The Hartford Launches New Target Retirement Funds to Help Boomers with Planning Needs

SIMSBURY, Conn., Oct. 5 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Part of planning for retirement involves choosing a target, often years in advance, designed to help meet savings and investment goals in the future. Helping investors aim for that target with a wide range of retirement products, The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. announced today that it has launched The Hartford Target Retirement Funds.

Changes to America's demographic makeup clearly make the case for more choice in the retirement investment market. With over 77 million Baby Boomers near retirement and facing investment and income management challenges, The Hartford is focused on providing the right high quality investment products to help them meet this challenge. The Hartford Mutual Funds family now offers 48 retail mutual funds, spanning both equity and fixed income investments, and has grown to over $25 billion in assets as of June 30, 2005.

The new retirement funds joining The Hartford's fund family are The Hartford Target Retirement 2010 Fund, The Hartford Target Retirement 2020 Fund, The Hartford Target Retirement 2030 Fund and The Hartford Retirement Income Fund.

Hartford Investment Management Company will be the sub-adviser for the Target Retirement Funds. Ibbotson Associates, a recognized expert in asset allocation, will be utilized as a consultant. Each Target Retirement Fund is a diversified fund-of-funds, designed for investors who expect to retire in or near the fund's target year. Each target-date fund is actively managed, so that over time, as the fund approaches its target year, the portfolio allocation will become more conservative by increasing its allocation to fixed income funds.

"Our most recent survey of investors showed that their main concerns were making sure they did not outlive assets, followed by putting together a balanced portfolio and choosing investments that perform well. The Hartford's new retirement funds will help investors achieve these important goals," said Mary Jane Fortin, senior vice president of mutual funds and 529 programs.

The launch of the three new Target Retirement Funds is accompanied by another important product announcement from The Hartford Mutual Funds. In addition to the Target Retirement Funds, The Hartford is launching The Hartford Select SmallCap Growth Fund which will employ the same multi-manager approach as The Hartford Select MidCap Value Fund and The Hartford Select MidCap Growth Fund which were launched earlier this year. This fund will be sub-advised by Jennison Associates, LLC and Oberweis Asset Management, Inc., both recognized leaders in small company portfolio management. This fund seeks to invest the majority of its assets in common stocks of small- capitalization companies.

The Hartford is one of the largest financial services and insurance companies in the U.S., with worldwide revenues of $22.7 billion in 2004. The company is a leading provider of investment products; life insurance and group benefits; automobile and homeowners' products; and business property-casualty insurance. International operations are located in Canada, Japan, Brazil and the United Kingdom.

"The Hartford" is The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. and its subsidiaries, including issuing companies such as Hartford Life Insurance Company and Hartford Life and Annuity Insurance Company in the United States and Hartford Life Insurance K.K. in Japan.

Some of the statements in this release should be considered forward- looking statements as defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These include statements about our future results of operations. The Hartford cautions investors that these forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance, and actual results may differ materially. Investors should consider the important risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ. These important risks and uncertainties include those discussed in The Hartford's Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, The Hartford's 2004 Annual Report on Form 10-K and the other filings The Hartford makes with the Securities and Exchange Commission. We assume no obligation to update this release, which speaks as of the date issued.

You should carefully consider the investment objectives, risks, charges and expenses of The Hartford Mutual Funds before investing. This and other information can be found in the funds' prospectus which can be obtained from your investment representative or by calling 888-843-7824. Please read it carefully before you invest or send money. The Hartford Mutual Funds are underwritten and distributed by Hartford Investment Financial Services, LLC.

Ibbotson Associates was hired by HIFSCO as a consultant. Ibbotson Associates is not a sub-advisor to The Hartford Target Retirement Funds, nor to any underlying Hartford Mutual Funds. Target Retirement Funds do not assure or guarantee better performance and cannot eliminate the risk of investment loss. The Hartford Target Retirement Funds do not take the place of a comprehensive financial analysis. The risk of investing in each of The Hartford Target Retirement Funds is a reflection of the risks of investing in the underlying funds in which that Target Retirement Fund invests. Therefore, it is important that you carefully read the sections of the prospectus for each Underlying Fund.

Mid-cap stocks generally have higher risk characteristics than larger company stocks. Small-cap stocks generally have higher risk characteristics than larger company stocks.

Contact(s): Thomasin Mullen Timothy Benedict 860-843-5878 860-843-5150 thomasin.mullen@hartfordlife.com timothy.benedict@hartfordlife.com