HORACE MANN EDUCATORS CORP /DE/

The Life & Retirement segment markets 403(b) tax-qualified fixed, fixed indexed and variable annuities; the Horace Mann Retirement Advantage® open architecture platform for 403(b)(7) and other defined contribution plans; and other retirement products to educators as well as traditional term and whole life insurance products. Horace Mann is one of the largest participants in the K-12 educator portion of the 403(b) tax-qualified annuity market, measured by 403(b) net premiums written on a statutory accounting basis. The Life & Retirement segment represented 32% of total revenues in 2024.

•Benefits expense in Retirement increased due to unfavorable market risk benefit adjustment in the current year and favorable adjustment in the prior year

•Life mortality costs higher than prior year

•Annualized quarterly net interest spread on fixed annuities up 46 basis points

The following table provides certain information for Life & Retirement for the periods indicated.

Life & Retirement segment net income for the three months ended March 31, 2025, of $6.8 million was down 41.9% primarily due to unfavorable benefits. Benefits and change in reserves reflected a $3.7 million higher market risk benefit adjustment compared to the prior year and higher mortality. The net spread increase reflects improvement from our FHLB funding agreements compared with 2024, lower FHLB borrowing costs and increased advances drove the favorable comparison.

For the Retirement business, net annuity contract deposits were up 6.0% for the quarter at $110.8 million, on the strength of our core 403(b) products. Educators continue to begin their relationship with Horace Mann through 403(b) retirement savings products, which provide encouraging cross-sell opportunities. Average persistency rose from the prior period to 91.6%.

Horace Mann currently has $5.4 billion in annuity assets under management, including $2.2 billion of fixed annuities, $2.9 billion of variable annuities and $0.4 billion of fixed indexed annuities. Assets under administration, which includes Horace Mann Retirement Advantage® and other advisory and recordkeeping assets, were down due to the effect of equity market performance on assets under management.

Life annualized sales* were $2.4 million, up 4.3% for the quarter and persistency remains strong. Life insurance in force rose to $21.1 billion at quarter-end.

We actively manage our interest rate risk exposure, considering a variety of factors, including earned interest rates, credited interest rates and the relationship between the expected durations of assets and liabilities. We estimate that over the next 12 months approximately $506.7 million of the Life & Retirement investment portfolio and related investable cash flows will be reinvested at current market rates.

As a general guideline, based on our existing policies and investment portfolio, the impact from a 100 basis point decline in the average reinvestment rate would reduce Life & Retirement net investment income by approximately $2.4 million in year one and $4.7 million in year two, reducing the annualized net interest spread on fixed annuities by approximately 9 basis points and 17 basis points in the respective periods, compared to the current period annualized net interest spread on fixed annuities. We could also consider potential changes in rates credited to policyholders, tempered by any restrictions on the ability to adjust policyholder rates due to guaranteed minimum crediting rates.