HARD ASSETS DIVISION
     (FORMERLY NATURAL RESOURCES) 
HARD ASSETS SERIES
OBJECTIVE
 Long-term capital appreciation.
INVESTMENTS
 Investment in equity and debt securities of companies engaged in the explora-
 tion, development, production, management and distribution of hard assets.
    
PORTFOLIO MANAGER
 Van Eck Associates Corporation
 
VALUE EQUITY DIVISION
 
VALUE EQUITY SERIES
OBJECTIVE
 Capital appreciation, with dividend income as a secondary objective.
INVESTMENTS
 Investment primarily in equity securities of U.S. and foreign issuers which
 when purchased meet quantitative standards that indicate above average finan-
 cial soundness and high intrinsic value relative to price.
PORTFOLIO MANAGER
 Eagle Asset Management, Inc.
 
STRATEGIC EQUITY DIVISION
 
STRATEGIC EQUITY SERIES
OBJECTIVE
 Long-term capital appreciation.
INVESTMENTS
 Investment primarily in equity securities based on various market timing
 techniques. The amount of the Series' assets allocated to equities shall vary
 from time to time to seek positive investment performance from advancing eq-
 uity markets and to reduce exposure to equities when risk/reward characteris-
 tics are believed to be less attractive.
PORTFOLIO MANAGER
 Zweig Advisors Inc.
 
SMALL CAP DIVISION
 
SMALL CAP SERIES
OBJECTIVE
 Long-term capital appreciation.
INVESTMENTS
 Investment primarily in equity securities of companies that, at the time of
 purchase, have a total market capitalization -- present market value per
 share multiplied by the total number of shares outstanding -- within the
 range of companies included in the Russell 2000 Growth Index.
 
                                      12
<PAGE>
 
 FACTS ABOUT GOLDEN AMERICAN, ACCOUNT A AND THE FIXED ACCOUNT. (CONTINUED)
 
PORTFOLIO MANAGER
 Fred Alger Management, Inc.
 
EMERGING MARKETS DIVISION
 
EMERGING MARKETS SERIES
OBJECTIVE
 Long-term growth of capital.
INVESTMENTS
 Investment primarily in equity securities of companies that are considered to
 be in emerging market countries in the Pacific Basin and Latin America. In-
 come is not an objective, and any production of current income is considered
 incidental to the objective of growth of capital.
PORTFOLIO MANAGER
 Bankers Trust Company
 
LIMITED MATURITY BOND DIVISION
 
LIMITED MATURITY BOND SERIES
OBJECTIVE
 Highest current income consistent with low risk to principal and liquidity.
 Also seeks to enhance its total return through capital appreciation when mar-
 ket factors indicate that capital appreciation may be available without sig-
 nificant risk to principal.
INVESTMENTS
 Investment primarily in a diversified portfolio of limited maturity debt se-
 curities. No individual security will at the time of purchase have a remain-
 ing maturity longer than five and one-half years and the dollar-weighted av-
 erage maturity of the Series will not exceed five years.
PORTFOLIO MANAGER
 Equitable Investment Services, Inc.
 
LIQUID ASSET DIVISION
 
LIQUID ASSET SERIES
OBJECTIVE
 High level of current income consistent with the preservation of capital and
 liquidity.
INVESTMENTS
 Obligations of the U.S. Government and its agencies and instrumentalities;
 bank obligations; commercial paper and short-term corporate debt securities.
TERM
 All issues maturing in less than one year.
PORTFOLIO MANAGER
 Equitable Investment Services, Inc.
 
MANAGED GLOBAL DIVISION
 
MANAGED GLOBAL SERIES
OBJECTIVE
 High total investment return, consistent with a prudent regard for capital
 preservation.
INVESTMENTS
 Investment in a wide range of equity and debt securities and money market in-
 struments of both domestic and foreign issuers.
PORTFOLIO MANAGER
 Warburg, Pincus Counsellors, Inc.
 
The following divisions invest in shares of the corresponding Series of the
ESS Trust.
 
OTC DIVISION
 
OTC PORTFOLIO
OBJECTIVE
 Long-term growth of capital.
INVESTMENTS
 Investment primarily in securities of companies that are traded principally
 on the over-the-counter (OTC) market.
PORTFOLIO MANAGER
 Massachusetts Financial Services Company.
 
    
RESEARCH DIVISION
 
RESEARCH PORTFOLIO
OBJECTIVE
 Long term growth of capital and future income.
INVESTMENTS
 Investment primarily in common stocks or securities convertible into common
 stocks of companies believed to possess better than average prospects for
 long-term growth.
PORTFOLIO MANAGER
 Massachusetts Financial Services Company
 
TOTAL RETURN DIVISION
 
TOTAL RETURN PORTFOLIO
OBJECTIVE
 Above-average income consistent with prudent employment of capital.
INVESTMENTS
 Investment primarily in equity securities.
PORTFOLIO MANAGER
 Massachusetts Financial Services Company
     

GROWTH & INCOME DIVISION
 
GROWTH & INCOME PORTFOLIO
OBJECTIVE
 Long-term total return.
 
                                      13
<PAGE>
 
 FACTS ABOUT GOLDEN AMERICAN, ACCOUNT A AND THE FIXED ACCOUNT. (CONTINUED)
 
INVESTMENTS
 Investment primarily in equity and debt securities, focusing on small- and
 mid-cap companies that offer potential appreciation, current income, or both.
PORTFOLIO MANAGER
 Robertson, Stephens & Company Investment Management, L.P.
 
    
VALUE + GROWTH DIVISION
 
VALUE + GROWTH PORTFOLIO
OBJECTIVE
 Capital appreciation.
INVESTMENTS
 Investment primarily in mid-cap growth companies with favorable relationships
 between price/earnings ratios and growth rates. Mid-cap companies are those
 with market capitalizations ranging from $750 million to approximately $2
 billion.
PORTFOLIO MANAGER
 Robertson, Stephens & Company Investment Management, L.P.
     
 
THE GCG TRUST AND THE ESS TRUST
The GCG Trust is an open-end management investment company, commonly known as
a mutual fund. The GCG Trust's shares may also be available to certain vari-
able annuity contractowners for investment under such contracts offered by
Golden American. This is called "mixed funding."
 
The GCG Trust may also sell its shares to separate accounts of other insurance
companies, both affiliated and not affiliated with Golden American. This is
called "shared funding." Although We do not anticipate any inherent difficul-
ties arising from either mixed or shared funding it is theoretically possible
that, due to differences in tax treatment or other considerations, the inter-
est of owners of various contracts participating in the GCG Trust might at
sometime be in conflict. After the GCG Trust receives the requisite order from
the SEC, shares of the GCG Trust may also be sold to certain qualified pension
and retirement plans. The Board of Trustees of the GCG Trust, the GCG Trust's
Manager and We and any other insurance companies participating in the GCG
Trust are required to monitor events to identify any material conflicts that
arise from the use of the GCG Trust for mixed and/or shared funding or between
various policyowners and pension and retirement plans. For more information
about the risks of mixed and shared funding please refer to the GCG Trust pro-
spectus.
 
The ESS Trust is also an open-end management investment company. Currently,
the ESS Trust's shares are not available to separate accounts of other insur-
ance companies except affiliated insurance companies such as Golden American.
It is anticipated that in the future the ESS Trust will become available to
separate accounts of unaffiliated companies.
 
You will find further information about both the GCG Trust and the ESS Trust,
including the investment risks associated with each Series and a complete de-
scription of each Trust's costs and expenses, in the accompanying Trust pro-
spectuses. You should read them in conjunction with this prospectus. Addi-
tional copies of the Trust prospectuses may be obtained by contacting Our Cus-
tomer Service Center.
 
CHANGES WITHIN ACCOUNT A
We may from time to time make additional divisions available to You. These di-
visions will invest in investment portfolios We find suitable for the Poli-
cies. We also have the right to eliminate investment divisions from Account A,
to combine two or more divisions, or to substitute a new portfolio for the
portfolio in which a division invests. A substitution may become necessary if,
in Our judgment, a portfolio no longer suits the purposes of the Policies.
This may happen due to a change in laws or regulations, or a change in a port-
folio's investment objectives or restrictions, or because the portfolio is no
longer available for investment, or for some other reason. We would get any
required approval from the insurance department of Our state of domicile be-
fore making such a substitution. Where applicable, this approval process is on
file with the insurance department of the jurisdiction in which the Policy is
delivered. We would also get any required approval from the SEC and any other
required approvals before making such a substitution.
 
We reserve the right to transfer assets of Account A, which We determine to be
associated with the class of Policies to which Your Policy belongs, to another
account. We will notify You as soon as practicable of any proposed changes.
 
When permitted by law, We reserve the right to:
 
(1) deregister Account A under the 1940 Act;
 
(2) operate Account A as a management company under the 1940 Act;
 
(3) restrict or eliminate any voting rights as to Account A; and
 
(4) combine Account A with other accounts.
 
 
                                      14
<PAGE>
 
 FACTS ABOUT GOLDEN AMERICAN, ACCOUNT A AND THE FIXED ACCOUNT. (CONTINUED)
 
THE FIXED ACCOUNT
The Fixed Account is part of the Golden American general account. Interests in
the Fixed Account have not been registered under the Securities Act of 1933
("1933 Act"), and neither the Fixed Account nor the general account has been
registered under the 1940 Act. Thus, neither the Fixed Account nor the general
account, nor any interest therein, is subject to regulation under the provi-
sions of the 1933 Act or the 1940 Act. Accordingly, the Securities and Ex-
change Commission has not passed on the disclosure in this prospectus relating
to the Fixed Account. Disclosures contained herein with respect to the Fixed
Account and the general account, however, may be subject to certain generally
applicable provisions of the Federal securities laws relating to the accuracy
and completeness of information. The Fixed Account may not be available in all
states.
 
The general account contains all of the assets of Golden American other than
those in certain separate accounts we establish (including Account A). Golden
American has sole discretion to invest the assets of the general account, sub-
ject to applicable law. Allocation of any amounts to the Fixed Account does
not entitle You to share directly in the performance of those assets. Assets
supporting amounts allocated to the Fixed Account are available to fund the
claims of all classes of our customers, owners, and other creditors.
 
 FACTS ABOUT THE POLICY
 
WHO MAY BE COVERED BY A POLICY
We can issue a single life policy for Insureds age 75 or under, or a survivor-
ship policy if both Insureds are age 75 or under. Under survivorship, at least
one Insured must be age 20 or older. We will take under consideration applica-
tions for Insured(s) up to age 80. We use the Insured's age on the Insured's
birthday nearest the Policy Date. The Insureds must also meet Our underwriting
requirements for acceptance of both initial and unplanned premium payments.
Each Insured will be assigned to an underwriting class according to the method
of underwriting We use, the smoking status of the Insured(s) and the classifi-
cation of the mortality risk of the Insured(s). The classification can be
standard, preferred or special.
 
We use two methods of underwriting:
 
(1) non-medical underwriting, based mainly on Your answers in the application
    or enrollment form; and
 
(2) medical underwriting, based on additional medical information which may
    include a physical examination.
 
The underwriting classes combined with the age, sex, and smoking status of the
Insured(s) determine the mortality rates We will use in calculating mortality
cost deductions, Net Single Premium Factors and Guarantee Periods.
 
APPLYING FOR A POLICY
 To purchase a Policy You must complete an application or enrollment form and
 pay an initial premium.
 
DEATH BENEFIT OPTIONS
All Policies are purchased with the Option I Death Benefit. After the first
Policy Anniversary, You may change the death benefit option under Your Policy
and thereafter, You may change back and forth between the two, subject to our
rules at the time You request the change but no more frequently than once ev-
ery three Policy Years. See Insurance Benefits, Changing the Death Benefit Op-
tion. A table of illustrative premiums for a specified face amount is shown
below. This table shows actual premiums that will be paid for $250,000 of cov-
erage at each issue age for males and females. We may accept lower premium
payments in the case of Genesis I.
 
The Option I Death Benefit provides a death benefit that is the greater of (i)
the Face Amount and (ii) the Variable Insurance Amount. The Option II Death
Benefit provides a death benefit that is the greater of (i) the Face Amount
plus the Option II Death Benefit Adjustment, and (ii) the Variable Insurance
Amount. See Insurance Benefits, Death Benefit Proceeds.
 
PREMIUM PAYMENTS
You purchase an initial death benefit, which is the Face Amount under the Op-
tion I Death Benefit with an initial premium payment. The minimum initial Gen-
esis I premium is $25,000 ($15,000 if under a 1035 exchange, see Federal In-
come Tax Considerations, Code Section 1035 Exchanges). The minimum planned an-
nual premium under Genesis Flex will never be more than $5,000.
 
We may refuse a premium payment if such payment would cause the Net Amount at
Risk under the Policy to exceed $2,500,000.
 
For certain group or sponsored arrangements, We may reduce the minimum premium
requirements. We may offer planned premium payment periods of durations other
than 10 years. Such durations
 
                                      15
<PAGE>
 
 FACTS ABOUT THE POLICY (CONTINUED)
 
would cause the illustrative premiums for a specified face amount as shown be-
low to change. We may also reduce the charges in a Policy where the initial or
total premium payments exceed amounts We specify in our published rules. How-
ever, any reductions will reflect differences in costs or services and will
not discriminate unfairly against any person.
 
                                   GENESIS I
         TABLE OF ILLUSTRATIVE PREMIUMS WITH A FACE AMOUNT OF $250,000
                            SINGLE LIFE, NON-SMOKER
 
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
                PREMIUM
   ISSUE   -----------------
    AGE      MALE    FEMALE
   -----   -------- --------
   <S>     <C>      <C>
    50     $ 95,484 $ 84,669
    60      128,696  114,574
    70      165,233  151,151
</TABLE>
 
                           SURVIVORSHIP, NON-SMOKERS
 
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
    ISSUE AGE
   -----------
   MALE FEMALE   PREMIUM
   ---- ------   -------
   <C>  <C>    <S>
   55     45   $ 63,990
   60     55     86,763
   70     65    120,989
</TABLE>
 
                                 GENESIS FLEX
     TABLE OF ILLUSTRATIVE PLANNED PREMIUMS WITH A FACE AMOUNT OF $250,000
                            SINGLE LIFE, NON-SMOKER
 
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
               PREMIUM
   ISSUE   ---------------
    AGE     MALE   FEMALE
   -----   ------- -------
   <S>     <C>     <C>
    50     $11,623 $10,255
    60      16,354  14,212
    70      23,632  20,170
</TABLE>
 
                           SURVIVORSHIP, NON-SMOKERS
 
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
    ISSUE AGE
   -----------
   MALE FEMALE  PREMIUM
   ---- ------  -------
   <C>  <C>    <S>
   55     45   $ 7,594
   60     55    10,319
   70     65    14,615
</TABLE>
 
LIFE INSURANCE PREMIUM PAYMENT TEST (GENESIS FLEX)
 Genesis Flex is designed to comply with the Life Insurance Premium Payment
 Test. As such, certain distributions under a policy, such as loans, should
 receive favorable tax treatment afforded life insurance policies under Fed-
 eral tax law.
 
MODIFIED ENDOWMENT CONTRACTS (GENESIS I)
 Genesis I is generally a "modified endowment contract." As such, the amount
 of certain distributions made during the Insured's lifetime, such as policy
 loans, partial withdrawals or surrenders, will be includible in Your gross
 income to the extent of any income in the Policy ("income-first basis"), and
 a 10% penalty tax may be imposed on such income distributed before You attain
 age 59 1/2.
 
 For more information on "modified endowment contracts," and the Life Insur-
 ance Premium Payment Test, see Federal Income Tax Considerations, Modified
 Endowment Contracts.
 
MAKING ADDITIONAL PREMIUM PAYMENTS
 
PLANNED PREMIUMS (GENESIS FLEX ONLY)
 Premium payments can be made on a planned basis during the first ten Policy
 Years following issue of the Policy or increase in Face Amount subject to Our
 minimum premium requirements. Subject to Our rules, We may offer planned pre-
 mium payment periods of other than 10 years. We will send reminder notices
 for planned premiums that are not paid as part of an automatic withdrawal
 program. Any change in the amount, period and frequency of planned premiums
 will be subject to Our rules at the time of the request. Any premium received
 more than 30 days after a planned premium payment date will be treated as an
 unplanned premium. In addition, any premium received above the planned pre-
 mium will also be treated as an unplanned premium.
 
UNPLANNED PREMIUMS
 Unplanned premiums can be made while coverage is in effect provided the In-
 sured is age 80 or under. Under survivorship policies, both Insureds must be
 alive and also age 80 or under. Subject to Our rules, the minimum unplanned
 premium is $5,000 under a Genesis I Policy and $500 under a Genesis Flex Pol-
 icy. Evidence of insurability based on Our underwriting rules may be required
 if the unplanned premium would cause the death benefit to increase. Unless
 otherwise specified, if there is any Debt, any unplanned premium will be used
 as a loan repayment with any excess applied as an additional premium payment.
 
GENERAL
 On the date We receive and accept Your additional premium payment:
 
 (1) The Variable Insurance Amount will increase. See Insurance Benefits,
     Variable Insurance Amount.
 
 (2) The Investment Value will increase. See Facts About the Policy, Invest-
     ment Value in Each Division.
 
 (3) The Tabular Value will increase. See Facts About the Policy, Tabular Val-
     ue.
 
                                      16
<PAGE>
 
 FACTS ABOUT THE POLICY (CONTINUED)
 
 
 On the Processing Date on or next following the date We receive and accept
 the additional premium payment, the guaranteed benefits will increase as fol-
 lows:
 
 (1) If the Guarantee Period prior to such premium payment ends before the Ma-
     turity Date, the Tabular Value as of the Processing Date will be used to
     calculate a new Guarantee Period subject to any maximum Guarantee Period
     shown in the Policy Schedule. Any part in excess of the amount required
     to increase the Guarantee Period to the Maturity Date will be applied as
     indicated in (2).
 
 (2) If the Guarantee Period ends on the Maturity Date, the Tabular Value or
     the excess from (1) will be applied as a net single premium for life to
     increase the Face Amount.
 
 (3) The Guarantee Period ends on the earlier of the date determined above and
     any maximum shown in the Policy schedule.
 
ALLOCATION OF PREMIUM PAYMENTS
Prior to the end of the Free Look Period, Your initial premium is allocated to
the Liquid Asset Division. At the end of the Free Look Period, Your Investment
Value will be allocated to the divisions according to Your instructions. How-
ever, if we receive written instructions with your initial premium to allocate
all or a portion of such premium to the Fixed Account, we will do so even
prior to the end of the Free Look Period.
 
ADDITIONAL PREMIUM ALLOCATION
 Any additional premiums are allocated to the Liquid Asset Division until ac-
 cepted according to Our rules. Unless You specify otherwise, additional pre-
 mium payments will be allocated among the divisions of Account A and the
 Fixed Account in proportion to the Investment Value in each division of Ac-
 count A and the Fixed Account on the date the premium is considered to be ac-
 cepted. If there is no Investment Value attributable to Account A, the addi-
 tional premium payments will be allocated to the Fixed Account.
 
YOUR RIGHT TO REALLOCATE
You may reallocate Your Investment Value among the divisions of Account A and
the Fixed Account at the end of the free look period. We currently do not as-
sess a charge for allocation changes. We reserve the right, however, to assess
a $25 charge for each allocation change after the twelfth allocation change in
a Policy year. We require that each reallocation of your Investment Value
equal at least $250 or, if less, your entire Investment Value within a divi-
sion or the Fixed Account. We reserve the right to limit, upon notice, the
maximum number of reallocations you may make within a contract year. In addi-
tion, we reserve the right to defer the reallocation privilege at any time we
are unable to purchase or redeem shares of the Trusts. We also reserve the
right to modify or terminate your right to reallocate your Investment Value at
any time in accordance with applicable law. When a reallocation is made, we
redeem shares of the Series underlying the divisions you are transferring from
at their net asset Value. Reallocations from the Fixed Account are subject to
the restrictions below. See Transfers from the Fixed Account. To make a real-
location change, you must provide us with satisfactory notice at our Customer
Service Center.
 
We reserve the right to limit the number of reallocations of Your Investment
Value among the divisions and the Fixed Account or refuse any reallocation re-
quest if we believe that: (a) excessive trading by you or a specific realloca-
tion request may have a detrimental effect on unit Values or the share prices
of the underlying Series; or (b) we are informed by a Trust that the purchase
or redemption of shares is to be restricted because of excessive trading or a
specific reallocation or group of reallocations is deemed to have a detrimen-
tal effect on share prices of the GCG Trust or the ESS Trust.
 
Where permitted by law, we may accept your authorization of third party real-
location on your behalf, subject to our rules. We may suspend or cancel such
acceptance at any time. We will notify you of any such suspension or cancella-
tion. We may restrict the divisions that will be available to you for
reallocations of premiums during any period in which you authorize such third
party to act on your behalf. We will give you prior notification of any such
restrictions. However, we will not enforce such restrictions if we are pro-
vided evidence satisfactory to us that: (a) such third party has been ap-
pointed by a court of competent jurisdiction to act on your behalf; or (b)
such third party has been appointed by you to act on your behalf for all your
financial affairs.
 
TRANSFERS FROM THE FIXED ACCOUNT
Any allocation of premium or transfer of Investment Value to the Fixed Account
is considered a separate Fixed Account allocation. Transfers from an alloca-
tion of the Fixed Account are currently permitted once a year on or within 30
days of the Expiry Date of the Guaranteed Interest Rate. The maximum amount
which may be transferred out of such an allocation each year is currently the
greater of: (a)
 
                                      17
<PAGE>
 
 FACTS ABOUT THE POLICY (CONTINUED)
 
33% of the amount of such allocation, or (b) $2,000. If we receive your trans-
fer request up to 30 days before the Expiry Date, the transfer will be made on
the Expiry Date. If we receive your request on or within 30 days after the Ex-
piry Date, the transfer will be made at the end of the valuation period in
which a satisfactory transfer request is received at our Service Center. The
minimum transfer amount is $250 or the entire remaining amount of the alloca-
tion on the transfer date, whichever is less. Unless You specify otherwise, We
will transfer amounts from allocations within the Fixed Account from the fixed
allocations closest to their respective Rate Expiry Date. These rules are sub-
ject to change in the future.
 
We reserve the right to establish an interest rate for transfers to the Fixed
Account that may differ from the rate that we establish for allocations of
planned and unplanned premiums to the Fixed Account. We also reserve the right
to reduce the amount otherwise available for transfer from the Fixed Account
by any amounts that have been previously withdrawn from the Fixed Account.
 
DOLLAR COST AVERAGING
If You have at least $10,000 of Investment Value in the Fixed Account, the
Limited Maturity Bond Division or the Liquid Asset Division, You may choose to
have a specified dollar amount transferred to other divisions in Account A on
a monthly basis. The main Objective of dollar cost averaging is to attempt to
shield Your Investment from short-term price fluctuations. Since the same dol-
lar amount is transferred to other divisions of Account A each month, more
units are purchased in a division if the Value per unit is low and less units
are purchased if the Value per unit is high.
 
A lower average Value per unit thus may be achieved over the long term. This
plan of investing allows investors to take advantage of market fluctuations
but does not assure a profit or protect against a loss in declining markets.
See Facts About the Policy, Measurement of Investment Experience, Index of In-
vestment Experience and Unit Value.
 
Dollar cost averaging may be elected at the time the application or enrollment
form is completed or at a later date. The minimum amount that may be trans-
ferred each month is $250. The maximum amount which may be transferred is
equal to the Investment Value in the Fixed Account, the Limited Maturity Bond
Division or the Liquid Asset Division divided by 12. Under this program,
transfers will commence on the later of 20 days after the Issue Date and the
end of the Free Look Period.
 
The transfer date will be the same calendar day each month as the Policy Date.
The dollar amount will be allocated to the divisions in which You are invested
in proportion to Your Investment Value in each division unless you specify
otherwise. If, on any transfer date, the Investment Value in the specified di-
vision or Fixed Account is equal to or less than the amount You have elected
to have transferred, the entire amount will be transferred and the program
will end. You may change the transfer amount once each Policy Year, or cancel
this program by sending satisfactory notice to Our Customer Service Center at
least seven days before the next transfer date. Any transfers under this pro-
gram will not be included in determining if the excess allocation charge will
apply.
 
WHAT HAPPENS IF A DIVISION IS NOT AVAILABLE
When a distribution is made from an Investment portfolio supporting a division
of Account A in which reInvestment is not available, We will allocate the dis-
tribution, unless You specify otherwise, to the Specially Designated Division.
 
Such a distribution can occur when (a) an Investment portfolio matures, or (b)
a distribution from a portfolio cannot be reinvested in the portfolio due to
the unavailability of securities for acquisition. When an Investment portfolio
matures, We will notify You 30 days in advance of that date. To elect an allo-
cation to other than the Specially Designated Division, You must provide sat-
isfactory notice to Us at least seven days prior to the date the portfolio ma-
tures. Such allocations are not counted as an allocation change of the Invest-
ment Value for purposes of the number of free allocation changes permitted.
When a distribution from a portfolio cannot be reinvested in the portfolio due
to the unavailability of securities for acquisition, We will notify You
promptly after the allocation has occurred. If within 30 days You allocate the
Investment Value from the Specially Designated Division to other divisions of
Your choice, such allocations will not be included in determining if the ex-
cess allocation charge will apply.
 
YOUR INVESTMENT VALUE
Your Investment Value is the amount available for Investment at any time.
Prior to the Investment Date, the Investment Value is zero. On the Investment
Date, the Investment Value is equal to the premium paid less any charges de-
ducted on such date. We adjust Your Investment Value daily to reflect its In-
vestment Results. See Facts About the Policy, Measurement of Investment Expe-
rience.
 
 
                                      18
<PAGE>
 
 FACTS ABOUT THE POLICY (CONTINUED)
 
You may choose up to sixteen divisions and the Fixed Account to allocate Your
Investment Value among in any way You choose, subject to any restrictions. See
Facts About the Policy, Allocation of Premium Payments.
 
INVESTMENT VALUE IN EACH DIVISION OF ACCOUNT A
On each Valuation Date, the amount of Investment Value in each division of Ac-
count A will be calculated as follows:
 
(1) We take the amount of Investment Value in the division at the end of the
    preceding Valuation Period.
 
(2) We multiply (1) by the division's net rate of return for the current Valu-
    ation Period.
 
(3) We add (1) and (2) together.
 
(4) We add to (3) any additional premium payments allocated to the division
    during the current Valuation Period.
 
(5) We add or subtract reallocations to or from the division during the cur-
    rent Valuation Period.
 
(6) We subtract from (5) any partial withdrawal and any associated charges al-
    located to the division during the current Valuation Period.
 
(7) We add to (6) any loan repayments or loan interest payments received and
    subtract any loans which are allocated to the division during the current
    Valuation Period.
 
(8) If the Policy Anniversary occurs during the current Valuation Period, We
    add to (7) the amount allocated to the division for any general account
    loan interest credit.
 
(9) If a Processing Date occurs during the current Valuation Period, We sub-
    tract from (8) the amounts allocated to the applicable division for de-
    ferred loading, insurance based charges and transaction and other charges.
    If the Processing Date is also the Policy Anniversary, any loan interest
    charge will be deducted from the Investment Value. See Charges and Deduc-
    tions. Amounts in (8) and (9) will be allocated to each division in the
    proportion that (7) bears to the Investment Value.
 
(10) If the charges in (9) exceed the amount in (8), We will first calculate
     the Cash Surrender Value to determine the amount of any overdue charges
     and then set the amount of Investment Value in each division and the
     Fixed Account to zero.
 
TABULAR VALUE
Prior to the Investment Date, the Tabular Value is zero. The Tabular Value on
the Investment Date equals the Investment Value on that date. Thereafter, the
Tabular Value is calculated in the same manner as the Cash Surrender Value ex-
cept that: (i) the mortality cost will be based on rates no greater than the
guaranteed maximum cost of insurance rates; (ii) currently other charges are
not reflected in Our computations; and (iii) the net rate of return will be
based on the interest rate used in Our computations, which is currently 4% per
year. The Tabular Value calculations do not reflect loans, repayments, or loan
interest payments. The Variable Insurance Amount used in computing the Tabular
Value is calculated in the same manner as described under Insurance Benefits,
except that Tabular Value replaces the Investment Value plus Debt.
 
MEASUREMENT OF INVESTMENT EXPERIENCE
 
INDEX OF INVESTMENT EXPERIENCE AND UNIT VALUE
    
 The Investment experience of Account A is determined on each Valuation Date.
 We use an index to measure changes in experience during a Valuation Period.
 We set the index at $10 when the first Investments in a division are made,
 except for the OTC, Research, Total Return, Growth & Income, and
 Value + Growth Divisions which started with indices of $14.64, $16.43,
 $13.76, $10.94, and $11.99, respectively. The index for a current Valuation
 Period equals the index for the last Valuation Period multiplied by the expe-
 rience factor for the current period.
     
 
 We may express the Value of amounts allocated to Account A divisions in
 units. The index of Investment experience is equal to the Value of one unit.
 We determine the number of units for a given amount on a Valuation Date by
 dividing the dollar Value of that amount by the index of Investment experi-
 ence for that date.
 
HOW WE DETERMINE THE EXPERIENCE FACTOR
 For divisions of Account A, the experience factor reflects the Investment ex-
 perience of the portfolio in which the division invests as well as the
 charges assessed against the division for a Valuation Period. The factor is
 calculated as follows:
 
 (1) We take the net asset Value of the portfolio in which a division invests
     as of the end of the current Valuation Period.
 
 (2) We add to (1) the amount of any dividend or capital gains distribution
     declared during the current Valuation Period for such portfolio and rein-
     vested in the portfolio. We subtract
 
                                      19
<PAGE>
 
 FACTS ABOUT THE POLICY (CONTINUED)
 
    from that amount a charge for Our taxes, if any.
 
 (3) We divide (2) by the net asset Value of the portfolio at the end of the
     preceding Valuation Period.
 
 (4) We subtract the daily mortality and expense risk charge. See Charges and
     Deductions, Deductions from Divisions of Account A, Mortality and Expense
     Risk Charge.
 
 (5) We subtract the daily asset based administrative charge. See Charges and
     Deductions, Deductions from Divisions of Account A, Asset Based Adminis-
     trative Charge.
 
 Calculations for divisions investing in mutual fund portfolios are made on a
 per share basis.
 
NET RATE OF RETURN FOR ACCOUNT A
 The net rate of return for an Account A division during a Valuation Period is
 the experience factor for that Valuation Period minus one. See Measurement of
 Investment Experience, Index of Investment Experience and Unit Value.
 
 CHARGES AND DEDUCTIONS
 
The charges described below are deducted from Your Investment Value. With re-
spect to any Investment Value attributable to the Fixed Account, charges will
be deducted from each fixed allocation on a pro rata basis, unless specified
otherwise by Us.
 
DEDUCTIONS FOR DEFERRED LOADING
 
RECOVERY OF DEFERRED LOADING
 Although the sales load is chargeable to each premium payment when it is re-
 ceived, the amount of the deferred loading is deducted in equal installments
 on each Policy Anniversary over a six year period following receipt and ac-
 ceptance of each premium payment. It applies both to the initial and any ad-
 ditional premiums. The deferred loading applicable to each premium payment is
 6.0% (a deduction of 1.0% of premium per year). We may lower or waive this
 load with respect to later premium payments made in connection with Genesis
 Flex.
 
 If You surrender the Policy, We will deduct the total amount of any unrecov-
 ered deferred loading from the amount We pay You. We also immediately recover
 a portion of the deferred loading applicable to an excess partial withdrawal.
 Collection of a portion of the deferred loading due to an excess partial
 withdrawal may shorten the period of recovery or the last installment amount
 may be reduced. See Your Policy's Benefits, Taking Partial Withdrawals.
 
 As a result of the deferred loading structure, a positive net rate of return
 will give a higher Cash Surrender Value and a negative net rate of return
 will give a lower Cash Surrender Value than would be the case had the de-
 ferred loading been deducted from Your premium.
 
 We anticipate that Our deferred sales load and the sales load portion of the
 deferred face amount charge (below) may be insufficient to cover distribution
 expenses. Any shortfall will be made up from Our general account which may
 include amounts derived from the mortality and expense risk charge.
 
DEDUCTIONS FOR INSURANCE BASED CHARGES
 
PREMIUM TAXES
 Your premium incurs a charge for premium or other state and local taxes.
 
 For Genesis I Policies We deduct a premium tax charge equal to 2.40% of pre-
 mium. This premium tax charge is designed to approximate the average premium
 tax that We expect to pay to state and local governments. The charge will not
 necessarily equal the premium tax paid by Us with respect to a particular
 Policy. Currently, the premium tax charge is deferred and will be deducted in
 equal annual installments over a six year period (a deduction of 0.40% per
 year). If You surrender Your Genesis I Policy, We will deduct the total
 amount of any unrecovered deferred premium tax charge from the amount We pay
 You. We reserve the right to change the amount of the premium tax charge for
 future premium payments to conform to changes in the average premium tax that
 We expect to pay.
 
