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UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM 10-K

ANNUAL REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE

SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2003

Commission file number: 1-14603

THE MONY GROUP INC.

(Exact name of Registrant as specified in its charter)

1740 Broadway

New York, New York 10019

(212) 708-2000

(Address, including zip code, and telephone number, including area code, of Registrant’s principal executive offices)

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:

Securities Registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act: None

Indicate by check mark whether the Registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the Registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days.    Yes   x     No   ¨

Indicate by check mark if disclosure of delinquent filers pursuant to Item 405 of Regulation S-K is not contained herein, and will not be contained, to the best of Registrant’s knowledge, in definitive proxy or information statements incorporated by reference in Part III of this Form 10-K or any amendment to this Form 10-K.   ¨

Indicate by check mark whether the Registrant is an accelerated filer (as defined in Exchange Act Rule 12b-2).    Yes   x     No   ¨

The aggregate market value of the Registrant’s voting and non-voting common equity held by non-affiliates of the Registrant as of June 30, 2003 (the last business day of the Registrant’s most recently completed second fiscal quarter) was approximately $1,247,000,000. All executive officers of the Registrant have been deemed to be “affiliates” of the Registrant solely for the purpose of the foregoing calculation.

As of March 8, 2004 there were outstanding 50,130,782 shares of Common Stock, $0.01 par value per share, of the Registrant.

Documents Incorporated by Reference: Portions of the Registrant’s proxy statement for the Registrant’s 2004 Annual Meeting of Shareholders are incorporated by reference in Part III of this Form 10-K.

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Forward-Looking Statements

The Company’s management has made in this report, and from time to time may make in its public filings and press releases as well as in oral presentations and discussions, forward-looking statements concerning the Company’s operations, economic performance, prospects and financial condition. Forward-looking statements include, among other things, discussions concerning the Company’s potential exposure to market risks, as well as statements expressing management’s expectations, beliefs, estimates, forecasts, projections and assumptions. The Company claims the protection afforded by the safe harbor for forward-looking statements as set forth in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements are subject to many risks and uncertainties. Actual results could differ materially from those anticipated by forward-looking statements due to a number of important factors including the following: satisfaction of the closing conditions set forth in the merger agreement among AXA Financial, Inc., AIMA Acquisition Co. and The MONY Group Inc., including the approval of The MONY Group Inc’s shareholders and regulatory approvals; a significant delay in the expected completion of, or failure to complete, the contemplated merger; the Company could experience losses, including venture capital losses; the Company could be subjected to further downgrades by rating agencies of the Company’s senior debt ratings and the claims-paying and financial-strength ratings of the Company’s insurance subsidiaries; the Company could be required to take a goodwill impairment charge relating to its investment in The Advest Group, Inc. if the market deteriorates; recent improvements in the equities markets may not be sustained into the future; the Company could have to accelerate amortization of deferred policy acquisition costs if market conditions deteriorate; the Company may be required to recognize in its earnings “other than temporary impairment” charges on its invested assets if market conditions and/or the issuer’s financial condition deteriorates; the Company could have to write off investments in certain securities if the issuers’ financial condition deteriorates; recent improvements in the equity markets may not be sustained in the future; actual death-claim experience could differ from the Company’s mortality assumptions; the Company could have liability from as-yet-unknown litigation and claims; larger settlements or judgments than the Company anticipates could result in pending cases due to unforeseen developments; and changes in laws, including tax laws, could affect the demand for the Company’s products. The Company does not undertake to update or revise any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise.

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PART I

Organization and Business

The MONY Group Inc. (the “MONY Group”), through its subsidiaries (MONY Group and its subsidiaries are collectively referred to herein as the “Company”), provides life insurance, annuities, corporate-owned and bank-owned life insurance (COLI and BOLI), mutual funds, securities brokerage, securities trading, asset management, business and estate planning, trust, and investment banking products and services. The Company distributes its products and services through Retail and Wholesale distribution channels. The Company’s Retail distribution channels are comprised of (i) the career agency sales force operated by its principal life insurance operating subsidiary and (ii) financial advisors and account executives of its securities broker dealer subsidiaries. The Company’s Wholesale channel is comprised of (i) MONY Partners, a division of MONY Life Insurance Company, (ii) independent third party insurance brokerage general agencies and securities broker dealers and (iii) its corporate marketing team which markets COLI and BOLI products. For the year ended December 31, 2003, Retail distribution accounted for approximately 17.6%, and 42.6% of sales of protection and accumulation products, respectively, and 100.0% of retail brokerage and investment banking revenues, while Wholesale distribution accounted for 82.4% and 57.4% of sales of protection and accumulation products, respectively. The Company principally sells its products in all 50 of the United States, the District of Columbia, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, and currently insures or provides other financial products and services to more than one million individuals.

