Less Than Half of Americans 55+ Know How Much Income They Will Have in Retirement NEW YORK, April 2 /PRNewswire/ -- AXA Distributors, LLC is launching a new marketing campaign to encourage consumers to overcome their inertia and focus on retirement planning. The company has developed materials to facilitate the retirement planning process that registered representatives can use to help clients plan for their futures. To encourage reps who sell its annuity products to initiate such conversations with their clients, AXA Distributors is offering to buy both of them a Grande Latte or their beverage of choice. "Hundreds of millions of dollars are spent on financial services advertising every year but very little of it actually provides consumers with practical information," said Jamie Shepherdson, President of AXA Distributors and Executive Vice President of New York-based parent company AXA Financial, Inc. "We want to spur Americans to wake up and smell the coffee, so we're making coffee gift cards available, which we hope will be the impetus for reps to have crucial discussions with their clients." Less than half of U.S. workers age 55 and up have any idea how much income they will have in retirement, according to the annual AXA Retirement Scope survey. Moreover, most Americans don't get around to planning until they have missed a significant portion of their working years: 26% of people began planning for their retirement between the ages of 45-54, while 32% didn't start planning until they were 55 or older. "It is important for Americans to determine how much money they will need in retirement so they can put a financial plan in place to work toward their goals," said Mr. Shepherdson. "By delaying the planning process until their mid-40s, people may find that it's too late for them to set aside enough money to afford the lifestyle they want in their later years." Educational Materials Help in Planning Process As part of the Wake Up! campaign, AXA Distributors has developed materials to facilitate the retirement planning process. Educational materials distributed to registered reps assist consumers with their examination of potential sources of retirement income, including mutual funds, individual retirement accounts, pension plans, Social Security, full-time or part-time employment, and other options. The reps will then work with consumers to delineate the expenses they expect to incur in retirement, from necessities such as food, housing, and transportation, to discretionary items such as entertainment, travel, and charitable contributions. If there is a gap between the income and the expenses that consumers expect to face in retirement, the rep can help them face their retirement reality. Taking into account the consumers' retirement time horizons, risk profiles, and personal financial goals, the reps will discuss various financial strategies, such as turning qualified retirement plan assets into retirement income in order to make their assets last throughout their lifetimes. Encouragement From the 800-Pound Gorilla The Wake Up! campaign marks the first time that AXA Equitable Life Insurance Co. has extended its award-winning national television advertising campaign -- centered around the 800-pound gorilla -- to reach financial professionals directly. AXA Distributors is the wholesale distribution company of AXA Equitable, a member of the global AXA Group. The star of four television spots, the gorilla is a metaphor for something that's on everyone's mind, but nobody talks about -- saving for retirement. For example, in one segment of the Wake Up! campaign, a woman happily enjoys a cup of coffee. Sitting next to her, the 800-pound gorilla reminds her, "Consider me your wake-up call. It's time to do more than just dream about retirement." About AXA Retirement Scope The third annual survey AXA Retirement Scope 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. Research firm GFK Sofema managed the survey globally for the AXA Group. Local firms fielded the questions in each country during August 2006. Nielsen Entertainment 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, Canada, China, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan, Italy, Spain, the United Kingdom, and the United States. The main sample from the U.S. included 840 people, 421 of whom were working and 419 were retired. To access the entire survey conducted by AXA Equitable, go to http://www.axaonline.com/. (Editor's note: Research statistics should be attributed to "AXA Retirement Scope.") About AXA Distributors AXA Distributors, LLC is the wholesale distribution company of AXA Financial, Inc., a member of the global AXA Group. It is dedicated to the distribution of managed investment products and services including the innovative line of whole and variable life insurance and fixed and variable annuities as well as products of the AXA Equitable Life Insurance Company to professional financial intermediaries including brokerages, banks, and independent financial planners, as well as AXA Advisors, the retail distribution company of AXA Financial. As of January 2007, AXA Distributors had more than 300 employees, servicing roughly 400 partner firms and representing in excess of 17,000 individual producers. About AXA Financial 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; it had approximately $643.4 billion 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). AXA Financial is a member of the global AXA Group, a worldwide leader in financial protection and wealth management. AXA Group's operations are geographically diverse, with major operations in Western Europe, North America, and the Asia/Pacific region. AXA Group had $1.3 trillion in assets under management as of December 31, 2005. The AXA ordinary share is listed on the Paris Stock Exchange and trades under the symbol AXA. The AXA American Depositary Share is also listed on the NYSE under the ticker symbol AXA. CONTACTS: Lisa Tibbitts 212-314-2811 Discretion Winter 212-314-2968 DATASOURCE: AXA Equitable CONTACT: Lisa Tibbitts, +1-212-314-2811, , or Discretion Winter, +1-212-314-2968, , both of AXA Equitable Web site: http://www.axa.com/ http://www.axaonline.com/

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