Longer-form work on retirement income, annuity behavior, and the carriers that make up the industry, written for people making real decisions about their own money. Each paper is free to read online and download as a PDF. Everything here is educational, not individualized advice.
Research
RESEARCH
WHITE PAPERS AND INDUSTRY ANALYSIS
INDUSTRY ANALYSIS · UPDATED JULY 2026 · 19 PAGES
FIA Sales Leaders 2015 to 2025
An eleven-year analysis of the U.S. fixed indexed annuity market built on LIMRA carrier sales data, 220 carrier-year records in all, and how private-equity-backed insurers rewrote the top of the rankings.
Key findings: industry FIA sales grew 135% to $127.9 billion. Athene went from sixth place to a record $15.0 billion and has held first in five of the six years since 2020. Three of the 2025 top five are affiliated with alternative-asset managers. Includes a rank heatmap, a five-point buyer checklist, and every year’s Top 20.
WHITE PAPER · 2026 EDITION · 9 PAGES
Lifetime Income and the Architecture of a Good Retirement
How annuities shape longevity, spending, and psychological well-being. A review of recent NBER, LIMRA, and Retirement Income Institute research, with a practical framework for households holding $1 million to $2 million in retirement savings.
Key findings: annuitization was associated with 2.55% lower mortality at five years and 3.62% at ten years in a study of roughly 600,000 retirees. Retirees spend about 80% of lifetime income but less than half of wage and capital income. 59.4% of survey respondents preferred $10,000 of added income to $140,000 of added wealth.
MORE FROM JASON
Shorter pieces on rates, the Fed, and industry sales data are on the blog. Industry reporting and carrier news live at Annuity Journal. Live rates, comparison tools, and the annuity buyer’s guide are at My Annuity Store.
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Journalists and researchers are welcome to quote from these papers with attribution to My Annuity Store, Inc. For interviews, data requests, or the underlying datasets, use the contact page.