MONY Group’s principal operating subsidiaries are MONY Life Insurance Company (“MONY Life”), formerly known as The Mutual Life Insurance Company of New York, and The Advest Group, Inc. (“Advest”). MONY Life’s principal wholly owned direct and indirect operating subsidiaries include: (i) MONY Life Insurance Company of America (“MLOA”), an Arizona domiciled life insurance company, (ii) Enterprise Capital Management (“Enterprise”), a distributor of both proprietary and non-proprietary mutual funds, (iii) U.S. Financial Life Insurance Company (“USFL”), an Ohio domiciled insurer underwriting specialty risk life insurance business, (iv) MONY Securities Corporation (“MSC”), a registered securities broker-dealer and investment advisor whose products and services are distributed through MONY Life’s career agency sales force, (v) MONY Brokerage, Inc., a licensed insurance broker, which principally provides MONY Life’s career agency sales force with access to life, annuity, small group health, and specialty insurance products written by other insurance companies so they can more fully meet the insurance and investment needs of their customers, (vi) MONY Consultoria e Corretagem de Seguros Ltda., a Brazilian domiciled insurance brokerage subsidiary, which principally provides insurance brokerage services to unaffiliated third party insurance companies in Brazil, (vii) MONY Bank & Trust Company of the Americas, Ltd. (“MBT”), a Cayman Islands bank and trust company, which provides investment and trust services to nationals of certain Latin American countries, and (viii) MONY Life Insurance Company of the Americas, Ltd. (“MLICA”), a Cayman Islands based insurance company, which provides life insurance and annuity products to nationals of certain Latin American countries. Advest, through its principal operating subsidiaries, Advest, Inc., a securities broker-dealer, Advest Trust Company, a federal savings bank, and Boston Advisors, Inc. (“Boston Advisors”), a registered investment advisory firm, provides diversified financial services including securities brokerage, securities trading, investment banking, trust, and asset management services.

On February 27, 2002, MONY Group formed MONY Holdings, LLC (“MONY Holdings”) as a downstream, wholly owned, holding company of MONY Group. MONY Group formed MONY Holdings for the purpose of issuing debt tied to the performance of the Closed Block Business (see Notes 1 and 21 to the Consolidated Financial Statements) within MONY Life. On April 30, 2002, MONY Holdings commenced its operations and, through a structured financing tied to the performance of the Closed Block Business within MONY Life, issued $300.0 million of floating rate insured debt securities (the “Insured Notes”) in a private placement. In addition, MONY Group, pursuant to the terms of the structured financing, transferred all of its ownership interest in MONY Life to MONY Holdings. Other than activities related to servicing the Insured Notes in accordance with the note indenture and its ownership interest in MONY Life, MONY Holdings has no operations and engages in no other activities.

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Proceeds to MONY Holdings from the issuance of the Insured Notes, after all offering and other related expenses, were approximately $292.6 million. Of this amount, $60.0 million was deposited in a debt service coverage account (the “DSCA”), pursuant to the terms of the note indenture, to provide collateral for the payment of interest and principal on the Insured Notes and the balance of approximately $232.6 million was distributed to the MONY Group in the form of a dividend. The Insured Notes mature on January 21, 2017. The Insured Notes pay interest only through January 21, 2008 at which time principal payments will begin to be made pursuant to an amortization schedule. Interest on the Insured Notes is payable quarterly at an annual rate equal to three month LIBOR plus 0.55%. Concurrent with the issuance of the Insured Notes, MONY Holdings entered into an interest rate swap contract (the “Swap”), which locked in a fixed rate of interest on this indebtedness at 6.44%. Including debt issuance costs of $7.4 million and the cost of the insurance policy (75 basis points per annum) (the “Insurance Policy”), which guarantees the scheduled principal and interest payments on the Insured Notes, the all-in cost of the indebtedness is 7.36%. See Note 22 to the Consolidated Financial Statements.