 For Genesis Flex Policies, the amounts We deduct depend on the Insured's
 state of residence. These charges are expressed as a percentage of premium
 which can range from 2.0% to 4.0%. We reserve the right to change this per-
 centage for future premium payments to conform with changes in the law or if
 the Insured(s) changes state of residence. The charge is deducted from the
 Investment Value on the first quarterly Processing Date following receipt and
 acceptance of each premium payment. We deduct any charges for premium taxes
 incurred but not yet deducted from the amount We pay You if the Policy is
 surrendered. We return any premium taxes as part of the refund if the Policy
 is cancelled during the Free Look Period.
 
 
                                      20
<PAGE>
 
 CHARGES AND DEDUCTIONS (CONTINUED)
 
CORPORATE TAX CHARGE
 We currently do not but reserve the right to assess a corporate tax charge on
 premiums. The charge will be deducted from the Investment Value in equal in-
 stallments on each Policy Anniversary over a six year period following re-
 ceipt and acceptance of each premium payment.
 
 If You surrender the Policy, We will deduct the total amount of any corporate
 tax charge not yet deducted from the amount We pay You. We believe this
 charge is reasonable in relation to Our increased tax burden resulting from
 the requirement that We capitalize and amortize policy acquisition expenses
 over a ten year period. We reserve the right to change the amount We charge
 for future premium payments to conform with changes in the amount payable by
 Us under applicable Federal income tax law as of the date(s) of such premium
 payment(s). See Federal Income Tax Considerations, Deferred Acquisition
 Costs.
 
ISSUE CHARGES
 
PER POLICY CHARGE
 We charge $200 for Policies written on a single life basis and $300 for Poli-
 cies written on a survivorship basis. This charge is incurred on the Issue
 Date and deducted from the Investment Value on the first Policy Anniversary.
 This charge is to reimburse Us for a portion of the cost of underwriting and
 issuing a Policy. We do not expect to make a profit from this charge. This
 charge is currently waived for the Genesis I Policy.
 
DEFERRED FACE AMOUNT CHARGE
 There is a charge assessed that is expressed per $1,000 of initial Face
 Amount and of any increases in Face Amount. It will vary based on the age and
 sex of the Insured (the younger Insured for survivorship policies) and on
 whether a Genesis I or Genesis Flex Policy is chosen. It will never exceed a
 maximum of $12 per $1,000 of Face Amount. This charge is incurred on the Is-
 sue Date or effective date of any increase in Face Amount and deducted from
 the Investment Value in equal installments on each Policy Anniversary over a
 six year period following the effective date of such increase in Face Amount.
 We deduct the total amount of any deferred face amount charge not yet de-
 ducted when determining the Cash Surrender Value payable if You surrender
 Your Policy.
 
 A portion of the deferred face amount charge will reimburse us for the cost
 of underwriting and issuing a Policy, not covered by the per policy charge
 (above). The remainder of the deferred face amount charge will be considered
 to be an additional sales load. This charge together with the deferred sales
 load above, will not exceed the maximum sales load allowed under the Federal
 securities laws.
 
MORTALITY CHARGES
 
MORTALITY COST
 The mortality cost is deducted from the Investment Value on each quarterly
 Processing Date and is calculated as follows:
 
 (1) We determine the Death Benefit as of the beginning of the Processing Pe-
     riod and adjust it with interest at the rate shown in the Policy to the
     middle of the Processing Period.
 
 (2) We subtract from (1) the Cash Surrender Value plus any Debt as of the be-
     ginning of the Processing Period, adjusted with interest to the end of
     the Processing Period. (This is the Net Amount at Risk).
 
 (3) We determine the current cost of insurance rate per $1,000 based on each
     Insured's sex, Issue Age, years since the Policy Date and underwriting
     class.
 
 (4) We multiply the Net Amount at Risk in (2) by (3) and then divide this re-
     sult by 1,000.
 
 During the Guarantee Period, in no event will the mortality cost be greater
 than the amount determined by substituting the Tabular Value for the Cash
 Surrender Value plus Debt in (2) above and the guaranteed maximum cost of in-
 surance rate per $1,000 for the current cost of insurance rate per $1,000 in
 (3) above. In addition, the Tabular Value will be substituted for the Option
 II Death Benefit Adjustment in calculating the Death Benefit in (1) above.
 See Insurance Benefits, Policy Guarantees.
 
MINIMUM DEATH BENEFIT GUARANTEE CHARGE
 We deduct an amount per $1,000 of Tabular Net Amount at Risk. The amount is
 based on the Attained Age of the Insured (the younger Insured for survivor-
 ship policies). The charge is deducted from the Investment Value on each
 quarterly Processing Date during the Guarantee Period. The quarterly charge
 will never exceed $0.15 per $1,000 of Face Amount per quarter.
 
 The guaranteed Death Benefit risks are related to potentially unfavorable In-
 vestment results. One risk is that the Policy's Cash Surrender Value cannot
 cover the charges due during the Guarantee Period. Another risk is that We
 may have to
 
                                      21
<PAGE>
 
 CHARGES AND DEDUCTIONS (CONTINUED)
 
 limit the deduction for mortality cost. See Mortality Cost, above.
 
DEDUCTIONS FOR TRANSACTION AND OTHER CHARGES
 
ANNUAL ADMINISTRATIVE CHARGE
 The annual administrative charge covers a portion of Our ongoing administra-
 tive expenses. The charge is incurred at the beginning of each Policy Year
 and deducted from the Investment Value at the end of each Policy Year on the
 Policy Anniversary. We deduct any annual administrative charge incurred but
 not yet deducted from the amount We pay You if the Policy is surrendered. If
 the Investment Value at the end of a policy processing period equals or ex-
 ceeds $100,000 or the sum of the premiums paid equals or exceeds $100,000,
 the charge is zero. Otherwise, the amount deducted is $40 per Policy Year.
 This charge will never exceed $80 per Policy Year. This charge is not de-
 signed to produce a profit for Golden American or any affiliate and the an-
 nual amount plus the asset based administrative charge (below) will not ex-
 ceed Our expected cost of the services to be provided over the life of the
 Policy.
 
LOAN INTEREST CHARGE
 On each Policy Anniversary, We calculate the loan interest charge and deduct
 it from the Investment Value. This charge is 5.0% annually (accrued daily) of
 the outstanding loans. Between Policy Anniversaries, Your Cash Surrender
 Value will reflect the accrued charge.
 
EXCESS ALLOCATION CHARGE
 We allow unlimited allocation changes without charge but reserve the right to
 charge $25 for each allocation change in excess of twelve in a Policy Year.
 The charge is deducted in proportion to the amount being transferred from
 each division of Account A or the applicable allocation within the Fixed Ac-
 count.
 
PARTIAL WITHDRAWAL CHARGE
 If You take more than four partial withdrawals during a Policy Year, We may
 impose a charge of the lesser of $25 and 2.0% of the amount withdrawn for
 each additional partial withdrawal. The charge will be deducted in proportion
 to the Investment Value in each division or the applicable allocation within
 the Fixed Account from which the partial withdrawal was taken. See Your
 Policy's Benefits, Taking Partial Withdrawals. This charge is cost based
 and is designed to cover Our administrative costs in processing each addi-
 tional withdrawal.
 
DEDUCTIONS FROM DIVISIONS OF ACCOUNT A
 
ASSET BASED CHARGES
 
MORTALITY AND EXPENSE RISK CHARGE
 We will deduct a daily charge from the assets in each division of Account A
 to compensate Us for mortality and expense risks We assume under the Policy.
 The total daily charge is equal to 0.002477% (equivalent to an annual rate of
 0.90%) of the assets in each division. Approximately 0.625% is allocated to
 the mortality risk and 0.275% is allocated to the expense risk. We will real-
 ize a gain from this charge to the extent it is not needed to provide for
 Benefits and expenses under the Policies. We will use any gain for any lawful
 purpose including any shortfalls on distribution expenses.
 
 The mortality risk assumed is the risk that Insureds as a group will live for
 a shorter time than Our actuarial tables predict. As a result, We would be
 paying more in Death Benefits than We planned. The expense risk assumed is
 the risk that it will cost Us more to issue and administer the Policies than
 We expect.
 
ASSET BASED ADMINISTRATIVE CHARGE
 We charge each division of Account A with a daily asset based charge to cover
 a portion of the policy administration. The daily charge is at a rate of
 0.000276% (equivalent to an annual rate of 0.10%) of the assets in each divi-
 sion. This charge plus the annual administrative charge (above) will not ex-
 ceed Our expected cost of the services to be provided over the life of the
 Policy.
 
TRUST EXPENSES
There are fees and expenses deducted from each Series. See Facts About Golden
American, Account A and the Fixed Account, Account A Divisions. The investment
performance of the Series and expenses and deductions of certain charges from
the Trusts will affect Your Investment Value. Please read the Trust prospec-
tuses for details.
 
 YOUR POLICY'S BENEFITS
 
YOUR POLICY'S CASH SURRENDER VALUE
Your Policy's Cash Surrender Value fluctuates daily with the Investment Re-
sults. With respect to premiums allocated to Account A, We do not guarantee
any minimum Cash Surrender Value. On any date, the Cash Surrender Value is
equal to the Investment Value less any deferred charges not yet deducted, plus
any accrued general account loan inter-
 
                                      22
<PAGE>
 
 YOUR POLICY'S BENEFITS (CONTINUED)
 
est credit and less any charges incurred and not yet deducted.
 
SURRENDERING TO RECEIVE THE CASH SURRENDER VALUE
 You can surrender Your Policy at any time while the Policy is in force. You
 will receive the Policy's Cash Surrender Value. The surrender will be effec-
 tive on the date Your written request and the Policy are sent to Us. We will
 determine the Cash Surrender Value when We receive the written request and
 the Policy at Our Customer Service Center. You may elect to have this amount
 paid in a single payment or applied under one or more Income Plans. See
 Choosing An Income Plan.
 
 For information on the tax treatment on surrender of a Policy, including Pol-
 icies that are "modified endowment contracts," see Federal Income Tax Consid-
 erations.
 
POLICY LOANS
After the Free Look Period, You may use Your Policy as collateral to borrow
funds from Us, by sending in a written request in a form satisfactory to Us.
The minimum loan We will make is $500. The maximum amount You can borrow at
any time is the difference between the loan value (90% of the Policy's Cash
Surrender Value plus the Debt) and the Debt (the outstanding loan plus accrued
interest). Unless specified otherwise, the amount of the loan will be taken
from the Investment Value in proportion to the amount of Investment Value in
each division in which You are invested.
 
We calculate Your new loan to equal any Debt plus the current amount You bor-
row. Certain states may not permit Us to impose a minimum on the amounts You
can borrow or repay. The minimum and maximum amounts will be shown in Your
Policy.
 
You may repay all or part of the loan any time while the Policy is in force.
Each repayment must be at least $500 or the amount of the Debt, if less. Un-
less otherwise specified, loan repayments will be allocated in proportion to
the amount of Investment Value in each division.
 
For Genesis I Policies, there may be a 10% penalty tax on loans. For informa-
tion on the tax treatment of loans from policies that are "modified endowment
contracts," see Federal Income Tax Considerations, Modified Endowment Con-
tracts, Penalty Tax.
 
INTEREST
 While a policy loan is outstanding, We will charge interest at 5.0% annually.
 See Charges and Deductions, Transaction and Other Charges, Loan Interest
 Charge. Interest accrues each day and payments are due at the end of each
 Policy Year. If You do not pay the interest when due, We add it to Your loan.
 Generally, interest paid on a policy loan is not tax-deductible. See Federal
 Income Tax Considerations, Loans. The sum of outstanding loans plus accrued
 interest is called Debt.
 
 If on any Valuation Date there is Debt outstanding and the Cash Surrender
 Value is negative, We will terminate the Policy 31 days after We send You an
 overloan notice. We will notify You and anyone who holds the Policy as col-
 lateral at their last known address. To avoid termination, You must pay Us at
 least the minimum repayment amount, listed in the notice before the 31 day
 period ends.
 
LOAN INTEREST CREDIT
 When You take a loan, We transfer an amount equal to the amount You borrowed
 out of Your divisions and hold it as collateral in Our general account. We
 will credit interest to portions of the collateral amount at a rate of 4% per
 annum (and, on a current basis, 5% for "Preferred Loans"). Any loan interest
 credit will be added to the Investment Value on each Policy Anniversary. Be-
 tween Policy Anniversaries, Your Cash Surrender Value will reflect the ac-
 crued credit.
 
 With respect to Genesis I Policies, loans where the amount of the collateral
 is equal to the Investment Value less the total of all premium payments under
 the Policy and the initial loan being carried over on a 1035 Exchange are
 considered "Preferred Loans." With respect to Genesis Flex Policies, all new
 loans taken after the later of attained age 60 or the tenth Policy Anniver-
 sary are considered "Preferred Loans."
 
EFFECT ON DEATH BENEFIT AND CASH SURRENDER VALUE
 Whether or not You repay a policy loan, taking a loan will have a permanent
 effect on Your Cash Surrender Value and may have a permanent effect on Your
 death benefit. This is because the collateral for Your loan does not partici-
 pate in the Investment Results while the loan is outstanding. If the amount
 credited to the collateral is more than Investment Results, the Cash Surren-
 der Value will be higher, as may be the death benefit. Conversely, if the
 amount credited is less, the Cash Surrender Value will be lower as may be the
 death benefit.
 
TAKING PARTIAL WITHDRAWALS
After the Free Look Period, You may take partial withdrawals from the Invest-
ment Value. Under Pol-
 
                                      23
<PAGE>
 
 YOUR POLICY'S BENEFITS (CONTINUED)
 
icies purchased in connection with a 1035 Exchange, partial withdrawals may
not be permitted during the first seven Policy Years.
 
Unless You specify otherwise, the amount of the withdrawal will be taken in
proportion to the Investment Value in each division in which You are invested.
Partial withdrawals may not be repaid and in no event may a partial withdrawal
be greater than 90% of the Investment Value less any applicable unrecovered
deferred loading.
 
You may take a partial withdrawal four times per Policy Year without charge.
Your request for a partial withdrawal must be in a written form satisfactory
to Us. The effective date of a partial withdrawal will be the date We receive
Your written request at Our Customer Service Center. If You take more than
four partial withdrawals in a Policy Year, We may impose a charge of the
lesser of $25 and 2.0% of the amount withdrawn for each additional partial
withdrawal.
 
The minimum partial withdrawal amount is $1,000 and the maximum amount of all
partial withdrawals that may be withdrawn during a Policy Year without accel-
erating recovery of the deferred loading is 15% of the Investment Value. See
Accelerated Recovery of Deferred Charges, below. The maximum amount You may
withdraw is further limited by the minimum Face Amount and Guarantee Period
requirements of the Policy. See Effect of a Partial Withdrawal on Guaranteed
Benefits, below.
 
ACCELERATED RECOVERY OF DEFERRED CHARGES
 An excess partial withdrawal is the amount by which the sum of all partial
 withdrawals taken during a Policy Year plus the current partial withdrawal
 exceed 15% of the Investment Value on the date of the withdrawal. An excess
 partial withdrawal will be considered a partial surrender of the Policy and
 We will recover a pro rata portion of the unrecovered deferred charges. Such
 amount will be deducted in proportion to the Investment Value in each divi-
 sion or the Fixed Account from which the excess partial withdrawal was taken.
 
 Collection of a portion of the deferred loading for an excess partial with-
 drawal may shorten the period during which the deferred loading is recovered,
 or the last installment amount may be reduced. For example, the following
 Genesis I example assumes a $100,000 initial premium (with deferred loading
 of $6,000 recovered at the rate of $1,000 per Policy Year for six years and
 premium taxes of $2,400 recovered at the rate of $400 per Policy Year for six
 years), an Investment Value of $120,000 and unrecovered deferred charges in
 the amount of $4,200 at the beginning of the fourth Policy Year.
 
 If a partial withdrawal of $30,000 were taken, $18,000 of this amount could
 be taken without accelerating recovery of the deferred loading ($120,000 X
 .15). The amount of deferred loading to be deducted immediately due to the
 excess withdrawal amount would be determined by first calculating the per-
 centage of the Investment Value by which the withdrawal is in excess of the
 maximum (($30,000 - $18,000) / $120,000). Then this percentage is applied to
 the current amount of the unrecovered deferred loading ($4,200 X .10 = $420)
 to determine the amount of unrecovered deferred loading to be deducted from
 the Investment Value as of the date of the withdrawal.
 
 If the Policy were surrendered following the partial withdrawal, the unrecov-
 ered deferred loading deducted from the Investment Value would be $3,780
 ($4,200 - $420). If instead, the Policy were surrendered at the beginning of
 the sixth Policy Year assuming no additional payments or further partial
 withdrawals, the unrecovered deferred loading deducted upon surrender would
 be $980 ($1,400 - $420).
 
PARTIAL WITHDRAWALS IN GENERAL
 We will send You a notice of how Your Policy Benefits are affected by a par-
 tial withdrawal. A partial withdrawal made before the taxpayer reaches age 59
 1/2 may result in imposition of a tax penalty of 10% of the taxable portion
 withdrawn. FOR INFORMATION ON THE TAX TREATMENT OF PARTIAL WITHDRAWALS, IN-
 CLUDING THE TREATMENT FOR POLICIES THAT ARE MODIFIED ENDOWMENT CONTRACTS, SEE
 FEDERAL INCOME TAX CONSIDERATIONS.
 
EFFECT OF A PARTIAL WITHDRAWAL ON THE INVESTMENT VALUE AND DEATH BENEFIT
 As of the effective date of a partial withdrawal:
 
 (1) The Investment Value of the Policy is reduced by the partial withdrawal
     and any associated charges.
 
 (2) Unless You specify otherwise, the reduction in Investment Value will be
     taken in proportion to the Investment Value in each division in which You
     are invested as of the effective date of the partial withdrawal. If there
     is insufficient Investment Value in the divisions, the remaining reduc-
     tion will be deducted from Your allocations to the Fixed Account.
 
 
                                      24
<PAGE>
 
 YOUR POLICY'S BENEFITS (CONTINUED)
 
 (3) Any amounts paid in accordance with the Suicide provision of the Policy
     will be reduced by the amount of any partial withdrawals and any associ-
     ated charges.
 
 (4) The Variable Insurance Amount will reflect the partial withdrawal and any
     associated charges.
 
   As of the Processing Date on or next following the effective date of a
   partial withdrawal the guaranteed Benefits may decrease. See Effect of a
   Partial Withdrawal on Guaranteed Benefits, below. If the Death Benefit be-
   comes payable before the Processing Date on or next following the effec-
   tive date of a partial withdrawal, We will deduct the amount of the par-
   tial withdrawal from the Death Benefit proceeds payable, if the Death Ben-
   efit is determined to be the Face Amount.
 
EFFECT OF A PARTIAL WITHDRAWAL ON GUARANTEED BENEFITS
 A partial withdrawal may affect the guaranteed Benefits under the Policy. The
 change, if any, in the Face Amount and Guarantee Period as of the Processing
 Date on or next following the effective date of a partial withdrawal will be
 calculated as follows:
 
 (1) Prior to effecting the partial withdrawal, We calculate the death benefit
     as of the date of the partial withdrawal.
 
 (2) We subtract from (1) the amount of the partial withdrawal and any associ-
     ated charges.
 
 (3) If the amount determined in (2) is less than the Face Amount, We reduce
     the Face Amount to the amount determined in (2).
 
   Decreases in the Face Amount could result in the Policy becoming a "modi-
   fied endowment contract." See Federal Income Tax Considerations, Modified
   Endowment Contracts.
 
 (4) The Tabular Value as of such Processing Date and the Face Amount will be
     used to calculate a new Guarantee Period. The Guarantee Period ends on
     the earlier of the date so determined and any maximum shown in the Poli-
     cy. In no event will We allow a partial withdrawal that will reduce the
     Guarantee Period below the minimum shown in the Policy or reduce the Face
     Amount below the amount We would then allow.
 
YOUR RIGHT TO CANCEL OR EXCHANGE YOUR POLICY
 
CANCELLING YOUR POLICY
 You may cancel Your Policy within the Free Look Period and We will refund any
 premiums paid without interest. Generally under a Genesis I Policy, this pe-
 riod ends 10 days from the date You receive the Policy. For purposes of ad-
 ministering Our allocation rules, We deem this period as ending 15 days after
 a Policy is mailed from Our Customer Service Center. Some states may require
 a longer Free Look Period.
 
 Under a Genesis Flex Policy, the Free Look Period generally ends on the lat-
 est of (i) 10 days after You receive Your Policy, (ii) 45 days from the date
 You complete part I of the application or enrollment form, or (iii) 10 days
 from the mailing of the notice of cancellation right.
 
 If You cancel the Policy, We will require that You wait six months before ap-
 plying to Us again.
 
EXCHANGING YOUR POLICY
 During the first 24 months after the Issue Date, You may convert the Policy
 so that Your benefits do not vary based on the Net Rate of Return. In effect,
 We make this option available to You by permitting You to reallocate all of
 the Policy's Investment Value to Our general account. At the time of such
 election, there will be no effect on the Policy's Face Amount, Net Amount at
 Risk, underwriting class(es), or Issue Age(s). We will not ask for evidence
 of insurability.
 
 This right of conversion will also be offered at any time there is a change
 in the Investment adviser of any portfolio or if there is a material change
 in the Investment Objectives or restrictions of any portfolio in which the
 divisions invest. We will notify You if there is any such change. You will be
 able to convert Your Policy within 60 days after Our notice or the effective
 date of the change, whichever is later.
 
 INSURANCE BENEFITS
 
DEATH BENEFIT PROCEEDS
We will pay the death benefit proceeds to the beneficiary when We receive due
proof of the death (such as an official death certificate) of the Insured un-
der a single life policy, or both Insureds under a survivorship policy, and
all other requirements.
 
Death benefit proceeds are determined on the date of death of the Insured(s)
as follows:
 
(1) We determine the death benefit.
 
                                      25
<PAGE>
 
 INSURANCE BENEFITS (CONTINUED)
 
 
(2) We subtract from (1) any Debt.
 
(3) If the Insured(s) dies during a grace period We subtract from (2) the sum
    of any overdue charges and any charges incurred to the date of death. See
    When Your Guarantee Period Ends Before the Maturity Date, Grace Period.
 
OPTION I DEATH BENEFIT
 If the Option I Death Benefit is in effect on the date of death, the death
 benefit is the greater of:
 
 (1) the Face Amount as of the prior Processing Date; and
 
 (2) the Variable Insurance Amount as of the date of death.
 
 If at the time the death benefit proceeds become payable, an additional pre-
 mium payment has been accepted and/or a partial withdrawal has been made
 since the last Processing Date, the death benefit used to determine proceeds
 payable will be calculated as the greater of:
 
 (1) the Face Amount calculated as of the prior Processing Date plus any addi-
     tional premium payments, less any partial withdrawals; and
 
 (2) the Variable Insurance Amount as of the date of death.
 
OPTION II DEATH BENEFIT
 If the Option II Death Benefit is in effect on the date of death, the death
 benefit is the greater of:
 
 (1) the Face Amount as of the prior Processing Date plus the Option II Death
     Benefit Adjustment as of the date of death (see below); and
 
 (2) the Variable Insurance Amount as of the date of death.
 
OPTION II DEATH BENEFIT ADJUSTMENT
 The Option II Death Benefit Adjustment is calculated as the greater of (i)
 the Option II Guaranteed Death Benefit and (ii) the Investment Value plus
 Debt.
 
OPTION II GUARANTEED DEATH BENEFIT
 On the Issue Date the Option II Guaranteed Death Benefit is equal to the pre-
 miums paid. On subsequent Valuation Dates during the Guarantee Period, the
 Option II Guaranteed Death Benefit is calculated as follows:
 
 (1) We take the Option II Guaranteed Death Benefit from the prior Valuation
     Date;
 
 (2) We calculate interest at the Option II Guaranteed Death Benefit Interest
     Rate (as defined below);
 
 (3) We add (1) and (2);
 
 (4) We add to (3) any premiums paid during the current Valuation Period; and
 
 (5) We subtract from (4) any partial withdrawals taken during the current
     Valuation Period.
 
 However, in no event will the Option II Guaranteed Death Benefit be greater
 than two times the sum of each premium paid less any partial withdrawals as-
 sociated with each premium paid. After the Guarantee Period, the Option II
 Guaranteed Death Benefit is zero.
 
 The Option II Guaranteed Death Benefit Interest Rate is equal to 7%; however,
 (i) for the Liquid Asset Division it is equal to the net rate of return dur-
 ing the current Valuation Period, if less than an annualized rate of 7%; (ii)
 for the Fixed Account it is equal to the rate of interest credited to such
 amounts during the current Valuation Period, if less than an annualized rate
 of 7%; and (iii) for amounts transferred to the general account as collateral
 for any policy loans it is equal to the rate of interest credited to such
 amounts during the current Valuation Period, if less than an annualized rate
 of 7%.
 
PAYMENT OF DEATH BENEFITS PROCEEDS
 The beneficiary should contact Our Customer Service Center for instructions.
 We usually pay the proceeds within seven days after We receive due proof of
 the death of the applicable Insured(s) and all other requirements. We may de-
 lay payment of all or part of the death benefit proceeds under certain cir-
 cumstances. See Other Important Information, Other General Policy Provisions,
 Payments We May Defer. Interest will be paid on death benefit proceeds at an
 annual rate of at least 3.5% from the date of death of the applicable
 Insured(s) to the date of payment. Interest will never be less than required
 by applicable law.
 
VARIABLE INSURANCE AMOUNT
The Variable Insurance Amount will vary daily based on the Investment Results,
premium payments made and partial withdrawals taken and will be determined as
follows:
 
(1) We determine the Investment Value;
 
(2) We add any Debt;
 
(3) We multiply by the Net Single Premium Factor.
 
It will never be less than the amount required by applicable law to keep the
Policy qualified as life insurance.
 
 
                                      26
<PAGE>
 
 INSURANCE BENEFITS (CONTINUED)
 
NET SINGLE PREMIUM FACTOR
The Net Single Premium Factor is based on the Attained Age, sex and underwrit-
ing class of the Insured(s). It decreases as an Insured's age increases. As a
result, the Variable Insurance Amount will decrease in relationship to the
Policy's Investment Value as the Insured's age increases. Also, Net Single
Premium Factors may be higher for a woman than for a man of the same age. A
table of Minimum Net Single Premium Factors is included in the Policy.
 
           TABLES OF ILLUSTRATIVE MINIMUM NET SINGLE PREMIUM FACTORS
 
                          SINGLE LIFE, MALE, AGE 35,
                                  NON-SMOKER
 
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
     POLICY     NSP
      YEAR    FACTOR
     ------   -------
     <S>      <C>
        1     4.28987
        5     3.74881
       10     3.17597
       15     2.70250
       20     2.31286
       25     1.99777
       30     1.74514
       35     1.54717
       40     1.39370
       45     1.28082
       50     1.19623
       55     1.13703
       60     1.08538
       65     1.02207
 
                    SURVIVORSHIP, MALE AND FEMALE, AGE 35,
                                  NON-SMOKERS
 
<CAPTION>
     POLICY     NSP
      YEAR    FACTOR
     ------   -------
     <S>      <C>
        1     6.43408
        5     5.50113
       10     4.52680
       15     3.73086
       20     3.08264
       25     2.55812
       30     2.13693
       35     1.80584
       40     1.55097
       45     1.36578
       50     1.23618
       55     1.15170
       60     1.08806
       65     1.02207
</TABLE>
 
CHANGES IN FACE AMOUNT
After the first Policy Anniversary, You may request a change in the Face
Amount under Your Policy. The request for any change must be in written form
satisfactory to Us.
 
INCREASING THE FACE AMOUNT
 To increase the Face Amount, a supplemental application or enrollment form
 must be submitted. Any increase will be subject to evidence of insurability
 satisfactory to Us. Such increase must at least equal the minimum increase We
 then allow. The increase will take effect on the Processing Date on or next
 following the date We approve such increase.
 
DECREASING THE FACE AMOUNT
 Any decrease in Face Amount will take effect on the Processing Date on or
 next following the date We approve the written request for the decrease. Such
 decrease must at least equal the minimum decrease We then allow. If there
 have been any prior increases in Face Amount, the decrease will first be ap-
 plied against the prior increases in the reverse order of their effective
 dates. Decreases in Face Amount will be subject to Our rules at the time of
 request.
 
 Decreases in the Face Amount could result in the Policy becoming a "modified
 endowment contract." See Federal Income Tax Considerations, Modified Endow-
 ment Contracts.
 
WHEN A CHANGE IN FACE AMOUNT IS MADE
 The Tabular Value will be used to calculate a new Guarantee Period. Any part
 of the Tabular Value in excess of the amount required to increase the Guaran-
 tee Period to life will be applied as a net single premium for life to in-
 crease the Face Amount.
 
GUARANTEE PERIOD
The death benefit under your Policy is subject to a guaranteed minimum amount
for a guaranteed minimum period of time regardless of Investment Results. The
guaranteed minimum amount is your Policy's Face Amount and the Policy's Guar-
antee Period is the minimum period of time We guarantee that your Policy will
remain in force regardless of its Investment Results. However, if there is
Debt, and your Cash Surrender Value is negative, We will terminate your Policy
before the end of the Guarantee Period unless sufficient payment is made. See
Your Policy's Benefits, Policy Loans.
 
Your Guarantee Period at issue depends upon your initial premium payment and
Face Amount. Thereafter, the Guarantee Period may change if (1) you take a
partial withdrawal, (2) you pay a planned or unplanned premium, or (3) you
change the Face Amount of your Policy. For Genesis Flex, each
 
                                      27
<PAGE>
 
 INSURANCE BENEFITS (CONTINUED)
 
planned premium extends the Guarantee Period, and if all planned premiums are
paid as planned and the Insured(s) are in a standard or better underwriting
class, the Guarantee Period will last until the Maturity Date of your Policy.
For Genesis I, if you elect the minimum face amount we allow for a given sin-
gle premium and the Insured(s) are in a standard or better underwriting class,
the Guarantee Period will last until the Maturity Date of your Policy; howev-
er, if you elect a face amount greater than such minimum, your Guarantee Pe-
riod will end before the Maturity Date.
 
The Guarantee Period will be calculated using (1) rates no greater than the
guaranteed maximum cost of insurance rates shown in the Policy and (2) a 4.0%
interest assumption. For a given premium payment and Face Amount, the Guaran-
tee Period will differ depending on the age, sex and underwriting class of the
Insured(s). For example under a single life policy, for the same premium and
Face Amount, an older Insured will have a shorter Guarantee Period than a
younger Insured of the same sex and in the same underwriting class.
 
CHANGING THE DEATH BENEFIT OPTION (Genesis I Only)
After the first Policy Anniversary, while the Insured(s) is living and the
Policy is in effect, You may change the death benefit option. However, changes
may be made no more frequently than once every three Policy Years. We must re-
ceive written notice of any change in a form satisfactory to Us. Any change in
death benefit option will take effect on the Processing Date on or next fol-
lowing the date We approve the change. When the change is from the Option II
Death Benefit to the Option I Death Benefit, We will increase the Face Amount
in force by the amount of the Option II Death Benefit Adjustment, as of the
date of the change. If the change is from the Option I Death Benefit to the
Option II Death Benefit, We will decrease the Face Amount in force by the
amount of the Option II Death Benefit Adjustment, as of the date of the
change. These increases and decreases in Face Amount are made so that the
death benefit remains the same on the date of the change. Changes in death
benefit options are subject to Our rules at the time of the change.
 
LIFETIME GUARANTEE OPTION
 Subject to Our rules, you may be available for a lifetime guarantee Option if
 the Guarantee Period under Your Policy ends before the Maturity Date, You may
 request a change to Your Policy such that the Guarantee Period will end on
 the Maturity Date. The request must be in a written form satisfactory to Us.
 On the date We receive Your request, if the Option II Death Benefit is in ef-
 fect under Your Policy, We will first change the death benefit option to the
 Option I Death Benefit and then change the Face Amount such that the Guaran-
 tee Period will end on the Maturity Date. If the Option I Death Benefit is
 already in effect under Your Policy, We will change the current Face Amount
 such that the Guarantee Period will end on the Maturity Date. See Insurance
 Benefits, Guarantee Period.
 
GENERAL
 When a change in Face Amount is made, the Tabular Value will be used to cal-
 culate a new Guarantee Period. Any part of the Tabular Value in excess of the
 amount required to increase the Guarantee Period to the Maturity Date, will
 be applied as a net single premium to the Maturity Date to increase the Face
 Amount. See Facts About the Policy, Tabular Value.
 
WHEN YOUR GUARANTEE PERIOD ENDS BEFORE THE MATURITY DATE
After the end of the Guarantee Period and a grace period, We may cancel Your
Policy if the Cash Surrender Value on a Processing Date will not cover the
charges due. See Charges and Deductions.
 
