Dear Guardian community,

Guardian’s continued financial health

Guardian remains one of the strongest and most highly rated insurance companies in the US, and our robust results reflect our sound risk management. In 2023, we surpassed $2 billion in operating income for the first time in our company’s history and were able to approve a $1.398 billion dividend payment for 2024 to our participating whole life policyholders, an all-time high.

Our financial strength is reflected in our ratings. Moody’s reaffirmed our rating of Aa1 (High Quality), and Standard & Poor’s rated us AA+ (Very Strong). These attestations underscore our strong outlook, our ability to navigate risk, our skill in advancing our strategy, and our operational discipline. Guardian’s focus on long-term value creation and our orientation to the future will continue to position us for success in our ever-evolving world.

Our potential to make a difference in peoples’ lives has never been stronger. Our passion for our customers and dedication to each other has been the critical ingredient to our continued success. We’ll remain steadfast in our commitment to those we serve and always strive to provide the best solutions to support them.

With the pressures people face in today’s world, we will continue to stand behind every person on their journey to well-being — mind, body, and wallet®.

Succeeding by living our purpose

Our success last year is the result of us continuing to live our purpose to inspire well-being®. Doing this every day means keeping our three key strategic priorities top of mind:

Wow the consumer by addressing every aspect of well-being at each stage of life.

Reimagine mutuality by focusing on what matters to our customers, colleagues, and communities.

Unleash what’s possible by valuing our number one asset — our talented workforce.

Throughout this Guardian Annual, you’ll read stories that demonstrate what it means to be an everyday champion of well-being. You’ll meet colleagues, partners, and financial professionals like Evaristo Gonzalez, who came to the US when he was just 10 years old. Inspired by his parents’ hard work and dedication, he became a financial professional to help improve the financial futures of families like his.

To “wow consumers,” we’ve given them the tools and resources they need to proactively live healthy lives. Our support includes being with them at their most challenging and emotional times, actively listening with empathy, and providing the right solutions for their needs.

Our greatest strength at Guardian comes from being a mutual insurance company. By having shared goals with our policyholders, we know that championing what matters to them differentiates us each day through our investments, programs, and services. We aspire to make a positive impact in the communities where they live and work. That includes Guardian’s commitment to enhance financial wellness through an educational curriculum called Minding Your Money: Skills for Life™ that we co-founded with EVERFI from Blackbaud®. The program teaches high school students about how money and mental health are intertwined and empowers them to develop their own personal financial values, goals, and habits.

In 2023, “unleashing what’s possible” came to life in how we show up for one another. We stand behind the ideals that have anchored Guardian for more than 160 years and are working to ensure each of our colleagues feels seen and heard, supported, inspired, and empowered to succeed. We strive to ensure our workplace creates a sense of belonging that reflects our world.

In the process of serving our customers, colleagues and communities, it is wonderful to be recognized in our industry and beyond, earning recognition from Forbes as one of America’s Best Large Employers 2023 and from J.D. Power and DALBAR for outstanding customer service, among many others.

‍Last year demonstrated the great progress and momentum we have at Guardian. I extend my gratitude to our colleagues, partners, and financial professionals for their ongoing commitment, and to our customers for placing their trust in us.

We will continue to progress on our priorities and our vision to build upon Guardian’s legacy for all those we serve.

Sincerely,