04/06/2026
If you own an annuity, you probably chose it for safety — a guaranteed income stream backed by a life insurance company you trusted.
But here's what most annuity holders don't realize: private equity firms now control or influence over $700 billion in life insurance assets. They've shifted the portfolios backing your guarantees away from traditional bonds and into private credit — investments that are harder to value, harder to sell, and have never been tested at this scale in a real downturn.
We published a detailed breakdown of what's changed, which carriers are most exposed, and what you can do about it.
Your annuity contract may look the same. The balance sheet behind it doesn't.
Read the full article here: https://northernpacific.us/hot-topics/private-credit-risk-annuities-pe-owned-insurance-companies-2026/
Private equity firms now control over $700 billion in life insurance assets. See the full list of PE-owned carriers and find out if your retirement income is exposed to private credit risk.