INScompanies Blog

Living Care Rider Helps Protect Against High Costs of Long-Term Care. New Incentive LifeSM Legacy Variable Life Insurance Offers Extended No-Lapse Guarantee.

New York, September 11, 2006 - AXA Equitable Life Insurance Company and affiliate MONY Life Insurance Company of America introduced, in states where approved, two additions to its Incentive LifeSM (IL) variable life insurance series - a Living Care Rider (LCR) to help safeguard retirement assets from the high costs of long-term care and a new flexible premium product with an Extended No-Lapse Guarantee - ILSM Legacy. “What we’re offering,” said Barbara Goodstein, EVP, who made the announcement, “is innovative ways to help consumers protect their finances and way of life.”

Available for a fee to people between the ages of 20 and 70 purchasing the AXA Equitable IL Legacy and IL ‘06 variable life products, the Living Care Rider functions as an acceleration of the life insurance policy’s death benefit to assist those who become chronically ill and receive qualified long-term care services. When electing the LCR, the policyowner chooses from a certain benefit percentage of the policy’s face amount, reflecting the maximum monthly payments to be received if he or she becomes chronically ill.

If You Don’t Use It, You Don’t Lose It

“Long-term care insurance can require expensive premiums, even if it’s never used.” says Goodstein. “Our Incentive Life/Living Care Rider combination offers an affordable, hybrid solution to the ‘use it or lose it’ dilemma.” Should the need arise, the Living Care Rider accelerates the life insurance death benefit, defraying the burden of LTC expenses and protecting retirement assets from being depleted. The death benefit is reduced by the amount accelerated. But, if long term care is never needed, the full death benefit is paid to the beneficiaries.

ILSM Legacy - Guaranteed Protection with Upside Potential

Available at issue in states where it is approved, ILSM Legacy’s optional Extended No-Lapse Guarantee (ENLG) Rider ensures, for an additional cost, this flexible premium variable life insurance policy will not lapse for a specified period, regardless of investment performance. “At very competitive premium levels,” Goodstein said, “the ENLG eliminates policy lapse risk and extends coverage out for as long as age 100.”

Because coverage needs vary and may change over time, ILSM Legacy offers additional flexibility, including the option to select within limits the amount and timing of premium payments, the flexibility to increase or decrease the policy face amount after the first year (evidence of insurability and surrender charges apply), the ability to customize and change investment options to meet needs and goals, and the choice of two death benefit options. (Transferring assets among investment options is tax-free. Some restrictions apply and exercising some of this flexibility may impact the ENLG or Living Care Rider. The ENLG period of coverage cannot be changed after the policy is issued and there are some investment option limitations and other restrictions. Consult the prospectus for full details, including ENLG requirements and restrictions.).

Complete terms, conditions and costs of the Incentive LifeSM Legacy, Extended No-Lapse Guarantee and Incentive LifeSM Living Care Rider are contained in the respective product prospectuses.

Variable life insurance cash values are not guaranteed and will fluctuate based on the performance of underlying investment options. Fee and charges associated with variable life insurance include mortality and expense risk charges, cost of insurance, surrender charges, administrative fees, investment management fees and charges for optional benefits. Loans and partial withdrawals, which may be subject to policy limitations and income tax, will decrease the death benefit and cash value and may adversely impact certain features and benefits of the policies. It is important to understand that the ENLG will not prevent a policy from lapsing if the policyowner has a loan outstanding which exceeds the policy’s account value. All guarantees discussed herein are subject to the claims-paying ability of the issuing companies — AXA Equitable Life Insurance Company or MONY Life Insurance Company of America, a subsidiary of AXA Financial, Inc. Incentive Life is a service mark of AXA Equitable Life Insurance Company.

Please consider the charges, risks, expenses and investment objectives of the Incentive LifeSM series of variable life insurance and respective riders carefully before investing. For a prospectus containing this and other information, please call AXA Equitable at 212-314-4600. Read it carefully before you invest or send money.

Part of the Global AXA Group

AXA Equitable Life Insurance Company and MONY Life Insurance Company of America (MLOA) are life insurance subsidiaries of AXA Financial, Inc., providing life insurance, annuities and other needs-based products and services for the financial services market, co-distributed by AXA Advisors, LLC, and AXA Distributors, LLC, New York, NY 10104. AXA Financial is one of the premier U.S. organizations providing financial protection and wealth management through its subsidiaries, and had approximately $693.7 billion in assets under management as of June 30, 2006 . AXA Financial is a member of the global AXA Group, which had $1.39 trillion in assets under management as of June 30, 2006. All guarantees are based on the claims-paying ability of the issuing company, AXA Equitable Life Insurance Company (AXA Equitable) or MLOA.