GRACE PERIOD
 We will notify You before cancelling Your Policy. You will have 61 days (the
 "grace period") from the date We mail the notice to You, to pay Us the
 charges due on the Processing Date when Your Cash Surrender Value becomes in-
 sufficient. (In certain states the amount of the required payment may differ
 and the amount will be shown on the notice We mail to You). We will not can-
 cel Your Policy until the end of this grace period. Any excess of the payment
 above the overdue charges will be treated as an additional premium payment.
 See Making Additional Premium Payments.
 
REINSTATING YOUR POLICY
 If We cancel Your Policy, You may reinstate it while the Insured (both of the
 Insureds for survivorship policies) is still living provided that:
 
 (1) You request the reinstatement within three years after the end of the
     grace period;
 
 (2) We receive satisfactory evidence of insurability; and
 
 (3) You pay Us at least the reinstatement cost, which is the minimum payment
     for which We would then issue the Policy based on the Attained Age and
     underwriting class of the
 
                                      28
<PAGE>
 
 INSURANCE BENEFITS (CONTINUED)
 
    Insured(s) as of the effective date of the reinstatement.
 
   Your reinstated Policy will be effective on the Processing Date on or next
   following the date We approve Your reinstatement application.
 
POLICY GUARANTEES
Although Your Policy Values depend on the Investment Results and the amount of
Cash Surrender Value in Account A is not guaranteed, the Policy does provide
the following guarantees.
 
GUARANTEE PERIOD
 We guarantee that the Policy will stay in force during the Guarantee Period.
 We will not cancel the Policy during the Guarantee Period unless there is
 Debt and the Cash Surrender Value is negative. See Your Policy's Benefits,
 Policy Loans. We will hold a reserve in Our general account to support this
 guarantee.
 
MORTALITY COST
 Each Policy guarantees maximum mortality rates of 100% of the 1980 CSO Mor-
 tality Tables adopted by the National Association of Insurance Commissioners.
 Policies issued in one of the special classes will have guaranteed maximum
 mortality rates based on multiples of the 1980 CSO Mortality Tables that are
 appropriate for the risks involved. We may use current tables that are less
 but never greater than these rates.
 
 We limit the mortality cost if Investment results are unfavorable. See
 Charges and Deductions, Mortality Charges. In effect, during the Guarantee
 Period You will not be charged for mortality costs that are greater than
 those for a comparable fixed policy based on 4.0% interest and the same guar-
 anteed mortality rates.
 
 CHOOSING AN INCOME PLAN
 
We offer several income plans to provide for payment of the Death Benefit pro-
ceeds to the beneficiary. You may choose one or more income plans at any time
while the Policy is in force. If no plan has been chosen when the death bene-
fit is payable, the beneficiary has one year to apply the death benefit pro-
ceeds to one or more of the plans. You may also choose one or more income
plans on surrender of the Policy.
 
Plans 1, 2 and 3 are supported by Our general account assets and do not vary
to reflect investment experience of the Account. Plan 4 may be supported by a
separate account in which case it will vary with investment experience.
 
Our approval is needed for any plan where:
 
 (1) the person named to receive payment is other than the owner or beneficia-
     ry; or
 
 (2) the person named is not a natural person, such as a corporation; or
 
 (3) any income payment would be less than $500.
 
 The income plans are:
 
PLAN 1: INCOME FOR A FIXED PERIOD
 Payments are made in equal installments for a fixed number of years.
 
PLAN 2: INCOME FOR LIFE
 Payments are made to the person named in equal monthly installments and guar-
 anteed for at least a period certain. The period certain can be 10 or 20
 years. Other periods certain are available on request. A refund certain may
 be chosen instead. Under this arrangement, income is guaranteed until pay-
 ments equal the amount applied.
 
PLAN 3: JOINT LIFE INCOME
 Payments are made in monthly installments as long as at least one of two
 named persons is living. Payments end completely when both named persons die.
 
PLAN 4: ANNUITY PLAN
 An amount can be used to purchase any single premium annuity We offer. We
 will issue a written agreement putting the plan into effect.
 
PAYMENT WHEN NAMED PERSON DIES
When the person named to receive payment dies, We will pay any amounts still
due as provided by the plan agreement. The amounts still due are determined as
follows:
 
(1) For plans 1, 2, or any remaining guaranteed payments, payments will be
    continued. Under plans 1 and 2, the discounted Values of the remaining
    guaranteed payments may be paid in a single sum. This means We deduct the
    amount of the interest each remaining guaranteed payment would have earned
    had it not been paid out early. The annual discount interest rate is 3.0%
    for plan 1 and 3.50% for plan 2. We will, however, base the discount in-
    terest rate on the interest rate used to calculate the payments for plans
    1 and 2 if such payments were not based on the tables in the Policy.
 
(2) For plan 3, no amounts are payable after both named persons have died.
 
 
                                      29
<PAGE>
 
 CHOOSING AN INCOME PLAN (CONTINUED)
 
(3) For plan 4, the annuity agreement will state the amount due, if any.
 
 OTHER IMPORTANT INFORMATION
 
OTHER GENERAL POLICY PROVISIONS
 
OWNERSHIP
 The Policyowner is usually the Insured, unless another owner has been named
 in the application or enrollment form. The Policyowner has all rights and op-
 tions described in the Policy.
 
 If You, the Policyowner, are not the Insured, You may want to name a contin-
 gent owner. If You die before the Insured, the contingent owner will own the
 Policy and have all Your rights. If You do not name a contingent owner, Your
 estate will own the Policy at Your Death.
 
CHANGING THE OWNER
 During Your lifetime, You have the right to transfer ownership of the Policy.
 The new owner will have all rights and options described in the Policy. The
 Change will be effective as of the day the notice is signed, but will not af-
 fect any payment made or action taken by Us before receipt of the change at
 Our Customer Service Center. See Federal Income Tax Considerations, Change of
 Ownership or Assignment.
 
NAMING BENEFICIARIES
 On the death of the Insured (single life), or the last surviving Insured
 (survivorship), We will pay the beneficiary the death benefit proceeds. If
 the beneficiary has died, We pay the contingent beneficiary. If no contingent
 beneficiary is living, We pay the estate of the Insured under a single life
 policy, or the last surviving Insured under a survivorship policy.
 
 You may name more than one person as beneficiaries or contingent beneficia-
 ries. We will pay them in equal shares unless You give other instructions.
 
 You have the right to change beneficiaries unless the beneficiary designation
 has been made irrevocable. If the designation is irrevocable, the beneficiary
 must consent when You exercise certain rights and options under the Policy.
 Any change in beneficiary will be effective as of the day the notice is
 signed, but will not affect any payment made or action taken by Us before re-
 ceipt of the change at Our Customer Service Center.
 
INCONTESTABILITY
 We rely on statements made in the application or enrollment form. Legally,
 they are considered representations, not warranties. We can contest the va-
 lidity of a Policy if any material misstatements are made in the initial ap-
 plication or enrollment form. We can also contest the validity of any change
 in face amount requested by You if any material misstatements are made in any
 application required for that change. We can also contest any amount of death
 benefit which would not be payable except for the fact that an additional
 premium which requires evidence of insurability was paid if any material mis-
 statements are made in any application required with the additional premium.
 
 We will not contest the validity of a Policy after it has been in effect dur-
 ing the Insured's lifetime (or during the lifetime of at least one of the
 Insureds for survivorship policies) for two years from the date of issue. We
 can also contest any change in face amount requested by the Policyowner after
 the change has been in effect during the Insured's lifetime (or during the
 lifetime of at least one of the Insureds for survivorship policies) for two
 years from the date of the payment. Nor will We contest any amount of death
 benefit attributable to an additional payment after such death benefit has
 been in effect during the Insured's lifetime (or during the lifetime of at
 least one of the Insureds for survivorship policies) for two years from the
 date of the payment.
 
 For survivorship policies, after the second Policy Anniversary We will send
 You by certified mail, a request for notification of the death of either In-
 sured. If the death of either Insured has occurred and You fail to reply to
 such request and provide proof of death of either Insured, if applicable, We
 may contest the validity of coverage under the Policy.
 
 If their Policy is reinstated, this provision will be measured from the ef-
 fective date of the reinstated Policy.
 
POLICY VALUES REPORTS
 After the end of each calendar quarter You will receive a statement of the
 allocation of Your Investment Value, death benefit, Cash Surrender Value, any
 Debt and Your current Face Amount and Guarantee Period. All figures will be
 as of the last day of the prior calendar quarter. It will also include any
 other information that may be currently required by the state insurance de-
 partment of the jurisdiction in which the Policy is delivered.
 
 You will also receive annual reports containing a financial statement for Ac-
 count A and any shareholder reports of the Trusts, as well as any other
 
                                      30
<PAGE>
 
 OTHER IMPORTANT INFORMATION (CONTINUED)
 
 reports, notices or documents required by law to be furnished to You.
 
POLICY CHANGES -- APPLICABLE TAX LAW
 For You to receive the tax treatment accorded to life insurance under Federal
 law, Your Policy must qualify initially and continue to qualify as life in-
 surance under the Internal Revenue Code or successor law. Therefore, to as-
 sure this qualification, We have reserved the right to defer acceptance of or
 to return any additional payments that would cause the Policy to fail to
 qualify as life insurance under applicable tax law. Further, We reserve the
 right to make changes in the Policy or its optional benefit riders or to make
 distributions from the Policy to the extent We find it necessary to continue
 to qualify Your Policy as life insurance. Any such changes will apply uni-
 formly to all Policies that are affected and You will be given advance writ-
 ten notice of such changes. See Federal Income Tax Considerations.
 
IN CASE OF ERRORS ON THE APPLICATION
 If an Insured's age or sex has been misstated on the application or enroll-
 ment form, the death benefit shall be that which would be purchased by the
 mortality cost determined for the current Processing Period based on the cor-
 rect age and sex. In addition, the benefit provided by any optional benefit
 rider shall be the amount purchased by the rider deduction for the current
 Processing Period based on the correct age and sex.
 
SENDING NOTICE TO US
 Any written notices or requests should be sent to Our Customer Service Cen-
 ter. The address is shown on the Cover Page. Please include Your name, policy
 number and if You are not an Insured, the name(s) of the Insured(s).
 
SUICIDE
 For single life policies, if an Insured commits suicide within two years from
 the Policy's Issue Date or an increase in the Policy's face amount, We will
 pay only a limited death benefit. The benefit will be equal to the premium
 payments made or, in the case of an increase in face amount, the death bene-
 fit that would otherwise have been payable had no increase in face amount
 been made. If an Insured commits suicide within two years of any date We re-
 ceive and accept an additional payment, any amount of death benefit which
 would not be payable except for the fact that the additional payment was made
 will be limited to the amount of the additional payment.
 
 For survivorship policies, if either Insured commits suicide within two years
 from the Policy's Issue Date, upon notification We will issue coverage to the
 last surviving Insured on a single life basis as of the Issue Date. If there
 is no surviving Insured, the beath benefit will be limited to the amount of
 the premium payments made.
 
 If the last surviving Insured commits suicide within two years of the effec-
 tive date of any increase in face amount requested by the Policyowners, we
 will terminate the coverage attributable to such increase in face amount and
 pay only a limited benefit. The limited benefit will be the amount of mortal-
 ity cost deductions made for such increase.
 
 If the last surviving Insured commits suicide within two years of any date We
 receive and accept an additional premium which requires evidence of insur-
 ability, any amount of death benefit which would not be payable except for
 the fact that the additional premium was made will be limited to the amount
 of the additional premium.
 
 The death benefit We will pay will be reduced by any Debt and by any partial
 withdrawals taken.
 
PAYMENTS WE MAY DEFER
 We will pay death benefit proceeds, Cash Surrender Values and loans within
 seven days after Our Customer Service Center receives all the information
 needed to process the payment.
 
 We may, however, delay payment if We contest the Policy. We may also delay
 payment of amounts derived from the divisions of Account A if it is not prac-
 tical for Us to value or dispose of shares of Account A because:
 
 (1) the New York Stock Exchange is closed for other than a regular holiday or
     weekend; or
 
 (2) trading is restricted; or
 
 (3) an emergency exists according to SEC rules; or
 
 (4) the check used to pay the premium has not cleared through the banking
     system. This may take up to 15 days.
 
 We may also delay payment if an SEC order or pronouncement allows Us to in
 order to protect Our Policyowners.
 
 We may defer payment of any Cash Surrender Value or loan amount (except a
 loan to pay a premium to Us) from the Fixed Account for up to six months af-
 ter We receive Your request.
 
ESTABLISHING SURVIVORSHIP -- SURVIVORSHIP POLICIES ONLY
 If We are unable to determine which of the Insureds was the last survivor on
 the basis of the
 
                                      31
<PAGE>
 
 OTHER IMPORTANT INFORMATION (CONTINUED)
 
 proofs of death provided to Us, We shall consider the Insured (not the Joint
 Insured) to be the last surviving Insured.
 
CLAIMS OF CREDITORS
 The proceeds of the Policy will be free from creditors' claims to the extent
 allowed by law.
 
ASSIGNING THE POLICY AS COLLATERAL
 You may assign the Policy as collateral security for a loan or other obliga-
 tion. This does not change the ownership. However, Your rights and any
 beneficiary's rights are subject to the terms of the assignment. See Federal
 Income Tax Considerations, Change of Ownership or Assignment.
 
 You must give Us satisfactory written notice at Our Customer Service Center
 in order to make or release an assignment. We are not responsible for the va-
 lidity of any assignment.
 
NON-PARTICIPATING
 The Policies do not participate in the divisible surplus of Golden American.
 
AUTHORITY TO MAKE AGREEMENTS
 All agreements made by Us must be signed by Our president or a vice president
 and by Our secretary or an assistant secretary. No other person, including an
 insurance agent or broker, can:
 
 (1) change any of the Policy's terms; or
 
 (2) make any agreements binding on Us.
 
CHANGES IN EXPENSE CHARGES AND INSURANCE BASED CHARGES
 Changes in expense charges or insurance based charges will be by class and
 based upon changes in future expectations for such elements as mortality,
 persistency, expenses and taxes. Any change in policy cost factors will be
 determined in accordance with procedures and standards on file, if required,
 with the insurance supervisory official of the jurisdiction in which the Pol-
 icy is delivered.
 
YOUR VOTING PRIVILEGES
You have the right to instruct Us as to how to vote at shareholder meetings of
the GCG Trust and ESS Trust on the ratification of the selection of indepen-
dent auditors and such other matters as the 1940 Act requires.
 
We will vote the shares of each Trust owned by Account A according to Your in-
structions. However, if the Investment Company Act of 1940 or any related reg-
ulations should change, or if interpretations of it or related regulations
should change and We decide that We are permitted to vote the shares of the
Trusts in Our own right, We may decide to do so.
 
We determine the number of shares that You have in a division of Account A by
dividing a Policy's Investment Value in that division by the net asset value
of one share of the Series in which a division invests. You may cast one vote
per share. Fractional votes will be counted. We will determine the number of
shares You can instruct Us to vote 90 days or less before each Trust's meet-
ing. We will ask You for voting instructions by mail at least 14 days before
the meeting.
 
If We do not get Your instructions in time, We will vote the shares in the
same proportion as the instructions received from all Policies in that divi-
sion. We will also vote shares We hold in Account A which are not attributable
to Policyowners in the same proportion.
 
Under certain circumstances, We may be required by state regulatory authori-
ties to disregard voting instructions. This may happen if following the in-
structions would mean voting to change the sub-classification or investment
objectives of the portfolios, or to approve or disapprove an investment advi-
sory contract.
 
We may also disregard instructions to vote for changes initiated by an owner
in the investment policy or the portfolio manager if We disapprove the pro-
posed changed. We would disapprove a proposed change only if it was:
 
(1) contrary to state law:
 
(2) prohibited by state regulatory authorities; or
 
(3) decided by Us that the change would result in overly speculative or un-
    sound investments. If We disregard voting instructions, We will include a
    summary of Our actions in the semiannual report.
 
SALES AND OTHER AGREEMENTS
DSI is principal underwriter and distributor of the Policies, as well as for
other policies issued through Account A and other separate accounts of Golden
American. DSI is a wholly owned subsidiary of EIC Variable, Inc. ("EIC Vari-
able"), the successor of BT Variable, Inc. ("BTV"), which is a subsidiary of
Equitable of Iowa. DSI is registered with the SEC as a broker-dealer and is a
member of the National Association of Securities Dealers, Inc. ("NASD"). We
pay DSI for acting as principal underwriter under a distribution agreement.
The amount We paid under this agreement for all of the policies issued through
the Account came to approximately $54,000 for 1993, $286,000 for 1994,
$370,000 for 1995, and $135,000 for 1996.
 
 
                                      32
<PAGE>
 
 OTHER IMPORTANT INFORMATION (CONTINUED)
 
DSI will enter into sales agreements with other broker-dealers to sell the
Policies. These agreements provide for payment of commissions of up to 7% of
premiums for the Genesis I Policy. Currently, for the Genesis Flex Policy, the
first year commission will be greater but in no event more than 37 1/2% of
premiums with 4.5% commission on renewal premiums. The agreements also provide
that applications for Policies may be solicited by registered representatives
of the broker-dealers appointed by Golden American to sell its variable life
insurance and variable annuities. These broker-dealers are registered with the
SEC and are members of the NASD. The registered representatives are authorized
under applicable state regulations to sell variable life insurance and vari-
able annuities. The offering of the Policies will be continuous.
 
SERVICING AGENT
We previously had an Administrative Services Agreement with BTV. Under that
agreement, BTV provided administrative services for all of Our variable life
policies. Those services included underwriting and issue, Policyowner service
and the administration of the variable account. The amount paid to BTV for
providing those services for all the policies issued through the Account came
to $5,399 for 1993. Since 1993 We have consolidated Our variable insurance
business and act as administrator for Our variable life products.
 
GROUP OR SPONSORED ARRANGEMENTS
For certain group or sponsored arrangements, we may reduce the deferred load-
ing, the per policy charge, the annual administrative charge and the minimum
initial premium and the minimum additional premium requirements. We also may
offer planned premium payment periods of other than ten years and limit the
Guarantee Period to a specified number of years. Group arrangements include
those in which a trustee or an employer, for example, purchases policies cov-
ering each individual in a group on a group basis. Sponsored arrangements in-
clude those in which an employer allows Us to sell policies to its employees
on an individual basis.
 
Our costs for sales, administration and mortality generally vary with the size
and stability of the group, among other factors. We take all these factors
into account when reducing charges. To qualify for reduced charges, a group or
sponsored arrangement must meet certain requirements, including Our require-
ments for size and number of years in existence. Group or sponsored arrange-
ments that have been set up solely to buy policies or that have been in exist-
ence less than six months will not qualify for reduced charges.
 
We will make any reductions according to Our rules in effect when an applica-
tion or enrollment form for a policy or additional premium is approved. We may
change these rules from time to time. However, any reductions will reflect
differences in costs or services and will not discriminate unfairly against
any person.
 
STATE REGULATION
We are regulated and supervised by the Insurance Department of the State of
Delaware, which periodically examines Our financial condition and operations.
We are also subject to the insurance laws and regulations of all jurisdictions
where We do business. The variable life insurance policies offered by this
prospectus have been filed with the Insurance Department of the State of Dela-
ware and in other jurisdictions.
 
We are required to submit annual statements of Our operations, including fi-
nancial statements, to the insurance departments of the various jurisdictions
in which We do business to determine solvency and compliance with local insur-
ance laws and regulations.
 
REGISTRATION STATEMENT
We have filed a registration statement under the Securities Act of 1933 with
the SEC relating to the offering described in this prospectus. This prospectus
does not include all the information in the registration statement. We have
omitted certain portions according to SEC rules. You may obtain the omitted
information from the SEC's main office in Washington, D.C. by paying the SEC's
prescribed fees.
 
LEGAL CONSIDERATIONS FOR EMPLOYERS
In 1983, the Supreme Court decided in Arizona Governing Committee v. Norris
that optional annuity benefits provided under an employer's deferred compensa-
tion plan could not, under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, vary be-
tween men and women. In that case, the Court applied its decision only to ben-
efits derived from contributions made on or after August 1, 1983. However, a
more recent decision of the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Cir-
cuit, Spirt V. TIAA-CREF, suggests that in other circumstances the prohibition
of sex-distinct Benefits may apply to contributions made before that date.
 
The Policies offered by this Prospectus are based on mortality tables that
distinguish between men and
 
                                      33
<PAGE>
 
 OTHER IMPORTANT INFORMATION (CONTINUED)
 
women. As a result, the Policies pay different benefits to men and women of
the same age. Employers and employee organizations should check with their le-
gal advisers before purchasing the Policy.
 
Some states prohibit the use of actuarial tables that distinguish between men
and women in determining premiums and policy benefits for Policies issued on
the lives of their residents. Therefore, Policies offered by this prospectus
to insure residents of these states will have premiums and benefits which are
based on actuarial tables that do not differentiate on the basis of sex.
 
LEGAL PROCEEDINGS
Golden American, as an insurance company is ordinarily involved in litigation.
We do not believe that any current litigation is material and We do not expect
to incur significant losses from such actions.
 
LEGAL MATTERS
    
The legal validity of the Policies described in this prospectus has been
passed on by Myles R. Tashman, Executive Vice President, General Counsel and
Secretary of Golden American. Sutherland, Asbill & Brennan, L.L.P. of Washing-
ton, D.C. has provided advice on certain matters relating to Federal securi-
ties laws.
     
 
EXPERTS
The financial statements of Golden American Life Insurance Company and Sepa-
rate Account A appearing in this prospectus and registration statement have
been audited by Ernst & Young LLP, independent auditors, as set forth in their
reports thereon appearing elsewhere herein and in the registration statement
and are included in reliance upon such reports given upon the authority of
such firm as experts in accounting and auditing.
 
Actuarial matters included in this prospectus have been examined by Stephen J.
Preston, F.S.A., MAAA, as stated in his opinion filed as an exhibit to the
registration statement.
 
REINSURANCE
Golden American reinsures all or a portion of the mortality risks under the
Policies with one or more appropriately licensed insurance companies.
 
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Additional information may be obtained from Our Customer Service Center, the
address and telephone number of which are on the cover of this prospectus.
 
 MANAGEMENT
 
DIRECTORS AND EXECUTIVE OFFICERS
 
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
                               POSITIONS(S) WITH THE
       NAME (AGE)                     COMPANY
- -------------------------      ---------------------
<S>                            <C>
    
Terry L. Kendall (50)          President and Chief
                               Executive Officer
Fred S. Hubbell (45)           Chairman
Lawrence V. Durland, Jr. (50)  Director
Paul E. Larson (44)            Director, Executive
                               Vice President, CFO
                               and Assistant
                               Secretary
Thomas L. May (48)             Director
John A. Merriman (54)          Director and
                               Assistant Secretary
Beth B. Neppl (38)             Director and Vice
                               President
Paul R. Schlaack (50)          Director
Jerome L. Sychowski (54)       Director, Senior
                               Vice President and
                               Chief Information
                               Officer
Barnett Chernow (47)           Executive Vice
                               President
Dennis D. Hargens              Treasurer
David L. Jacobson (47)         Senior Vice
                               President and
                               Assistant Secretary
Stephen J. Preston (38)        Senior Vice
                               President and Chief
                               Actuary
Myles R. Tashman (54)          Executive Vice
                               President, General
                               Counsel and
                               Secretary
David A. Terwilliger (39)      Vice President,
                               Controller,
                               Assistant Secretary
                               and Assistant
                               Treasurer
Edward C. Wilson (51)          Executive Vice
                               President
     
</TABLE>
 
The directors and principal officers of Golden American, together with their
principal occupations during the past five years, are as follows:
 
 
   
Mr. Terry L. Kendall joined Bankers Trust Company in September 1993 as Manag-
ing Director. He is a director, President and Chief Executive Officer of 
Golden American. From 1982 through June 1993, he was President and Chief 
Executive Officer of United Pacific Life Insurance Company.
     
 
    
Mr. Fred S. Hubbell became Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of
Equitable of Iowa in 1991. He also has served as Chairman and President of Eq-
uitable Life Insurance Company of Iowa since 1987. He was elected to serve as
a director of Golden American in August 1996, and as Chairman of the Board in
September 1996.
     
 
Mr. Lawrence V. Durland, Jr. joined Equitable of Iowa in 1986 as a Senior Vice
President. He was elected to serve as a director of Golden American in August
1996.
 
    
Mr. Paul E. Larson joined Equitable of Iowa in 1977 and is currently an Execu-
tive Vice President, Trea-
 
                                      34
<PAGE>
 
 MANAGEMENT (CONTINUED)
 
surer and Chief Financial Officer (CFO). He was elected to serve as a director
of Golden American in August 1996. He was elected to serve as Executive Vice
President, CFO, and Assistant Secretary of Golden American in December 1996.
     
 
    
Mr. Thomas L. May joined Equitable Life Insurance Company of Iowa in 1990 and
is currently Senior Vice President. He was elected to serve as a director of
Golden American in August 1996.
     

    
Mr. John A. Merriman joined Equitable of Iowa in 1987 and is currently Secre-
tary and General Counsel. He was elected to serve as a director of Golden
American in August 1996.
     
 
    
Ms. Beth B. Neppl joined Equitable of Iowa in 1987 and is currently a Vice
President. She was elected to serve as a director of Golden American in August
1996.
     
 
    
Mr. Paul R. Schlaack joined Equitable Investment Services, Inc. in 1984 and is
currently President and Chief Executive Officer. He was elected to serve as a
director of Golden American in August 1996.
     
 
    
Mr. Jerome L. Sychowski joined Equitable of Iowa in 1996 as Senior Vice Presi-
dent and Chief Information Officer. He was elected to serve as a director of
Golden American in December 1996.
     
 
Mr. Barnett Chernow joined Golden American in October 1993 as Executive Vice
President. From 1977 through 1993 he held various positions with Reliance In-
surance Companies and was Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of
United Pacific Life Insurance Company from 1984 through 1993.
 
    
Mr. Dennis D. Hargens was elected Treasurer of Golden American in December
1996. He joined Equitable Life Insurance Company of Iowa in 1961 and is cur-
rently Treasurer and was elected Treasurer of USG Annuity & Life Company in
1996.
     
 
Mr. David L. Jacobson joined Golden American in November 1993 as Senior Vice
President and Assistant Secretary. From April 1974 through November 1993 he
held various positions with United Pacific Life Insurance Company and was Vice
President upon leaving.
 
Mr. Stephen J. Preston joined Golden American in December 1993 as Senior Vice
President, Chief Actuary and Controller. From September 1993 through November
1993 he was Senior Vice President and Actuary for Mutual of America Insurance
Company. From July 1987 through August 1993 he held various positions with
United Pacific Life Insurance Company and was Vice President and Actuary upon
leaving.
 
Mr. Myles R. Tashman joined Golden American in August 1994 as Senior Vice
President and was named Executive Vice President, General Counsel and Secre-
tary effective January 1, 1996. From 1986 through 1993 he was Senior Vice
President and General Counsel of United Pacific Life Insurance Company.
 
    
Mr. David A. Terwilliger was elected Vice President, Controller, Assistant
Secretary and Assistant Treasurer of Golden American in December 1996. He
joined Equitable Life Insurance Company of Iowa in 1979 and presently serves
as Vice President and Controller of Equitable of Iowa and several of its
affiliates.
     
    
     

Mr. Edward C. Wilson joined Golden American in December, 1995 as Executive
Vice President. From August, 1994 to December, 1995 he was Senior Managing Di-
rector at Van Eck Global Investors. From July, 1990 to August, 1994 he was
Vice President and National Sales Manager at Keyport Life Insurance Company.

FEDERAL INCOME TAX CONSIDERATIONS
 
INTRODUCTION
The ultimate effect of Federal income taxes on the benefits of a policy and to
the owner or beneficiary depends on Golden American's tax status and upon the
tax status of the individual concerned. The discussion contained herein is
general in nature and focuses primarily on the Federal income tax. It is not
intended to be an exhaustive discussion of all tax questions that might arise
under the policies and should not be taken as tax advice. No attempt is made
to interpret estate and inheritance taxes, or any state, municipal or other
tax laws. Moreover, no representation is made as to the likelihood of continu-
ation of current interpretations by the Internal Revenue Service. We reserve
the right to make changes in the Policies to assure that they will continue to
qualify as life insurance. For complete information on tax considerations, a
qualified tax advisor should be consulted.
 
Golden American makes no guarantee regarding the tax consequences of any poli-
cy. However, subject to the discussion below, Golden American does believe
that the policy qualifies as life insurance for Federal income tax purposes.
 
 
                                      35
<PAGE>
 
 FEDERAL INCOME TAX CONSIDERATIONS (CONTINUED)
 
GOLDEN AMERICAN -- TAX STATUS
We are taxed as a life insurance company under Subchapter L of the Internal
Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the "Code"). Account A is not a separate en-
tity from Golden American and its operations form a part of Golden American.
However, the assets in the Account are segregated from all of Golden Ameri-
can's other assets and may not be charged with liabilities which arise from
any other business Golden American conducts.
 
Investment income and realized capital gains on the assets of the Account are
reinvested and taken into consideration in determining Investment Values. Un-
der existing Federal income tax law, the investment income of the Account, in-
cluding realized net capital gains, is not taxed to Golden American.
 
Under the current provisions of the Code, Golden American does not expect to
incur Federal income taxes on earnings in the Account to the extent the earn-
ings are credited under the Policies. Accordingly, no charge is expected to be
made to the Account for Federal income taxes. Periodically, We will review the
appropriateness of a charge to the Account for Our Federal income taxes. A
charge may be made for any Federal income taxes incurred by Golden American
that are attributable to the Account. We reserve the right to make a deduction
for taxes should they be imposed in the future.
 
Under current laws, Golden American may incur state and local taxes (in addi-
tion to premium taxes) in several states. At present, these taxes are not sig-
nificant. If there is a material change in applicable state or local tax laws,
We reserve the right to charge the Account for such taxes, if any, attribut-
able to the Account.
 
DEFERRED ACQUISITION COSTS
As a result of the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1990, insurance compa-
nies are required to capitalize and amortize specified policy acquisition ex-
penses over a ten year period (a five year amortization is permitted for a
specifically defined small amount of specified policy acquisition expenses).
Prior to this change, insurance companies were permitted to deduct policy ac-
quisition costs in the year in which they were incurred. This revised treat-
ment of deferred acquisition costs results in significantly higher corporate
income tax liability for the insurance company in early policy years.
 
To compensate for this change, Golden American may deduct a charge based on
each premium received to conform with changes in the amount payable by Us un-
der applicable Federal income tax law as of the date(s) of such premium pay-
ments. We believe this charge will be reasonable in relation to Our increased
tax liability resulting from the capitalization and amortization of policy ac-
quisition costs.
 
DEATH BENEFITS
The Death Benefit paid under a policy (whether or not a "modified endowment
contract," see Modified Endowment Contracts) will receive the same tax treat-
ment as a Death Benefit paid under fixed benefit life insurance provided that
the policy meets the statutory definition of a life insurance contract under
Code Section 7702. We believe that the Policy does meet that definition, sub-
ject to the discussion below. Thus, the death benefit proceeds under the Pol-
icy should be excludable from the gross income of the beneficiary under Sec-
tion 101(a)(1) of the Code and the owner should not be deemed to be in con-
structive receipt of the Cash Surrender Values, including increments thereon.
 
SURVIVORSHIP POLICIES AND POLICIES ISSUED TO INDIVIDUALS WITH SUBSTANDARD
MORTALITY RISKS
Regulations have been proposed under Code Section 7702 regarding mortality
charges which may be taken into account under life insurance policies. Cur-
rently, these proposed regulations deny certain safe harbors to survivorship
policies and policies issued on the lives of insureds who constitute substan-
dard mortality risks. When the regulations are finalized, it is anticipated
that these situations will be addressed, but the requirements that ultimately
will be imposed are uncertain. It is possible that when these regulations are
finalized, death benefits or premiums may need to be adjusted and higher cost
of insurance charges may need to be imposed in order for the Policy to con-
tinue to qualify as life insurance for Federal income tax purposes. Thus, it
is possible that the amount of the Policy's Cash Surrender Value and other
benefits may be affected. So that the Policy will continue to qualify as life
insurance for Federal income tax purposes, Golden American reserves with the
right to modify the Policy as necessary to comply with these regulations as
finalized.
 
SURRENDER
Upon full surrender of a policy for its cash surrender value, the owner may
recognize ordinary income for Federal income tax purposes. Ordinary income
would be the amount by which the cash surrender value plus any debt exceeds
the premiums paid but not previously recovered without taxation. If the policy
is a "modified endowment contract," any in-
 
                                      36
<PAGE>
 
 FEDERAL INCOME TAX CONSIDERATIONS (CONTINUED)
 
come received upon surrender may be subject to an additional 10% tax. See Mod-
ified Endowment Contracts, Penalty Tax.
 
PARTIAL WITHDRAWALS
Partial withdrawals may be taxable depending on the circumstances. If the pol-
icy is a "modified endowment contract," partial withdrawals are fully taxable
to the extent of income in the policy and are possibly subject to an addi-
tional 10% tax. See Modified Endowment Contracts, Penalty Tax and Distribu-
tions Affected.
 
