Moore on the Market 8/5/2026
{August 5th, 2026} by Sheryl J. Moore
Good morning! Here’s the latest life/annuity product news, delivered FREE to your inbox… ANNUITY 07/20/26: AuguStar Life Insurance Company launched their AuguStar LunarLock Prime 5 as a proprietary offering for a specific distributor’s shelf. This product has improved rates over the national version of the annuity. 07/27/26: Nationwide Life Insurance Company […]
Delaware Life Launches New FIA with Premium Bonus and Accessibility Features
{August 5th, 2026} by Cyril Tuohy
The roll out of TrackGuard+ comes at a time when Delaware Life broke into the top-five FIA sellers in the first quarter, its highest ranking in any three-month period since 2004, according to industry tracker Wink. The insurer offers as many as eight different families of FIAs, according to its website. Read at Life Annuity Specialist …………………………………………………………………………………… […]
Pacific Life Introduces New Era for Last Survivor Indexed Universal Life Insurance
{August 5th, 2026} by Pacific Life Insurance Company
NEWPORT BEACH, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Pacific Life Insurance Company announced today the launch of Pacific Horizon Survivorship IUL 2,1 a next-generation survivorship indexed universal life insurance product built for a rapidly evolving legacy-planning landscape.2 It replaces Pacific Horizon Survivorship IUL and offers even more customized coverage than its top-ranking predecessor. “Survivorship life insurance has always played a pivotal role in financial […]
GOP Lawmakers Introduce ‘SMART Savings Act’ to Modernize IRA Rules
{August 5th, 2026} by Brian Anderson
Sen. John Barrasso (R-WY) and Rep. Claudia Tenney (R-NY) on July 30 introduced the Simplifying Modern Access to Retirement Tools for Savings (SMART) Act of 2026, legislation seeking to modernize outdated federal rules governing individual retirement accounts (IRAs), reduce costs and expand access to retirement investment options. Read at 401kspecalistmag
Indexed annuity updates from Corebridge and Delaware Life
{August 5th, 2026} by Editorial Staff
Corebridge Financial has added a GMAB and ‘preset allocations’ to some of its Power Series of Index Annuities. Delaware Life has launched ‘TrackGuard+’. Read at RIJ
Group 1001’s ‘affiliated transactions’ spark federal investigation
{August 5th, 2026} by Editorial Staff
In other Bermuda Triangle news, Lincoln sets investment deal with Bain Capital, reinsurance deals with Fortitude and Talcott; Venerable to manage Guardian variable annuity assets. Read at RIJ
Mapping Private Markets, the Apex of the Bermuda Triangle
{August 5th, 2026} by Staff
In a recent report, “Understanding the Growth of Private Markets: Structural Shifts in the Investment Industry,” the CFA Institute’s Research and Policy Center has done a useful service to Bermuda Triangle watchers by mapping the world of private market assets and its stakeholders. (See chart above/at right.) Read at RIJ
Jackson Financial CEO caps 40-year career with blockbuster Q2
{August 5th, 2026} by John Hilton
Tuesday saw Jackson Financial CEO Laura Prieskorn deliver her final quarterly earnings report, concluding her 40-year career with robust results. Retail annuity sales of $5.9 billion were up 34% from the second quarter of 2025, including record registered index-linked annuity sales of $2.3 billion, up 69% from the year-ago quarter. Jackson posted adjusted operating earnings […]
How AGI’s new AI-driven platform changes the game for advisors
{August 5th, 2026} by Anna Baluch
Atlanta-based American Growth Insurance recently announced its launch as an AI-enabled insurance brokerage growth platform with almost $70 million in committed equity funding. Backed by Rockbridge Growth Equity, a partnership-oriented middle market private equity firm, and Atomic, a venture capital studio, AGI is a retail brokerage in the specialty market serving commercial and personal lines […]
Judge again tosses Penn Mutual whole life lawsuit alleging tax scam
{August 5th, 2026} by John Hilton
A California federal judge again threw out a lawsuit accusing Penn Mutual Life Insurance Co. and its codefendants of running a whole life insurance tax-avoidance scam. In her ruling last week, however, Judge Sherilyn Peace Garnett gave the 29 plaintiffs one final opportunity to revive several fraud-related claims through an amended complaint. Plaintiffs have 21 […]
NAIC regulators begin consensus phase on annuity illustration overhaul
{August 5th, 2026} by John Hilton
A National Association of Insurance Commissioners’ working group is moving into a new phase of its effort to overhaul annuity illustration rules, shifting from collecting ideas to building consensus on potential changes to Model Regulation 245. The Life Insurance and Annuities Illustrations Working Group held the first of four conference calls on Thursday, designed […]
Market-value adjusted annuities: Key considerations for advisors
{August 5th, 2026} by Anna Baluch
Like most financial products, market value-adjusted (MVA) fixed annuities come with trade-offs. In exchange for potentially higher interest rates, any withdrawals above the free withdrawal limit during the surrender period may be adjusted, depending on how interest rates have changed since the annuity was purchased. Read at INN
Private equity’s next play in insurance
{August 5th, 2026} by Chris Taylor
Private equity’s playbook in insurance is well-established: Acquire or back a carrier, gain control of substantial long-duration liabilities and deploy the resulting float into higher-yielding private credit and alternative investments. This model has proven highly effective at optimizing existing blocks of business. Read at INN
Sammons to Get a Homegrown Chairman and CEO
{August 5th, 2026} by Allison Bell
Sammons Financial Group has picked Rob TeKolste, a Sammons executive, to take over from Esfand Dinshaw as the head of the company Jan. 1, 2027. Dinshaw has been the West Des Moines, Iowa-based life and annuity issuer’s chairman and chief executive officer. TeKolste is on track to have both titles, the company said earlier this […]
Keep Annuity Math and Disclosures Separate, Industry Groups Say
{August 5th, 2026} by Allison Bell
Actuarial rule writers should stick with regulating life and annuity math. They should not use their rapid actuarial guideline creation process to regulate product disclosures. Groups for life and annuity issuers, actuaries, and the people who distribute and sell the products have made that case in comments sent to the National Association of Insurance Commissioners’ […]
