The Guardian Life Insurance Company of America (Guardian), one of the nation's largest mutual life insurers and a leading provider of employee benefits, today announced it hired 892 Financial Representatives in 2013, the second highest recruiting year in its 153-year history. This is the fourth consecutive year Guardian exceeded its corporate recruitment goal. For more than a decade, Guardian's Financial Representatives' retention rate has been over twice the industry average.*

"Guardian's consistent track record in attracting and retaining talented financial professionals is a testament to our ability to offer individuals the support, training, and skill-building necessary to create a meaningful career," said Kevin Benjamin, Vice President, Career Agency Distribution at Guardian. "Our unique compensation structure is centered on client satisfaction and incentivizes financial professionals for their ongoing commitment to the company. We continue to actively seek individuals with a strong entrepreneurial spirit and a desire to make a positive impact on people's lives."

Guardian made a concerted effort to attract more women financial representatives to the firm in 2013. Female recruits accounted for almost a quarter of new hires during the fourth quarter and there continues to be increasing interest in financial sales careers among professional women. To support these efforts, Guardian launched a new community page on Facebook called be meaningful TM focused on female career changers and connecters. The forum is intended to help professional women access the right tools and advice, find mentors (or mentees) working in the financial industry and connect with like-minded individuals.

"As women are increasingly the primary financial decision makers for their families, Guardian's focus on building gender diversity in our field force is a business imperative," said Emily Viner, Vice President, Agency Management and Leadership Development at Guardian. "In order to best serve our clients we need to ensure our financial professionals represent the full range of who they are."

For more information about becoming a Financial Representative, visit the Guardian Life website, http://careers.guardianlife.com/

* Based on companies with more than 2,000 full time agents. Source: LIMRA's Agent Production and Retention Report 2012 (published October 2013).

About Guardian

A mutual insurer founded in 1860, The Guardian Life Insurance Company of America (Guardian) and its subsidiaries are committed to protecting individuals, business owners and their employees with life, disability income and dental insurance products, and offer funding vehicles for 401(k) plans, annuities and other financial products. Guardian operates one of the largest dental networks in the United States, and protects more than six million employees and their families at 115,000 companies. The company has approximately 5,000 employees in the United States and a network of over 3,000 financial representatives in more than 80 agencies nationwide.

For more information about Guardian, please visit www.GuardianLife.com.

The Guardian Life Insurance Company of America
Jeanette Volpi, 212-919-2188
Jeanette_volpi@glic.com