On September 17, 2003, MONY Group entered into an Agreement and Plan of Merger with AXA Financial, Inc. (“AXA Financial”) and AIMA Acquisition Co., which was subsequently amended on February 22, 2004 (hereafter referred to collectively as the “AXA Agreement”), pursuant to which MONY Group will become a wholly owned subsidiary of AXA Financial in a cash transaction valued at approximately $1.5 billion. Under the terms of the AXA Agreement, which has been approved by the boards of directors of AXA Financial and MONY Group, MONY Group’s shareholders will receive $31.00 for each share of MONY Group’s common stock. The acquisition contemplated by the AXA Agreement is subject to various regulatory approvals and other customary conditions, including the approval of MONY Group’s shareholders. A special meeting of MONY Group’s shareholders is scheduled for May 18, 2004 to vote on the proposed acquisition of MONY Group by AXA Financial. The transaction is expected to close in the second quarter of 2004. The MONY Group has announced that it will pay a cash dividend, which was determined in accordance with the AXA Agreement, of approximately $0.33 to $0.35 per share to shareholders who are record holders of the issued and outstanding shares of MONY Group’s common stock immediately prior to the effective time of the merger transaction with AXA Financial. However, the exact per share amount of the dividend will be determined by the total number of issued and outstanding shares of MONY Group’s common stock immediately prior to the effective time of the merger transaction with AXA Financial. This dividend is expressly conditioned on the closing of the merger transaction with AXA Financial. See Notes 2 and 18 to the Consolidated Financial Statements for further information regarding MONY Group’s pending merger transaction with AXA Financial.

Information About Business Segments

For management and reporting purposes, the Company’s business is organized in three principal reportable segments: the “Protection Products” segment, the “Accumulation Products” segment, and the “Retail Brokerage and Investment Banking” segment. Substantially all of the Company’s other business activities are combined and reported in the “Other Products” segment. Certain amounts not allocated to the segments are reported as reconciling items. See Note 9 to the Consolidated Financial Statements. The Company formed the Retail Brokerage and Investment Banking segment in 2001 in connection with its acquisitions of Advest and Matrix Private Equities, Inc and Matrix Capital Markets, Inc. (together, “Matrix”). In addition to these companies, this segment includes the revenues, expenses, assets and liabilities of MSC. In prior years MSC was reported in the Company’s Other Products segment.

Protection Products — —

The Company offers a diverse portfolio of protection products consisting primarily of traditional life insurance, variable universal life insurance (“VUL”) and universal life insurance (“UL”).

The Company’s traditional protection products consist of whole life and term insurance products. The whole life insurance products vary in their level of premiums and guaranteed cash values, providing flexibility to the Company’s primary marketplace of high net worth individuals including small business owners, pre-retirees and

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family builders with varying needs. The Company’s term insurance products include annual renewable term insurance, term insurance providing coverage for a limited number of years and term insurance featuring a level premium for a fixed number of years.

Through USFL, the Company offers term and universal life insurance products designed for the special risk market, focusing on customers with treatable medical conditions. USFL specializes in manufacturing and underwriting life insurance policies for individuals considered special medical risks using its proprietary “Clinical Underwriting” risk evaluation process. USFL primarily distributes its products through brokerage general agencies.

The Company’s VUL product provides all of the premium and death benefit flexibility associated with a UL product type. In addition, it provides the policyholder with the ability to direct the investment of premiums in a wide variety of investment funds with different objectives, including a guaranteed interest account. The Company also offers a regular UL product with interest credits that are based on the Company’s general investment portfolio which is primarily investment grade, fixed interest debt securities.

The Company also offers an Interest Sensitive Whole Life product which is a hybrid product featuring the comparatively higher degree of predictable growth and guarantees associated with a traditional whole life product and the upward growth potential associated with interest credits on new money typical within a UL product.

The Company’s COLI and BOLI products are flexible premium VUL products designed for corporate plan sponsors and banks. These products are specifically designed to have sub-accounts which purchase shares of externally managed mutual funds, as well as proprietary mutual funds available from MONY Life’s MONY Series Fund and Enterprise’s Enterprise Accumulation Trust (“EAT”), or a guaranteed interest account.

Several of the Company’s protection products are designed to meet the needs of customers for estate planning. Survivorship life products insure two lives and provide for the payment of death benefits upon the death of the last surviving insured. A variety of policy riders are available for the Company’s protection products. These riders are designed to provide additional benefits or flexibility at the option of the policyholder. They include riders that permit waiver of premium payments upon the occurrence of a covered disability, pay higher benefits in the event of accidental death, allow the purchase of additional coverage without evidence of insurability and permit the addition of term insurance on either the insured or the insured’s spouse or dependent children.