GE 36736/(8/2006)
 
For Immediate Release - 09/11/2006
Media Contact(s):
Lisa Tibbitts
212-314-2811
lisa.tibbitts@axa-equitable.com

Discretion Winter
212-314-2968
discretion.winter@axa-equitable.com

New Advertising and Marketing Campaign Urges Boomers to Take Action to Ensure a Guaranteed Income For Life

05/09/2006 New York, NY – AXA Equitable today announced a new national advertising campaign aimed at encouraging the approximately 77 million baby boomers in America to cease ignoring the “800-pound gorilla” in the room when it comes to their retirement planning.

The new national advertising campaign urges baby boomers to take action to ensure their income needs in retirement are addressed. The TV and print ads raise awareness of annuities as a valuable option that could guarantee income for life. The campaign is part of a broader initiative aimed at helping boomers prepare for retirement.

“The facts are clear: baby boomers know they need to address their retirement, yet many feel unprepared and intimidated by the process - so they put it off and put it off hoping that somehow the issue will simply go away,” stated Barbara Goodstein, executive vice president of marketing and product development, AXA Equitable. “However, what boomers don’t realize is that they are in essence ignoring an 800-pound gorilla that is sitting in the room with them every day of their lives. The new AXA campaign will not only expose the 800-pound gorilla boomers are ignoring, it will also give the gorilla his own voice and opinion to help encourage boomers to face their retirement needs today!”

The campaign, created by Merkley + Partners, features an animatronic gorilla that appeared in the major motion picture “Instinct” from Touchstone Pictures (1999). The campaign will appear on national cable networks such as Bloomberg Television, CNN and A&E, as well as major broadcast TV outlets in New York , Chicago , Miami and Detroit . Print advertisements will be featured in The Wall Street Journal, TIME Gold, SmartMoney, Architectural Digest and Golf Magazine, among others, beginning in June issues and continuing throughout the fall of 2006.

“At AXA, we are committed to providing baby boomers with a holistic view of the new retirement reality,” said Christopher M. “Kip” Condron, chairman and chief executive officer, AXA Equitable. “We feel strongly that individuals want to make their own, informed financial decisions. As such, we are committed to providing the objective insight and education consumers can trust, the tools and advisory services that address an individual’s financial and lifestyle retirement needs and a breadth of innovative products that help achieve retirement goals.”

AXA Equitable has launched several initiatives to provide baby boomers with educational resources to support their financial decisions as they prepare for retirement. The company is a charter sponsor of the Variable Annuities Knowledge Center ( www.variableannuityfacts.org ), an online resource aimed at helping consumers to understand the facts surrounding variable annuities. The Variable Annuities Knowledge Center is operated by a non-profit organization and is overseen by an independent Advisory Board to help ensure that the resource continues to provide current, fact-based information to the general public.

In addition, under a new partnership arrangement, The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania , recognized worldwide for the academic strength of its business education programs, has designed a program in retirement planning specifically for AXA Equitable’s financial professionals. The customized curriculum provides training and education on the broad needs of baby boomers approaching retirement. As part of the program, AXA’s financial professionals are trained on specific tools that give them and their clients a comprehensive view of clients’ financial and lifestyle objectives for retirement and methodology for charting their progress in planning for those goals.

See the TV commercials:

About AXA Equitable

AXA Equitable Life Insurance Company is the principal life insurance subsidiary of AXA Financial, Inc., providing life insurance, annuities and other needs-based products and services for the financial services market, co-distributed by AXA Advisors, LLC, and AXA Distributors, LLC. AXA Financial is one of the premier U.S. organizations providing financial protection and wealth management, and had approximately $643.4 billion in assets under management as of December 31, 2005 . AXA Financial is a member of the global AXA Group, which had $1.3 trillion in assets under management as of December 31, 2005 . All guarantees are based on the claims-paying ability of AXA Equitable Life Insurance Company (AXA Equitable).

GE - 35803 (5/06)
 
For Immediate Release

Media Contact(s):
Mary Taylor
AXA Equitable
(212) 314-5845
mary.taylor@axa-equitable.com

Doubting Social Security and Pensions, Americans Make Plans to Work in Retirement

01/24/2006
Did you know that more than 7,900 Baby Boomers are turning 60 years old every day - more than 330 an hour? Yet with record numbers of Americans entering retirement, only one in five workers actually knows what his or her specific retirement income will be. And although Social Security is a significant income element for retirees, more than 90 percent of current workers view Social Security as “troubled” or “in crisis.”

These are among the findings released today from the AXA Equitable Retirement Scope, a global survey on retirement. The survey offers surprising consumer insights on work, life, money and retirement from more than 6,900 people in 11 countries. This second annual survey -developed by AXA, a worldwide leader in financial advice and wealth management - is available online at www.axaonline.com .

American workers’ confidence in their retirement income may stem from observing their parents. Current U.S. retirees report on average $4,243 in monthly income - the highest amount of any country in the study; nearly double the Canadians and well ahead of France, Japan and Germany.

