Tag: Fixed Indexed Annuities
The Future of Retirement Income with Athene CEO Grant Kvalheim (Ep. 120)

The Future of Retirement Income with Athene CEO Grant Kvalheim (Ep. 120)

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Helping clients create dependable retirement income has become one of the biggest challenges financial professionals face as pensions continue disappearing.

In this episode, Jeremy Houser welcomes Grant Kvalheim, CEO of Athene to discuss how the retirement income industry is evolving. Grant shares Athene’s approach to long-term growth, transparency, product innovation, and private credit investing while explaining why lifetime income continues to become a larger part of retirement planning. 

He also explores opportunities to improve the annuity experience for consumers and financial professionals, along with the leadership principles that have helped guide Athene’s continued growth.

Key takeaways:

  • How lifetime income solutions are evolving as fewer workers retire with traditional pension benefits.
  • Why private credit plays an important role in supporting competitive retirement income products today.
  • How transparency, financial discipline, and long-term planning influence Athene’s business decisions.
  • Why improving the consumer and advisor experience can expand access to retirement income products.
  • How leadership, vision, and continual innovation support sustainable growth over many years.
  • And more!

Connect with Grant Kvalheim:

Connect with Jeremy Houser:

About Our Guest:

Grant Kvalheim is CEO of Athene, where he is responsible for expanding market share, prioritizing innovation, entering new markets and leading the company through its next phase of growth. As CEO, he serves on Athene’s board and is a member of the Executive Committee. Grant joined Athene in January 2011 as its CFO and later served as President, a role he held until July 2025.

As President, Grant was responsible for running the company’s U.S. operations with a focus on growing organic origination. In that capacity, he led Athene’s entry into the U.S. annuity business, where it has become the market leader. He also developed Athene’s Funding Agreement program, where Athene is the largest issuer, and guided Athene’s Pension Group Annuity franchise.

Prior to joining Athene, Grant was Co-President of Barclays Capital, where he grew the European investment-grade credit business into a leading global credit franchise. Earlier in his career, he held senior executive positions in the investment banks of Deutsche Bank and Merrill Lynch.

Grant holds a B.S. degree in economics from Claremont McKenna College, and an M.B.A. in finance from the University of Chicago. Grant currently serves on the board of directors of the American Council of Life Insurers, Great Outdoors Foundation, SolHealth, Mottahedeh & Co., Inc., and a member of the Geneva Association.

Disclosure #: 5717541 – 0726

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Building Stronger Fixed Indexed Annuity Strategies with Tom Haines (Ep. 118)

Building Stronger Fixed Indexed Annuity Strategies with Tom Haines (Ep. 118)

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Retirement planning isn’t only about finding higher returns. It’s also about deciding how different pieces of a portfolio work together over time.

What should advisors look for when evaluating indexed annuities? How can product design, diversification, and long-term thinking influence retirement outcomes?

In this episode, Jeremy Houser welcomes Tom Haines, Executive Vice President of Capital Markets and Index Solutions at Annexus, to discuss how fixed indexed annuity strategies have evolved. Tom explains the importance of portfolio construction inside FIAs, how research influences index development, why diversification continues to matter, and how product design can improve consistency for clients throughout retirement planning.

Key takeaways:

  • Building FIA portfolios around diversified index strategies instead of relying on a single allocation approach
  • Evaluating product design beyond illustrations, including renewal consistency and long-term implementation
  • Using global diversification alongside domestic exposure to improve return consistency over time
  • Looking beyond accumulation by considering income, legacy planning, and changing family needs
  • Focusing product innovation on practical retirement challenges instead of following industry trends
  • And more!

Connect with Tom Haines:

Connect with Jeremy Houser:

About Our Guest:

Tom leads the index diligence and selection process for Annexus and coordinates the firm’s relationships with asset managers, academic experts, and investment banks in conjunction with Annexus’ carrier partners. Tom is also one of the lead architects of the Lifetime Income Builder TDFs at Annexus Retirement Solutions (ARS). In his role within ARS, Tom works closely with the insurers and asset managers that partner with ARS on implementing the Lifetime Income Builder within portfolios and funds. Prior to joining Annexus, Tom led Equities Solutions Structuring at UBS Investment Bank. He began his career in index and statistical arbitrage trading within BNP Paribas’ Cooper Neff Division (Paris office) before serving as vice president in the Exchange Traded Products (ETPs) Group at NYSE Group and head of ETPs and Derivative Product Solutions at RBS. Tom’s research on index products has been published in top financial journals. He formerly served as a member of FINRA’s Investment Management Committee. Tom holds a bachelor’s degree in Quantitative Finance from James Madison University in Virginia.

Disclosure #: 5635414 – 0726

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