If the policy is not a "modified endowment contract," partial withdrawals may
still be taxable, as follows. The amount withdrawn is taxable to the extent it
exceeds the total amount of premiums paid but not previously recovered. Also
Code Section 7702(f)(7) provides that if a reduction in death benefits occurs
during the first 15 years after a policy is issued and there is a cash distri-
bution associated with that reduction, the owner may be taxed on all or part
of the amount distributed. A reduction in death benefits may result from a
partial withdrawal. You should consult with Your tax advisor in advance of a
proposed decrease in benefits for the effect a partial withdrawal might have
under Code Section 7702(f)(7) and under the rules affecting "modified endow-
ment contracts." See Modified Endowment Contracts, Reduction in Benefits.
 
We believe that the tax consequences of partial withdrawals under a policy
that was received in a Code Section 1035 exchange for a policy issued before
June 21, 1988, so long as no additional premiums are paid, should be the same
as those for a policy which is not a "modified endowment contract," but that
the 15 year period referred to in Code Section 7702(f)(7) must be measured
from the date of the exchange rather than the date of the original policy is-
suance. See Code Section 1035 Exchanges.
 
LOANS
Golden American believes that any loan received under the Policy will be
treated as indebtedness of the owner. If a policy is a "modified endowment
contract," loans are fully taxable to the extent of income in the policy and
are possibly subject to an additional 10% tax. See Modified Endowment Con-
tracts, Penalty Tax and Distributions Affected. If the Policy is not a "modi-
fied endowment contract," Golden American believes that no part of any loan
under a policy will constitute income to the owner while the policy is in ef-
fect. However, with respect to Preferred Loans it is possible that the Inter-
nal Revenue Service could find the Policyowner as being in receipt of certain
amounts of income.
 
The deductibility by the owner of loan interest under a policy may be limited
under Code Section 264, depending on the circumstances. Any owner intending to
fund premium payments through borrowing should consult a tax advisor with re-
spect to the tax consequences thereof.
 
Under the "personal" interest limitation provisions of the Code, interest on
policy loans used for personal purposes, which otherwise meet the requirements
of Code Section 264, are no longer tax deductible. Other rules may apply to
allow all or part of the interest expense as a deduction if the loan proceeds
are used for "trade or business" or "investment" purposes.
 
If the policy is owned by a business or corporation, the Code imposes addi-
tional restrictions. The Code also limits the interest deduction on business-
owned policy loans and may impose tax upon the inside build-up of corporate-
owned life insurance policies through the corporate alternative minimum tax.
 
We believe that the tax consequences of loans under a policy that was received
in a Code Section 1035 exchange for a policy issued before June 21, 1988, as
long as no additional premiums are paid, should be the same as those for a
policy which is not a "modified endowment contract," but that the 15 year pe-
riod referred to in Code Section 7702(f)(7) must be measured from the date of
the exchange rather than the date of the original policy issuance. See Code
Section 1035 Exchanges.
 
CHANGE OF OWNERSHIP OR ASSIGNMENT
A change of ownership or assignment of coverage may have tax consequences de-
pending on the circumstances. No such change or assignment will be effective
without the prior consent of Golden American. We recommend that You seek the
advice of a qualified tax consultant prior to making any such changes or as-
signment.
 
MODIFIED ENDOWMENT CONTRACTS
 
GENERAL
 As a result of the Technical and Miscellaneous Revenue Act of 1988 (the "1988
 Act") and the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1989 (the "1989 Act"),
 loans and other distributions under "modified endowment contracts" will in
 general be taxed to the extent of accumulated income (generally, the excess
 of Investment Value plus any Debt, over premiums paid). Policies are "modi-
 fied endowment contracts" if they meet the definition
 
                                      37
<PAGE>
 
 FEDERAL INCOME TAX CONSIDERATIONS (CONTINUED)
 
 of life insurance, but fail the "seven-pay" test. This test essentially pro-
 vides that the cumulative premiums paid under a policy at any time during the
 policy's first seven years cannot exceed the sum of the net level premiums
 that would have been paid on or before that time had the policy provided for
 paid-up future benefits after the payment of seven level annual premiums. In
 addition, a "modified endowment contract" includes any life insurance con-
 tract that is received in exchange for a "modified endowment contract." Ex-
 cept where the policy was purchased as a "modified endowment contract," We
 will monitor premiums paid during a policy year. Those premiums which would
 otherwise result in a policy becoming a "modified endowment contract," that
 are returned by Golden American within 60 days after the end of the policy
 year, will not cause the policy to fail the "seven-pay" test. These premiums
 will be returned with Investment experience for that portion attributable to
 the separate account.
 
REDUCTION IN BENEFITS
 If there is a reduction in death benefits during the first seven policy
 years, premiums are redetermined for purposes of the "seven-pay" test as if
 the policy had originally been issued at the reduced death benefit level. The
 new limitation is applied to the cumulative amount paid for each of the first
 seven policy years. Also, see Survivorship Contracts.
 
DISTRIBUTIONS AFFECTED
 If a policy fails to meet the "seven-pay" test, it is considered a "modified
 endowment contract" only as to distributions in the year in which the failure
 takes effect and all subsequent years. However, distributions made in antici-
 pation of such failure also are considered distributions under a "modified
 endowment contract." All distributions made within two years prior to a fail-
 ure of the "seven-pay" test are deemed to have been made in anticipation of
 such failure.
 
PENALTY TAX
 Any amounts taxable under a "modified endowment contract," including amounts
 received as policy loans, will also be subject to a 10% tax, with certain ex-
 ceptions. This additional tax will not apply in the case of distributions:
 (i) made on or after the taxpayer attains age 59 1/2; (ii) that are attribut-
 able to the taxpayer becoming disabled, or (iii) which are a part of a series
 of substantially equal periodic payments (not less frequently than annually)
 made for the life (or life expectancy) of the taxpayer.
 
MATERIAL CHANGE RULES
 Any determination of whether the policy meets the "seven-pay" test will begin
 again any time the policy undergoes a "material change" which includes most
 increases in death benefits. However, if an increase is attributable to pre-
 miums paid "necessary to fund" the lowest death benefit payable in the first
 seven policy years, or the crediting of interest or dividends with respect to
 these premiums, the "increase" does not constitute a material change. A re-
 duction in death benefits is not considered a material change.
 
 A material change may occur at any time during the life of the policy (within
 the first seven years or thereafter) and future taxation, assuming no change
 in applicable law, of distributions or loans would depend on whether the pol-
 icy satisfied the "seven-pay" test from the time of the material change.
 
 Additional premium payments will be carefully monitored by Golden American to
 determine whether such premium payments cause either the start of a new seven
 year period or the taxation of distributions and loans. All additional pre-
 mium payments must be considered.
 
 If the policy satisfies the "seven-pay" test for seven years, distributions
 and loans will generally not be subject to the new tax rules.
 
SERIAL CONTRACTS
 The 1988 Act and the 1989 Act also provide that all "modified endowment con-
 tracts" that are issued within the same calendar year to the same policyowner
 by one company or its affiliates are treated as one "modified endowment con-
 tract" for the purposes of determining the taxable portion of any loans or
 distributions.
 
SURVIVORSHIP CONTRACTS
 A policy which insures multiple lives and pays a death benefit upon the death
 of the survivor is subject to new rules pursuant to the 1989 Act. If there is
 a reduction in the death benefit below the lowest level provided during the
 first seven years the contract was in force, the "seven-pay" test will be ap-
 plied as if the contract had originally been issued with the lower death ben-
 efit. If such treatment causes the contract to retroactively fail the "seven-
 pay" test, it will immediately be treated as a "modified endowment contract"
 for purposes of all distributions in the year the death benefit is reduced
 and later years, subject also to the special rule described above in Distri-
 butions Affected for distributions deemed to have been made in anticipation
 of failure.
 
 
                                      38
<PAGE>
 
 FEDERAL INCOME TAX CONSIDERATIONS (CONTINUED)
 
CODE SECTION 1035 EXCHANGES
Internal Revenue Code Section 1035 provides that no gain or loss shall be rec-
ognized on the exchange of certain types of policies. Special rules and proce-
dures apply to Code Section 1035 transactions. Prospective Policyowners wish-
ing to take advantage of Code Section 1035 should consult their tax advisors.
 
DIVERSIFICATION STANDARDS
To comply with the diversification regulations ("Regulations"), issued under
Code Section 817(h), the Account will be required to diversify its
investments.
 
The Regulations generally require that on the last day of each quarter of a
calendar year (i) no more than 55% of the value of the Account is represented
by any investment; (ii) no more than 70% is represented by any two invest-
ments; (iii) no more than 80% is represented by any three investments; and
(iv) no more than 90% is represented by any four investments. A "look-through"
rule provides that each division of the Account will be tested for compliance
with the percentage limitations by looking through to the assets of the Series
of the Trust in which each such division invests. All securities of the same
issuer are treated as a single investment. As a result of the 1988 Act, each
government agency or instrumentality will be treated as a separate issuer for
the purposes of these limitations.
 
The general diversification requirements are modified if any of the assets of
the Accounts are direct obligations of the United States Treasury. In this
case, there is no limit on the investment that may be made in United States
Treasury securities and for purposes of determining whether assets other than
United States Treasury securities are adequately diversified, the applicable
percentage limitations are increased based on a formula that takes into ac-
count the percentage of the Account's investment in United States Treasury se-
curities.
 
We intend to comply with the regulations to assure that the Policy continues
to qualify as life insurance for Federal income tax purposes.
 
OWNERSHIP TREATMENT
In certain circumstances, variable life insurance policyowners may be consid-
ered the owners, for Federal income tax purposes, of the assets of the sepa-
rate account, such as the Account, used to support their policies. In those
circumstances, income and gains from the separate account would be includible
in the policyowners' gross income. The Internal Revenue Service has stated in
published rulings that a variable policyowner will be considered the owner of
separate account assets if the owner possesses incidents of ownership in those
assets, such as the ability to exercise investment control over the assets. In
addition, the Treasury Department announced, in connection with the issuance
of regulations concerning investment diversification, that those regulations
"do not provide guidance concerning the circumstances in which investor con-
trol of the investments of a segregated asset account may cause the investor,
rather than the insurance company, to be treated as the owner of the assets in
the account." This announcement also stated that guidance would be issued by
way of regulations or rulings on the "extent to which policyholders may direct
their investments to particular sub-accounts [of a separate account] without
being treated as owners of the underlying assets." As of the dates of this
prospectus, no such guidance has been issued.
 
The ownership rights under the policy are similar to, but different in certain
respects from, those described by the Internal Revenue Service in rulings in
which it was determined that policyowners were not owners of separate account
assets. For example, a Policyowner of this Policy has the choice of more in-
vestment options to which to allocate premiums and Investment Values, and may
be able to transfer among investment options more frequently, than in such
rulings. In addition, the Policyowner has the choice of certain investment op-
tions which are somewhat more similar to each other in their investment objec-
tives than in such rulings. These differences could result in the Policyowner
being considered, under the standard of those rulings, the owner of the assets
of the Account. In addition, Golden American does not know what standards will
be set forth in the regulations or rulings which the Treasury Department has
stated it expects to issue. Golden American therefore reserves the right to
modify the Policy as necessary to attempt to prevent Policyowners from being
considered the owners of the assets of the Account.
 
Frequently, if the Internal Revenue Service or the Treasury Department sets
forth a new position which is adverse to taxpayers, the position is applied on
a prospective basis only. Thus, if the Internal Revenue Service or the Trea-
sury Department were to issue regulations or a ruling which treated a
Policyowner as the owner of the assets of the Account, that treatment might
apply only on a prospective basis. However, if the regulations or ruling were
not considered to set forth a new position, a policyholder might be retroac-
tively determined to be the owner of the assets of the Account.
 
 
                                      39
<PAGE>
 
 ILLUSTRATIONS
 
 
The following tables demonstrate the way in which Your Policy works. The ta-
bles are based on the following ages, initial death benefits and premiums.
 
1. Table 1 is for a Genesis I Policy issued on a single life basis to a male,
   non-smoker, age 30 with an initial premium of $100,000, and face amount of
   $507,639.
 
2. Table 2 is for Genesis Flex Policy issued on a single life basis to a male,
   non-smoker, age 55 with an initial premium of $10,000, with planned premi-
   ums payable for 10 years, and face amount of $181,432.
 
3. Table 3 is for a Genesis Flex Policy issued on a survivorship basis to a
   male, non-smoker, age 55 and female, non-smoker, age 55 with an initial
   premium of $10,000, with planned premiums payable for 10 years, and face
   amount of $258,618.
 
Each table shows how the Investment Value, Cash Surrender Value and death ben-
efit would vary over an extended period of time assuming hypothetical gross
rates of return equivalent to a constant annual rate of 0%, 6% or 12%. These
tables will assist in the comparison of death benefits, Investment Values and
Cash Surrender Values of the policy with other variable life insurance plans.
The illustrations assume that no premium has been allocated to the Fixed Ac-
count.
 
Death benefits, Investment Values and Cash Surrender Values for a policy would
be different from the amounts shown if the actual gross rates of return aver-
aged 0%, 6% or 12%, but varied above and below those averages for the period.
They would also be different depending on the allocation of the Investment
Value among the divisions of the Account, if the actual gross rate of return
for all divisions averaged 0%, 6% or 12%, but varied above or below that aver-
age for individual divisions. They would also differ if any policy loans or
partial withdrawals were made during the period of time illustrated.
 
    
The illustrations assume that the cost of insurance charges are based on Our
guaranteed maximum cost of insurance rates and reflect the deduction of all
charges from the Investment Value at their guaranteed maximum levels. They are
based on an average state premium tax of 2.40% and corporate tax charge of
0.00%. They also reflect (i) the guaranteed maximum daily mortality and ex-
pense risk charge assessed against the Account of 0.002477% (equivalent to an
annual rate of 0.90%) of the assets in the Account; (ii) the asset based ad-
ministrative charge assessed against the Account of 0.000276% (equivalent to
an annual rate of 0.10%) on the assets in each division attributable to the
Policies; and (iii) the operating expenses incurred by the Trusts of 0.97% of
the average daily net assets of the Trusts, which is an average of the fees
and expenses for each Series.
     
 
    
Taking account of the assumed charges for expense and mortality risks in the
Account and the investment advisory fees and expenses of the Trusts, the gross
rates of return of 0%, 6% and 12% would correspond to actual net investment
returns of--1.96%, 3.98% and 9.92% respectively.
     
 
Although the illustrations assume policy charges at their maximum level, the
level of charges currently being made is lower and this will affect the death
benefits, Investment Values and Cash Surrender Values. The actual investment
advisory fees and expenses may be more or less than the amounts illustrated
and will depend on the allocations made by the Policyowner.
 
The hypothetical rates of return shown in the tables do not reflect any tax
charges attributable to the Account since no such charges are currently made.
If any such charges are imposed in the future the gross annual rate of return
would have to exceed the rates shown by an amount sufficient to cover the tax
charges, in order to produce the death benefits, Investment Values and Cash
Surrender Values illustrated.
 
The third column of each table shows the amount which would accumulate if an
amount equal to the initial premium were invested and earned interest, after
taxes, at 5.0% per year, compounded annually.
 
Golden American will furnish upon request a comparable illustration using the
age, sex and underwriting classification of an Insured(s), for any initial
death benefit and premium requested. In addition to an illustration assuming
policy charges at their maximum, We will furnish an illustration assuming cur-
rent policy charges and current mortality rates.
                                      40
<PAGE>
 
 ILLUSTRATIONS (CONTINUED)
 
TABLE 1: SINGLE LIFE GENESIS I POLICY
 
MALE ISSUE AGE: 30, NON-SMOKER                  GUARANTEE PERIOD AT ISSUE: LIFE
INITIAL PREMIUM: $100,000                                 FACE AMOUNT: $507,639
 
GUARANTEED MAXIMUM MORTALITY COSTS
 
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
                                                         END OF YEAR
                             TOTAL PREMIUMS            DEATH BENEFIT(2)
                                PAID PLUS        ASSUMING HYPOTHETICAL GROSS
                            INTEREST AT 5% AS    ANNUAL INVESTMENT RETURN OF
POLICY YEAR   PAYMENTS(1)    OF END OF YEAR        0%         6%         12%
- -----------   -----------   -----------------   --------   --------   ----------
<S>           <C>           <C>                 <C>        <C>        <C>
     1         $100,000         $105,000        $507,639   $507,639   $  516,074
     2                           110,250         507,639    507,639      538,901
     3                           115,763         507,639    507,639      563,242
     4                           121,551         507,639    507,639      589,188
     5                           127,628         507,639    507,639      616,824
     6                           134,010         507,639    507,639      646,240
     7                           140,710         507,639    507,639      681,812
     8                           147,746         507,639    507,639      719,454
     9                           155,133         507,639    507,639      759,283
    10                           162,889         507,639    507,639      801,423
    15                           207,893         507,639    507,639    1,051,627
    20                           265,330         507,639    507,639    1,382,720
    30                           432,194         507,639    507,639    2,399,123
</TABLE>
 
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
                       END OF YEAR                       END OF YEAR
                   INVESTMENT VALUE(2)             CASH SURRENDER VALUE(2)
               ASSUMING HYPOTHETICAL GROSS       ASSUMING HYPOTHETICAL GROSS
               ANNUAL INVESTMENT RETURN OF       ANNUAL INVESTMENT RETURN OF
POLICY YEAR     0%         6%         12%         0%         6%         12%
- -----------   -------   --------   ----------   -------   --------   ----------
<S>           <C>       <C>        <C>          <C>       <C>        <C>
     1        $93,511   $ 99,321   $  105,122   $88,172   $ 93,982   $   99,783
     2         89,717    101,293      113,521    85,446     97,022      109,251
     3         85,991    103,336      122,717    82,788    100,133      119,514
     4         82,324    105,447      132,779    80,189    103,312      130,644
     5         78,711    107,624      143,786    77,644    106,556      142,718
     6         75,145    109,862      155,818    75,145    109,862      155,818
     7         72,692    113,233      170,041    72,692    113,233      170,041
     8         70,254    116,703      185,576    70,254    116,703      185,576
     9         67,826    120,274      202,540    67,826    120,274      202,540
    10         65,404    123,943      221,056    65,404    123,943      221,056
    15         53,232    143,768      342,121    53,232    143,768      342,121
    20         40,603    166,030      528,106    40,603    166,030      528,106
    30         10,709    215,932    1,235,032    10,709    215,932    1,235,032
</TABLE>
 
(1) All payments are illustrated as if made at the beginning of the Policy
    Year.
(2) Assumes no policy loan or partial withdrawal has been made.
 
THE HYPOTHETICAL INVESTMENT RATES OF RETURN SHOWN ABOVE ARE ILLUSTRATIVE ONLY
AND SHOULD NOT BE DEEMED A REPRESENTATION OF PAST OR FUTURE INVESTMENT RATES
OF RETURN. ACTUAL RATES OF RETURN MAY BE MORE OR LESS THAN THOSE SHOWN AND
WILL DEPEND ON A NUMBER OF FACTORS, INCLUDING THE INVESTMENT ALLOCATIONS MADE
BY AN OWNER AND THE INVESTMENT EXPERIENCE OF THE SERIES OF THE TRUST. THE
DEATH BENEFIT, INVESTMENT VALUE AND CASH SURRENDER VALUE FOR A POLICY WOULD BE
DIFFERENT FROM THOSE SHOWN IF THE ACTUAL GROSS ANNUAL RATES OF RETURN AVERAGED
0%, 6% OR 12% OVER A PERIOD OF YEARS, BUT ALSO FLUCTUATED ABOVE OR BELOW THOSE
AVERAGES FOR INDIVIDUAL POLICY YEARS. THEY WOULD ALSO BE DIFFERENT IF ANY POL-
ICY LOANS OR PARTIAL WITHDRAWALS WERE MADE. NO REPRESENTATIONS CAN BE MADE BY
GOLDEN AMERICAN LIFE INSURANCE COMPANY OR ACCOUNT A OR THE TRUSTS THAT THESE
HYPOTHETICAL RATES OF RETURN CAN BE ACHIEVED FOR ANY ONE YEAR OR SUSTAINED
OVER A PERIOD OF TIME.
 
                                      41
<PAGE>
 
 ILLUSTRATIONS (CONTINUED)
 
TABLE 2: SINGLE LIFE GENESIS FLEX POLICY
 
MALE ISSUE AGE: 55, NON-SMOKER         GUARANTEE PERIOD AT ISSUE: 6.75 YEARS(1)
INITIAL PREMIUM: $10,000                                  FACE AMOUNT: $181,432
 
GUARANTEED MAXIMUM MORTALITY COSTS
 
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
                                                    END OF YEAR
                          TOTAL PREMIUMS         DEATH BENEFIT(3)
                             PAID PLUS      ASSUMING HYPOTHETICAL GROSS
                         INTEREST AT 5% AS  ANNUAL INVESTMENT RETURN OF
POLICY YEAR  PAYMENTS(2)  OF END OF YEAR      0%           6%        12%
- -----------  ----------- ----------------- ---------    --------- ---------
<S>          <C>         <C>               <C>          <C>       <C>
 1             $10,000       $ 10,500      $ 181,432    $ 181,432 $ 181,432
 2              10,000         21,525        181,432      181,432   181,432
 3              10,000         33,101        181,432      181,432   181,432
 4              10,000         45,256        181,432      181,432   181,432
 5              10,000         58,019        181,432      181,432   181,432
 6              10,000         71,420        181,432      181,432   181,432
 7              10,000         85,491        181,432      181,432   181,432
 8              10,000        100,266        181,432      181,432   181,432
 9              10,000        115,779        181,432      181,432   200,214
10 (age 65)     10,000        132,068        181,432      181,432   228,379
15                            168,556        181,432      181,432   297,558
20                            215,125        181,432      181,432   392,092
30 (age 85)                   350,415        181,432(4)   181,432   682,483
</TABLE>
 
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
                       END OF YEAR                        END OF YEAR
                   INVESTMENT VALUE(3)              CASH SURRENDER VALUE(3)
               ASSUMING HYPOTHETICAL GROSS        ASSUMING HYPOTHETICAL GROSS
               ANNUAL INVESTMENT RETURN OF        ANNUAL INVESTMENT RETURN OF
POLICY YEAR      0%         6%          12%         0%         6%          12%
- -----------   --------   ---------   ---------   --------   ---------   ---------
<S>           <C>        <C>         <C>         <C>        <C>         <C>
 1            $  7,560   $   8,110   $   8,662   $  6,192   $   6,743   $   7,294
 2              15,010      16,582      18,220     13,416      14,987      16,626
 3              22,164      25,238      28,574     20,443      23,517      26,853
 4              29,037      34,097      39,811     27,290      32,350      38,064
 5              35,640      43,173      52,032     33,966      41,499      50,358
 6              41,990      52,485      65,368     40,490      50,985      63,868
 7              48,381      62,335      80,241     46,881      60,834      78,741
 8              54,655      72,584      96,674     53,155      71,084      95,174
 9              60,839      83,275     114,726     59,339      81,775     113,226
10 (age 65)     67,048      94,538     134,223     65,548      93,088     132,723
15              50,201     102,828     196,665     50,201     102,828     196,665
20              33,339     111,110     286,571     33,339     111,110     286,571
30 (age 85)          0     119,987     577,118          0     119,987     577,118
</TABLE>
 
(1) If all planned premiums are paid as illustrated the Guarantee Period after
    the last payment will be for life.
(2) All payments are illustrated as if made at the beginning of the Policy
    Year.
(3) Assumes no policy loan or partial withdrawal has been made.
(4) Guarantee Period applies.
 
THE HYPOTHETICAL INVESTMENT RATES OF RETURN SHOWN ABOVE ARE ILLUSTRATIVE ONLY
AND SHOULD NOT BE DEEMED A REPRESENTATION OF PAST OR FUTURE INVESTMENT RATES
OF RETURN. ACTUAL RATES OF RETURN MAY BE MORE OR LESS THAN THOSE SHOWN AND
WILL DEPEND ON A NUMBER OF FACTORS, INCLUDING THE INVESTMENT ALLOCATIONS MADE
BY AN OWNER AND THE INVESTMENT EXPERIENCE OF THE SERIES OF THE TRUST. THE
DEATH BENEFIT, INVESTMENT VALUE AND CASH SURRENDER VALUE FOR A POLICY WOULD BE
DIFFERENT FROM THOSE SHOWN IF THE ACTUAL GROSS ANNUAL RATES OF RETURN AVERAGED
0%, 6% OR 12% OVER A PERIOD OF YEARS, BUT ALSO FLUCTUATED ABOVE OR BELOW THOSE
AVERAGES FOR INDIVIDUAL POLICY YEARS. THEY WOULD ALSO BE DIFFERENT IF ANY POL-
ICY LOANS OR PARTIAL WITHDRAWALS WERE MADE. NO REPRESENTATIONS CAN BE MADE BY
GOLDEN AMERICAN LIFE INSURANCE COMPANY OR ACCOUNT A OR THE TRUSTS THAT THESE
HYPOTHETICAL RATES OF RETURN CAN BE ACHIEVED FOR ANY ONE YEAR OR SUSTAINED
OVER A PERIOD OF TIME.
 
                                      42
<PAGE>
 
 ILLUSTRATIONS (CONTINUED)
 
TABLE 3: JOINT AND LAST SURVIVOR GENESIS FLEX POLICY
 
MALE ISSUE AGE: 55, NON-SMOKER                 FEMALE ISSUE AGE: 55, NON-SMOKER
INITIAL PREMIUM: $10,000                                  FACE AMOUNT: $258,618
GUARANTEE PERIOD AT ISSUE: 18.25 YEARS(1)
 
GUARANTEED MAXIMUM MORTALITY COSTS
 
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
                                                    END OF YEAR
                          TOTAL PREMIUMS         DEATH BENEFIT(3)
                             PAID PLUS      ASSUMING HYPOTHETICAL GROSS
                         INTEREST AT 5% AS  ANNUAL INVESTMENT RETURN OF
POLICY YEAR  PAYMENTS(2)  OF END OF YEAR      0%        6%        12%
- -----------  ----------- ----------------- --------- --------- ---------
<S>          <C>         <C>               <C>       <C>       <C>
 1             $10,000       $ 10,500      $ 258,618 $ 258,618 $ 258,618
 2              10,000         21,525        258,618   258,618   258,618
 3              10,000         33,101        258,618   258,618   258,618
 4              10,000         45,256        258,618   258,618   258,618
 5              10,000         58,019        258,618   258,618   258,618
 6              10,000         71,420        258,618   258,618   258,618
 7              10,000         85,491        258,618   258,618   258,618
 8              10,000        100,266        258,618   258,618   258,618
 9              10,000        115,779        258,618   258,618   289,826
10 (age 65)     10,000        132,068        258,618   258,618   327,231
15                            168,556        258,618   258,618   426,586
20                            215,125        258,618   258,618   561,504
30 (age 85)                   350,415        258,618   258,618   976,230
</TABLE>
 
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
                       END OF YEAR                        END OF YEAR
                   INVESTMENT VALUE(3)              CASH SURRENDER VALUE(3)
               ASSUMING HYPOTHETICAL GROSS        ASSUMING HYPOTHETICAL GROSS
               ANNUAL INVESTMENT RETURN OF        ANNUAL INVESTMENT RETURN OF
POLICY YEAR      0%         6%          12%         0%         6%          12%
- -----------   --------   ---------   ---------   --------   ---------   ---------
<S>           <C>        <C>         <C>         <C>        <C>         <C>
 1            $  8,760   $   9,340   $   9,919   $  7,452   $   8,031   $   8,611
 2              17,522      19,224      20,996     15,976      17,678      19,449
 3              25,983      29,372      33,040     24,298      27,687      31,355
 4              34,146      39,791      46,145     32,423      38,068      44,422
 5              42,014      50,489      60,415     40,352      48,827      58,753
 6              49,590      61,473      75,962     48,090      59,973      74,462
 7              57,137      73,015      93,177     55,637      71,515      91,677
 8              64,492      84,969     112,142     62,992      83,469     110,642
 9              71,655      97,351     132,909     70,155      95,851     131,409
10 (age 65)     78,707     110,253     155,603     77,207     108,753     154,103
15              66,022     127,986     241,015     66,022     127,986     241,015
20              52,484     147,264     369,797     52,484     147,264     369,797
30 (age 85)     10,711     176,041     801,964     10,711     176,041     801,964
</TABLE>
 
(1) If all planned premiums are paid as illustrated the Guarantee Period after
    the last payment will be for life.
(2) All payments are illustrated as if made at the beginning of the Policy
    Year.
(3) Assumes no policy loan or partial withdrawal has been made.
 
THE HYPOTHETICAL INVESTMENT RATES OF RETURN SHOWN ABOVE ARE ILLUSTRATIVE ONLY
AND SHOULD NOT BE DEEMED A REPRESENTATION OF PAST OR FUTURE INVESTMENT RATES
OF RETURN. ACTUAL RATES OF RETURN MAY BE MORE OR LESS THAN THOSE SHOWN AND
WILL DEPEND ON A NUMBER OF FACTORS, INCLUDING THE INVESTMENT ALLOCATIONS MADE
BY AN OWNER AND THE INVESTMENT EXPERIENCE OF THE SERIES OF THE TRUST. THE
DEATH BENEFIT, INVESTMENT VALUE AND CASH SURRENDER VALUE FOR A POLICY WOULD BE
DIFFERENT FROM THOSE SHOWN IF THE ACTUAL GROSS ANNUAL RATES OF RETURN AVERAGED
0%, 6% OR 12% OVER A PERIOD OF YEARS, BUT ALSO FLUCTUATED ABOVE OR BELOW THOSE
AVERAGES FOR INDIVIDUAL POLICY YEARS. THEY WOULD ALSO BE DIFFERENT IF ANY POL-
ICY LOANS OR PARTIAL WITHDRAWALS WERE MADE. NO REPRESENTATIONS CAN BE MADE BY
GOLDEN AMERICAN LIFE INSURANCE COMPANY OR ACCOUNT A OR THE TRUSTS THAT THESE
HYPOTHETICAL RATES OF RETURN CAN BE ACHIEVED FOR ANY ONE YEAR OR SUSTAINED
OVER A PERIOD OF TIME.
 
                                      43
<PAGE>
 
 FINANCIAL STATEMENTS OF ACCOUNT A
 
    
The audited financial statements of Account A are listed below and included
herein beginning on page 45:
     
 
Report of Independent Auditors
Financial Statements -- Audited
    
  Audited Statement of Assets and Liability --December 31, 1996
 
  Audited Statements of Operations for the periods ended December 31,
  1996, 1995 and 1994
 
  Audited Statements of Changes in Net Assets for the periods ended
  December 31, 1996, 1995 and 1994
     
  Notes to Financial Statements
 
 FINANCIAL STATEMENTS OF GOLDEN AMERICAN LIFE INSURANCE COMPANY
 
The unaudited financial statements of Golden American prepared in accordance
with generally accepted accounting principles ("GAAP") are listed below and
included herein following the financial statements of Account A:
 
Financial Statements -- Unaudited
    
  Condensed Statements of Income - Post-Acquisition for the period August 14,
    1996 through September 30, 1996 and Pre-Acquisition for the period 
    July 1, 1996 through August 13, 1996 and for the three months ended 
    September 30, 1995 (Unaudited)
  Condensed Statements of Income - Post-Acquisition for the period August 14,
    1996 through September 30, 1996 and Pre-Acquisition for the period
    January 1, 1996 through August 13, 1996 and for the nine months ended
    September 30, 1995 (Unaudited)
  Condensed Balance Sheets - Post-Acquisition as of September 30, 1996 and
    Pre-Acquisition as of December 31, 1995 (Unaudited)
  Condensed Statements of Cash Flows - Post-Acquisition for the period August
    14, 1996 through September 30, 1996 and Pre-Acquisition for the period
    January 1, 1996 through August 13, 1996 and for the nine months ended 
    September 30, 1995 (Unaudited)
  Notes to Condensed Financial Statements - September 30, 1996 (Unaudited)
    
  
The audited financial statements of Golden American prepared in accordance
with generally accepted accounting principles ("GAAP") are listed below and
included herein following the unaudited financial statements of Golden Ameri-
can:
 
Report of Independent Auditors
Financial Statements -- Audited
    
  Audited Balance Sheets--December 31, 1995 and 1994
     
  Audited Statements of Operations for the Years ended December 31, 1995,
  1994 and 1993
 
  Audited Statements of Changes in Stockholder's Equity for the Years ended
  December 31, 1995, 1994 and 1993
 
  Audited Statements of Cash Flows for the Years ended December 31, 1995,
  1994 and 1993
 
  Notes to Financial Statements
 
The financial statements of Golden American, which are included herein should
be distinguished from the Financial Statements of Account A and should be con-
sidered only as bearing on the ability of Golden American to meet its obliga-
tions under the Policies. They should not be considered as bearing on the in-
vestment performance of the assets held in Account A.
 