The following tables present the Protection Products segment sales of life insurance and life insurance in force data for the periods indicated. Management uses this information to measure the Company’s sales production from period to period by product. The amounts presented with respect to life insurance sales represent annualized statutory-basis premiums. See “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations — New Business Information.”

Protection Products Segment Sales

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Life Insurance in Force

Accumulation Products — —

The Company’s annuity products within the Accumulation Products segment focus on the savings and retirement needs of the growing number of individuals who are preparing for retirement or have already retired. The Company offers a variety of accumulation and payout products, such as flexible premium variable annuities (“FPVA”), flexible premium deferred annuities (“FPDA”), single premium immediate annuities (“SPIA”) and proprietary retail mutual funds. The Company’s annuity and mutual fund products offer numerous investment alternatives to meet the customer’s individual investment objectives.

The FPVA is a tax-deferred annuity contract that provides the contract holder with the flexibility to vary payments. In addition, after the annuity’s accumulation period, contract holders have the option to receive a lump sum distribution or elect various other payout options over the life of the annuitant. During the accumulation period, funds may be placed in one or more of the available guaranteed interest accounts or in one of a number of other variable investment options offered through the Company’s separate accounts. The FPDA is a tax-deferred annuity which offers a choice of guaranteed interest periods into which the contract holder can allocate payments into one or more of these periods to fit their time horizon. The SPIA contract provides for a single premium payment that is immediately annuitized to provide the annuitant with a guaranteed level income for life.

Variable annuity contract holders have a range of investment options in which to invest the assets held under their contracts. Currently, these options are comprised of two proprietary fund families and fourteen non-proprietary fund families consisting of 15 and 34 different investment options (or mutual funds), respectively, with a wide array of investment objectives. As of December 31, 2003, proprietary and non-proprietary funds accounted for approximately 73% and 27%, respectively, of variable annuity assets under management.

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By offering a variable annuity with a wide variety of variable investment options and guaranteed interest accounts, the Company believes it has the ability to grow profitably in a variety of market environments. The guaranteed interest account within the Company’s variable annuities are generally more attractive to customers during periods of rising interest rates and/or declining equity securities markets, whereas variable investment options are generally more attractive to customers during periods of market expansion and for customers with a higher risk tolerance. In addition, the Company offers an FPDA product for those customers who want guaranteed interest rates over a variety of guaranteed interest periods.

The Company believes that it benefits from a shift towards separate account variable annuity products, as this reduces the Company’s investment risks and capital requirements because the investment risk in such accounts is borne by the contract holder. The wide array of investment fund options offered through the Company’s separate accounts also permits contract holders to choose more aggressive or conservative investment strategies without affecting the composition and quality of assets in the Company’s general account. The Company believes there will be a continuation in the trend among U.S. employers away from defined benefit plans (under which the employer makes the investment decisions) toward employee-directed defined contribution retirement and savings plans (which allow employees to choose from a variety of investment options), which will benefit its accumulation business. In 2003, 80.4% and 19.6% of the Company’s total annuity sales came from Retail and Wholesale distribution, respectively, compared to 87.0% and 13.0% in 2002.

At December 31, 2003, approximately 96.8% of the Company’s career financial professionals were licensed through MSC to sell variable annuities (with 75.5% having National Association of Securities Dealers (“NASD”) Series 6 licenses and 43.0% having NASD Series 7 licenses).

The following table sets forth the total account value of the principal products offered by the Company in its Accumulation Products segment.

Accumulation Products Segment — Assets Under Management

The Company offers proprietary retail mutual funds through Enterprise. Enterprise is the registered investment advisor of The Enterprise Group of Funds (“EGF”), a mutual fund family that provides investors with a broad range of investment alternatives through 22 separate investment portfolios. In addition, EAT, for which Enterprise is also the registered investment advisor, is the principal funding vehicle for the Company’s variable annuities and VUL insurance products. EAT provides investors with a broad range of investment alternatives through 16 separate investment portfolios. Enterprise is also the registered investment advisor of Enterprise Global Funds plc (“EGF plc”) which is comprised of seven separate investment portfolios. EGF plc represents Enterprise’s overseas arm of investment management services. Altogether, EGF has in excess of $7.0 billion in assets under management. The Company earns investment management fees on the assets managed in connection with both its variable annuities and its proprietary retail mutual funds. In addition, the Company has entered into

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agreements with Fidelity Variable Insurance Products Fund, Janus Aspen Series, Dreyfus Variable Investment Fund, Alger American Fund, Invesco Variable Investment Funds, Inc., Pimco Variable Insurance Trust, Lord Abbett Series Fund, Morgan Stanley — The Universal Institutional Funds, Inc., PBHG Insurance Series Fund and MFS Variable Insurance Trust to provide additional investment choices for the Company’s variable annuities and VUL products. The Company has agreements with T. Rowe Price, The Vanguard Group and Van Eck Worldwide Insurance Trust for its variable COLI product.

