Voya Financial, Inc. (VOYA)

Item 2.    Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations

For the purposes of this discussion, the terms "Voya," "the Company," "we," "our," and "us" refer to Voya Financial, Inc. and its subsidiaries.

The following discussion and analysis presents a review of our condensed consolidated results of operations for the three and six months ended June 30, 2026 and 2025 and financial condition as of June 30, 2026 and December 31, 2025. This item should be read in its entirety and in conjunction with the Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements and related notes contained in Part I, Item 1. of this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, as well as Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations ("MD&A") section contained in our Annual Report on Form 10-K.

In addition to historical data, this discussion contains forward-looking statements about our business, operations and financial performance based on current expectations that involve risks, uncertainties and assumptions. Actual results may differ materially from those discussed in the forward-looking statements as a result of various factors. See the Note Concerning Forward-Looking Statements.

Overview

We are a leading provider of workplace benefits and savings solutions and technologies to U.S. employers, enabling better financial outcomes for their employees and for those who depend on their employees through our retirement solutions, retail wealth services, and a comprehensive portfolio of benefits products. We are also a leading international asset manager, built on a foundation of institutional-quality fixed income and private asset strategies, with a well-established presence in U.S. markets and a large and growing business managing retail and institutional equity, fixed income and blended strategies for clients in Europe and Asia.

We are focused on executing our mission to make a secure financial future possible—one person, one family and one institution at a time. Voya’s scale, business mix, risk profile, and strong excess capital generation are competitive differentiators, and we have a clear path to increasing excess capital generation and Adjusted operating earnings growth via net revenue growth, margin expansion, and disciplined capital management.

We provide products and services through three segments: Retirement, Investment Management and Employee Benefits.

Retirement

Our Retirement segment provides retirement plan solutions and administration technology and services to employers. These products and services include full-service and recordkeeping-only defined contribution plan administration, stable value and fixed general account investment products, and non-qualified plan administration. It also includes tools, guidance, and services to promote the financial well-being and retirement security of employees. Additionally, we provide individual retirement accounts and financial guidance and advisory services that enables us to deepen relationships with our retirement plan participants.

Revenue is earned from a diverse and complementary business mix and consists primarily of fee and investment income. Fee income is generated from asset-based and participant-based administrative, recordkeeping and advisory fees. Investment income derives from our general account assets and other funds. Because a significant portion of our revenues is tied to account values, our profitability is determined in part by the amount of assets we have under management, administration or advisement. This in turn depends on sales volumes from new and existing clients, net deposits from retirement plan participants, asset retention, and changes in the market value of account assets. Our profitability also depends on the difference between the investment income we earn on our general account assets, or our portfolio yield, and crediting rates on client accounts.

Investment Management

With global distribution capabilities, we offer domestic and international fixed income, equity, alternatives and multi-asset products and solutions across market sectors and investment styles through our actively managed, full-service investment management business. We aim to provide positive investment results that are repeatable and consistent, and deliver research-driven, risk-adjusted, client-oriented investment strategies and solutions and advisory services across asset classes, geographies and investment styles.

Through our institutional distribution channel and our Retirement and Employee Benefits businesses, we serve a variety of institutional clients, including public, corporate and multiemployer defined benefit and defined contribution retirement plans,

Table of Contents

endowments and foundations, and insurance companies. We are a market leader in providing third-party general account management services to insurance companies, with a focus on public and private fixed income asset strategies, and a client service model adapted for the particular needs of insurance company clients. We also serve individual investors by offering our mutual funds, separately managed accounts, and private and alternative funds through an intermediary-focused distribution platform or through affiliate and third-party retirement platforms. Our scaled and growing international retail business is conducted through sub-advisory agreements with investment vehicles sponsored by affiliates of AllianzGI and distributed in Europe and Asia.