                                      44
<PAGE>
 
 FINANCIAL STATEMENTS OF SEPARATE ACCOUNT A
 
 
                        REPORT OF INDEPENDENT AUDITORS
 
The Board of Directors
Golden American Life Insurance Company
 
  We have audited the accompanying statement of assets and liability of Sepa-
rate Account A as of December 31, 1996, and the related statements of opera-
tions and changes in net assets for each of the periods indicated therein.
These financial statements are the responsibility of the Account's management.
Our responsibility is to express an opinion on these financial statements
based on our audits.
 
  We conducted our audits in accordance with generally accepted auditing stan-
dards. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain
reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements are free of mate-
rial misstatement. An audit includes examining, on a test basis, evidence sup-
porting the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements. Our proce-
dures included confirmation of securities owned as of December 31, 1996, by
correspondence with the custodian. An audit also includes assessing the ac-
counting principles used and significant estimates made by management, as well
as evaluating the overall financial statement presentation. We believe that
our audits provide a reasonable basis for our opinion.
 
  In our opinion, the financial statements referred to above present fairly,
in all material respects, the financial position of Separate Account A at De-
cember 31, 1996, and the results of their operations and changes in their net
assets for each of the periods indicated therein in conformity with generally
accepted accounting principles.
 


                                                /s/ Ernst & Young LLP


 
Des Moines, Iowa
February 5, 1997
 
                                      45
<PAGE>
 
                     GOLDEN AMERICAN LIFE INSURANCE COMPANY
 
                               SEPARATE ACCOUNT A
 
                       STATEMENT OF ASSETS AND LIABILITY
 
                               DECEMBER 31, 1996
                             (DOLLARS IN THOUSANDS)
 
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
                                                                       COMBINED
                                                                       --------
<S>                                                                    <C>
ASSETS
 Investments at net asset value:
  The GCG Trust Liquid Asset Series, 1,607,842 shares (cost--$1,608).. $ 1,608
  The GCG Trust Limited Maturity Bond Series, 103,441 shares (cost--
  $1,148).............................................................   1,079
  The GCG Trust Natural Resources Series, 33,155 shares (cost--$595)..     592
  The GCG Trust All-Growth Series, 138,311 shares (cost--$1,944)......   1,852
  The GCG Trust Real Estate Series, 27,321 shares (cost--$397)........     437
  The GCG Trust Fully Managed Series, 141,562 shares (cost--$1,920)...   2,097
  The GCG Trust Multiple Allocation Series, 163,864 shares (cost--
  $1,999).............................................................   2,034
  The GCG Trust Capital Appreciation Series, 181,174 shares (cost--
  $2,633).............................................................   2,728
  The GCG Trust Rising Dividends Series, 162,944 shares (cost--
  $2,216).............................................................   2,576
  The GCG Trust Emerging Markets Series, 115,470 shares (cost--
  $1,112).............................................................   1,122
  The GCG Trust Value Equity Series, 123,446 shares (cost--$1,652)....   1,718
  The GCG Trust Strategic Equity Series, 46,120 shares (cost--$521)...     539
  The GCG Trust Small Cap Series, 107,551 shares (cost--$1,259).......   1,292
  The GCG Trust Managed Global Series, 8,430 shares (cost--$93).......      94
  Equi-Select Series Trust OTC Portfolio, 5,612 shares (cost--$82)....      78
  Equi-Select Series Trust Growth & Income Portfolio, 6,559 shares
  (cost--$81).........................................................      83
                                                                       -------
   Total Investments (cost--$19,260)..................................  19,929
 Accrued investment income............................................       4
                                                                       -------
   Total Assets.......................................................  19,933
LIABILITY
 Payable to Golden American Life Insurance Company for charges and
 fees.................................................................      55
                                                                       -------
   Total Net Assets................................................... $19,878
                                                                       =======
NET ASSETS
 For variable life insurance policies................................. $18,327
 Retained in Separate Account A by Golden American Life Insurance
 Company..............................................................   1,551
                                                                       -------
   Total Net Assets................................................... $19,878
                                                                       =======
</TABLE>
 
 
                            See accompanying notes.
 
                                       46
<PAGE>
 
 
                    GOLDEN AMERICAN LIFE INSURANCE COMPANY
 
                              SEPARATE ACCOUNT A
 
                           STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS
 
     FOR THE YEARS ENDED DECEMBER 31, 1996, 1995 AND 1994, EXCEPT AS NOTED
                            (DOLLARS IN THOUSANDS)
 
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
                               LIQUID ASSET          LIMITED MATURITY           NATURAL RESOURCES
                                 DIVISION              BOND DIVISION                DIVISION
                          ----------------------- -------------------------  ------------------------
                           1996    1995    1994    1996     1995     1994     1996     1995    1994
                          ------- ------- ------- -------  -------  -------  -------  ------- -------
<S>                       <C>     <C>     <C>     <C>      <C>      <C>      <C>      <C>     <C>
INVESTMENT INCOME
Income:
Dividends...............  $    85 $    44 $    29 $   119       --  $    23  $     2  $     3 $     1
Capital gains distribu-
tions...................       --      --      --      --       --       --       60       --       2
                          ------- ------- ------- -------  -------  -------  -------  ------- -------
Total investment in-
come....................       85      44      29     119       --       23       62        3       3
EXPENSES:
Mortality and expense
risk and asset based ad-
ministrative charges....       17       8       7      10  $     6        4        3        1       1
                          ------- ------- ------- -------  -------  -------  -------  ------- -------
Net investment income
(loss)..................       68      36      22     109       (6)      19       59        2       2
REALIZED AND UNREALIZED
GAIN (LOSS) ON INVEST-
MENTS
Net realized gain (loss)
on investments..........       --      --      --      39        1      (29)      28        4      11
Net unrealized apprecia-
tion (depreciation) of
investments.............       --      --      --    (113)      67       (8)      (7)       9     (13)
                          ------- ------- ------- -------  -------  -------  -------  ------- -------
Net increase (decrease)
in net assets resulting
from operations ........  $    68 $    36 $    22 $    35  $    62  $   (18) $    80  $    15 $    --
                          ======= ======= ======= =======  =======  =======  =======  ======= =======
</TABLE>
 
                            See accompanying notes.
 
 
                                       47
<PAGE>
 
 
                    GOLDEN AMERICAN LIFE INSURANCE COMPANY
 
                              SEPARATE ACCOUNT A
 
                           STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS
 
     FOR THE YEARS ENDED DECEMBER 31, 1996, 1995 AND 1994, EXCEPT AS NOTED
                                  (CONTINUED)
                            (DOLLARS IN THOUSANDS)
 
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
                                ALL-GROWTH                REAL ESTATE              FULLY MANAGED
                                 DIVISION                  DIVISION                  DIVISION
                          ------------------------  ------------------------  -----------------------
                           1996     1995    1994     1996    1995     1994     1996    1995    1994
                          -------  ------- -------  ------- -------  -------  ------- ------- -------
<S>                       <C>      <C>     <C>      <C>     <C>      <C>      <C>     <C>     <C>
INVESTMENT INCOME
Income:
Dividends...............  $    39  $    60 $     5  $    16 $     6  $    18  $    72 $    27 $    28
Capital gains distribu-
tions...................        6       --      --        7      --       --       87      --      --
                          -------  ------- -------  ------- -------  -------  ------- ------- -------
Total investment in-
come....................       45       60       5       23       6       18      159      27      28
EXPENSES:
Mortality and expense
risk and asset based ad-
ministrative charges....       16        7       4        2       2        3       16      10       6
                          -------  ------- -------  ------- -------  -------  ------- ------- -------
Net investment income
(loss)..................       29       53       1       21       4       15      143      17      22
REALIZED AND UNREALIZED
GAIN (LOSS) ON INVEST-
MENTS
Net realized gain (loss)
on investments..........       (7)      73     (48)      27      (7)      13       18       3      (2)
Net unrealized apprecia-
tion (depreciation) of
investments.............      (82)       5     (19)      27      27      (19)      77     169     (75)
                          -------  ------- -------  ------- -------  -------  ------- ------- -------
Net increase (decrease)
in net assets resulting
from operations.........  $   (60) $   131 $   (66) $    75 $    24  $     9  $   238 $   189 $   (55)
                          =======  ======= =======  ======= =======  =======  ======= ======= =======
</TABLE>
 
                            See accompanying notes.
 
 
                                       48
<PAGE>
 
 
                    GOLDEN AMERICAN LIFE INSURANCE COMPANY
 
                              SEPARATE ACCOUNT A
 
                           STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS
 
     FOR THE YEARS ENDED DECEMBER 31, 1996, 1995 AND 1994, EXCEPT AS NOTED
                                  (CONTINUED)
                            (DOLLARS IN THOUSANDS)
 
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
                            MULTIPLE ALLOCATION      CAPITAL APPRECIATION       RISING DIVIDENDS
                                 DIVISION                  DIVISION                 DIVISION
                          ------------------------  -----------------------  -----------------------
                           1996     1995    1994     1996    1995    1994     1996    1995    1994
                          -------  ------- -------  ------- ------- -------  ------- ------- -------
<S>                       <C>      <C>     <C>      <C>     <C>     <C>      <C>     <C>     <C>
INVESTMENT INCOME
INCOME:
Dividends...............  $    96  $   109 $    45  $    27 $    92 $    10  $    20 $     6 $     5
Capital gains
distributions...........       85       --      --      168      --      --       17      --      --
                          -------  ------- -------  ------- ------- -------  ------- ------- -------
Total investment
income..................      181      109      45      195      92      10       37       6       5
EXPENSES:
Mortality and expense
risk and asset based
administrative charges..       18       15       9       19       8       5       17       6       1
                          -------  ------- -------  ------- ------- -------  ------- ------- -------
Net investment income
(loss)..................      163       94      36      176      84       5       20      --       4
REALIZED AND UNREALIZED
GAIN (LOSS) ON
INVESTMENTS
Net realized gain (loss)
on investments..........       31       21       4       73     109       1       45      21      (1)
Net unrealized
appreciation
(depreciation) of
investments.............      (50)     134     (54)     104       2     (16)     235     129      (5)
                          -------  ------- -------  ------- ------- -------  ------- ------- -------
Net increase (decrease)
in net assets resulting
from operations.........  $   144  $   249 $   (14) $   353 $   195 $   (10) $   300 $   150 $    (2)
                          =======  ======= =======  ======= ======= =======  ======= ======= =======
</TABLE>
 
                            See accompanying notes.
 
 
                                       49
<PAGE>
 
 
                    GOLDEN AMERICAN LIFE INSURANCE COMPANY
 
                              SEPARATE ACCOUNT A
 
                           STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS
 
     FOR THE YEARS ENDED DECEMBER 31, 1996, 1995 AND 1994, EXCEPT AS NOTED
                                  (CONTINUED)
                            (DOLLARS IN THOUSANDS)
 
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
                             EMERGING MARKETS         VALUE EQUITY   STRATEGIC EQUITY  SMALL CAP
                                 DIVISION               DIVISION         DIVISION      DIVISION
                          -------------------------  --------------- ---------------------------
                           1996     1995     1994     1996   1995(a)   1996   1995(b)   1996(c)
                          -------  -------  -------  ------- ------- -------- ------------------
<S>                       <C>      <C>      <C>      <C>     <C>     <C>      <C>      <C>
INVESTMENT INCOME
INCOME:
Dividends...............       --       --       --  $    27 $    10 $      6       --       --
Capital gains
distributions...........       --       --  $    27       49      --        6       --       --
                          -------  -------  -------  ------- ------- -------- -------- -------
Total investment
income..................       --       --       27       76      10       12       --       --
EXPENSES:
Mortality and expense
risk and asset based
administrative charges..  $     9  $     6        5       10       1        2       -- $      6
                          -------  -------  -------  ------- ------- -------- -------- -------
Net investment income
(loss)..................       (9)      (6)      22       66       9       10       --       (6)
REALIZED AND UNREALIZED
GAIN (LOSS) ON INVEST-
MENTS
Net realized gain (loss)
on investments..........      (21)     (93)      24       12       2       13       --        8
Net unrealized
appreciation
(depreciation) of
investments.............       59       48     (150)      42      24       17       --       33
                          -------  -------  -------  ------- ------- -------- -------- -------
Net increase (decrease)
in net assets resulting
from operations.........  $    29  $   (51) $  (104) $   120 $    35 $     40       -- $     35
                          =======  =======  =======  ======= ======= ======== ======== =======
</TABLE>
 
(a) Commencement of operations, January 1, 1995
(b) Commencement of operations, October 2, 1995
(c) Commencement of operations, January 30, 1996
 
                            See accompanying notes.
 
 
                                       50
<PAGE>
 
 
                     GOLDEN AMERICAN LIFE INSURANCE COMPANY
 
                               SEPARATE ACCOUNT A
 
                            STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS
 
     FOR THE YEARS ENDED DECEMBER 31, 1996, 1995 AND 1994, EXCEPT AS NOTED
                                  (CONTINUED)
                             (DOLLARS IN THOUSANDS)
 
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
                           MANAGED            GROWTH &
                            GLOBAL    OTC      INCOME
                           DIVISION DIVISION  DIVISION        COMBINED
                           -------- --------  -------- -----------------------
                           1996(d)  1996(e)   1996(e)   1996    1995    1994
                           -------- --------  -------- ------- ------- -------
<S>                        <C>      <C>       <C>      <C>     <C>     <C>
INVESTMENT INCOME
INCOME:
Dividends................       --       --        --  $   509 $   357 $   164
Capital gains distribu-
tions....................       --  $     4        --      489      --      29
                           -------  -------   -------  ------- ------- -------
Total investment income..       --        4        --      998     357     193
EXPENSES:
Mortality and expense
risk and asset based ad-
ministrative charges
charges..................       --       --        --      145      70      45
                           -------  -------   -------  ------- ------- -------
Net investment income
(loss)...................       --        4        --      853     287     148
REALIZED AND UNREALIZED
GAIN (LOSS) ON INVEST-
MENTS
Net realized gain (loss)
on investments...........       --        2        --      268     134     (27)
Net unrealized apprecia-
tion (depreciation) of
investments..............  $     1       (4)  $     2      341     614    (359)
                           -------  -------   -------  ------- ------- -------
Net increase (decrease)
in net assets resulting
from operations..........  $     1  $     2   $     2  $ 1,462 $ 1,035 $  (238)
                           =======  =======   =======  ======= ======= =======
</TABLE>
(d) Commencement of operations, September 23, 1996
(e) Commencement of operations, October 2, 1996
 
                            See accompanying notes.
 
 
                                       51
<PAGE>
 
 
                    GOLDEN AMERICAN LIFE INSURANCE COMPANY
 
                              SEPARATE ACCOUNT A
 
                      STATEMENTS OF CHANGES IN NET ASSETS
 
     FOR THE YEARS ENDED DECEMBER 31, 1996, 1995 AND 1994, EXCEPT AS NOTED
                            (DOLLARS IN THOUSANDS)
 
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
                               LIQUID ASSET             LIMITED MATURITY           NATURAL RESOURCES
                                 DIVISION                 BOND DIVISION                DIVISION
                          -------------------------  -------------------------  -------------------------
                           1996     1995     1994     1996     1995     1994     1996     1995     1994
                          -------  -------  -------  -------  -------  -------  -------  -------  -------
<S>                       <C>      <C>      <C>      <C>      <C>      <C>      <C>      <C>      <C>
INCREASE (DECREASE) IN
NET ASSETS
Operations:
 Net investment income
 (loss).................  $    68  $    36  $    22  $   109  $    (6) $    19  $    59  $     2  $     2
 Net realized gain
 (loss) on investments..       --       --       --       39        1      (29)      28        4       11
 Net unrealized appreci-
 ation (depreciation) of
 investments............       --       --       --     (113)      67       (8)      (7)       9      (13)
                          -------  -------  -------  -------  -------  -------  -------  -------  -------
Net increase (decrease)
in net assets resulting
from operations.........       68       36       22       35       62      (18)      80       15       --
CHANGES FROM POLICY RE-
LATED TRANSACTIONS:
 Premiums...............   10,103    4,659    1,770        3       --    1,533        4       --        2
 Surrenders and other
 withdrawals............   (2,084)    (210)     (53)     (22)       1       (6)     (44)     (48)      --
 Net transfers among
 Divisions and Fixed
 Interest Division of
 Golden American........   (8,526)  (3,223)  (1,309)     334      177   (1,452)     375       49       44
 Net additions to (from)
 assets retained in the
 Account by Golden
 American...............      (23)      90       23       39       --        8       44       --        2
 Policy related charges
 and fees...............      (11)      (8)      (7)      (6)      (5)      (2)      (6)      (1)      (1)
                          -------  -------  -------  -------  -------  -------  -------  -------  -------
Increase (decrease) in
net assets from policy
related transactions....     (541)   1,308      424      348      173       81      373       --       47
                          -------  -------  -------  -------  -------  -------  -------  -------  -------
Total increase (de-
crease).................     (473)   1,344      446      383      235       63      453       15       47
Net assets at beginning
of period...............    2,076      732      286      694      459      396      137      122       75
                          -------  -------  -------  -------  -------  -------  -------  -------  -------
Net assets at end of pe-
riod....................  $ 1,603  $ 2,076  $   732  $ 1,077  $   694  $   459  $   590  $   137  $   122
                          =======  =======  =======  =======  =======  =======  =======  =======  =======
</TABLE>
 
                            See accompanying notes.
 
 
                                       52
<PAGE>
 
 
                    GOLDEN AMERICAN LIFE INSURANCE COMPANY
 
                              SEPARATE ACCOUNT A
 
                      STATEMENTS OF CHANGES IN NET ASSETS
 
     FOR THE YEARS ENDED DECEMBER 31, 1996, 1995 AND 1994, EXCEPT AS NOTED
                                  (CONTINUED)
                            (DOLLARS IN THOUSANDS)
 
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
                                ALL-GROWTH                 REAL ESTATE               FULLY MANAGED
                                 DIVISION                   DIVISION                   DIVISION
                          -------------------------  -------------------------  -------------------------
                           1996     1995     1994     1996     1995     1994     1996     1995     1994
                          -------  -------  -------  -------  -------  -------  -------  -------  -------
<S>                       <C>      <C>      <C>      <C>      <C>      <C>      <C>      <C>      <C>
INCREASE (DECREASE) IN
NET ASSETS
Operations:
 Net investment income
 (loss).................  $    29  $    53  $     1  $    21  $     4  $    15  $   143  $    17  $    22
 Net realized gain
 (loss) on investments..       (7)      73      (48)      27       (7)      13       18        3       (2)
 Net unrealized appreci-
 ation (depreciation) of
 investments............      (82)       5      (19)      27       27      (19)      77      169      (75)
                          -------  -------  -------  -------  -------  -------  -------  -------  -------
Net increase (decrease)
in net assets resulting
from operations.........      (60)     131      (66)      75       24        9      238      189      (55)
CHANGES FROM POLICY RE-
LATED TRANSACTIONS:
 Premiums...............       22        5        1        1       --       --        5       22        1
 Surrenders and other
 withdrawals............      (32)     (13)      (5)      (3)      (3)      (1)    (131)     (14)     (51)
 Net transfers among
 Divisions and Fixed
 Interest Division of
 Golden American........      680      468      217      198     (228)     132      787      (20)     665
 Net additions to (from)
 assets retained in the
 Account by Golden
 American...............       63       43       12       20       (7)       6       80       (6)      60
 Policy related charges
 and fees...............      (13)      (6)      (5)      (2)      (1)      (3)     (13)     (11)      (5)
                          -------  -------  -------  -------  -------  -------  -------  -------  -------
Increase (decrease) in
net assets from policy
related transactions....      720      497      220      214     (239)     134      728      (29)     670
                          -------  -------  -------  -------  -------  -------  -------  -------  -------
Total increase (de-
crease).................      660      628      154      289     (215)     143      966      160      615
Net assets at beginning
of period...............    1,187      559      405      147      362      219    1,127      967      352
                          -------  -------  -------  -------  -------  -------  -------  -------  -------
Net assets at end of pe-
riod....................  $ 1,847  $ 1,187  $   559  $   436  $   147  $   362  $ 2,093  $ 1,127  $   967
                          =======  =======  =======  =======  =======  =======  =======  =======  =======
</TABLE>
 
                            See accompanying notes.
 
 
                                       53
<PAGE>
 
 
                    GOLDEN AMERICAN LIFE INSURANCE COMPANY
 
                              SEPARATE ACCOUNT A
 
                      STATEMENTS OF CHANGES IN NET ASSETS
 
     FOR THE YEARS ENDED DECEMBER 31, 1996, 1995 AND 1994, EXCEPT AS NOTED
                                  (CONTINUED)
                            (DOLLARS IN THOUSANDS)
 
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
                            MULTIPLE ALLOCATION       CAPITAL APPRECIATION         RISING DIVIDENDS
                                 DIVISION                   DIVISION                   DIVISION
                          -------------------------  -------------------------  -------------------------
                           1996     1995     1994     1996     1995     1994     1996     1995     1994
                          -------  -------  -------  -------  -------  -------  -------  -------  -------
<S>                       <C>      <C>      <C>      <C>      <C>      <C>      <C>      <C>      <C>
INCREASE (DECREASE) IN
NET ASSETS
Operations:
 Net investment income
 (loss).................  $   163  $    94  $    36  $   176  $    84  $     5  $    20       --  $     4
 Net realized gain
 (loss) on investments..       31       21        4       73      109        1       45  $    21       (1)
 Net unrealized appreci-
 ation (depreciation) of
 investments............      (50)     134      (54)     104        2      (16)     235      129       (5)
                          -------  -------  -------  -------  -------  -------  -------  -------  -------
Net increase (decrease)
in net assets resulting
from operations.........      144      249      (14)     353      195      (10)     300      150       (2)
CHANGES FROM POLICY RE-
LATED TRANSACTIONS:
 Premiums...............       18       50        2        7       --       --       37       35        2
 Surrenders and other
 withdrawals............     (152)     (86)     (39)    (145)     (14)      --      (79)     (60)      --
 Net transfers among
 Divisions and Fixed
 Interest Division of
 Golden American........      454       91      696    1,292      395       87    1,355      365      250
 Net additions to (from)
 assets retained in the
 Account by Golden
 American...............       38        6       54      151       40        5      161       35       23
 Policy related charges
 and fees...............      (15)     (13)     (10)     (27)      (9)      (4)     (19)      (9)      (4)
                          -------  -------  -------  -------  -------  -------  -------  -------  -------
Increase (decrease) in
net assets from policy
related transactions....      343       48      703    1,278      412       88    1,455      366      271
                          -------  -------  -------  -------  -------  -------  -------  -------  -------
Total increase (de-
crease).................      487      297      689    1,631      607       78    1,755      516      269
Net assets at beginning
of period...............    1,542    1,245      556    1,088      481      403      814      298       29
                          -------  -------  -------  -------  -------  -------  -------  -------  -------
Net assets at end of pe-
riod....................  $ 2,029  $ 1,542  $ 1,245  $ 2,719  $ 1,088  $   481  $ 2,569  $   814  $   298
                          =======  =======  =======  =======  =======  =======  =======  =======  =======
</TABLE>
 
                            See accompanying notes.
 
 
                                       54
<PAGE>
 
 
                    GOLDEN AMERICAN LIFE INSURANCE COMPANY
 
                              SEPARATE ACCOUNT A
 
                      STATEMENTS OF CHANGES IN NET ASSETS
 
     FOR THE YEARS ENDED DECEMBER 31, 1996, 1995 AND 1994, EXCEPT AS NOTED
                                  (CONTINUED)
                            (DOLLARS IN THOUSANDS)
 
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
                                                         VALUE           STRATEGIC
                            EMERGING MARKETS            EQUITY            EQUITY       SMALL CAP
                                DIVISION               DIVISION          DIVISION      DIVISION
                         -------------------------  ----------------  ---------------- ---------
                          1996     1995     1994    1996(a)   1995     1996    1995(b)  1996(c)
                         -------  -------  -------  -------  -------  -------  ------- ---------
<S>                      <C>      <C>      <C>      <C>      <C>      <C>      <C>     <C>
INCREASE (DECREASE) IN
NET ASSETS
Operations:
 Net investment income
 (loss)................. $    (9) $    (6) $    22  $    66  $     9  $    10       -- $     (6)
 Net realized gain
 (loss) on investments..     (21)     (93)      24       12        2       13       --        8
 Net unrealized
 appreciation
 (depreciation) of
 investments............      59       48     (150)      42       24       17       --       33
                         -------  -------  -------  -------  -------  -------  ------- -------
Net increase (decrease)
in net assets resulting
from operations.........      29      (51)    (104)     120       35       40       --       35
CHANGES FROM POLICY
RELATED TRANSACTIONS:
 Premiums...............       5       23        3        8       --       --       --        8
 Surrenders and other
 withdrawals............    (118)     (48)      --      (31)      --       (1)      --       (5)
 Net transfers among
 Divisions and Fixed
 Interest Division of
 Golden American........     527      138      311    1,130      309      424  $    23    1,134
 Net additions to (from)
 assets retained in the
 Account by Golden
 American...............      45       (6)      33      130       27       51        2      125
 Policy related charges
 and fees...............     (10)      (8)      (6)     (12)      (2)      (2)      --      (10)
                         -------  -------  -------  -------  -------  -------  ------- -------
Increase (decrease) in
net assets from policy
related transactions....     449       99      341    1,225      334      472       25    1,252
                         -------  -------  -------  -------  -------  -------  ------- -------
Total increase
(decrease)..............     478       48      237    1,345      369      512       25    1,287
Net assets at beginning
of period...............     641      593      356      369       --       25       --       --
                         -------  -------  -------  -------  -------  -------  ------- -------
Net assets at end of
period.................. $ 1,119  $   641  $   593  $ 1,714  $   369  $   537  $    25 $  1,287
                         =======  =======  =======  =======  =======  =======  ======= =======
</TABLE>
 
(a) Commencement of operations, January 1, 1995
(b) Commencement of operations, October 2, 1995
(c) Commencement of operations, January 30, 1996
 
                            See accompanying notes.
 
 
                                       55
<PAGE>
 
 
                    GOLDEN AMERICAN LIFE INSURANCE COMPANY
 
                              SEPARATE ACCOUNT A
 
                      STATEMENTS OF CHANGES IN NET ASSETS
 
     FOR THE YEARS ENDED DECEMBER 31, 1996, 1995 AND 1994, EXCEPT AS NOTED
                                  (CONTINUED)
                            (DOLLARS IN THOUSANDS)
 
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
                         MANAGED             GROWTH &
                          GLOBAL     OTC      INCOME
                         DIVISION  DIVISION  DIVISION        COMBINED
                         --------  --------  -------- -------------------------
                         1996(d)   1996(e)   1996(e)   1996     1995     1994
                         --------  --------  -------- -------  -------  -------
<S>                      <C>       <C>       <C>      <C>      <C>      <C>
INCREASE (DECREASE) IN
NET ASSETS
Operations:
 Net investment income
 (loss).................      --   $     4        --  $   853  $   287  $   148
 Net realized gain
 (loss) on investments..      --         2        --      268      134      (27)
 Net unrealized
 appreciation
 (depreciation) of
 investments............ $     1        (4)  $     2      341      614     (359)
                         -------   -------   -------  -------  -------  -------
Net increase (decrease)
in net assets resulting
from operations.........       1         2         2    1,462    1,035     (238)
CHANGES FROM POLICY
RELATED TRANSACTIONS:
 Premiums...............      (2)        1         1   10,221    4,794    3,314
 Surrenders and other
 withdrawals............      --        --        --   (2,847)    (495)    (155)
 Net transfers among
 Divisions and Fixed
 Interest Division of
 Golden American........      87        72        71      394   (1,456)    (359)
 Net additions to (from)
 assets retained in the
 Account by Golden
 American...............       8         7         9      948      224      226
 Policy related charges
 and fees...............      --        (1)       --     (147)     (73)     (47)
                         -------   -------   -------  -------  -------  -------
Increase (decrease) in
net assets from policy
related transactions....      93        79        81    8,569    2,994    2,979
                         -------   -------   -------  -------  -------  -------
Total increase
(decrease)..............      94        81        83   10,031    4,029    2,741
Net assets at beginning
of period...............      --        --        --    9,847    5,818    3,077
                         -------   -------   -------  -------  -------  -------
Net assets at end of
period.................. $    94   $    81   $    83  $19,878  $ 9,847  $ 5,818
                         =======   =======   =======  =======  =======  =======
</TABLE>
 
(d) Commencement of operations, September 23, 1996
(e) Commencement of operations, October 2, 1996
 
                            See accompanying notes.
 
 
                                       56
<PAGE>
 
                              SEPARATE ACCOUNT A
 
                         NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
 
                               DECEMBER 31, 1996
 
NOTE 1--ORGANIZATION
  Separate Account A (the "Account") was established on July 14, 1988, by
Golden American Life Insurance Company ("Golden American"), under Minnesota
insurance law to support the operations of flexible premium variable life in-
surance policies ("Policies"). Effective September 30, 1992, Golden American
became a wholly owned subsidiary of BT Variable, Inc. ("BTV"), an indirect
wholly owned subsidiary of Bankers Trust Company. Effective December 30, 1993,
Golden American was redomesticated from the State of Minnesota to the State of
Delaware. Effective August 13, 1996, Equitable of Iowa Companies acquired all
of the outstanding capital stock of BTV. As of August 14, 1996, BT Variable,
Inc.'s name was changed to EIC Variable, Inc. These transactions had no effect
on the accompanying financial statements. Golden American is primarily engaged
in the issuance of variable insurance products and is licensed as a life in-
surance company in the District of Columbia and all states except New York.
 
  Operations of the Account commenced on February 16, 1989. The Account is
registered as a unit investment trust with the Securities and Exchange Commis-
sion under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended. Golden American
provides for variable accumulation and benefits under the Policies by credit-
ing insurance premiums to one or more divisions within the Account or the
Golden American Fixed Interest Division which is not part of the Account, as
elected by the Policyowners. The portion of the Account's assets applicable to
Policies will not be chargeable with liabilities arising out of any other
business Golden American may conduct, but obligations of the Account, includ-
ing the promise to make benefit payments, are obligations of Golden American.
The assets and liabilities of the Account are clearly identified and distin-
guished from the other assets and liabilities of Golden American.
 
  The Account has, under GoldenSelect Policies, sixteen investment divisions:
the Liquid Asset, the Limited Maturity Bond, the Natural Resources, the All-
Growth, the Real Estate, the Fully Managed, the Multiple Allocation, the Capi-
tal Appreciation, the Rising Dividends, the Emerging Markets, the Value Equi-
ty, (commenced operations January, 1995), the Strategic Equity (commenced op-
erations October, 1995), the Small Cap (commenced operations January, 1996),
the Managed Global (commenced operations September, 1996), the OTC (commenced
operations October, 1996), and the Growth & Income (commenced operations Octo-
ber, 1996) ("Divisions"). The assets in each Division are invested in shares
of a designated series ("Series," which may also be referred to as a "Portfo-
lio") of mutual funds, of The GCG Trust or the Equi-Select Series Trust (the
"Trusts"). Effective January 1997, the Natural Resources Series was renamed to
Hard Assets.
 
NOTE 2--SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES
  The following is a summary of the significant accounting policies of the Ac-
count:
 
  Use of Estimates: The preparation of the financial statements in conformity
with generally accepted accounting principles requires management to make es-
timates and assumptions that affect the amounts reported in the financial
statements and accompanying notes. Actual results could differ from those es-
timates.
 
  Investments: Investments are made in shares of a Series or Portfolio of the
Trusts and are valued at the net asset value per share of the respective Se-
ries or Portfolio of the Trusts. Investment transactions in each Series or
Portfolio of the Trusts are recorded on the trade date. Distributions of net
investment income and capital gains of each Series or Portfolio of the Trusts
are recognized on the ex-distribution date. Realized gains and losses on re-
demptions of the shares of the Series or Portfolio of the Trusts are deter-
mined on the basis of specific identification.
 
  Federal Income Taxes: Operations of the Account form a part of, and are
taxed with, the total operations of Golden American which is taxed as a life
insurance company under the Internal Revenue Code. Earnings and realized capi-
tal gains of the Account attributable to the Policyowners are excluded in the
determination of the federal income tax liability of Golden American.
 
 
                                      57
<PAGE>
 
                              SEPARATE ACCOUNT A
 
                   NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED)
 
                               DECEMBER 31, 1996
 
NOTE 2--SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES (CONTINUED)
  Reclassification: Certain amounts in the 1995 and 1994 financial statements
have been reclassified to conform to the 1996 financial statement presenta-
tion.
 
NOTE 3--CHARGES AND FEES
  Under the terms of the Policies, certain charges are allocated to the Poli-
cies to cover Golden American's expenses in connection with the issuance and
administration of the Policies. Following is a summary of these charges:
 
  Mortality and Expense Risk and Asset Based Administrative Charges: Golden
American assumes mortality and expense risks related to the operations of the
Account and, in accordance with the terms of the Policies, deducts a daily
charge from the assets of the Account at annual rates of either .80% or .90%
of the assets attributable to the Policies to cover these risks. For certain
policies, a daily asset based administrative charge at an annual rate of .10%
is deducted from assets attributable to Policies.
 