Life and Annuity Issuers Prepare to Post Q2 Numbers
{August 5th, 2026} by Allison Bell
Publicly traded life and annuity issuers will start to post their earnings for the second quarter next week. Executives from most of the issuers will also hold conference calls with securities analysts. Read at Think Advisor
Q2 Sales of Traditional Variable Annuities Rose 25%
{August 5th, 2026} by Allison Bell
Traditional variable annuities were the hottest products LIMRA tracked. Sales of registered index-linked annuities rose 22%, year over year, to $23 billion, and sales of all types of individual fixed annuities fell 4%, to $83 billion. Overall individual annuity sales rose 4%, to $124 billion. Read at Think Advisor
New Research Challenges 4% Rule With Hybrid Approach
{August 5th, 2026} by Rob Burgess
For decades, the 4% withdrawal rule has been the gold standard for retirement spending. But new research is challenging that strategy with a hybrid approach. The research from Mark Warshawsky, senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, and Gaobo Pang and commissioned by the American Council of Life Insurers, found that while the 4% plan works, […]
Prudential Financial, Inc. Announces Second Quarter 2026 Results
{August 5th, 2026} by Prudential Financial, Inc.
NEWARK, N.J.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Prudential Financial, Inc. (NYSE: PRU) today reported second quarter 2026 results. Net income attributable to Prudential Financial, Inc. of $985 million or $2.80 per Common share versus net income of $533 million or $1.48 per share for the year-ago quarter. The current quarter included a net after-tax charge from our annual assumption update […]
Equitable Holdings Reports Second Quarter 2026 Results
{August 5th, 2026} by Equitable Holdings, Inc
NEW YORK–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Equitable Holdings, Inc. (“Equitable Holdings”, “Holdings”, or the “Company”) (NYSE: EQH) today announced financial results for the second quarter ended June 30, 2026. “During the second quarter, we made significant progress on the merger with Corebridge while also delivering strong financial results. We reported Non-GAAP operating earnings per share of $1.70, or $1.75 […]
Corebridge Financial Announces Second Quarter 2026 Results
{August 5th, 2026} by Corebridge Financial
HOUSTON–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Corebridge Financial, Inc. (“Corebridge” or the “Company”) (NYSE: CRBG) today reported financial results for the second quarter ended June 30, 2026. “We are pleased with our performance in the second quarter, having executed across the organization to deliver strong earnings, resilient sales, and consistent cash generation,” said Marc Costantini, President and Chief Executive Officer. […]
Jackson Announces Record Second Quarter 2026 Results
{August 5th, 2026} by Jackson Financial Inc.
LANSING, Mich.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Jackson Financial Inc. (NYSE: JXN) (Jackson®) today announced its financial results for the second quarter ended June 30, 2026. Second Quarter 2026 Key Highlights Retail annuity sales1 of $5.9 billion, up 34% from the second quarter of 2025, including record registered index-linked annuity (RILA) sales of $2.3 billion, which were up 69% from the second […]
Sammons Financial Group Announces Leadership Transition
{August 5th, 2026} by Sammons Financial Group
WEST DES MOINES, Iowa–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Sammons Financial Group today announced a planned leadership transition designed to support the company’s continued long-term growth and strategic direction. Effective Jan. 1, 2027, President Rob TeKolste will assume the dual roles of Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board. Current Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Esfand Dinshaw will retire at the end of […]
AM Best Revises Outlooks to Negative for Subsidiaries of Group 1001 Insurance Holdings, LLC
{August 5th, 2026} by AM Best
OLDWICK, N.J.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–AM Best has revised the outlooks to negative from positive and affirmed the Financial Strength Rating (FSR) of A- (Excellent) and the Long-Term Issuer Credit Ratings (Long-Term ICR) of “a-” (Excellent) of the following subsidiaries of Group 1001 Insurance Holdings, LLC: Delaware Life Insurance Company and Clear Spring Life and Annuity Company (both domiciled […]
Talcott Financial Group Announces $6 Billion Reinsurance Transaction with Lincoln Financial
{August 5th, 2026} by Talcott Financial Group
HARTFORD, Conn.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Talcott Financial Group (“Talcott”), an international life insurance group providing comprehensive risk solutions for customers across the retirement and insurance industry, today announced a $6.3 billion reinsurance transaction with Lincoln Financial, a trusted provider of retail life and annuity solutions and workplace benefits. Under the terms of the agreement, Talcott will reinsure an […]
Lincoln Financial Reports 2026 Second Quarter Results
{August 5th, 2026} by Lincoln Financial Group
RADNOR, Pa.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Lincoln Financial (NYSE: LNC) today reported financial results for the second quarter ended June 30, 2026. Strong second quarter performance and improved profitability, reflecting continued progress against our strategic and financial objectives. Second quarter net income available to common stockholders was $1.3 billion, or $6.72 per diluted share. Second quarter adjusted operating income […]
Anxious but Opportunistic, Investors Aren’t Waiting Out Uncertainty
{August 5th, 2026} by Nationwide
COLUMBUS, Ohio, July 28, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Inflation and market volatility have created one of the most complex financial environments in recent memory, causing more than three in four (77%) non-retired investors to be concerned about a U.S. economic recession over the next 12 months. However, recent data from the Nationwide Retirement Institute reveals that rather than retreating, a […]
Plutus Launches Agentic Platform for Life and Annuity Operations, Bringing Purpose-Built AI to the Workflows That Define Service Quality for Life and Annuity Carriers
{August 5th, 2026} by Plutus Technology Solutions Inc.