Investment Management’s primary source of revenue is management fees collected on the assets we manage. These fees are typically based on a percentage of AUM. In certain investment management fee arrangements, we may also receive performance-based incentive fees when the return on AUM exceeds certain benchmark returns or other performance hurdles. In addition, and to a lesser extent, Investment Management collects administrative fees on outside managed assets that are administered by our mutual fund platform and distributed primarily by our Retirement segment. Investment Management also receives fees as the primary investment manager of our general account, which is managed on a market-based pricing basis. Finally, Investment Management generates revenues from a portfolio of seed capital investments in private equity, collateralized loan obligations and various funds.

Employee Benefits

Our Employee Benefits segment provides workplace employee benefits including group life insurance, disability insurance, leave management services, supplemental benefit insurance, financial wellness, and decision support products and services to mid-size and large corporate employers and professional associations. We serve the employer market by providing stop-loss coverage to employer plan sponsors that self-fund their pharmaceutical and medical benefits plans. In addition, we provide Health Account Solutions (Health Savings Account ("HSA")/Flexible Spending Account ("FSA")/Health Reimbursement Arrangements ("HRA") and COBRA administration).

Our Employee Benefits segment also provides benefits and plan administration services to employers and health plans through our Benefitfocus business. Benefitfocus provides market-leading benefits enrollment and administration services to employers and plan enrollment services to health plans. It also provides a benefits marketplace through which employees can select and enroll in voluntary benefits offered by their employers. Our Benefitfocus platform is open-architecture and product-agnostic, enrolling and administering benefits from a variety of third-party carriers.

In addition, we also provide decision support tools through the Benefitfocus enrollment platform and through our MyVoyage application, which provides a comprehensive guidance tool for employees to see their entire financial picture including their workplace benefits and savings. We support employers by taking on the administrative burden of benefits enrollment and administration, leave management, COBRA administration, and other obligations.

The Employee Benefits segment generates revenue from premiums and fees, investment income, mortality and morbidity income, and policy and other charges. Underwriting income comprises the majority of revenues in this segment and derives from the difference between premiums and mortality charges collected and benefits and expenses paid for group life, stop-loss and voluntary benefits. Fee income is generated from services provided on benefits administration, leave management, HSA/FSA/HRA and COBRA administration and proprietary decision support tools. Investment income is driven by the spread between investment yields and credited rates (the interest and income that is credited to the policies) to policyholders on voluntary universal life, whole life products, and HSA invested assets, as well as the spread earned on policyholder reserves and target surplus.

Business Update

On January 2, 2025, we completed the acquisition of the full-service retirement plan business of OneAmerica Financial through the purchase of legal entities and an indemnity reinsurance agreement. The acquisition adds scale and a broader set of capabilities to our full-service business in Retirement, including incremental assets in emerging and mid-market segments, employee stock ownership plan capabilities and new distribution partnerships. The purchase consideration included $50 million in cash paid at closing and contingent consideration based on plan persistency and transition incentives. During the first quarter of 2026, we paid $129 million of contingent consideration, with up to $20 million remaining payable later in 2026 based on the achievement of transition services incentives.

Table of Contents

Operating Measures

In this MD&A, we discuss Adjusted operating earnings before income taxes and Adjusted operating revenues, each of which is a measure used by management to evaluate segment performance. For additional information on each measure, see Note 9, Segments to our Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements in Part I, Item 1. of this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q.

Assets Under Management ("AUM") and Assets Under Advisement ("AUA")

The following table presents AUM and AUA as of the dates indicated:

(1) Includes eliminations for AUM and AUA in our Retirement and Employee Benefits segments that are managed by our Investment Management segment and also reported in their AUM and AUA.

(2) Includes AUM and AUA related to the divested businesses managed by our Investment Management segment.

Table of Contents

Results of Operations - Consolidated

The following table presents our Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations for the periods indicated:

[Excerpt truncated for page length; source filing is linked above.]

Item 7.     Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations

For the purposes of this discussion, the terms "Voya," "the Company," "we," "our," and "us" refer to Voya Financial, Inc. and its subsidiaries.