  Administrative Charges: An administrative charge of $200 (single life) or
$300 (joint life) is made to cover the cost of underwriting and issuing a Pol-
icy. The charge is deducted in quarterly installments on each Policy during
the first Policy year. In addition, a quarterly administrative charge of $10
per Policy is deducted quarterly to cover ongoing administrative expenses.
 
  Mortality Cost: A mortality cost is deducted equal to the cost of providing
coverage under the Policy. The cost is based on each insurers sex, attained
age, and underwriting class. The maximum cost of insurance is shown in the
Policy.
 
  Minimum Death Benefit Guarantee Charge: A minimum death benefit guarantee
charge is made of a maximum per year of $0.60 per $1,000 of face or net amount
at risk, as defined in each Policy. The charge is deducted in equal install-
ments on each Policy quarterly processing date during the guarantee period.
 
  Deferred Sales Load: Under Policies offered subsequent to October 1995, a
sales load of 6% of premium is deducted in equal installments over a six-year
period. Under Policies offered prior to October 1995, a sales load of up to 7
1/2% was applicable to each premium payment for sales-related expenses as
specified in the Policy. For the policies previously offered, the sales load
is deducted in equal annual installments over the period the Policy is in
force, not to exceed ten years. The sales load, on all policies, is chargeable
to each premium when it is received by Golden American, the amount of such
charge is initially advanced by Golden American to Policyowners. This amount
is included in the accumulation value and then deducted in equal installments
on each Policy anniversary date over a period of either six or ten years. Upon
surrender of the Policy, the unamortized deferred sales load is deducted from
the accumulation value by Golden American.
 
  Deferred Face Amount Charge: There is a charge of an amount per $1,000 of
initial face amount and any increases in face amount deducted in equal in-
stallments over a six year period following receipt of the initial premium or
increase in face amount. This charge varies based on the age and sex of the
insured and the Policy chosen. This charge will never exceed a maximum of $12
per $1,000 of face amount. A portion of this charge is considered to be an ad-
ditional sales load.
 
  Premium Taxes: Premiums are subject to a charge for premium and other state
and local taxes. The amount and timing of the deduction depend on the state of
residence and currently ranges up to 4.0% of premiums. Although the premium
tax is chargeable to each premium when received, the amount of such charge is
initially advanced by Golden American to Policyowners and included as a compo-
nent of the Policyowner's investment value and then deducted in equal install-
ments on each Policy anniversary date over a period of either six or ten
years. Upon the surrender of the Policy, any unamortized premium taxes are de-
ducted from the Policyowners investment
 
                                      58
<PAGE>
 
                              SEPARATE ACCOUNT A
 
                   NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED)
 
                               DECEMBER 31, 1996
 
 
NOTE 3--CHARGES AND FEES (CONTINUED)
value. For some policies, the deferred premium taxes are collected in one in-
stallment at the end of the Policy processing period following the premium
collection.
 
  Loan Charge: A current net loan charge of up to 1.00% is made based on the
Policy loan amount on policies that allow loans. The charge is accrued daily,
as applicable, and deducted on each Policy anniversary date.
 
  Other Charges: Twelve free investment re-allocations among Divisions per
Policy are allowed each Policy year. For each additional investment re-alloca-
tion, a $25 charge may be made from the amount transferred from each Division.
For each partial withdrawal in excess of four per year, a charge is made equal
to the lesser of $25 and 2% of the amount withdrawn.
 
  Fees Waived: Certain charges and fees for various types of policies are cur-
rently waived by Golden American. Golden American reserves the right to dis-
continue these waivers at its discretion or to conform with changes in the
law.
 
  Net assets retained in the Account by Golden American in the accompanying
financial statements represent the unamortized deferred sales load and premium
taxes advanced by Golden American, previously noted. Net assets retained for
the periods ended December 31, 1996, 1995 and 1994 were as follows:
 
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
                                                            COMBINED
                                                    --------------------------
                                                      1996     1995     1994
                                                    --------  -------  -------
                                                     (DOLLARS IN THOUSANDS)
   <S>                                              <C>       <C>      <C>
   Balance at beginning of period.................  $    603  $   379  $   153
   Sales load advanced............................       758      259      244
   Premium tax advanced...........................       304      100       89
   Net transfer from Fixed Interest Division......        38       --       --
   Amortization of deferred sales load and premium
   tax............................................      (152)    (135)    (107)
                                                    --------  -------  -------
   Balance at end of period.......................  $  1,551  $   603  $   379
                                                    ========  =======  =======
</TABLE>
 
NOTE 4--PURCHASES AND SALES OF INVESTMENT SECURITIES
  The aggregate cost of purchases and proceeds from sales of investments were
as follows:
 
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
                                          PERIOD ENDED DECEMBER 31
                             ---------------------------------------------------
                                   1996              1995             1994
                             ----------------- ---------------- ----------------
                             PURCHASES  SALES  PURCHASES SALES  PURCHASES SALES
                             --------- ------- --------- ------ --------- ------
                                           (DOLLARS IN THOUSANDS)
<S>                          <C>       <C>     <C>       <C>    <C>       <C>
The GCG Trust Liquid Asset
 Series....................   $ 9,546  $10,017  $ 5,306  $3,962  $ 3,566  $3,119
The GCG Trust Limited Matu-
 rity Bond Series..........     1,100      642      309     142    2,175   2,075
The GCG Trust Natural Re-
 sources Series............       576      140       79      77      136      88
The GCG Trust All-Growth
 Series....................     1,918    1,168    1,501     950    1,896   1,673
The GCG Trust Real Estate
 Series....................       337      102       98     334      284     133
The GCG Trust Fully Managed
 Series....................     1,054      180      226     236      839     145
The GCG Trust Multiple Al-
 location Series...........       915      408      553     413      933     190
The GCG Trust Capital Ap-
 preciation Series.........     2,513    1,054    1,460     961      369     275
The GCG Trust Rising Divi-
 dends Series..............     1,653      174      536     168      340      66
The GCG Trust Emerging Mar-
 kets Series...............       777      335      481     388      991     627
The GCG Trust Value Equity
 Series....................     1,390       94      367      25       --      --
The GCG Trust Strategic Eq-
 uity Series...............       583      100       25      --       --      --
The GCG Trust Small Cap Se-
 ries......................     1,404      153       --      --       --      --
The GCG Trust Managed
 Global Series.............        96        3       --      --       --      --
Equi-Select Series Trust
 OTC Portfolio.............       127       47       --      --       --      --
Equi-Select Series Trust
 Growth & Income
 Portfolio.................        81       --       --      --       --      --
                              -------  -------  -------  ------  -------  ------
 TOTAL.....................   $24,070  $14,617  $10,941  $7,656  $11,529  $8,391
                              =======  =======  =======  ======  =======  ======
</TABLE>
 
                                      59
<PAGE>
 
                               SEPARATE ACCOUNT A
 
                   NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED)
 
                               DECEMBER 31, 1996
 
 
NOTE 5--SUMMARY OF CHANGES FROM UNIT TRANSACTIONS
  Policyowner transactions in units were as follows:
 
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
                                        PERIOD ENDED DECEMBER 31
                          -----------------------------------------------------
                                1996              1995              1994
                          ----------------- ----------------- -----------------
                          PURCHASES  SALES  PURCHASES  SALES  PURCHASES  SALES
                          --------- ------- --------- ------- --------- -------
<S>                       <C>       <C>     <C>       <C>     <C>       <C>
Liquid Asset Division...   751,988  792,125  445,345  346,247  303,200  268,664
Limited Maturity Bond
 Division...............    64,993   41,870   21,819    9,470  155,673  150,428
Natural Resources
 Division...............    29,493    9,091    5,298    5,102    9,701    6,485
All-Growth Division.....   131,273   83,029  112,852   77,153  149,488  132,418
Real Estate Division....    15,888    4,944    6,513   23,082   18,801    9,375
Fully Managed Division..    55,652   11,003   16,877   18,610   60,189   10,369
Multiple Allocation
 Division...............    43,404   23,182   29,953   25,061   61,487   12,673
Capital Appreciation
 Division...............   148,680   67,690  106,129   74,482   31,804   24,056
Rising Dividends
 Division...............   113,046   12,227   46,340   14,004   32,582    6,343
Emerging Markets
 Division...............    78,278   33,532   51,859   39,746   82,276   53,904
Value Equity Division...    96,086    6,366   29,415    1,930       --       --
Strategic Equity
 Division...............    51,540    8,565    2,559       --       --       --
Small Cap Division......   121,574   12,919       --       --       --       --
Managed Global
 Division...............     8,986      250       --       --       --       --
OTC Division............     8,153    3,011       --       --       --       --
Growth & Income
 Division...............     6,613        4       --       --       --       --
</TABLE>
 
NOTE 6--NET ASSETS
  Net assets at December 31, 1996 consisted of the following:
 
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
                                  LIMITED
                          LIQUID  MATURITY  NATURAL    ALL-     REAL    FULLY
                          ASSET     BOND   RESOURCES  GROWTH   ESTATE  MANAGED
                         DIVISION DIVISION DIVISION  DIVISION DIVISION DIVISION
                         -------- -------- --------- -------- -------- --------
                                         (DOLLARS IN THOUSANDS)
<S>                      <C>      <C>      <C>       <C>      <C>      <C>
Unit transactions.......  $1,399   $  951    $477     $1,709    $305    $1,676
Accumulated net
investment income
(loss)..................     204      195     116        230      91       240
Net unrealized
appreciation
(depreciation)
of investments..........      --      (69)     (3)       (92)     40       177
                          ------   ------    ----     ------    ----    ------
                          $1,603   $1,077    $590     $1,847    $436    $2,093
                          ======   ======    ====     ======    ====    ======
</TABLE>
 
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
                          MULTIPLE    CAPITAL     RISING   EMERGING  VALUE   STRATEGIC
                         ALLOCATION APPRECIATION DIVIDENDS MARKETS   EQUITY   EQUITY
                          DIVISION    DIVISION   DIVISION  DIVISION DIVISION DIVISION
                         ---------- ------------ --------- -------- -------- ---------
                                            (DOLLARS IN THOUSANDS)
<S>                      <C>        <C>          <C>       <C>      <C>      <C>
Unit transactions.......   $1,535      $2,140     $2,122    $1,192   $1,560    $496
Accumulated net
investment
income (loss)...........      459         484         87       (83)      88      23
Net unrealized
appreciation
(depreciation) of
investments.............       35          95        360        10       66      18
                           ------      ------     ------    ------   ------    ----
                           $2,029      $2,719     $2,569    $1,119   $1,714    $537
                           ======      ======     ======    ======   ======    ====
</TABLE>
 
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
                                             MANAGED           GROWTH &
                                   SMALL CAP  GLOBAL    OTC     INCOME
                                   DIVISION  DIVISION DIVISION DIVISION COMBINED
                                   --------- -------- -------- -------- --------
                                              (DOLLARS IN THOUSANDS)
<S>                                <C>       <C>      <C>      <C>      <C>
Unit transactions................   $1,252     $93      $79      $81    $17,067
Accumulated net investment income
(loss)...........................        2      --        6       --      2,142
Net unrealized appreciation
(depreciation)
of investments...................       33       1       (4)       2        669
                                    ------     ---      ---      ---    -------
                                    $1,287     $94      $81      $83    $19,878
                                    ======     ===      ===      ===    =======
</TABLE>
 
                                       60
<PAGE>
 
                              SEPARATE ACCOUNT A
 
                   NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED)
 
                               DECEMBER 31, 1996
 
 
NOTE 7--UNIT VALUES
  Accumulation unit value information (which is based on total assets) for
units outstanding by contract type as of December 31, 1996 was as follows:
 
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
SERIES                                        UNITS  UNIT VALUE TOTAL UNIT VALUE
- ------                                       ------- ---------- ----------------
                                                                 (IN THOUSANDS)
<S>                                          <C>     <C>        <C>
LIQUID ASSET
Variable Life--Single.......................   9,517  $13.914        $  132
Variable Life--Joint........................ 107,210   13.762         1,476
                                                                     ------
                                                                      1,608
LIMITED MATURITY BOND
Variable Life--Single.......................   7,345   15.811           116
Variable Life--Joint........................  61,762   15.588           963
                                                                     ------
                                                                      1,079
NATURAL RESOURCES
Variable Life--Single.......................   3,162   20.599            65
Variable Life--Joint........................  26,012   20.262           527
                                                                     ------
                                                                        592
ALL-GROWTH
Variable Life--Single.......................  14,134   14.373           203
Variable Life--Joint........................ 116,927   14.110         1,649
                                                                     ------
                                                                      1,852
REAL ESTATE
Variable Life--Single.......................   7,818   22.081           173
Variable Life--Joint........................  12,172   21.699           264
                                                                     ------
                                                                        437
FULLY MANAGED
Variable Life--Single.......................   3,076   18.052            56
Variable Life--Joint........................ 114,481   17.828         2,041
                                                                     ------
                                                                      2,097
MULTIPLE ALLOCATION
Variable Life--Single.......................  10,048   18.530           186
Variable Life--Joint........................ 100,956   18.300         1,848
                                                                     ------
                                                                      2,034
CAPITAL APPRECIATION
Variable Life--Single.......................   9,744   17.816           173
Variable Life--Joint........................ 144,809   17.649         2,555
                                                                     ------
                                                                      2,728
RISING DIVIDENDS
Variable Life--Single.......................     950   15.984            15
Variable Life--Joint........................ 161,299   15.880         2,561
                                                                     ------
                                                                      2,576
EMERGING MARKETS
Variable Life--Single.......................   3,859    9.915            38
Variable Life--Joint........................ 110,092    9.850         1,084
                                                                     ------
                                                                      1,122
</TABLE>
 
                                      61
<PAGE>
 
                               SEPARATE ACCOUNT A
 
                   NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED)
 
                               DECEMBER 31, 1996
 
 
NOTE 7--UNIT VALUES (CONTINUED)
 
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
SERIES                                        UNITS  UNIT VALUE TOTAL UNIT VALUE
- ------                                       ------- ---------- ----------------
                                                                 (IN THOUSANDS)
<S>                                          <C>     <C>        <C>
VALUE EQUITY
Variable Life--Single.......................   1,245  $14.722        $   18
Variable Life--Joint........................ 115,960   14.664         1,700
                                                                     ------
                                                                      1,718
STRATEGIC EQUITY
Variable Life--Joint........................  45,536   11.830           539
SMALL CAP
Variable Life--Single.......................   3,201   11.914            38
Variable Life--Joint........................ 105,454   11.890         1,254
                                                                     ------
                                                                      1,292
MANAGED GLOBAL
Variable Life--Joint........................   8,736   10.740            94
OTC
Variable Life--Joint........................   5,142   15.860            82
GROWTH & INCOME
Variable Life--Joint........................   6,609   12.523            83
</TABLE>
 
                                       62
<PAGE>
 
 UNAUDITED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS OF GOLDEN AMERICAN
 
                     GOLDEN AMERICAN LIFE INSURANCE COMPANY
 
                   CONDENSED STATEMENTS OF INCOME (UNAUDITED)
 
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
                                                                          POST-ACQUISITION           PRE-ACQUISITION
                                                                         ------------------ ----------------------------------
                                                                           FOR THE PERIOD   FOR THE PERIOD
                                                                          AUGUST 14, 1996    JULY 1, 1996     FOR THE THREE
                                                                              THROUGH           THROUGH        MONTHS ENDED
                                                                         SEPTEMBER 30, 1996 AUGUST 13, 1996 SEPTEMBER 30, 1995
                                                                         ------------------ --------------- ------------------
                                                                           (CURRENT YEAR)   (CURRENT YEAR)   (PRECEDING YEAR)
                                                                                            (IN THOUSANDS)
<S>                                                                      <C>                <C>             <C>
REVENUES:
Annuity and life product fees and policy charges........................      $ 2,397           $ 2,690          $ 4,838
Management fee revenue..................................................          280               280              740
Net investment income...................................................        1,656             1,381              857
Realized gains (losses) on investments..................................           --                (2)              83
Other income............................................................          143                16               16
                                                                              -------           -------          -------
                                                                                4,476             4,365            6,534
BENEFITS AND EXPENSES:
Insurance operation benefits:
 Interest credited to account balances..................................        1,624             1,270              440
 Benefit claims incurred in excess of account balances..................          (25)              158              273
Underwriting, acquisition, and insurance expenses:
 Commissions............................................................        2,118             2,696            1,968
 General expenses.......................................................        1,517             1,920            3,738
 Insurance taxes........................................................          160               726              140
 Policy acquisition costs deferred......................................       (2,625)           (3,077)          (2,390)
 Amortization:
  Deferred policy acquisition costs.....................................          176             1,142              763
  Present value of in force acquired....................................          915               297              537
  Goodwill..............................................................          196                --               --
                                                                              -------           -------          -------
                                                                                4,056             5,132            5,469
                                                                              -------           -------          -------
                                                                                  420              (767)           1,065
Income tax expense (benefit):
 Current................................................................          147                --               --
 Deferred...............................................................           --            (1,463)              --
                                                                              -------           -------          -------
                                                                                  147            (1,463)              --
                                                                              -------           -------          -------
Net Income..............................................................      $   273           $   696          $ 1,065
                                                                              =======           =======          =======
</TABLE>
 
                            See accompanying notes.
 
 
                                       63
<PAGE>
 
                     GOLDEN AMERICAN LIFE INSURANCE COMPANY
 
                   CONDENSED STATEMENTS OF INCOME (UNAUDITED)
 
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
                                                                          POST-ACQUISITION           PRE-ACQUISITION
                                                                         ------------------ ----------------------------------
                                                                           FOR THE PERIOD   FOR THE PERIOD
                                                                          AUGUST 14, 1996   JANUARY 1, 1996    FOR THE NINE
                                                                              THROUGH           THROUGH        MONTHS ENDED
                                                                         SEPTEMBER 30, 1996 AUGUST 13, 1996 SEPTEMBER 30, 1995
                                                                         ------------------ --------------- ------------------
                                                                           (CURRENT YEAR)   (CURRENT YEAR)   (PRECEDING YEAR)
                                                                                            (IN THOUSANDS)
<S>                                                                      <C>                <C>             <C>
REVENUES:
Annuity and life product fees and policy charges........................       $2,397           $12,259          $13,922
Management fee revenue..................................................          280             1,390              740
Net investment income...................................................        1,656             4,990            1,978
Realized gains (losses) on investments..................................           --              (420)              71
Other income............................................................          143                70               44
                                                                               ------           -------          -------
                                                                                4,476            18,289           16,755
BENEFITS AND EXPENSES:
Insurance operation benefits:
 Interest credited to account balances..................................        1,624             4,355              842
 Benefit claims incurred in excess of account balances..................          (25)              915            1,460
Underwriting, acquisition, and insurance expenses:
 Commissions............................................................        2,118            16,549            5,344
 General expenses.......................................................        1,517             9,422           10,058
 Insurance taxes........................................................          160             1,225              652
 Policy acquisition costs deferred......................................       (2,625)          (19,300)          (7,101)
 Amortization:
  Deferred policy acquisition costs.....................................          176             2,436            2,121
  Present value of in force acquired....................................          915               951            1,203
  Goodwill..............................................................          196                --               --
                                                                               ------           -------          -------
                                                                                4,056            16,553           14,579
                                                                               ------           -------          -------
                                                                                  420             1,736            2,176
Income tax expense (benefit):
 Current................................................................          147                --               --
 Deferred...............................................................           --            (1,463)              --
                                                                               ------           -------          -------
                                                                                  147            (1,463)              --
                                                                               ------           -------          -------
Net Income..............................................................       $  273           $ 3,199          $ 2,176
                                                                               ======           =======          =======
</TABLE>
 
                            See accompanying notes.
 
                                       64
<PAGE>
 
                     GOLDEN AMERICAN LIFE INSURANCE COMPANY
 
                      CONDENSED BALANCE SHEETS (UNAUDITED)
 
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
                                                                                            POST-ACQUISITION   PRE-ACQUISITION
                                                                                           SEPTEMBER 30, 1996 DECEMBER 31, 1995
                                                                                           ------------------ -----------------
                                                                                                      (IN THOUSANDS)
<S>                                                                                        <C>                <C>
ASSETS:
Investments:
 Fixed maturities, available for sale, at market
  (cost: 1996 -- $175,339; 1995 -- $48,671)...............................................     $  175,199        $   49,629
 Equity securities, at market (cost: 1996 -- $31;
  1995 -- $27)............................................................................             27                29
 Policy loans.............................................................................          4,159             2,021
 Short-term investments...................................................................         27,887            15,614
                                                                                               ----------        ----------
  Total Investments.......................................................................        207,272            67,293
 Cash and cash equivalents................................................................          9,529             5,046
 Accrued investment income................................................................          3,699               768
 Deferred policy acquisition costs........................................................          2,449            67,314
 Intangible assets........................................................................         39,011                --
 Present value of in force acquired.......................................................         84,881             6,057
 Other assets.............................................................................          2,528             7,626
 Separate account assets..................................................................      1,151,614         1,048,953
                                                                                               ----------        ----------
  Total Assets............................................................................     $1,500,983        $1,203,057
                                                                                               ==========        ==========
LIABILITIES AND SHAREHOLDER'S EQUITY:
Policy liabilities and accruals:
 Annuity and insurance reserves...........................................................     $  194,239        $   33,673
 Unearned revenue reserve.................................................................            749             6,556
Current income taxes......................................................................            147                --
Due to affiliates.........................................................................          2,766               675
Accrued expenses and other liabilities....................................................         11,467            15,075
Separate account liabilities..............................................................      1,151,614         1,048,953
                                                                                               ----------        ----------
  Total Liabilities.......................................................................      1,360,982         1,104,932
Commitments and contingent liabilities
SHAREHOLDER'S EQUITY:
 Common stock.............................................................................          2,500             2,500
 Preferred stock..........................................................................             --            50,000
 Additional paid-in capital...............................................................        137,372            45,030
 Unrealized appreciation (depreciation) of fixed maturities...............................           (140)              656
 Unrealized appreciation (depreciation) of equity securities..............................             (4)                2
 Retained earnings (deficit)..............................................................            273               (63)
                                                                                               ----------        ----------
  Total Shareholder's Equity..............................................................        140,001            98,125
                                                                                               ----------        ----------
  Total Liabilities and Shareholder's Equity..............................................     $1,500,983        $1,203,057
                                                                                               ==========        ==========
</TABLE>
 
                            See accompanying notes.
 
                                       65
<PAGE>
 
                     GOLDEN AMERICAN LIFE INSURANCE COMPANY
 
                 CONDENSED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS (UNAUDITED)
 
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
                                                                          POST-ACQUISITION           PRE-ACQUISITION
                                                                         ------------------ ----------------------------------
                                                                           FOR THE PERIOD   FOR THE PERIOD
                                                                          AUGUST 14, 1996   JANUARY 1, 1996    FOR THE NINE
                                                                              THROUGH           THROUGH        MONTHS ENDED
                                                                         SEPTEMBER 30, 1996 AUGUST 13, 1996 SEPTEMBER 30, 1995
                                                                         ------------------ --------------- ------------------
                                                                           (CURRENT YEAR)   (CURRENT YEAR)   (PRECEDING YEAR)
                                                                                            (IN THOUSANDS)
<S>                                                                      <C>                <C>             <C>
Net cash provided by (used in) operating activities.....................      $ (3,813)        $  (4,750)        $  3,451
INVESTING ACTIVITIES
Sale, maturity or repayment of investments:
 Fixed maturities -- available for sale.................................           391            55,511           13,078
 Short-term investments -- net..........................................            --               364               --
                                                                              --------         ---------         --------
                                                                                   391            55,875           13,078
Acquisition of investments:
 Fixed maturities -- available for sale.................................            --          (184,589)         (41,648)
 Policy loans -- net....................................................          (161)           (1,977)            (847)
 Short-term investments -- net..........................................       (12,626)               --           (4,548)
                                                                              --------         ---------         --------
                                                                               (12,787)         (186,566)         (47,043)
Purchase of property and equipment......................................           (15)               --               --
                                                                              --------         ---------         --------
Net cash used in investing activities...................................       (12,411)         (130,691)         (33,965)
FINANCING ACTIVITIES
Investment contract deposits............................................        18,938           149,750           29,937
Investment contract withdrawals.........................................          (840)          (10,981)          (1,043)
Contributions of capital by parent......................................            --                --            3,443
Dividends paid on preferred stock.......................................            --              (719)          (2,557)
                                                                              --------         ---------         --------
Net cash provided by financing activities...............................        18,098           138,050           29,780
                                                                              --------         ---------         --------
Increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents........................         1,874             2,609             (734)
Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of period........................         7,655             5,046            3,316
                                                                              --------         ---------         --------
Cash and cash equivalents at end of period..............................      $  9,529         $   7,655         $  2,582
                                                                              ========         =========         ========
</TABLE>
 
 
                            See accompanying notes.
 
                                       66
<PAGE>
 
                    GOLDEN AMERICAN LIFE INSURANCE COMPANY
 
              NOTES TO CONDENSED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (UNAUDITED)
 
NOTE 1 -- BASIS OF PRESENTATION
  The accompanying unaudited condensed financial statements have been prepared
in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles for interim finan-
cial information and the instructions to Form 10-Q and Article 10 of Regula-
tion S-X. Accordingly, they do not include all of the information and foot-
notes required by generally accepted accounting principles for complete finan-
cial statements. In the opinion of management, all adjustments considered nec-
essary for a fair presentation have been included. All adjustments were of a
normal recurring nature, unless otherwise noted in Management's Discussion and
Analysis and the Notes to Financial Statements. Operating results for the pe-
riods August 14, 1996 through September 30, 1996, July 1, 1996 through August
13, 1996 and January 1, 1996 through August 13, 1996 are not necessarily in-
dicative of the results that may be expected for periods reported at December
31, 1996. For further information, refer to the financial statements and foot-
notes thereto included in the Golden American Life Insurance Company Annual
Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 1995.
 
  On August 13, 1996, Equitable of Iowa Companies ("Equitable") acquired all
of the outstanding capital stock of BT Variable, Inc. (Golden American Life
Insurance Company's parent) from Whitewood Properties Corporation ("White-
wood") pursuant to the terms of a Stock Purchase Agreement dated as of May 3,
1996 between Equitable and Whitewood (the "Purchase Agreement"). Refer to Note
6 for additional information.
 
  For financial statement purposes, the change in control of Golden American
Life Insurance Company ("Golden American") through the acquisition to BT Vari-
able, Inc. ("BT Variable") was accounted for as a purchase acquisition effec-
tive August 14, 1996. The effects of the acquisition have resulted in a new
basis of accounting reflecting estimated fair values for assets and liabili-
ties at that date. As a result, Golden American's financial statements for pe-
riods subsequent to August 13, 1996, are presented on the Post-Acquisition new
basis of accounting, while the financial statements for August 13, 1996 and
prior periods are presented on the Pre-Acquisition historical cost basis of
accounting.
 
  For purposes of the condensed statements of cash flows, the company consid-
ers all demand deposits and interest bearing accounts not related to the in-
vestment function to be cash equivalents. All interest-bearing accounts clas-
sified as cash equivalents have original maturities of three months or less.
 
  Certain amounts in the 1995 financial statements have been reclassified to
conform to the 1996 financial statement presentation.
 
 
                                      67
<PAGE>
 
                    GOLDEN AMERICAN LIFE INSURANCE COMPANY
 
        NOTES TO CONDENSED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (UNAUDITED) (CONTINUED)
NOTE 2--INVESTMENTS
  At September 30, 1996 and December 31, 1995, amortized cost, gross
unrealized gains and losses and estimated market values of fixed maturity se-
curities designated as available for sale are as follows:
 
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
AVAILABLE FOR SALE                             POST-ACQUISITION
- ------------------       ------------------------------------------------------------
                         AMORTIZED GROSS UNREALIZED GROSS UNREALIZED ESTIMATED MARKET
SEPTEMBER 30, 1996         COST         GAINS            LOSSES           VALUE
- ------------------       --------- ---------------- ---------------- ----------------
                                                (IN THOUSANDS)
<S>                      <C>       <C>              <C>              <C>
U.S. government and
 governmental agencies
 and authorities:
 Mortgage-backed
  securities............ $  2,855        $  3                            $  2,858
 Other..................    2,680          --            $  (4)             2,676
Public utilities........   39,536          78              (80)            39,534
Investment grade
 corporate..............  127,628         183             (322)           127,489
Mortgage-backed
 securities.............    2,640           3               (1)             2,642
                         --------        ----            -----           --------
Total available for
 sale................... $175,339        $267            $(407)          $175,199
                         ========        ====            =====           ========
</TABLE>
 
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
                                               PRE-ACQUISITION
                         ------------------------------------------------------------
                         AMORTIZED GROSS UNREALIZED GROSS UNREALIZED ESTIMATED MARKET
DECEMBER 31, 1995          COST         GAINS            LOSSES           VALUE
- -----------------        --------- ---------------- ---------------- ----------------
                                                (IN THOUSANDS)
<S>                      <C>       <C>              <C>              <C>
U.S. government and
 governmental agencies
 and authorities--
 Other..................  $13,334        $176                            $13,510
Public utilities........    5,276          26                              5,302
Investment grade
 corporate..............   27,042         700             $(31)           27,711
Mortgage-backed
 securities.............    3,019          87               --             3,106
                          -------        ----             ----           -------
Total available for
 sale...................  $48,671        $989             $(31)          $49,629
                          =======        ====             ====           =======
</TABLE>
 
  No fixed maturity securities were designated as held for investment at Sep-
tember 30, 1996 or December 31, 1995. Short-term investments with maturities
of 30 days or less have been excluded from the above schedules. Amortized cost
approximates market value for these securities.
 
  Amortized cost and estimated market value of debt securities at September
30, 1996, by contractual maturity, are shown below. Expected maturities will
differ from contractual maturities because borrowers may have the right to
call or prepay obligations with or without call or prepayment penalties.
 
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
                                                               ESTIMATED MARKET
   AVAILABLE FOR SALE                           AMORTIZED COST      VALUE
   ------------------                           -------------- ----------------
                                                        (IN THOUSANDS)
   <S>                                          <C>            <C>
   Due within one year.........................    $ 15,033        $ 15,046
   Due after one year through five years.......     129,852         129,787
   Due after five years through ten years......      22,109          21,990
   Due after ten years.........................       2,850           2,876
                                                   --------        --------
                                                    169,844         169,699
   Mortgage-backed securities..................       5,495           5,500
                                                   --------        --------
   Total available for sale....................    $175,339        $175,199
                                                   ========        ========
</TABLE>
 
NOTE 3--RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS
  In the fourth quarter of 1995, the service agreement between Directed Serv-
ices, Inc. ("DSI") and Golden American was amended to provide for a management
fee from DSI to Golden American for certain managerial and supervisory serv-
ices provided by Golden American. This fee, cal-
 
                                      68
<PAGE>
 
                    GOLDEN AMERICAN LIFE INSURANCE COMPANY
 
        NOTES TO CONDENSED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (UNAUDITED) (CONTINUED)
culated as a percentage of average assets in the variable separate accounts
was $560,000 in the third quarter of 1996 and $1,670,000 in the first nine
months of 1996.
 
NOTE 4--SHAREHOLDER'S EQUITY
  On September 23, 1996, EIC Variable, Inc. (formally known as BT Variable,
Inc.) contributed $50,000,000 of Preferred Stock to the company's additional
paid-in capital.
 
NOTE 5--COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES
  In a transaction that closed on September 30, 1992, Bankers Trust Company
("Bankers Trust") acquired from Mutual Benefit Life Insurance Company in Reha-
bilitation ("Mutual Benefit"), in accordance with the terms of an Exchange
Agreement, all of the issued and outstanding capital stock of Golden American
and DSI and certain related assets for consideration with an aggregate value
of $13,200,000 and contributed them to BT Variable. The transaction involved
settlement of pre-existing claims of Bankers Trust against Mutual Benefit. The
ultimate value of these claims has not yet been determined by the Superior
Court of New Jersey and, prior to August 13, 1996, was contingently supported
by a $5,000,000 note payable from Golden American and a $6,000,000 letter of
credit from Bankers Trust. Bankers Trust had estimated that the contingent li-
ability due from Golden American amounted to $439,000 at August 13, 1996 and
December 31, 1995. At August 13, 1996 the balance of the escrow account estab-
lished to fund the contingent liability was $4,293,000 ($4,150,000 at December
31, 1995).
 
  On August 13, 1996, Bankers Trust made a cash payment to Golden American in
an amount equal to the balance of the escrow account less the $439,000 contin-
gent liability discussed above. In exchange, Golden American irrevocably as-
signed to Bankers Trust all of Golden American's rights to receive any amounts
to be disbursed from the escrow account in accordance with the terms of the
Exchange Agreement. Bankers Trust also irrevocably agreed to make all payments
becoming due under the Golden American note and to indemnify Golden American
for any liability arising from the note.
 
