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Annuity Sales Just Hit an All-Time Record
- October 23, 2026
- Posted by: August
- Category: Retirement Income
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Total U.S. annuity sales reached $123.9 billion in the second quarter of 2026 — a new all-time quarterly record and the 11th consecutive quarter above $100 billion. Sales rose 4% year over year, with year-to-date totals of $231.3 billion setting a new first-half record as well. The quarter was driven by a convergence of forces: global tensions, market volatility, and rising interest rates that pushed demand across nearly every product category simultaneously. Registered index-linked annuities set their own quarterly record at $23.3 billion. Fixed-rate deferred annuities surged 26% from the first quarter as crediting rates climbed. Income annuities — the most direct expression of guaranteed lifetime income demand — also reached a record, with single premium immediate annuity sales hitting $4.0 billion. The breadth of the growth is significant: this was not a single-product story. It was a market-wide shift toward protection, income, and certainty at a moment when the economic environment made all three feel more urgent than ever.
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Retirees Have the Savings. They Just Won’t Spend It.
- October 11, 2026
- Posted by: August
- Category: Retirement Insights
Prudential Financial’s 2026 Retirement Pulse survey, conducted in late July and early August among a nationally representative sample, reveals a retirement challenge that has received far less attention than the savings gap: most retirees don’t feel free to spend what they’ve accumulated. Eighty-six percent of respondents say they don’t feel entirely free to spend their savings on things they enjoy. Only 16% have a withdrawal strategy. Two-thirds say they would choose a guaranteed monthly check for life over a lump sum. And those who have or expect to use a pension, annuity, or guaranteed income in retirement are 43% more likely to feel they have permission to enjoy their savings. The survey identifies this as the “license to spend” problem — a psychological barrier rooted in the fear of running out that keeps retirees from using what they worked decades to build. Guaranteed income, the research finds, is the most direct solution — not because it changes the math, but because it changes the mindset.
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What Annuity Owners Actually Experience in Retirement
- September 29, 2026
- Posted by: August
- Category: Retirement Income
A new survey conducted by BlackRock and Greenwald Research asked more than 1,000 annuity owners aged 60 and older what guaranteed lifetime income actually does for them in retirement. The results are striking: 97% say their annuity helps them worry less about running out of money. 93% say it helps them worry less about day-to-day expenses. 88% say it eases worry about a stock market downturn. And 85% of retired Baby Boomers say lifetime income made a bigger difference in retirement than they expected. Beyond financial security, the research surfaces a dimension rarely discussed in retirement planning conversations: annuities reduce vulnerability to financial fraud. 84% of annuity owners say their annuity makes them less susceptible to financial exploitation and poor financial decisions as they age — a protection that becomes increasingly important as cognitive capacity can change with time. The survey also finds that 88% of annuity owners believe every retiree’s portfolio should include at least some guaranteed lifetime income, and 89% of retirees say they wish they had been given access to guaranteed income through their workplace plan.
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Annuities Outperform Withdrawal Strategies. The Research Is Clear.
- September 9, 2026
- Posted by: August
- Category: Retirement Income
A new study by economists Gaobo Pang and Mark Warshawsky stress-tests four major retirement income strategies — pure systematic withdrawals, full annuitization, and two forms of partial annuitization — across a wide range of wealth levels, health statuses, risk preferences, and market conditions. The verdict is unambiguous: partial annuitization outperforms in nearly every scenario tested. Pure withdrawal strategies preserve flexibility but expose retirees to longevity risk and sequence-of-returns risk that significantly threatens long-term income security. Full annuitization maximizes income stability but eliminates liquidity and bequest potential. Partial annuitization — converting a meaningful portion of savings into guaranteed lifetime income while keeping the remainder invested — captures the advantages of both without the primary drawbacks of either. The study also finds that SECURE 2.0 has removed a key tax disadvantage that previously penalized partial annuitization, and that delaying Social Security to age 70 improves outcomes across every income strategy tested. For the millions of Americans retiring without a pension, the research offers a clear framework for building retirement income that lasts.
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New Research Finds Annuities May Help Retirees Live Longer
- June 12, 2026
- Posted by: August
- Category: Retirement Income
A new academic study examining nearly 600,000 Chilean retirees over nearly two decades finds that annuities substantially reduce mortality — increasing longevity by 2.55% at five years and 3.62% at ten years compared to retirees who chose phased withdrawals. The researchers, affiliated with universities in Chile, Indiana, and Dartmouth, conclude that annuities reduce mortality by shielding retirees from income volatility and investment-related stress. Survey evidence from the study also finds that annuitants invest more in their health and report lower disability rates. Financial advisors familiar with the research say the findings align with what they observe in practice: clients with guaranteed lifetime income sleep better, spend more on health, and experience less financial anxiety than those managing a portfolio through market cycles. The study adds a compelling dimension to the case for guaranteed income — one that goes beyond financial planning and into quality of life.
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Annuity Sales Clear $100 Billion for the Tenth Straight Quarter
- May 20, 2026
- Posted by: August
- Category: Retirement Income
Athene’s 2026 Retirement Outlook, developed in collaboration with leaders from Apollo and Vitera, examines the structural forces reshaping retirement security in the year ahead. The report identifies two primary risks for retirees and near-retirees: concentrated equity exposure in portfolios and the renewed threat of inflation. Against that backdrop, the outlook makes a case for guaranteed income solutions as a core allocation in retirement portfolios — one that can provide predictability that Treasuries, cash, and other traditional safe havens cannot offer in the same way. The report also highlights how annuity design has modernized, how benchmarks in the retirement system are shifting from fees to outcomes, and how the defined contribution space is beginning to integrate income-focused options as default structures. For clients approaching or already in retirement, the findings reflect a broader industry shift toward building retirement plans around income certainty rather than account balances alone.
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MetLife Finds Retirement Savings Deplete Faster Than Expected
- March 6, 2026
- Posted by: August
- Category: Retirement Income
New research indicates that many retirees believe their savings may not last as long as originally expected. Rising healthcare costs, longer life expectancies, and uncertainty around market performance contribute to this concern. Retirees with predictable income sources reported greater confidence, while those relying primarily on portfolio withdrawals expressed higher anxiety about longevity risk. The findings highlight the importance of aligning dependable income with essential expenses and planning for extended retirement horizons. A structured income framework can help reduce the likelihood of accelerating withdrawals during market volatility and improve long-term sustainability.
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