The following discussion and analysis presents a review of our results of operations for the years ended December 31, 2025 and 2024, and financial condition as of December 31, 2025 and 2024. This item should be read in its entirety and in conjunction with the Consolidated Financial Statements and related notes contained in Part II, Item 8. of this Annual Report on Form 10-K. For discussion and analysis of our results of operations for the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023, refer to our 2024 Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the SEC on February 21, 2025.

In addition to historical data, this discussion contains forward-looking statements about our business, operations and financial performance based on current expectations that involve risks, uncertainties and assumptions. Actual results may differ materially from those discussed in the forward-looking statements as a result of various factors. See the Note Concerning Forward-Looking Statements.

Overview

We are a leading provider of workplace benefits and savings solutions and technologies to U.S. employers, enabling better financial outcomes for their employees and for those who depend on their employees through our retirement solutions, retail wealth services, and a comprehensive portfolio of benefits products. We are also a leading international asset manager, built on a foundation of institutional-quality fixed income and private asset strategies, with a well-established presence in U.S. markets

Table of Contents

and a large and growing business managing retail and institutional equity, fixed income and blended strategies for clients in Europe and Asia.

We have returned approximately $380 million of capital to our shareholders through share repurchases and dividends and generated excess capital of approximately $775 million during 2025, while making strategic investments in our Retirement, Investment Management and Employee Benefits businesses.

We are focused on executing our mission to make a secure financial future possible—one person, one family and one institution at a time. Voya’s scale, business mix, risk profile, and strong excess capital generation are competitive differentiators, and we have a clear path to increasing excess capital generation and Adjusted operating earnings growth via net revenue growth, margin expansion, and disciplined capital management.

On August 5, 2025, we announced we would return to using our prior segment names — Retirement and Employee Benefits, replacing Wealth Solutions and Health Solutions, respectively. The naming convention better reflects and aligns with the services and solutions we provide today in the client markets served by those segments. The change in names did not affect the amounts reported by segment in our financial statements. We will continue to provide our products and services through three segments: Retirement, Investment Management and Employee Benefits.

Retirement

Our Retirement segment provides retirement plan solutions and administration technology and services to employers. These products and services include full-service and recordkeeping-only defined contribution plan administration, stable value and fixed general account investment products, and non-qualified plan administration. It also includes tools, guidance, and services to promote the financial well-being and retirement security of employees. Additionally, we provide individual retirement accounts and financial guidance and advisory services that enables us to deepen relationships with our retirement plan participants.

Revenue is earned from a diverse and complementary business mix and consists primarily of fee and investment income. Fee income is generated from asset based and participant based administrative, recordkeeping and advisory fees. Investment income derives from our general account assets and other funds. Because a significant portion of our revenues is tied to account values, our profitability is determined in part by the amount of assets we have under management, administration or advisement. This in turn depends on sales volumes from new and existing clients, net deposits from retirement plan participants, asset retention, and changes in the market value of account assets. Our profitability also depends on the difference between the investment income we earn on our general account assets, or our portfolio yield, and crediting rates on client accounts.

Investment Management

With global distribution capabilities, we offer domestic and international fixed income, equity, alternatives and multi-asset products and solutions across market sectors and investment styles through our actively managed, full-service investment management business. We aim to provide positive investment results that are repeatable and consistent, and deliver research-driven, risk-adjusted, client-oriented investment strategies and solutions and advisory services across asset classes, geographies and investment styles.

Through our institutional distribution channel and our Retirement and Employee Benefits businesses, we serve a variety of institutional clients, including public, corporate and multiemployer defined benefit and defined contribution retirement plans, endowments and foundations, and insurance companies. We are a market leader in providing third-party general account management services to insurance companies, with a focus on public and private fixed income asset strategies, and a client service model adapted for the particular needs of insurance company clients. We also serve individual investors by offering our mutual funds, separately managed accounts, and private and alternative funds through an intermediary-focused distribution platform or through affiliate and third-party retirement platforms. Our scaled and growing international retail business is conducted through sub-advisory agreements with investment vehicles sponsored by affiliates of AllianzGI and distributed in Europe and Asia.

