Sales & Marketing | 08.13.26

MassMutual Ascend Tops $2 Billion in RIA Annuity Sales as Advisors Warm to Income Products

by: Leo Almazora

MassMutual Ascend has surpassed $2 billion in lifetime advisory annuity sales, signaling growing interest among registered investment advisors (RIAs) in using annuities to provide guaranteed retirement income. Nearly $900 million, or almost half of the company’s total sales, was generated in 2025 and 2026, reflecting accelerating adoption across nearly 1,000 RIAs. The insurer entered the fee-based market in 2016 and has expanded its offerings to include fixed, fixed-indexed and registered index-linked annuities. Growing recognition of guaranteed income’s role in retirement planning, including interest from major asset managers, is helping drive demand. However, annuity complexity, implementation challenges and skepticism among fee-only fiduciary advisors remain obstacles.

Read the full article on InvestmentNews