Playing the Long Game: Building Retirement Confidence Through Planning, Partnership, and Innovation

By Global Atlantic Sponsored By Global Atlantic

In sports, success is rarely determined by a single play.

A baseball season spans 162 games. Hockey teams endure an 82-game regular season before facing the rigors of the playoffs. Golf’s major championships are won over four rounds, not one shot. The athletes and teams that achieve sustained success understand a fundamental truth: championships are earned by focusing on the long game.

Retirement planning follows the same principle.

While market headlines, interest rate movements, and economic uncertainty can dominate the conversation on any given day, retirement is not a one-quarter event. It is a decades-long journey that requires thoughtful preparation, disciplined execution, and a strategy designed to withstand changing conditions over time. The decisions clients make today will influence their financial security not just next year, but potentially 20, 30, or even 40 years into the future.

At Global Atlantic, we believe helping clients prepare for the long game is one of the most important responsibilities financial professionals have. Retirement income planning is not about chasing short-term outcomes or reacting to every market fluctuation. It is about creating durable solutions that provide confidence, flexibility, and income that can last a lifetime.

As Emily LeMay, Co-Head of Individual Markets, recently noted, “Retirement isn’t about outperforming the market in any single year. It’s about helping people feel confident that the income they’ve worked so hard to build will support the life they want to live for decades to come.”

That philosophy is increasingly resonating with financial professionals and consumers alike. In an environment where uncertainty has become a constant, the value of long-term planning has never been more apparent.

Stronger Together: The Power of Global Atlantic and KKR

The long game requires not only a sound strategy, but also the strength and resources necessary to execute it consistently.

That belief is central to Global Atlantic and KKR.

As a wholly owned subsidiary of KKR, Global Atlantic is able to leverage KKR’s world-class investment capabilities, scale, and capital markets expertise to enhance the value we deliver to financial professionals and their clients. Combined with Global Atlantic’s deep expertise in retirement, insurance, and annuity products, this creates a differentiated offering in the marketplace.

The result is a shared commitment to long-term thinking. Together, Global Atlantic and KKR help clients achieve greater financial security. Rather than focusing on short-term market movements, the emphasis is on disciplined investing, thoughtful risk management, and creating products designed to support retirement outcomes over decades.

Importantly, the combination of insurance expertise and institutional investment capabilities provides a foundation that can help Global Atlantic continue delivering innovative products and competitive value propositions in an increasingly dynamic marketplace.

As Jason Bickler, Co-Head of Individual Markets, recently observed, “Long-term commitments require long-term partners. By combining Global Atlantic’s insurance expertise with KKR’s investment capabilities, we’re building a business designed to innovate, adapt, and support clients for decades.”

The message is simple but powerful: helping clients succeed in retirement requires more than a product. It requires a long-term commitment to financial strength, innovation, and execution. The combination of Global Atlantic’s insurance expertise and KKR’s investment capabilities helps reinforce that commitment.

Consumers Are Telling Us the Same Story

The findings from Global Atlantic’s 2026 Retirement Outlook Survey further validate the importance of focusing on the long game.

The survey revealed that retirement concerns are shifting. For many Americans, the conversation is no longer centered exclusively on accumulating assets. Instead, attention is increasingly turning toward generating dependable income and protecting what has already been built.

According to the survey, 61% of consumer respondents placed greater importance on protecting their assets than growing them. Concerns about market volatility, inflation, healthcare expenses, and Social Security sustainability continue to shape retirement planning priorities.

Perhaps even more telling, 38% of respondents reported that they do not have a specific retirement income plan in place despite many working with financial professionals.

That finding highlights a critical gap.

Many savers understand the importance of retirement income, but they have not yet translated that understanding into a comprehensive strategy. As retirement approaches, that gap can create uncertainty and anxiety.

The survey also found that Generation X investors approaching retirement are expressing even greater concern than Baby Boomers about their financial future. Many worry about whether their savings will last, while nearly half indicated they may need to return to work during retirement because of financial pressures.

The research underscores an important reality: retirement income planning is no longer optional. It is becoming the centerpiece of retirement preparedness.

Consumers increasingly recognize that they must create their own income streams. They are seeking products that can provide predictability, stability, and confidence throughout retirement.

That trend aligns directly with Global Atlantic’s focus on helping financial professionals address one of the most pressing challenges many of their clients face: converting accumulated assets into sustainable lifetime income.

Service Innovation for the Long Game

Meeting the evolving needs of retirees requires continuous innovation.

That is why Global Atlantic remains committed to enhancing our annuity portfolio and delivering products designed to help financial professionals serve clients more effectively.

Recent enhancements across our retirement income and accumulation lineup reflect that commitment. Over the past year, Global Atlantic has introduced meaningful updates designed to improve client outcomes, increase flexibility, and expand planning opportunities for financial professionals. These enhancements include higher Level Withdrawal Percentages on key retirement income-oriented annuities, expanded Interest Crediting Strategy choices, and innovative approaches to lifestyle income planning that are designed to help clients align retirement income with the lives they want to live. Rather than focusing solely on asset accumulation, these products are designed to help financial professionals address one of the most important retirement questions clients face: how to generate income that supports their desired lifestyle throughout retirement.

Our commitment to innovation extends well beyond product design. Since 2020, Global Atlantic has invested more than $80 million in service operations and technology enhancements designed to improve the experience for both financial professionals and policyholders. Through investments in intelligent automation, generative AI, digital capabilities, self-service tools, and dedicated operational support teams, we are creating a service experience that is more reliable, efficient, and transparent. We believe helping financial professionals succeed requires more than strong products — it requires a partner committed to making it easier to do business and easier to serve clients.

While specific product features may evolve over time, the underlying objective remains consistent: helping financial professionals build strategies that support reliable retirement income and long-term financial confidence.

Innovation for its own sake is not the goal. Innovation that helps clients navigate retirement more successfully is.

That commitment reflects the broader philosophy behind everything we do. Whether through product development, investment management, strategic partnerships, or service enhancements, our focus remains on helping financial professionals guide clients through the challenges and opportunities of retirement.

Looking Ahead

The most successful athletes understand that championships are won through preparation, discipline, and a commitment to the long game.

Retirement planning is no different.

Clients face a future that will inevitably include changing market conditions, evolving personal circumstances, and unexpected challenges. The goal is not to predict every twist and turn. The goal is to build a strategy capable of enduring them.

At Global Atlantic, we remain committed to helping financial professionals do exactly that. By leveraging KKR’s investment capabilities and scale, our ongoing product innovation, investments in the financial professional and contract owner experience, and a continued focus on retirement income products, we are working to help clients stay focused on what matters most: achieving financial confidence for the long run.

Because retirement is not a single play, a single quarter, or a single season.

It is the ultimate long game.