Insurance
Home›Insurance›Industry & Deals›The Standard expands retirement plan sales team with t…
The Standard expands retirement plan sales team with two hires
The appointments include a national role aimed at retirement plans with $10 million or more in assets.
The Standard Insurance Company has appointed Tony McMasters as a regional vice president for retirement plans in eastern Pennsylvania and James Schugel as a national sales consultant for finalist and deal strategy, expanding the insurer's retirement plan sales team at both regional and national levels, according to Insurance Business.
McMasters will work with advisors, plan sponsors, and third-party administrators in eastern Pennsylvania. He brings more than 35 years of experience from his most recent role as regional vice president at Voya Financial, along with FINRA Series 6 and 63 licenses, and backgrounds in retirement plan sales and benefits consulting.
Schugel’s role will focus on larger retirement plan prospects with $10 million or more in assets, supporting finalist presentations, online demonstrations, and product positioning during the sales process for advisors and clients in that segment. Before joining The Standard, he worked as a senior product and solutions consultant at Lincoln Financial, and has 11 years of financial services and retirement industry experience.
The hires come as demand for retirement income products continues to rise. Insurance Business notes that US annuity sales totaled $107.4 billion in the first quarter of 2026, up 1.0% year over year, and that LIMRA linked the sustained growth to demographic pressure, with more than four million Americans turning 65 annually and many lacking pension coverage.