  In the ordinary course of business, the company is engaged in litigation,
none of which management believes is material.
 
NOTE 6--ACQUISITION
  On August 13, 1996, Equitable acquired all of the outstanding capital stock
of BT Variable from Whitewood, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Bankers Trust,
pursuant to the terms of the Purchase Agreement dated as of May 3, 1996 be-
tween Equitable and Whitewood. As noted above, BT Variable, in turn, owned all
the outstanding capital stock of Golden American and all of the outstanding
capital stock of DSI. In exchange for the outstanding capital stock of BT
Variable, Equitable paid the sum of $93,000,000 in cash to Whitewood in accor-
dance with the terms of the Purchase Agreement. Equitable also paid the sum of
$51,000,000 in cash to Bankers Trust to retire certain debt owed by BT Vari-
able to Bankers Trust pursuant to a revolving credit arrangement. On August
14, 1996, BT Variable, Inc. was formally renamed EIC Variable, Inc.
 
  The purchase price was allocated to the three companies purchased--BT Vari-
able, DSI and Golden American. Goodwill was established for the excess cost
over net assets acquired plus $965,000 of estimated acquisition costs and
pushed down to Golden American. The allocation of the purchase price is pre-
liminary with respect to the final settlement of taxes with Bankers Trust and
estimated acquisition costs and, as a result, goodwill may change. The alloca-
tion of the purchase price to Golden American was approximately $139,872,000.
The amount of goodwill relating to the acquisition was $39,207,000 at August
13, 1996, and is being amortized over 25 years on a straight line basis.
 
  The following unaudited pro forma information is presented as if the acqui-
sition had occurred on January 1, 1995. The information is combined to reflect
the purchase accounting in the pre-acquisition periods of January 1, 1996
through August 13, 1996 and for the nine months ended
 
                                      69
<PAGE>
 
                    GOLDEN AMERICAN LIFE INSURANCE COMPANY
 
        NOTES TO CONDENSED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (UNAUDITED) (CONTINUED)
September 30, 1995. This information is intended for informational purposes
only and may not be indicative of the company's future results of operations.
 
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
                                             9 MONTHS ENDED     9 MONTHS ENDED
                                           SEPTEMBER 30, 1996 SEPTEMBER 30, 1995
                                           ------------------ ------------------
                                                      (IN THOUSANDS)
   <S>                                     <C>                <C>
   Revenues...............................      $23,878            $18,446
   Net income.............................          854                684
</TABLE>
 
  The primary pro forma effects are revised amortization of deferred policy
acquisition costs, present value of in force acquired, unearned revenue, good-
will and the elimination of deferred tax benefits.
 
  A portion of the acquisition cost was allocated to the right to receive fu-
ture cash flows from the insurance contracts existing with Golden American at
the date of acquisition. This allocated cost represents the present value of
in force acquired ("PVIF") which reflects the estimated fair value of those
purchased policies. The expected future cash flows used to determine the fair
value are based on actuarially determined projected net cash flows from the
acquired insurance contracts.
 
  An analysis of the PVIF asset is as follows:
 
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
                                                                                              POST-ACQUISITION  PRE-ACQUISITION
                                                                                             ------------------ ---------------
                                                                                               FOR THE PERIOD   FOR THE PERIOD
                                                                                              AUGUST 14, 1996   JANUARY 1, 1996
                                                                                                  THROUGH           THROUGH
                                                                                             SEPTEMBER 30, 1996 AUGUST 13, 1996
                                                                                             ------------------ ---------------
                                                                                                       (IN THOUSANDS)
   <S>                                                                                       <C>                <C>
   Beginning balance........................................................................      $85,796           $ 6,057
   Imputed interest.........................................................................          822               273
   Amortization.............................................................................       (1,737)           (1,229)
   Adjustment for unrealized gains on available for sale securities.........................           --                16
                                                                                                  -------           -------
   Ending balance...........................................................................      $84,881           $ 5,117
                                                                                                  =======           =======
</TABLE>
 
  Interest is imputed on the unamortized balance of PVIF at rates of 7.70% to
7.80%. PVIF is charged to expense and adjusted for the unrealized gains (loss-
es) on available for sale securities. Based on current conditions and assump-
tions as to the effect of future events on acquired policies in force, the ex-
pected approximate amortization for the fourth quarter of 1996 and the next
five years, relating to the balance of the PVIF as of September 30, 1996, is
as follows:
 
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
     YEAR                                                            AMOUNT
     ----                                                         --------------
                                                                  (IN THOUSANDS)
   <S>                                                            <C>
   4th quarter 1996.............................................     $ 1,830
     1997.......................................................       9,664
     1998.......................................................      10,109
     1999.......................................................       9,243
     2000.......................................................       7,919
     2001.......................................................       6,798
</TABLE>
 
                                      70
<PAGE>
 
 FINANCIAL STATEMENTS OF GOLDEN AMERICAN
 
                        REPORT OF INDEPENDENT AUDITORS
 
Board of Directors and Stockholder
Golden American Life Insurance Company
 
  We have audited the accompanying balance sheets of Golden American Life In-
surance Company (the "Company") as of December 31, 1995 and 1994 and the re-
lated statements of operations, changes in stockholder's equity, and cash
flows for each of the three years in the period ended December 31, 1995. These
financial statements are the responsibility of the Company's management. Our
responsibility is to express an opinion on these financial statements based on
our audits.
 
  We conducted our audits in accordance with generally accepted auditing stan-
dards. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain
reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements are free of mate-
rial misstatement. An audit includes examining, on a test basis, evidence sup-
porting the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements. An audit also
includes assessing the accounting principles used and significant estimates
made by management, as well as evaluating the overall financial statement pre-
sentation. We believe that our audits provide a reasonable basis for our opin-
ion.
 
  In our opinion, the financial statements referred to above present fairly,
in all material respects, the financial position of Golden American Life In-
surance Company at December 31, 1995 and 1994, and the results of its opera-
tions and its cash flows for each of the three years in the period ended De-
cember 31, 1995, in conformity with generally accepted accounting principles.
 

                                                     /s/ Ernst & Young LLP


 
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
February 12, 1996,
except for Note 10, as to
which the date is August 13, 1996
 
                                      71
<PAGE>
 
                     GOLDEN AMERICAN LIFE INSURANCE COMPANY
 
                                 BALANCE SHEETS
 
                      (IN THOUSANDS, EXCEPT SHARE AMOUNT)
 
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
                                                               DECEMBER 31
                                                          ----------------------
                                                             1995        1994
                                                          ----------  ----------
<S>                                                       <C>         <C>
ASSETS
Investments:
 Fixed maturities at market value (amortized cost $48,671
  and $ --).............................................. $   49,629  $       --
 Fixed maturities held to maturity, at amortized cost
  (market -- $2,659).....................................         --       2,749
 Short-term investments, at cost, which approximates
  market.................................................     15,614      13,933
 Equity securities, at market (cost $27 and $17).........         29          16
 Policy loans............................................      2,021         513
                                                          ----------  ----------
  Total investments......................................     67,293      17,211
Cash.....................................................       (323)      3,316
Accrued investment income................................        768          92
Due from affiliates and separate accounts................      1,127         963
Deferred policy acquisition costs........................     67,314      60,662
Unamortized cost assigned to insurance contracts in
 force...................................................      6,057       7,620
Funds held in escrow pursuant to an Exchange Agreement...      4,150       2,757
Due from reinsurers......................................      2,062       1,713
Other assets.............................................        287         134
Separate account assets..................................  1,048,953     950,292
                                                          ----------  ----------
  Total assets........................................... $1,197,688  $1,044,760
                                                          ==========  ==========
LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDER'S EQUITY
Liabilities:
 Insurance and annuity reserves (including $1,641 and $17
  of unamortized deferred sales load).................... $   33,673  $    1,051
 Due to affiliates and separate accounts.................        675         660
 Accrued expenses and other liabilities..................      1,329       1,053
 Payable for investment purchases........................      7,938          --
 Unearned revenue........................................      6,556       1,759
 Adjustable principal amount promissory note, 7.50%, due
  1997...................................................        439         439
 Separate account liabilities (including $41,566 and
  $48,924 of unamortized deferred sales load)............  1,048,953     950,292
                                                          ----------  ----------
  Total liabilities......................................  1,099,563     955,254
Commitments and contingencies
STOCKHOLDER'S EQUITY
Common stock, par value $10 per share, authorized,
 issued, and outstanding 250,000 shares..................      2,500       2,500
Redeemable preferred stock, par value $5,000 per share,
 50,000 shares authorized, 10,000 issued and outstanding.     50,000      50,000
Additional paid-in capital...............................     45,030      37,086
Net unrealized appreciation/(depreciation) of
 securities..............................................        658          (1)
Retained earnings (deficit)..............................        (63)        (79)
                                                          ----------  ----------
 Total stockholder's equity..............................     98,125      89,506
                                                          ----------  ----------
  Total liabilities and stockholder's equity............. $1,197,688  $1,044,760
                                                          ==========  ==========
</TABLE>
 
                            See accompanying notes.
 
                                       72
<PAGE>
 
                     GOLDEN AMERICAN LIFE INSURANCE COMPANY
 
                            STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS
 
                                 (IN THOUSANDS)
 
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
                                                    YEAR ENDED DECEMBER 31
                                                   ---------------------------
                                                    1995      1994      1993
                                                   -------  --------  --------
<S>                                                <C>      <C>       <C>
REVENUES
Variable life and annuity product fees and policy
 charges.........................................  $18,388  $ 17,519  $ 10,192
Management fee revenue...........................      987        --        --
Net investment income............................    2,818       560       216
Realized capital gain (loss).....................      297        65        35
                                                   -------  --------  --------
Total revenues...................................   22,490    18,144    10,443
EXPENSES
Policy benefits..................................    3,146        35     1,747
Commissions and overrides........................    7,653    16,741    34,260
Salaries, benefits and other employee-related
 costs...........................................    6,601     5,866        --
Financing charges and interest...................       --     1,962       726
Other general, administrative, and operating
 expenses........................................    7,268     7,665     9,248
Deferral of policy acquisition costs.............   (9,804)  (23,119)  (37,129)
Amortization of deferred policy acquisition
 costs...........................................    2,710     4,608     2,027
Amortization of costs assigned to insurance
 contracts in force..............................    1,552     2,164     1,357
                                                   -------  --------  --------
Total expenses...................................   19,126    15,922    12,236
                                                   -------  --------  --------
Net income (loss)................................  $ 3,364  $  2,222  $ (1,793)
                                                   =======  ========  ========
</TABLE>
 
 
 
                            See accompanying notes.
 
                                       73
<PAGE>
 
 
                     GOLDEN AMERICAN LIFE INSURANCE COMPANY
 
                 STATEMENTS OF CHANGES IN STOCKHOLDER'S EQUITY
 
                  YEARS ENDED DECEMBER 31, 1995, 1994 AND 1993
 
                      (IN THOUSANDS, EXCEPT SHARE AMOUNT)
 
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
                                                                          UNREALIZED
                          SHARES   SHARES                    ADDITIONAL  APPRECIATION   RETAINED      TOTAL
                          COMMON  PREFERRED COMMON PREFERRED  PAID-IN   (DEPRECIATION)  EARNINGS  STOCKHOLDER'S
                           STOCK    STOCK   STOCK    STOCK    CAPITAL    OF SECURITIES  (DEFICIT)    EQUITY
                          ------- --------- ------ --------- ---------- --------------- --------- -------------
<S>                       <C>     <C>       <C>    <C>       <C>        <C>             <C>       <C>
Balances at January 1,
1993....................  150,000           $1,500            $13,336        $ 14        $  (508)    $14,342
Issuance of common
stock...................  100,000            1,000                                                     1,000
Contribution of
capital.................                                       15,000                                 15,000
Net loss................                                                                  (1,793)     (1,793)
Change in unrealized
appreciation of
securities..............                                                       48             --          48
                          -------  ------   ------  -------   -------        ----        -------     -------
Balances at December 31,
1993....................  250,000      --    2,500       --    28,336          62         (2,301)     28,597
Issuance of preferred
stock...................           10,000           $50,000                                           50,000
Contribution of
capital.................                                        8,750                                  8,750
Net income..............                                                                   2,222       2,222
Change in unrealized
depreciation of
securities..............                                                      (63)                       (63)
                          -------  ------   ------  -------   -------        ----        -------     -------
Balances at December 31,
1994....................  250,000  10,000    2,500   50,000    37,086          (1)           (79)     89,506
Contribution of
capital.................                                        7,944                                  7,944
Net income..............                                                                   3,364       3,364
Preferred stock
dividends...............                                                                  (3,348)     (3,348)
Change in unrealized
appreciation of
securities..............                                                      659                        659
                          -------  ------   ------  -------   -------        ----        -------     -------
Balances at December 31,
1995....................  250,000  10,000   $2,500  $50,000   $45,030        $658        $   (63)    $98,125
                          =======  ======   ======  =======   =======        ====        =======     =======
</TABLE>
 
                            See accompanying notes.
 
                                       74
<PAGE>
 
                     GOLDEN AMERICAN LIFE INSURANCE COMPANY
 
                            STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS
 
                                 (IN THOUSANDS)
 
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
                                                     YEAR ENDED DECEMBER 31
                                                   ----------------------------
                                                     1995      1994      1993
                                                   --------  --------  --------
<S>                                                <C>       <C>       <C>
OPERATING ACTIVITIES
Net income (loss)................................  $  3,364  $  2,222  $ (1,793)
Adjustments to reconcile net income (loss) to net
 cash provided by (used in) operating activities:
 Amortization of deferred policy acquisition
  costs..........................................     2,710     4,608     2,027
 Amortization of costs assigned to insurance
  contracts in force.............................     1,552     2,164     1,357
 Change in unearned revenue......................     4,949     1,594    (1,141)
 Increase in accrued investment income...........      (676)      (24)       (1)
 Change in due to/from affiliates and separate
  accounts.......................................      (149)   (3,299)    2,976
 Changes in other assets, accrued expenses and
  other liabilities..............................      (226)   (1,552)       42
 Policy acquisition costs deferred...............    (9,804)  (23,119)  (37,129)
 Change in insurance and annuity reserves........     4,664    (1,370)      550
 Net amortization of premium (discount) on fixed
  maturity investments and funds held in escrow..      (142)       13        --
                                                   --------  --------  --------
Net cash provided by (used in) operating
 activities......................................     6,242   (18,763)  (33,112)
INVESTING ACTIVITIES
Purchases of fixed maturities....................   (61,723)     (857)     (543)
Sales of fixed maturities........................    23,729       319       552
Purchases of common stock........................       (10)       (7)     (260)
Sales of common stock............................        --       250       240
(Increase) decrease in policy loans..............    (1,508)     (369)      202
Funds held in escrow pursuant to an Exchange
 Agreement.......................................    (1,242)   (1,382)   (1,375)
                                                   --------  --------  --------
Net cash used in investing activities............   (40,754)   (2,046)   (1,184)
FINANCING ACTIVITIES
(Retirement) issuances of short-term debt........        --   (40,000)   33,600
Investment contract deposits.....................    29,501        --        --
Investment contract withdrawals..................    (1,543)       --        --
Issuance of common stock.........................        --        --     1,000
Issuance of preferred stock......................        --    50,000        --
Preferred stock dividend paid....................    (3,348)       --        --
Contribution of capital by parent................     7,944     8,750    15,000
                                                   --------  --------  --------
Net cash provided by financing activities........    32,554    18,750    49,600
                                                   --------  --------  --------
Net (decrease) increase in cash and short-term
 investments.....................................    (1,958)   (2,059)   15,304
Cash and short-term investments at beginning of
 year............................................    17,249    19,308     4,004
                                                   --------  --------  --------
Cash and short-term investments at end of year...  $ 15,291  $ 17,249  $ 19,308
                                                   ========  ========  ========
</TABLE>
 
                            See accompanying notes.
 
                                       75
<PAGE>
 
                    GOLDEN AMERICAN LIFE INSURANCE COMPANY
 
                         NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
 
                               DECEMBER 31, 1995
 
1. ORGANIZATION
  Effective September 30, 1992, Golden American Life Insurance Company
("Golden American") became a wholly-owned subsidiary of BT Variable, Inc.
("BTV"), an indirect wholly-owned subsidiary of Bankers Trust Company ("Bank-
ers Trust"). Previously, Golden American was owned by Mutual Benefit Life In-
surance Company in Rehabilitation ("Mutual Benefit"). Golden American is pri-
marily engaged in the issuance of variable insurance products and is licensed
as a life insurance company in the District of Columbia and all states except
New York. Effective December 30, 1993, Golden American was redomesticated from
the State of Minnesota to the State of Delaware.
 
  In a transaction that closed on September 30, 1992, Bankers Trust acquired
from Mutual Benefit, in accordance with the terms of an Exchange Agreement,
all of the issued and outstanding capital stock of Golden American and Di-
rected Services, Inc. ("DSI"), an affiliate of Golden American, and certain
related assets and contributed them to BTV. The portion of the aggregate con-
sideration exchanged by Bankers Trust, allocable to Golden American, was val-
ued at approximately $11,600 thousand, subject to subsequent adjustment pursu-
ant to the Exchange Agreement. This allocation was based primarily on the es-
timated value of insurance contracts in force and also included the acquisi-
tion of net tangible assets of $400 thousand. The transaction involved settle-
ment of pre-existing claims of Bankers Trust against Mutual Benefit. The ulti-
mate value of these claims has not yet been determined by the Superior Court
of New Jersey and is contingently supported by a $5,000 thousand note payable
from Golden American and a $6,000 thousand letter of credit from Bankers
Trust. The Golden American note is secured by a pledge of Golden American's
right to receive certain deferred sales loads. Bankers Trust has estimated
that the contingent liability due from Golden American amounted to $439 thou-
sand at December 31, 1995 and 1994. Golden American deposited with an escrow
agent $1,225 thousand and $1,300 thousand in 1995 and 1994, respectively, pur-
suant to certain provisions of the Exchange Agreement.
 
  In addition, concurrent with the closing, Bankers Trust entered into an
agreement with Golden American to cause Golden American, commencing with the
closing and for so long as Bankers Trust continues to own, directly or indi-
rectly, all the issued and outstanding capital stock of Golden American, to
have at all times statutory capital and surplus of no less than the sum of (i)
$5,000 thousand and (ii) an amount equal to 1% of the statutory-basis separate
account liabilities of Golden American. During 1995, 1994, and 1993 BTV con-
tributed additional capital and paid-in surplus of $7,944 thousand, $8,750
thousand, and $16,000 thousand, respectively, to Golden American. In 1994,
Golden American issued $50,000 thousand of preferred stock that was purchased
by BTV for $50,000 thousand in cash.
 
2. SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES
  The preparation of the financial statements in conformity with generally ac-
cepted accounting principles requires management to make estimates and assump-
tions that affect the amounts reported in the financial statements and accom-
panying notes. Actual results could differ from those estimates.
 
Basis of presentation
  The accompanying financial statements have been presented in accordance with
generally accepted accounting principles ("GAAP"). The acquisition of Golden
American has been accounted for as a purchase by Bankers Trust and, according-
ly, the acquired assets and liabilities were recorded at their estimated fair
values at September 30, 1992. In accordance with requirements of the Securi-
ties and Exchange Commission, this new basis of accounting has been "pushed
down" to Golden American.
 
Investments
  Fixed maturities are considered available for sale and are carried at market
in 1995. Previously fixed maturities were treated as held until maturity and
carried at cost. Short-term investments are carried at cost, which approxi-
mates market. Equity securities, principally investments
 
                                      76
<PAGE>
 
                    GOLDEN AMERICAN LIFE INSURANCE COMPANY
 
                 NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS -- (CONTINUED)
 
                               DECEMBER 31, 1995
 
2. SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES (CONTINUED)
in mutual funds, are carried at market based on quoted market prices. Net
unrealized appreciation of equity securities is included as a component of
stockholder's equity. The cost of investments sold is determined by using the
specific identification method.
 
Variable Life and Annuity Products
  Variable life and annuity products include individual and group flexible
premium variable life insurance policies and annuity products. Golden American
provides for variable accumulation and benefits under the policies and con-
tracts by crediting life and annuity considerations in accordance with
contractholder direction to one or more divisions within various variable sep-
arate accounts or fixed interest divisions. Golden American's fixed interest
divisions include the Guaranteed Interest Division, the Fixed Interest Divi-
sion, and the Market Value Adjusted Fixed Interest separate account.
 
Separate Accounts
  Variable separate accounts assets and liabilities reported in the accompany-
ing balance sheets represent funds that are separately administered princi-
pally for variable life policies and annuity contracts and for which the poli-
cyholders and contractholders rather than Golden American bear the investment
risk. At the direction of the policyowners and contractholders, the separate
accounts invest the premium and annuity considerations from the sale of vari-
able life and annuity products either in shares of specified mutual funds or
directly in other investments. The assets and liabilities of Golden American's
separate accounts are clearly identified and segregated from other assets and
liabilities of Golden American. The portion of the separate account assets ap-
plicable to variable life policies and variable annuity contracts cannot be
charged with liabilities arising out of any other business Golden American may
conduct.
 
  Variable separate account assets carried at fair value of the underlying in-
vestments generally represent policyowner and contractholder investment values
maintained in the accounts. Variable separate account liabilities represent
account balances for the variable life policies and annuity contracts invested
in the separate accounts. Net investment income and realized and unrealized
capital gains and losses related to separate account assets are not reflected
in the accompanying statements of operations of Golden American.
 
Revenue Recognition
  Revenues from variable life and annuity products consists of charges for
mortality and expense risk, cost of insurance, contract administration, and
surrender charges, as applicable to each contract. In addition, most life and
annuity contracts provide for a distribution fee collected for a limited num-
ber of years after each premium deposit, as defined in each applicable con-
tract. For life contracts, the distribution fee is based on the premiums col-
lected, the face amount issued, and the underwriting characteristics of each
insured. For annuity contracts, the distribution fee is based on the amount of
premiums collected and allocated to the variable separate accounts. Revenue
recognition of collected distribution fees is amortized over the life of the
contract in proportion to its expected gross profits. The balance of unrecog-
nized revenue related to the distribution fees is reported as unearned reve-
nue.
 
Costs Assigned to Insurance Contracts in Force
  The costs assigned to insurance contracts in force represents the value of
the right to receive future profits from the life insurance and annuity poli-
cies existing at the date of acquisition from Mutual Benefit. Such value is
the actuarially-determined present value of projected future profits from the
acquired contracts discounted at an interest rate of 15%. Costs assigned to
insurance contracts in force is being amortized over the estimated life of the
applicable insurance contracts in relation to estimated future gross profits.
 
                                      77
<PAGE>
 
                    GOLDEN AMERICAN LIFE INSURANCE COMPANY
 
                 NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS -- (CONTINUED)
 
                               DECEMBER 31, 1995
 
2. SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES (CONTINUED)
  The following is a reconciliation of the costs assigned to insurance con-
tracts in force for the years ended December 31, 1995, 1994 and 1993.
 
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
                                                      YEAR ENDED DECEMBER 31
                                                      -------------------------
                                                       1995     1994     1993
                                                      -------  -------  -------
                                                          (IN THOUSANDS)
   <S>                                                <C>      <C>      <C>
   Beginning balance................................. $ 7,620  $ 9,784  $11,140
   Interest accrued..................................     548      696      942
   Amortization......................................  (2,100)  (2,860)  (2,298)
                                                      -------  -------  -------
   Ending Balance.................................... $ 6,068  $ 7,620  $ 9,784
                                                      =======  =======  =======
</TABLE>
 
  The following table presents the expected amortization of the costs assigned
to insurance contracts in force over the next five years. The amortization may
be adjusted based on periodic evaluation of the expected gross profits.
 
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
                                                                  (IN THOUSANDS)
   <S>                                                            <C>
   1996..........................................................     $1,424
   1997..........................................................      1,200
   1998..........................................................        918
   1999..........................................................        559
   2000..........................................................        430
</TABLE>
 
Deferred Policy Acquisition Costs
  Deferred policy acquisition costs consist primarily of commissions, certain
underwriting expenses and the costs of issuing policies that vary with and are
directly related to the production of new and renewal business. Acquisition
costs for variable life and annuity products are being amortized over the
lives of the policies in relation to the present value of estimated future
gross profits. The future gross profit estimates are subject to periodic eval-
uation with necessary revisions applied against amortization to date.
 
Insurance and Annuity Reserves
  Insurance and annuity reserves represent variable life and annuity account
balances invested in the fixed interest divisions, policy loan balances on
variable life policies, and supplementary contract reserves on annuitized pol-
icies. Interest credited rates for the fixed interest divisions ranged from 4%
to 7% during 1995 and 1994.
 
Policy Benefits
  Policy benefits that are charged to expense include benefits incurred in the
period in excess of the related policy account balances and interest credited
to policy account balances invested in the fixed interest divisions.
 
Reinsurance
  Included in the accompanying financial statements are net considerations to
reinsurers of $2,800 thousand and $2,400 thousand and net policy benefits re-
coveries of $3,500 thousand and $1,900 thousand in 1995 and 1994, respective-
ly. Effective September 30, 1992, Golden American terminated all reinsurance
agreements with Mutual Benefit. Subsequently, Golden American entered into
agreements covering substantially all of the mortality risks under both life
policies and annuity contracts with unaffiliated reinsurers. Golden American
remains liable to the extent that its reinsurers do not meet their obligations
under the reinsurance agreements. Reinsurance in-force for life mortality
risks were $24,700 thousand and $23,000 thousand at December 31, 1995 and 1994
and for annuity mortality risks were $83,500 thousand and $149,600 thousand at
December 31, 1995 and 1994, respectively.
 
                                      78
<PAGE>
 
                    GOLDEN AMERICAN LIFE INSURANCE COMPANY
 
                 NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS -- (CONTINUED)
 
                               DECEMBER 31, 1995
 
2. SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES (CONTINUED)
  Effective June 1, 1994, Golden American entered into a reinsurance agreement
on a modified coinsurance basis with an unaffiliated reinsurer. The accompany-
ing financial statements are presented net of the effects of the treaty which
reduced net income by $109 thousand and $27 thousand in 1995 and 1994, respec-
tively.
 
Cash Equivalents
  The Company considers all short-term investments (including commercial pa-
per, money markets, and certificates of deposit) with a maturity of three
months or less when purchased to be cash equivalents.
 
3. FAIR VALUE OF FINANCIAL INSTRUMENTS
  Golden American has evaluated its financial instruments, principally short-
term investments, policy loans, the adjustable principal amount promissory
note, and insurance and annuity reserves and determined that carrying amounts
reported in the balance sheets approximate fair value.
 
4. INVESTMENTS
  The major categories of investment income for 1995, 1994 and 1993 are summa-
rized as follows:
 
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
                                                              1995   1994  1993
                                                             ------  ----  ----
                                                              (IN THOUSANDS)
   <S>                                                       <C>     <C>   <C>
   Fixed maturities......................................... $1,610  $142  $114
   Short-term investments...................................    899   226    90
   Equity securities........................................     --     1     1
   Policy loans.............................................     56    11    11
   Cash.....................................................    148    99    --
   Funds held in escrow.....................................    166    83    --
                                                             ------  ----  ----
   Gross investment income..................................  2,879   562   216
   Investment expenses......................................    (61)   (2)   --
                                                             ------  ----  ----
   Net investment income.................................... $2,818  $560  $216
                                                             ======  ====  ====
</TABLE>
 
  A summary of investments in debt securities, including fixed maturities and
short-term investments, at December 31, 1995 and 1994 is as follows:
 
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
                                                              GROSS
                                                            UNREALIZED ESTIMATED
                                                  AMORTIZED   GAINS     MARKET
                                                    COST     (LOSSES)    VALUE
                                                  --------- ---------- ---------
                                                          (IN THOUSANDS)
   <S>                                            <C>       <C>        <C>
   At December 31, 1995:
    U.S. Treasury securities.....................  $17,832     $ 92     $17,924
    U.S. Government-backed securities............    2,037       86       2,123
    Corporate securities.........................   44,416      780      45,196
                                                   -------     ----     -------
                                                   $64,285     $958     $65,243
                                                   =======     ====     =======
   At December 31, 1994:
    U.S. Treasury securities.....................  $16,682     $(90)    $16,592
                                                   =======     ====     =======
</TABLE>
 
                                      79
<PAGE>
 
                    GOLDEN AMERICAN LIFE INSURANCE COMPANY
 
                 NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS -- (CONTINUED)
 
                               DECEMBER 31, 1995
 
4. INVESTMENTS (CONTINUED)
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
                                              1995                1994
                                       ------------------- -------------------
                                                 ESTIMATED           ESTIMATED
                                       AMORTIZED  MARKET   AMORTIZED  MARKET
                                         COST      VALUE     COST      VALUE
                                       --------- --------- --------- ---------
                                                   (IN THOUSANDS)
   <S>                                 <C>       <C>       <C>       <C>
   Due in one year or less............  $17,398   $17,408   $14,634   $14,622
   Due after one year through five
    years.............................   39,023    39,467       850       827
   Due after five years through ten
    years.............................    6,818     7,201     1,198     1,143
   Due after ten years through twenty
    years.............................    1,046     1,167        --        --
                                        -------   -------   -------   -------
                                        $64,285   $65,243   $16,682   $16,592
                                        =======   =======   =======   =======
</TABLE>
 
  At December 31, 1995 and 1994, gross unrealized (depreciation) appreciation
of marketable equity securities recognized directly in stockholder's equity
was $3 thousand and $(1) thousand, respectively.
 
  At December 31, 1995 and 1994, $2,711 thousand and $2,695 thousand, respec-
tively, in principal amount of fixed maturity investments were on deposit with
regulatory authorities pursuant to certain statutory requirements.
 
5. STOCKHOLDER'S EQUITY
  The payment of cash dividends by Golden American is subject to statutory re-
strictions equal to the higher of 10% of surplus as regards policyholders or
100% of the prior year's net gain, not to exceed unassigned surplus. The maxi-
mum dividend payout which may be made without prior approval in 1996 is $6,636
thousand. Golden American is required to maintain a minimum total statutory-
basis capital and surplus of not less than $5,000 thousand under the provi-
sions of the insurance laws of certain states in which it is presently li-
censed to sell variable life and annuity products.
 
  A reconciliation of Golden American's GAAP-basis stockholder's equity as of
December 31, 1995 and 1994 and net loss for the years ended December 31, 1995
and 1994 to its statutory-basis capital and surplus and net loss included in
the accompanying financial statements is as follows:
 
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
                                     CAPITAL AND SURPLUS   NET INCOME (LOSS)
                                     --------------------  ------------------
                                       1995       1994       1995      1994
                                     ---------  ---------  --------  --------
                                                (IN THOUSANDS)
   <S>                               <C>        <C>        <C>       <C>
   GAAP-basis....................... $  98,125  $  89,506  $  3,364  $  2,222
   Asset valuation reserve/interest
    maintenance reserve.............      (506)       (42)       28         3
   Fixed maturities from
    acquisition.....................        (2)       (76)       74        14
   Deferred policy acquisition
    costs...........................   (67,314)   (60,662)   (7,094)  (18,511)
   Cost assigned to insurance
    contracts in force..............    (6,057)    (7,620)    1,552     2,164
   Deferred sales loads, surrender
    charges and policy charges......    40,150     49,223    (9,073)    7,000
   Reserves.........................    (1,972)    (4,985)    3,013    (5,017)
   Unearned revenue.................     6,556      1,759     4,949     1,594
   Other............................    (1,665)      (811)     (930)     (729)
   Unrealized appreciation of fixed
    maturity investments............      (958)        --        --        --
                                     ---------  ---------  --------  --------
   Statutory-basis.................. $  66,357  $  66,292  $(4,117)  $(11,260)
                                     =========  =========  ========  ========
</TABLE>
 
                                      80
<PAGE>
 
                    GOLDEN AMERICAN LIFE INSURANCE COMPANY
 
                 NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS -- (CONTINUED)
 
                               DECEMBER 31, 1995
 
5. STOCKHOLDER'S EQUITY (CONTINUED)
  During 1992, the NAIC approved certain Risk-Based Capital ("RBC") require-
ments for life/ health insurance companies. Those requirements were effective
beginning in 1993 and require that the amount of capital maintained by an in-
surance company is to be determined based on the various risk factors related
to it. At December 31, 1995 and 1994, Golden American met the RBC require-
ments.
 
  On December 30, 1994, Golden American issued 10,000 shares of Redeemable
Preferred Stock. Dividends declared and paid on the Redeemable Preferred Stock
were $3.35 million or $334.79 per share in 1995. As of December 31, 1994, Div-
idends in Arrears on the Redeemable Preferred Stock were $17.9 thousand or
$1.79 per share. The dividends are cumulative and are calculated based on a
rate not to exceed the sum of the Prime Rate and 1.5%. The Redeemable Pre-
ferred Stock is redeemable at the option of Golden American at the redemption
price of $5 thousand per share subject to appropriate regulatory approvals.
 
6. RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS
  DSI acts as the principal underwriter (as defined in the Securities Act of
1933 and the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended) of the variable in-
surance products issued by Golden American which as of December 31, 1995, are
sold primarily through two broker/dealer institutions. For the years ended De-
cember 31, 1995, 1994 and 1993, commissions paid by Golden American to DSI ag-
gregated $8,440 thousand, $17,569 thousand, and $34,260 thousand, respective-
ly.
 
  Golden American provided to DSI certain of its personnel to perform manage-
ment, administrative and clerical services and the use of certain facilities.
Golden American charged DSI for such expenses and all other general and admin-
istrative costs, first on the basis of direct charges when identifiable, and
the remainder allocated based on the estimated amount of time spent by Golden
American's employees on behalf of DSI. In the opinion of management, this
method of cost allocation is reasonable. For the years ended December 31, 1994
and 1993, expenses allocated to DSI were $1,983 thousand and $2,013 thousand,
respectively, which were comprised of allocated salary charges, premise and
equipment charges, and other expenses.
 
  In 1995, the service agreement between DSI and Golden American was amended
to provide for a management fee from DSI to Golden American. This fee, for
managerial and supervisory services provided by Golden American calculated as
a percentage of average assets in the variable separate accounts, was $987
thousand for 1995.
 
  Prior to 1994, Golden American had entered into agreements with DSI to per-
form services related to the management of its investments and the distribu-
tion of its products. For the year 1993, Golden American incurred $311 thou-
sand for such services. The agreement was terminated as of January 1, 1994.
 
  Prior to 1994, Golden American had arranged with BTV to perform services re-
lated to the development and administration of its products. For the year
1993, fees earned by BTV from Golden American for these services aggregated
$2,701 thousand. The agreement was terminated as of January 1, 1994.
 
  In addition, prior to 1994, BTV provided to Golden American certain of its
personnel to perform management, administrative and clerical services and the
use of certain of its facilities. BTV charged Golden American for such ex-
penses and all other general and administrative costs, first on the basis of
direct charges when identifiable, and second allocated based on the estimated
amount of time spent by BTV's employees on behalf of Golden American. For the
year 1993, BTV allocated to Golden American $1,503 thousand. The agreement was
terminated on January 1, 1994.
 
  Golden American maintains cash on deposit at Bankers Trust.
 
                                      81
<PAGE>
 
                    GOLDEN AMERICAN LIFE INSURANCE COMPANY
 
                 NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS -- (CONTINUED)
 
                               DECEMBER 31, 1995
 
 
7. INCOME TAXES
  Golden American is taxed, on a separate company basis, as a life insurance
company pursuant to applicable provisions of the Internal Revenue Code (the
"Code"). At December 31, 1995 and 1994, Golden American had net operating loss
("NOL") carryforwards for federal income tax purposes of approximately $22,600
thousand and $17,400 thousand, respectively. Approximately $2,400 thousand of
these NOL's, relating to operations prior to ownership by Mutual Benefit, can
be used to offset future taxable income of Golden American only through the
year 2005, subject to annual limitations. Approximately $800 thousand, $4,100
thousand, $10,100 thousand and $5,200 thousand are available through the years
2007, 2008, 2009, and 2010, respectively.
 
  Significant components of Golden American's deferred tax liabilities and as-
sets are as follows:
 
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
                                                                 DECEMBER 31
                                                               ---------------
                                                                1995    1994
                                                               ------- -------
                                                               (IN THOUSANDS)
   <S>                                                         <C>     <C>
   Deferred tax liabilities:
    Deferred policy acquisition costs......................... $23,560 $21,200
    Unamortized cost assigned to insurance contracts in
     force....................................................   2,120   2,700
    Other.....................................................     598      --
                                                               ------- -------
                                                                26,278  23,900
   Deferred tax assets:
    Net operating loss carryforwards..........................   7,891   6,000
    Insurance liabilities.....................................  15,520  15,200
    Deferred policy acquisition costs proxy tax...............   3,666   3,700
    Other.....................................................      57     700
                                                               ------- -------
                                                                27,134  25,600
   Valuation allowance for deferred tax assets................     856   1,700
                                                               ------- -------
     Net deferred tax liabilities............................. $    -- $    --
                                                               ======= =======
</TABLE>
 
  The following is an analysis of the difference between the U.S. Federal
statutory income tax rate and the effective tax rate on income (loss) before
income taxes:
 
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
                                                            1995   1994  1993
                                                           ------  ----  -----
   <S>                                                     <C>     <C>   <C>
   Federal statutory rate.................................     35%   35%    35%
                                                           ======  ====  =====
<CAPTION>
                                                             (IN THOUSANDS)
   <S>                                                     <C>     <C>   <C>
   Taxes at statutory rate................................ $1,177  $778  $(627)
   Dividends received deduction...........................   (350) (368)  (194)
   Other, net.............................................     17  (210)  (379)
   Valuation allowance....................................   (844) (200) 1,200
                                                           ------  ----  -----
     Taxes based on income (loss)......................... $   --  $ --  $  --
                                                           ======  ====  =====
</TABLE>
 
8. SHORT-TERM DEBT
  All short-term debt was repaid as of December 30, 1994. Interest paid during
1994 and 1993 was $1,962 thousand and $726 thousand, respectively. The repay-
ment of amounts borrowed under this loan had been guaranteed by Bankers Trust.
 
9. PENSION AND PROFIT SHARING PLAN AND OTHER EMPLOYEE BENEFITS
  The Company's employees are covered under the Parent's benefit plans. The
noncontributory pension plan and the profit sharing plan of the Parent are
also available to eligible employees of the Company. Total 1995 and 1994 ex-
penses relating to these Parent company benefit plans were $200 thousand and
$200 thousand, respectively.
 
 
                                      82
<PAGE>
 
                    GOLDEN AMERICAN LIFE INSURANCE COMPANY
 
                 NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS -- (CONTINUED)
 
                               DECEMBER 31, 1995
 
10. SUBSEQUENT EVENT
  Equitable of Iowa Companies ("Equitable of Iowa") and BTV entered into a de-
finitive agreement on May 3, 1996 providing for the acquisition by Equitable
of Iowa of all interest in BTV and its subsidiaries, Golden American and DSI.
The acquisition was completed on August 13, 1996. Equitable of Iowa is the
holding company for Equitable Life Insurance Company of Iowa, USG Annuity &
Life Company, Locust Street Securities, Inc. and Equitable Investment Servic-
es, Inc.
 
                                      83
<PAGE>
 
 
 
 
 
                       GOLDEN AMERICAN LIFE INSURANCE COMPANY
                       Golden American Life Insurance Company is a stock
                       company domiciled in Wilmington, Delaware
 
IN 3458 GS VLI (Prosp.) 2/97
<PAGE>
<PAGE>

                                       PART II

                             UNDERTAKING TO FILE REPORTS

Subject to the terms and conditions of section 15(d) of the Securities Exchange
Act of 1934, the undersigned Registrant hereby undertakes to file with the
Securities and Exchanges Commission such supplementary and periodic information,
documents and reports as may be prescribed by any rule or regulation of the
Commission heretofore or hereafter duly adopted pursuant to authority conferred
in that section.

                               REQUIRED REPRESENTATION

Registrant makes the following representation:

    Golden American Life Insurance Company hereby represents that the fees
    and charges deducted under the Contract described in the Prospectus, in
    the aggregate, are reasonable in relation to the services rendered, the
    expenses to be incurred and the risks assumed by the Company.

                                 RULE 484 UNDERTAKING

Golden American Life Insurance Company's Articles of Incorporation provide, in
Article XIII, for indemnification of directors, officers and employees of the
company.

Insofar as indemnification for liability arising under the Securities Act of
1933 may be permitted to directors, officers and controlling persons of the
Registrant pursuant to the foregoing provision, or otherwise under circumstances
where the burden of proof set forth in section 11(b) of the Act has not been
sustained, the Registrant has been advised that, in the opinion of the
Securities and Exchange Commission, such indemnification is against public
policy as expressed in the Act and is, therefore, unenforceable.  In the event
that claim for indemnification against such liabilities (other than the payment
by the Registrant of expenses incurred or paid by director, officer or
controlling person of the Registrant in the successful defense of any action,
suit or proceeding) is asserted by such director, officer or controlling person
in connection with the securities being registered, the Registrant will, unless
in the opinion of its counsel the matter has been settled by controlling
precedent, submit to a court of appropriate jurisdiction the question whether
such indemnification by it is against public policy as expressed in the Act and
will be governed by the final adjudication of such issue.

                       REPRESENTATION PURSUANT TO RULE 6e-3(T)

This filing is made pursuant to Rules 6c-3 and 6e-3(T) under the Investment
Company Act of 1940.


                                        - 1 -

<PAGE>
<PAGE>


                          CONTENTS OF REGISTRATION STATEMENT

  This Registration Statement comprises the following papers and documents: the
  facing sheet; the prospectus; the undertaking to file reports; Rule 484
  Undertaking; Representations Pursuant to Rule 6e-3(T); the signatures;
  Written Consents of Stephen J. Preston, Myles R. Tashman, Ernst & Young, LLP
  and Sutherland, Asbill & Brennan; and the following exhibits:

1.A   (1)   Resolution of Board of Directors establishing the separate
            account.(1)

      (2)   Form of Custodian Agreement.(3)

      (3)   Distributing Contracts:

            (a)    Form of Distribution Agreement between Directed Services,
                   Inc., and Golden American(3)
            (b)    Form of typical Sales Agreement between directed Services,
                   Inc., and various broker-dealers.(3)
            (c)    Organizational Agreement.(7)
            (d)    Addendum to Organizational Agreement.(5)
            (e)    Expense Reimbursement Agreement.(7)
            (f)    Expense Reimbursement Agreement Amendment No.(3)
            (g)    Form of Assignment for Organizational Agreement.(7)

     (4)   Not Applicable.

      (5)   Form of each type of contract:

            (a)    Individual Flexible Premium - Variable Life Insurance
                   Policy(1)
            (b)    Individual Joint and Last Survivor - Variable Life Insurance
                   Policy(1)
            (c)    Group Flexible Premium - Variable Life Insurance Policy(2)
            (d)    Group Joint and Last Survivor - Variable Life Insurance
                   Policy(2)
            (e)    Amended Individual Flexible Premium - Variable Life
                   Insurance Policy(5)

            (f)    Amended Individual Joint and Last Survivor  - Variable Life
                   Insurance Policy(5)
            (g)    Amended Group Flexible Premium - Variable Life Insurance
                   Policy(5)
            (h)    Amended Group Joint and Last Survivor -Variable Life
                   Insurance Policy(5)
            (i)    Charge Deduction Division Rider.(1)
            (j)    Discretionary Group Charge Deduction Division Rider.(4)
            (k)    Partial Withdrawal Rider.(1)
            (l)    Discretionary Group Partial Withdrawal Rider.(4)

                                        - 2 -

<PAGE>
<PAGE>
            (m)    Discretionary Group Incontestability and Suicide Amendment
                   Rider.(5)
            (n)    Incontestability and Suicide Amendment Rider.(5)
            (o)    Amended Individual Flexible Premium - Variable Life
                   Insurance Policy - Schedule Pages.(6)
            (p)    Amended Individual Joint and Last Survivor - Variable
                   Insurance Policy - Schedule Pages.(6)
            (q)    Amended Group Flexible Premium - Variable Life Insurance
                   Policy - Scheduled Pages.(6)
            (r)    Amended Group Joint and Last Survivor - Variable Life
                   Insurance Policy - Schedule Pages.(6)
            (s)    Mortality Cost Calculation Amendment.(6)
            (t)    Individual Flexible Premium Variable Life Insurance Policy
                   (V290).(8)
            (u)    Individual Flexible Premium Joint and Last Survivor Variable
                   Insurance Life Insurance Policy (V390).(8)
            (v)    Individual Flexible Premium First to Die Variable Life
                   Insurance Policy (V393).(8)
            (w)    Group Flexible Premium Joint and Last Survivor Variable Life
                   Insurance Policy (GV290).(8)
            (x)    Group Flexible Premium and Joint and Last Survivor Variable
                   Life Insurance Policy (GV390).(8)
            (y)    Group Flexible Premium First to Die Variable Life Insurance
                   Policy (GV392).(8)
            (z)    Flexible Premium Variable Life Insurance Policy(12)
            (aa)   Flexible Premium Joint and Last Survivor Variable Life
                   Insurance Policy(12)
            (bb)   Group Flexible Premium Variable Life Insurance Policy(12)
            (cc)   Group Flexible Premium Joint and Last Survivor Variable Life
                   Ins. Policy(12)

      (6)   (a) Articles of Incorporation of Golden American.(4)
            (b) Certificates of Amendment of the Restated Articles of
                Incorporation of Golden American Life Insurance Company.(6)
            (c) Certificate of Amendment of the Restated Articles of
                Incorporation of MB Variable Life Insurance Company.(10)
            (d) Certificate of Amendment of the Restated Articles of
                Incorporation of Golden American Life Insurance Company
                (12/28/93).(11)
            (d) By-Laws of Golden American.(1)
            (e) By-Laws of Golden American, as amended.(6)
            (f) Certificate of Amendment of the By-Laws of MB Variable Life
                Insurance Company, as amended.(10)
            (g) By-Laws of Golden American, as amended (12/21/93).(11)

      (7)   Not Applicable.

      (8)   Not Applicable.

            
                                        - 3 -

<PAGE>
<PAGE>

      (9)   Not Applicable.

      (10)  Form of Application:

            (a) Individual Flexible Premium and Joint and Last Survivor
                Flexible Premium Variable Life Insurance Application Form.(1)
            (b) Group Flexible Premium and Joint and Last Survivor Flexible
                Premium Variable Life Insurance Application Form.(2)
            (c) Individual Flexible Premium Variable Life Insurance Application
                Form (GAL-LAPP-9/92).(8)
            (d) Group Flexible Premium Variable Life Insurance Enrollment Form
                (GAL-LENR-11/92).(8)
            (e) Flexible Premium Variable Life Insurance Application/Enrollment
                Form(12)
      (11)  Memorandum Describing Golden American's Inssuance, Transfer and
            Redemption Procedures.(2)

2.  See 1.A.(5.)

3.  Opinion and Consent of Counsel as to the legality of the securities being
    registered.(1)

4.  No financial statements are omitted from the Prospectus to Instruction 1(b)
    or (c) of part I.

5.  Not Applicable.

6.  Opinion and Consent of Stephen J. Preston, F.S.A., M.A.A.A.

7.  Consent of Myles R. Tashman.

8.  Consent of Ernst & Young LLP.

9.  Consent of Sutherland, Asbill & Brennan, L.L.P.

10. (a) Resolution of Board of Directors Authorizing Power of Attorney.(5)

    (b) Powers of Attorney.

1.  Incorporated herein by reference to the Registrant's initial registration
    statement filed on Form S-6 with the Securities and Exchange Commission on
    August 5, 1988 (File No. 33-23458).
2.  Incorporated herein by reference to the Registrant's Pre-Effective
    Amendment No. 1 filed on Form S-6 with the Securities and Exchange
    Commission on October 28, 1988 (File No. 33-23458).
3.  Incorporated herein by reference to the Registrant's Pre-Effective
    Amendment No. 2 filed on Form S-6 with the Securities and Exchange
    Commission on December 23, 1988 (File No. 33-23458).
4.  Incorporated herein by reference to the Registrant's Post-Effective
    Amendment No. 1 filed on Form S-6 with the Securities and Exchange
    Commission on April 18, 1989 (File No. 33-23458).

                                        - 4 -

<PAGE>
<PAGE>

5.  Incorporated herein by reference to the Registrant's Post-Effective
    Amendment No. 2 filed on Form S-6 with the Securities and Exchange
    Commission on September 13, 1989 (File No. 33-23458).
6.  Incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 5 filed on
    Form N-4 with the Securities and Exchange Commission May 2, 1991 (File No.
    33-23351).
7.  Incorporated here by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 8 filed on
    Form N-4 with the Securities and Exchange Commission May 1, 1992 (File No.
    33-23351).
8.  Incorporated herein by reference to the Registrant's Post-Effective
    Amendment No. 11 filed on Form S-6 with the Securities and Exchange
    Commission on December 1, 1992 (File No. 33-23458).
9.  Incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 12 filed
    on Form N-4 with the Securities and Exchange Commission on May 3, 1993
    (File No. 33-23351).
10. Incorporated herein by reference to the depositor's initial registration
    statement on Form N-3 filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on
    August 19, 1992 (File No. 33-51028).
11. Incorporated herein by reference to the depositor's registration statement
    on Form N-4 filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on May 2,
    1994 (File No. 33-23351).
12. Incorporated herein by reference to the Registrant's Post-Effective
    Amendment No. 17 filed on Form S-6 with the Securities and Exchange
    Commission on July 14, 1995 (File No. 33-23458).

                                        - 5 -

<PAGE>
<PAGE>
                                      SIGNATURES

    Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, the Registrant
certifies that it meets all of the requirements for effectiveness of this
Registration Statement pursuant to Rule 485(b) under the Securities Act of 1933
and has duly caused this Post-Effective Amendment No. 19 to the Registration
Statement to be signed on its behalf in the City of Wilmington and State of
Delaware, on the 13th day of February, 1997.
                                            SEPARATE ACCOUNT A
                                            --------------------
                                            (Registrant)

                                       By:  GOLDEN AMERICAN LIFE
                                            INSURANCE COMPANY
                                            --------------------
                                            (Depositor)

                                       By:
                                            ________________________
                                            Terry L. Kendall*
                                            President and Chief
                                            Executive Officer
Attest:  /s/ Marilyn Talman  
         ---------------------------
         Marilyn Talman
         Vice President and Assistan Secretary of Depositor

As required by the Securities Act of 1933, this Registration
Statement has been signed below by the following persons in the
capacities indicated on February 13, 1997.

       Signature                    Title
       ---------                    -----
       
       ________________________     President, Director
       Terry L. Kendall*                 Chief Executive Officer
                                         of Depositor
       
       ________________________     Principal Financial Officer
       Paul E. Larson*               
       
                     DIRECTORS OF DEPOSITOR
       
       ________________________       ________________________
       Fred S. Hubbell, Chairman*     Lawrence V. Durland*
       
       ________________________       ________________________
       Paul E. Larson*                Thomas L. May*
       
       ________________________       ________________________
       John A. Merriman*              Beth B. Neppl*
       
       ________________________       ________________________
       Paul R. Schlaack*              Jerome L. Sychowski
       
       
       By:  /s/ Marilyn Talman     Attorney-in-Fact
           -----------------------
           Marilyn Talman
_______________________
*Executed by Marilyn Talman on behalf of those indicated pursuant
to Power of Attorney.
<PAGE>
<PAGE>

                                    EXHIBIT INDEX

Exhibit     Item                                                          Page
- -------     ----                                                          ----

6.          Opinion and Consent of Stephen J. Preston, F.S.A., F.A.A.A.

7.          Consent of Myles R. Tashman

8.          Consent of Ernst & Young LLP

9.          Consent of Sutherland, Asbill & Brennan, L.L.P.

10(b).      Powers of Attorney









                                        - 7 -


<PAGE>
<PAGE>




    EXHIBIT 6.      OPINION AND CONSENT OF STEPHEN J. PRESTON, F.S.A., F.A.A.A.











                                        - 8 -

<PAGE>
<PAGE>
                                                              Exhibit 6
GOLDEN AMERICAN LIFE INSURANCE COMPANY
1001 Jefferson Street, Wilmington, DE  19801               Tel:  (302) 576-3400
                                                           Fax:  (302) 576-3540

February 13, 1997

Members of the Board of Directors
Golden American Life Insurance Company
1001 Jefferson Street, Suite 400
Wilmington, De  19801

Directors:

This opinion is furnished in connection with the filing of Post-Effective
Amendment No 20 on Form S-6 ("Registration Statement") (File No. 33-23458) which
covers premiums expected to be received under the flexible premium variable life
insurance policies ("Policies") offered by Separate Account A of Golden American
Life Insurance Company ("Golden American").  The prospectuses included in the
Registration Statement describes Policies which are offered by Golden American
in each state where they have been approved by the appropriate state insurance
authorities.  The Policy forms were prepared under my direction, and I am
familiar with the Registration Statement and the exhibits thereto.  In my
opinion:

1)  The illustrations of death benefits, investment values, cash surrender
    values and accumulated premiums for the Policies in the prospectuses
    included in the Registration Statement based on assumptions stated in the
    illustrations, are consistent with the provisions of the Policies.  The
    rate structure of the Policies has not been designed so as to make the
    prospectuses, more favorable than for Policies for other ages.

2)  The table of illustratives premiums and the table of illustrative net
    single premium factors in the prospectuses are consistent with the
    provisions of the Policies.

I hereby consent to the use of this opinion as an exhibit to the Registration
Statement and to the reference to my name under the heading "Experts" in the
prospectuses.

Sincerely,


/s/ Stephen J. Preston
- ---------------------------------
Stephen J. Preston F.S.A., M.A.A.A.
Sr. Vice President and Chief Actuary


<PAGE>
<PAGE>


        EXHIBIT 7.                 CONSENT OF MYLES R. TASHMAN











                                       - 9 -
<PAGE>
<PAGE>
                                                             Exhibit 7
GOLDEN AMERICAN LIFE INSURANCE COMPANY
1001 Jefferson Street, Suite 400
Wilmington, DE  19801                                        Tel: (302) 576-3400





February 13, 1997


Members of the Board of Directors
Golden American Life Insurance Company
1001 Jefferson Street, Suite 400
Wilmington, DE  19801



Directors:

I hereby consent to the reference of my name under the caption "Legal Matters"
in the Prospectus contained in Post-Effective Amendment No. 20 to the
Registration Statement on Form S-6 (File No. 33-23458) filed by Golden American
Life Insurance Company and Separate Account A with the Securities and Exchange
Commission under the Securities Act of 1933.




Sincerely,

/s/  Myles R. Tashman
- ----------------------------
Myles R. Tashman
Executive Vice President and Secretary

<PAGE>
<PAGE>




                        EXHIBIT 8.        CONSENT OF ERNST & YOUNG LLP












                                        - 10 -

<PAGE>
<PAGE>

                                                                     


               Exhibit 8 -- CONSENT OF INDEPENDENT AUDITORS



We consent to the reference to our firm under the caption "Experts" and to the
use of our reports dated February 5, 1997, with respect to Separate Account A
and dated February 12, 1996 (except for Note 10, as to which the date is August
13, 1996), with respect to Golden American Life Insurance Company in Post-
Effective Amendment No. 20 to the Registration Statement (Form S-6 No. 
33-23458) and related Prospectus of Separate Account A.



                                                      /s/ ERNST & YOUNG LLP


Des Moines, Iowa
February 5, 1997



<PAGE>
<PAGE>




                   EXHIBIT 9.  CONSENT OF SUTHERLAND, ASBILL & BRENNAN, L.L.P.



        







                                        - 11 -

<PAGE>
<PAGE>


               Sutherland, Asbill & Brennan, L.L.P.                ATLANTA
Tel: (202) 383-0100  1275 Pennsylvania Ave, NW                     AUSTIN
Fax: (202) 637-3593  Washington, DC  20004-2404                   NEW YORK
                                                                 WASHINGTON
SUSAN S. KRAWCZYK
DIRECT LINE: (202) 383-0197
Internet: [email protected]

                                February 13, 1997


Board of Directors
Golden American Life Insurance Company
1001 Jefferson Street, Suite 400
Wilmington, DE  19801

Ladies and Gentlemen:

    We hereby consent to the reference to our name under the caption "Legal
Matters" in the Prospectus filed as part of Post-Effective Amendment No. 20 to
the registration statement on Form S-6 for Separate Account A (File No. 33-
23458) of Golden American Life Insurance Company.  In giving this consent, we 
do not admit that we are in the category of persons whose consent is required
under Section 7 of the Securities Act of 1933.

                                                  Very truly yours,

                                                  SUTHERLAND, ASBILL & BRENNAN,
                                                              L.L.P.


                                                  By  /s/ Susan S. Krawczyk
                                                      -------------------------
                                                      Susan S. Krawczyk



<PAGE>
<PAGE>


                                  EXHIBIT 10(b)               POWERS OF ATTORNEY




        







                                        - 13 -


<PAGE>
<PAGE>
                                                Exhibit 10(b)
                              
                              
                      POWER OF ATTORNEY



     KNOW ALL PERSONS BY THESE PRESENTS, that the
undersigned, being the duly elected Chairman, President and
Chief Executive Officer of Golden American Life Insurance
Company ("Golden American"), constitutes and appoints Myles
R. Tashman, and Marilyn Talman, and each of them, his true
and lawful attorneys-in-fact and agents with full power of
substitution and resubstitution for him in his name, place
and stead, in any and all capacities, to sign Golden
American's registration statements and applications for
exemptive relief, and any and all amendments thereto, and to
file the same, with all exhibits thereto, and other
documents in connection therewith, with the Securities and
Exchange Commission, granting unto said attorneys-in-fact
and agents full power and authority to do and perform each
and every act and thing requisite and necessary to be done,
as fully to all intents and purposes as he might or could do
in person, hereby ratifying and affirming all that said
attorneys-in-fact and agents, or any of them, or his or her
substitute or substitutes, may lawfully do or cause to be
done by virtue thereof.


Date:     August 26, 1996



                              /s/ Terry L. Kendall
                             -------------------------------
                              Terry L. Kendall
                              Chairman, President and
                                   Chief Executive Officer


<PAGE>
<PAGE>
                      POWER OF ATTORNEY



     KNOW ALL PERSONS BY THESE PRESENTS, that the
undersigned, being a duly elected Director of Golden
American Life Insurance Company ("Golden American"),
constitutes and appoints Myles R. Tashman, and Marilyn
Talman, and each of them, his true and lawful attorneys-in-
fact and agents with full power of substitution and
resubstitution for him in his name, place and stead, in any
and all capacities, to sign Golden American's registration
statements and applications for exemptive relief, and any
and all amendments thereto, and to file the same, with all
exhibits thereto, and other documents in connection
therewith, with the Securities and Exchange Commission,
granting unto said attorneys-in-fact and agents full power
and authority to do and perform each and every act and thing
requisite and necessary to be done, as fully to all intents
and purposes as he might or could do in person, hereby
ratifying and affirming all that said attorneys-in-fact and
agents, or any of them, or his or her substitute or
substitutes, may lawfully do or cause to be done by virtue
thereof.


Date:     August 26, 1996




                              /s/ Fred S. Hubbell
                             -------------------------------
                              Fred S. Hubbell
                              Director

<PAGE>
<PAGE>
                      POWER OF ATTORNEY



     KNOW ALL PERSONS BY THESE PRESENTS, that the
undersigned, being a duly elected Director of Golden
American Life Insurance Company ("Golden American"),
constitutes and appoints Myles R. Tashman, and Marilyn
Talman, and each of them, his true and lawful attorneys-in-
fact and agents with full power of substitution and
resubstitution for him in his name, place and stead, in any
and all capacities, to sign Golden American's registration
statements and applications for exemptive relief, and any
and all amendments thereto, and to file the same, with all
exhibits thereto, and other documents in connection
therewith, with the Securities and Exchange Commission,
granting unto said attorneys-in-fact and agents full power
and authority to do and perform each and every act and thing
requisite and necessary to be done, as fully to all intents
and purposes as he might or could do in person, hereby
ratifying and affirming all that said attorneys-in-fact and
agents, or any of them, or his or her substitute or
substitutes, may lawfully do or cause to be done by virtue
thereof.


Date:     August 26, 1996



                              /s/ Lawrence V. Durland
                             -------------------------------
                              Lawrence V. Durland
                              Director

<PAGE>
<PAGE>
                      POWER OF ATTORNEY



     KNOW ALL PERSONS BY THESE PRESENTS, that the
undersigned, being a duly elected Director of Golden
American Life Insurance Company ("Golden American"),
constitutes and appoints Myles R. Tashman, and Marilyn
Talman, and each of them, his true and lawful attorneys-in-
fact and agents with full power of substitution and
resubstitution for him in his name, place and stead, in any
and all capacities, to sign Golden American's registration
statements and applications for exemptive relief, and any
and all amendments thereto, and to file the same, with all
exhibits thereto, and other documents in connection
therewith, with the Securities and Exchange Commission,
granting unto said attorneys-in-fact and agents full power
and authority to do and perform each and every act and thing
requisite and necessary to be done, as fully to all intents
and purposes as he might or could do in person, hereby
ratifying and affirming all that said attorneys-in-fact and
agents, or any of them, or his or her substitute or
substitutes, may lawfully do or cause to be done by virtue
thereof.


Date:     August 26, 1996



                              /s/ Paul E. Larson
                             -------------------------------
                              Paul E. Larson
                              Director

<PAGE>
<PAGE>
                      POWER OF ATTORNEY



     KNOW ALL PERSONS BY THESE PRESENTS, that the
undersigned, being a duly elected Director of Golden
American Life Insurance Company ("Golden American"),
constitutes and appoints Myles R. Tashman, and Marilyn
Talman, and each of them, his true and lawful attorneys-in-
fact and agents with full power of substitution and
resubstitution for him in his name, place and stead, in any
and all capacities, to sign Golden American's registration
statements and applications for exemptive relief, and any
and all amendments thereto, and to file the same, with all
exhibits thereto, and other documents in connection
therewith, with the Securities and Exchange Commission,
granting unto said attorneys-in-fact and agents full power
and authority to do and perform each and every act and thing
requisite and necessary to be done, as fully to all intents
and purposes as he might or could do in person, hereby
ratifying and affirming all that said attorneys-in-fact and
agents, or any of them, or his or her substitute or
substitutes, may lawfully do or cause to be done by virtue
thereof.


Date:     August 26, 1996



                              /s/ Thomas L. May
                             -------------------------------
                              Thomas L. May
                              Director

<PAGE>
<PAGE>
                      POWER OF ATTORNEY



     KNOW ALL PERSONS BY THESE PRESENTS, that the
undersigned, being a duly elected Director of Golden
American Life Insurance Company ("Golden American"),
constitutes and appoints Myles R. Tashman, and Marilyn
Talman, and each of them, his true and lawful attorneys-in-
fact and agents with full power of substitution and
resubstitution for him in his name, place and stead, in any
and all capacities, to sign Golden American's registration
statements and applications for exemptive relief, and any
and all amendments thereto, and to file the same, with all
exhibits thereto, and other documents in connection
therewith, with the Securities and Exchange Commission,
granting unto said attorneys-in-fact and agents full power
and authority to do and perform each and every act and thing
requisite and necessary to be done, as fully to all intents
and purposes as he might or could do in person, hereby
ratifying and affirming all that said attorneys-in-fact and
agents, or any of them, or his or her substitute or
substitutes, may lawfully do or cause to be done by virtue
thereof.


Date:     August 26, 1996



                              /s/ John A. Merriman
                             -------------------------------
                              John A. Merriman
                              Director

<PAGE>
<PAGE>
                      POWER OF ATTORNEY



     KNOW ALL PERSONS BY THESE PRESENTS, that the
undersigned, being a duly elected Director of Golden
American Life Insurance Company ("Golden American"),
constitutes and appoints Myles R. Tashman, and Marilyn
Talman, and each of them, her true and lawful attorneys-in-
fact and agents with full power of substitution and
resubstitution for her in her name, place and stead, in any
and all capacities, to sign Golden American's registration
statements and applications for exemptive relief, and any
and all amendments thereto, and to file the same, with all
exhibits thereto, and other documents in connection
therewith, with the Securities and Exchange Commission,
granting unto said attorneys-in-fact and agents full power
and authority to do and perform each and every act and thing
requisite and necessary to be done, as fully to all intents
and purposes as she might or could do in person, hereby
ratifying and affirming all that said attorneys-in-fact and
agents, or any of them, or his or her substitute or
substitutes, may lawfully do or cause to be done by virtue
thereof.


Date:     August 26, 1996



                              /s/ Beth B. Neppl
                             -------------------------------
                              Beth B. Neppl
                              Director


<PAGE>
<PAGE>
                      POWER OF ATTORNEY



     KNOW ALL PERSONS BY THESE PRESENTS, that the
undersigned, being a duly elected Director of Golden
American Life Insurance Company ("Golden American"),
constitutes and appoints Myles R. Tashman, and Marilyn
Talman, and each of them, his true and lawful attorneys-in-
fact and agents with full power of substitution and
resubstitution for him in his name, place and stead, in any
and all capacities, to sign Golden American's registration
statements and applications for exemptive relief, and any
and all amendments thereto, and to file the same, with all
exhibits thereto, and other documents in connection
therewith, with the Securities and Exchange Commission,
granting unto said attorneys-in-fact and agents full power
and authority to do and perform each and every act and thing
requisite and necessary to be done, as fully to all intents
and purposes as he might or could do in person, hereby
ratifying and affirming all that said attorneys-in-fact and
agents, or any of them, or his or her substitute or
substitutes, may lawfully do or cause to be done by virtue
thereof.


Date:     September 11, 1996



                              /s/ Paul R. Schlaack
                             -------------------------------
                              Paul R. Schlaack
                              Director

<PAGE>


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