Investment Management’s primary source of revenue is management fees collected on the assets we manage. These fees are typically based on a percentage of AUM. In certain investment management fee arrangements, we may also receive performance-based incentive fees when the return on AUM exceeds certain benchmark returns or other performance hurdles. In addition, and to a lesser extent, Investment Management collects administrative fees on outside managed assets that are administered by our mutual fund platform and distributed primarily by our Retirement segment. Investment Management also receives fees as the primary investment manager of our general account, which is managed on a market-based pricing basis.

Table of Contents

Finally, Investment Management generates revenues from a portfolio of seed capital investments in private equity, collateralized loan obligations and various funds.

Employee Benefits

Our Employee Benefits segment provides workplace employee benefits including group life insurance, disability insurance, leave management services, supplemental benefit insurance, financial wellness, and decision support products and services to mid-size and large corporate employers and professional associations. We serve the employer market by providing stop-loss coverage to employer plan sponsors that self-fund their pharmaceutical and medical benefits plans. In addition, we provide Health Account Solutions (Health Savings Account ("HSA")/Flexible Spending Account ("FSA")/Health Reimbursement Arrangements ("HRA") and COBRA administration).

Our Employee Benefits segment also provides benefits and plan administration services to employers and health plans through our Benefitfocus business. Benefitfocus provides market-leading benefits enrollment and administration services to employers and plan enrollment services to health plans. It also provides a benefits marketplace through which employees can select and enroll in voluntary benefits offered by their employers. Our Benefitfocus platform is open-architecture and product-agnostic, enrolling and administering benefits from a variety of third-party carriers.

In addition, we also provide decision support tools through the Benefitfocus enrollment platform and through our MyVoyage application, which provides a comprehensive guidance tool for employees to see their entire financial picture including their workplace benefits and savings. We support employers by taking on the administrative burden of benefits enrollment and administration, leave management, COBRA administration, and other obligations.

The Employee Benefits segment generates revenue from premiums and fees, investment income, mortality and morbidity income, and policy and other charges. Underwriting income comprises the majority of revenues in this segment and derives from the difference between premiums and mortality charges collected and benefits and expenses paid for group life, stop loss and voluntary benefits. Fee income is generated from services provided on benefits administration, leave management, HSA/FSA/HRA and COBRA administration and proprietary decision support tools. Investment income is driven by the spread between investment yields and credited rates (the interest and income that is credited to the policies) to policyholders on voluntary universal life, whole life products, and HSA invested assets, as well as the spread earned on policyholder reserves and target surplus.

Business Update

On January 2, 2025, we completed the acquisition of the full-service retirement plan business of OneAmerica Financial through the purchase of legal entities and an indemnity reinsurance agreement. The acquisition adds scale and a broader set of capabilities to the Company's full-service business in Retirement, including incremental assets in emerging and mid-market segments, employee stock ownership plan capabilities, and new distribution partnerships. The purchase consideration included $50 million in cash paid at closing and contingent consideration of up to $160 million based on plan persistency and transition incentives to be paid in 2026.

Trends and Uncertainties

Throughout this Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations ("MD&A"), we discuss a number of trends and uncertainties that we believe may materially affect our future liquidity, financial condition or results of operations. Where these trends or uncertainties are specific to a particular aspect of our business, we often include such a discussion under the relevant caption of this MD&A, as part of our broader analysis of that area of our business. In addition, the following factors represent some of the key general trends and uncertainties that have influenced the development of our business and our historical financial performance and that we believe will continue to influence our continuing business operations and financial performance in the future.

Market Conditions

Extraordinary monetary accommodation to support a global economy negatively impacted by the pandemic is being unwound. Inflationary pressures related to easing monetary and fiscal policies, stagflationary, and global supply chain frictions, have been addressed by sharply tighter monetary policy. As the continued impact of sharply tighter global monetary policy works through the real economy, an increase in market volatility could affect our business, including through effects on the rate and spread component of yields we earn on invested assets, changes in required reserves and capital, and fluctuations in the value of our AUM and AUA. These effects could be e

[Excerpt truncated for page length; the complete text is on the linked full-MD&A page.]