CHICAGO, July 30, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Plutus, the insurance AI company building the industry’s first insurance-native agentic platform, today announced the launch of the Plutus Agentic Platform for Life and Annuity Operations. The platform delivers six purpose-built agentic solutions organized around the way life and annuity operations actually work — transaction workflows, cross-cutting controls, and book-level remediation […]
Financial Pressures Are Pushing Younger Americans to Delay – and Sometimes Abandon – Life’s Biggest Milestones
{August 5th, 2026} by Northwestern Mutual
MILWAUKEE, Aug. 3, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — A significant share of young adults in America say financial pressures are reshaping the timelines – and in some cases the very possibility – of the lives they imagined for themselves. From marriage and homeownership to starting a family, many Gen Z and Millennial adults report delaying major milestones, and an […]
Kansas City Life Announces Second Quarter 2026 Results
{August 5th, 2026} by Kansas City Life Insurance Company
KANSAS CITY, Mo., July 31, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Kansas City Life Insurance Company recorded net income of $7.8 million or $0.80 per share in the second quarter of 2026 compared to a net loss of $28.7 million or $2.96 per share in the second quarter of 2025. The primary factor for the increase in net income in […]
CNO Financial Group Reports Second Quarter 2026 Results
{August 5th, 2026} by CNO Financial Group, Inc.
CARMEL, Ind., July 30, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — CNO Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE: CNO) today reported its second quarter 2026 financial results: Strong execution and momentum continues; Raising 2026 operating earnings per share (EPS) guidance by 8% at the midpoint from our prior guidance. Net income was $126 million, or $1.33 per diluted share, and net operating income(1) was $120 […]
Royal Neighbors of America Unveils Its 2026 Scholarship Recipients
{August 5th, 2026} by Royal Neighbors of America
ROCK ISLAND, Ill., July 30, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Royal Neighbors of America®, one of the nation’s fastest growing life insurance organizations1 based in Rock Island, Ill., has proudly awarded 32 college scholarships to student members across the country as part of its longstanding commitment to provide Insurance with a Difference℠. Each recipient received a scholarship in recognition of […]
MetLife Innovation: Putting the Annuity Test Drive in Reverse
{August 5th, 2026} by Tamiko Toland
Wink’s Moore on the Market: (This post is not about the free-look period on annuities.) Who wouldn’t want a cancellation option on their income annuity? Looks like it is happening in the in-plan market. This seems like it would overcome a number of objections from both clients and agents. Thoughts? -sjm …………………………. Ho-hum […]
Annuity sales hit a record as war and Fed jitters redraw fixed income
{August 5th, 2026} by Leo Almazora
Record annuity demand for principal protection collides with the most hawkish Fed dissent since 2016. Read at InvestmentNews
SILAC and The Index Standard Advance a New Benchmark for Transparency in Fixed Indexed Annuity Renewal Rates
{August 5th, 2026} by SILAC Insurance Company
CARMEL, Ind.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–SILAC Insurance Company (“SILAC”), a leading provider of fixed indexed annuities (FIAs), today announced a collaboration with The Index Standard to advance a new level of transparency within the FIA industry through an independent assessment of carrier historical renewal rate performance. For years, financial professionals evaluating FIAs have had access to initial rates, product features, and […]
Dave Ramsey calls whole life insurance agents ‘crooks’ pushing fear of economic collapse for 20x commissions
{August 5th, 2026} by Emma Caplan-Fisher
When Chris called The Ramsey Show to share that he’d been pitched whole life insurance as a hedge against an economic collapse, he wasn’t sure about it. Financial advisors referred by his sister had recommended switching from term life to whole life insurance. Their pitch: If the stock market collapsed at retirement, the cash value of a […]