Despite this confidence, most American workers are concerned about the source of income in retirement, as 92 percent believe our current Social Security program is in some degree of trouble. Retired respondents agree, but to a lesser extent: 84 percent have lost faith in the program, even though 70 percent rely on Social Security and pension plans “heavily” for retirement income.

Consequently, nearly 65 percent of America’s working respondents plan to rely on their own retirement savings or income sources rather than Social Security or pensions, the survey finds. High expectations for retirement income may influence U.S. workers’ hopes to continue working in retirement, as 63 percent of those surveyed desire to hold a paid job once retired.

Other key findings include:

Americans lead the world in preparing for their retirement. Nearly 85 percent of working Americans have already started planning for retirement, leading all nations. On average, the American worker starts saving at age 30 and sets aside $1,253 monthly for retirement, a figure that more than doubles retirement savings in all other surveyed nations. However, the median amount is $463 monthly, also significantly more than the median amount in the other surveyed nations.

Nearly half of retirees surveyed have invested in real estate. Home ownership is high among retirees in the U.S.: 91 percent own their homes, 15 percent own two.

Nineteen percent of U.S. workers expect retirement income to be higher than their last salary, an optimism that trumps all other surveyed nations. Retirement income has increased for 20 percent of U.S. retirees, well above that of Australia and the U.K., both tying for second, each with 14 percent of retirees experiencing similar good fortune.

On average, people would like to retire before 60 years old but realize it’s not likely to happen. Working people consider 55 the ideal age for retirement but don’t expect to retire until 62; retirees would retire at age 59 if they could do it again. On average, Canadians and Americans retire earliest; nearly three out of four American retirees did so before age 65.

Retirement travel isn’t all that U.S. workers hope. Nearly 60 percent identify travel as a top priority in retirement, but only 31 percent of retirees value travel as much. American retirees travel more than their foreign counterparts, but rarely leave the country.

Americans plan to spend retirement savings, not pass them on to heirs. Sixty-four percent of working Americans expect to spend their savings in retirement; only a third expect to maintain savings and pass them to surviving family members. French respondents are most generous with their inheritance; it’s the only population in which more than half of workers plan to pass retirement savings on to heirs. Even more (71 percent) of French retirees are doing the same.

“Overall, our survey findings suggest that Americans are confident - but realistic - about the financial outlook for retirement,” said Ken Gelman, Vice President and Director of Market Research for New York-based AXA Equitable, which represents AXA in the U.S. “Respondents expressed a fair amount of optimism about their incomes and living standards in retirement, but they seem to understand that much preparation and planning are necessary to achieve these goals.”

The survey is part of AXA’s continued effort to enhance its understanding of the issues, perceptions, concerns and wishes surrounding retirement, for the ongoing development of innovative financial and retirement planning services. Both workers and retirees were surveyed about their financial preparations, quality of life and views on retirement.

Gelman added, “Retirement is becoming reality for a rapidly increasing number of Americans. The more we know about their perceptions, the better equipped we are to help them approach this life chapter with confidence, leveraging opportunities for managing, growing and protecting their assets. AXA Retirement Scope illustrates that Americans are acutely aware of the need for intense preparation and supports our strategy to provide advice and solutions to secure their financial well-being.”

AXA contracted with research firm GFK Sofema, which managed the survey globally. Local firms fielded the questions in each country during August 2005. AC Nielsen conducted the survey by telephone in the U.S.

A total of 6,915 people between 25 and 75 years old were interviewed in: Australia, Belgium, Canada, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan, Italy, Spain, United Kingdom and the United States. The main sample from the U.S. included 848 people, 435 of whom were working and 413 were retired. In addition, AXA boosted sample sizes in Chicago, Detroit, Los Angeles, Miami and New York to gain specific information on these influential markets. These additional respondents were not included in the main sample.

To access the entire survey conducted by AXA Equitable go to www.axaonline.com.

About AXA

AXA Group is a worldwide leader in financial protection. AXA’s operations are diverse geographically, with major operations in Western Europe, North America and the Asia/Pacific area. As of June 30, 2005 AXA had $1.1 trillion in assets under management and reported total IFRS gross revenues of $47 billion and IFRS underlying earnings of $2.3 billion for first half 2005. The AXA ordinary share is listed and trades under the symbol AXA on the Paris Stock Exchange. The AXA American Depository Share is also listed on the NYSE under the ticker symbol AXA .

AXA Equitable is the principal life insurance subsidiary of AXA Financial, Inc., providing life insurance, annuities and other needs-based products and services for the financial services market. AXA Financial is one of the premier U.S. organizations providing financial protection and wealth management, and had approximately $574.8 billion in assets under management as of June 30, 2005. AXA Financial is a member of the global AXA Group, which had $1.1 trillion in assets under management as of June 30, 2005 . 

For Immediate Release

Media Contact(s):
NEW YORK
Jeff Tolvin
AXA Equitable
212-314-2811
jeffrey.tolvin@axa-financial.com

Mary Taylor
AXA Equitable
212-314-5845
mary.taylor@axa-financial.com