Jackson Financial Delivers Record Retail Annuity Sales

News Desk: Jackson Financial turned in a standout second quarter for 2026, with retail annuity sales climbing sharply to $5.9 billion. That marked a 34 percent increase from the $4.4 billion recorded in the same period a year earlier, according to the company’s official results released in early August.

The jump came across several product lines. Registered index-linked annuity sales hit a new quarterly high of $2.3 billion, rising 69 percent from the prior-year quarter. Variable annuity sales reached $2.7 billion, up 8 percent, while fixed and fixed index annuity sales grew 73 percent to $812 million. Company leaders pointed to stronger demand for products offering principal protection and income features, along with expanded capabilities at its asset management arm PPM America and a strategic partnership that helped source higher-yielding assets.

Those sales helped drive broader financial strength. Net income attributable to common shareholders rose to $644 million, or $9.16 per diluted share, compared with $168 million, or $2.34 per share, a year earlier. Adjusted operating earnings came in at a record $513 million, or $7.30 per diluted share, reflecting higher spread income from growing registered index-linked and fixed index annuity balances as well as increased fee income from the variable annuity book. Assets under management at PPM America climbed 21 percent year over year to more than $100 billion.

The results arrived as CEO Laura Prieskorn prepared to step down after nearly 40 years with the company. She is scheduled to retire from her roles as president, chief executive and board member at the end of September, with Chief Financial Officer Don Cummings set to succeed her. In her final quarterly update, Prieskorn noted the quarter demonstrated the reach of the firm’s distribution network and the progress in diversifying its product mix toward more spread-based offerings.

Jackson returned $290 million to common shareholders during the quarter through share repurchases and dividends while maintaining a solid capital position, with an estimated risk-based capital ratio of 538 percent at its primary life insurance subsidiary. The performance fits into a broader industry backdrop of record overall U.S. annuity sales in the second quarter, though Jackson’s gains stood out for their breadth and the continued momentum in registered index-linked products.