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Products & services October 13, 2026

Securian Financial evolves VUL Defender for a new era of longevity

Enhanced, protection-focused variable universal life insurance product combines competitive premiums, stronger long-term value and greater flexibility as Securian Financial challenges financial professionals to plan for age 100 and beyond

ST. PAUL, Minn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Securian Financial today announced enhancements to Variable Universal Life (VUL) Defender®, its protection-focused VUL insurance product designed to help financial professionals build protection strategies for clients living longer lives.

The newest iteration of VUL Defender maintains one of the most competitive guaranteed death benefits in the market today while delivering meaningful enhancements—including competitive premiums, stronger cash value potential and greater flexibility.

With Americans living longer,1 Securian is also challenging financial professionals to rethink traditional assumptions about life expectancy and consider whether the life insurance protection they recommend is designed to last as long as their clients may need it.

“Life expectancy has evolved, and the way we help clients plan needs to evolve with it,” said Ben Roth, Securian Financial head of life & annuity product development. “Permanent life insurance is often purchased with a very long-term objective—to provide protection and ultimately leave a legacy. If that’s the goal, financial professionals should ask themselves a simple question: Is the protection strategy guaranteed to last as long as the client might? We believe securing a no-lapse guarantee to age 100 and beyond leads to a better planning conversation and offers clients peace of mind that they should not be dealing with a potential coverage lapse when they’re least able and prepared to do so.”

Evolved for performance, protection and value

When Securian launched the original VUL Defender in 2015, the product was built around a straight-forward proposition: providing one of the most competitive guaranteed death benefits in the market. The evolved VUL Defender maintains and builds on that foundation. The enhanced product offers:

  • Competitive protection. Competitive premiums and no-lapse guarantee protection to age 100 and beyond help clients protect what matters today and prepare for the future. The optional No-Lapse Guarantee Agreement (NLGA) is available for an additional charge.
  • Strong performance potential. Enhanced cash value potential and more than 75 allocation options with no investment allocation restrictions when adding the NLGA provide broad investment choice and opportunities for long-term growth.
  • Built-in flexibility. Growth potential for evolving needs and optional protection for terminal illness, chronic illness and long-term care means VUL Defender is built to adapt to life’s changes.
  • Enhanced service experience. VUL Defender is backed by enhanced underwriting, digital capabilities and ongoing service improvements designed to make doing business easier for financial professionals and their clients.

“VUL Defender has always been about protection,” Roth said. “The evolution of VUL Defender takes that promise further—with stronger long-term value, greater flexibility and an experience built around how financial professionals and clients want to do business today. It is protection built for performance and for longer lives.”

Broker-dealers interested in learning more about the enhancements to VUL Defender can call the Securian Financial life insurance sales team at 1-877-696-6654. Independent brokerage can call 1-888-413-7860, option 1.

FOR USE IN ALL STATES AND THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA EXCEPT CA, CT, GA, NV, OR AND WY.

About Securian Financial

To be confident in your financial future, you need to trust the strength and commitment of the companies you choose to work with. For more than 145 years, the Securian Financial family of companies has been developing innovative insurance and retirement solutions to meet the evolving needs of individuals, families and businesses. Offered through partnerships with employers, financial professionals and affinity groups, our products help bring peace of mind to more than 23 million customers throughout the United States and Canada. We are trusted by our partners and customers to fulfill our purpose of helping to build secure tomorrows. For more information about Securian Financial, visit securian.com or follow us on Facebook, Instagram or LinkedIn.

Contact Info

Jeff Bakken

Media Relations

  1. National Center for Health Statistics, “Mortality in the United States, 2024,” NCHS Data Brief No. 548, January 2026.

Please keep in mind that the primary reason to purchase a life insurance product is the death benefit.

Product features and availability may vary by state.

Variable life insurance products contain fees, such as mortality and expense charges, and may contain restrictions, such as surrender periods. There may also be underlying fund charges and expenses, and additional charges for riders that customize a policy to fit individual needs. Charges and expenses may increase over time. The variable investment options are subject to market risk, including loss of principal.

Insurance policy guarantees are subject to the financial strength and claims paying ability of the issuing insurance company.

Administrative and insurance charges (which may increase over time) are deducted every month regardless of whether premium outlays are made. Depending upon actual policy experience, the owner may need to increase premium payments. Any policy loans and partial surrenders will affect policy values and may require additional premiums to avoid policy termination.

The No Lapse Guarantee Agreement (NLGA) value has no impact on your policy’s cash value and cannot be surrendered or loaned against. If there is no accumulation value and the NLGA value, less the sum of any policy loans and any unpaid policy loan interest, is insufficient to cover the charges against the NLGA value, a 61-day grace period begins. If the required amount to keep the product in force is not paid by the end of the grace period, this agreement and the policy will terminate.

The no lapse guarantee is subject to the terms and conditions contained in the policy and may not be in effect even if premium payments are made. Please review the policy carefully.

Long-term care insurance may cover care such as nursing care, home and community-based care, and informal care. Please ensure that you consult a tax advisor regarding long-term care benefit payments, or when taking a loan or withdrawal from a life insurance contract.

This must be preceded or accompanied by a current prospectus. You should consider the investment objectives, risks, charges and expense of a portfolio and the variable insurance product carefully before investing. The portfolio and variable insurance product prospectuses contain this and other information. A prospectus may be obtained on Securian.com. Please read the prospectuses carefully before investing.

Insurance products are issued by Minnesota Life Insurance Company in all states except New York. In New York, products are issued by Securian Life Insurance Company, a New York authorized insurer. Minnesota Life is not an authorized New York insurer and does not do insurance business in New York. Both companies are

headquartered in St. Paul, MN. Product availability and features may vary by state. Each insurer is solely responsible for the financial obligations under the policies or contracts it issues. Securities are distributed by Securian Financial Services, Inc., member FINRA. 400 Robert Street North, St. Paul, MN 55101-2098.

Securian Financial is the marketing name for Securian Financial Group, Inc., and its subsidiaries. Minnesota Life Insurance Company and Securian Life Insurance Company are subsidiaries of Securian Financial Group, Inc.

Policy form numbers: ICC18-20149, 18-20149 and any state variations, ICC18-20151, 18-20151 and any state variations.

DOFU 10-2026

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