The Company offers a variety of proprietary retail mutual funds to retail customers. Enterprise’s wholly owned subsidiary, Enterprise Fund Distributors, Inc., acts as the broker-dealer in distributing shares in EGF through MSC and third-party broker-dealer firms. In addition, Enterprise markets EAT as a funding vehicle for variable product offerings of third-party insurance companies, initially concentrating on small and mid-size insurance companies.

Retail Brokerage and Investment Banking — —

The Retail Brokerage and Investment Banking segment is comprised of the operations of Advest, Matrix and MSC.

Advest is comprised of the following principal operating subsidiaries or divisions: (i) Advest, Inc., (ii) the Lebenthal division of Advest, Inc., formerly Lebenthal & Co., Inc. (“Lebenthal”), and (iii) Boston Advisors. Advest’s principal operating subsidiary, Advest, Inc., a regional broker/dealer, provides securities brokerage, investment banking, institutional sales, trading and asset management services to retail and institutional investors through more than 100 sales offices in 18 states and Washington, DC. Advest, Inc. services more than 183,000 active customer accounts and averaged in excess of 170,000 trades per month in 2003. Advest’s Boston Advisors subsidiary, an investment advisory firm, manages the financial assets of individuals, endowment funds and retirement plans, as well as 12 money funds. Over $1.6 billion of funds designated for investment in money funds by brokerage clients of Advest, Inc. are invested in the funds managed by Boston Advisors. Managed accounts, including the funds of Babson United Investment Advisors, Inc. (“Babson-United”, which was acquired by Boston Advisors in 2002) and Lebenthal Asset Management, Inc. (a division of Advest, Inc.), total $9.4 billion. Advest Inc.’s Advest Trust Company subsidiary, an FDIC-insured, federal savings bank, provides trust and custody services primarily through the branch network of Advest, Inc.

On November 30, 2001, Advest completed the acquisition of Lebenthal, in a merger transaction. Since its founding in 1925, Lebenthal has specialized in the sale of municipal bonds to individual investors. In recent years, Lebenthal has significantly expanded its product offerings to include stocks, mutual funds, annuities, insurance, estate planning, money management, and retirement accounts. Lebenthal’s investment advisory subsidiary, Lebenthal Asset Management, Inc., acts as investment advisor to a family of municipal bond investment companies and private accounts. Effective June 8, 2002, Lebenthal merged with Advest, Inc. and Lebenthal Asset Management, Inc. merged with Boston Advisors.

Matrix is a middle market investment bank specializing in merger and acquisition services. Services offered by Matrix include exclusive sales and divestitures, acquisition searches and buy-side engagements, management buyouts, financial services and valuations.

MSC is a registered securities broker-dealer and investment advisor and a member of NASD. MSC performs brokerage and other investment services relating to a wide range of securities, including mutual funds, stocks, bonds, limited partnership interests (primarily in real estate, oil and gas and equipment leasing) and tax-exempt unit investment trusts. For the years ended December 31, 2003, 2002, and 2001, 22%, 24%, and 37%, respectively, of the investment products sold by MSC were shares in mutual funds in EGF. MSC’s products and services are distributed through registered representatives who belong to the Company’s career agency sales force. MSC transacts business in all 50 of the United States, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. Sales of non-proprietary investment products through MSC were $557.0 million, $312.0 million, and $290.0 million, for the years ended December 31, 2003, 2002 and 2001, respectively.

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Other Products — —

The Company’s Other Products segment primarily consists of MBI and certain lines of insurance business no longer written by the Company (the “Run-Off Businesses”). Through MBI, the Company provides its career agency sales force with access to life, annuity, small group health and specialty insurance products written by other carriers to meet the insurance and investment needs of its customers. MBI is licensed as an insurance broker in Delaware and most other states. The Run-Off Businesses primarily consist of group life and health insurance and the group pension business that was not included in the Group Pension Transaction. See Note 13 to the Consolidated Financial Statements for more information on the Group Pension Transaction.

Financial information with respect to each of the Company’s business segments is included in Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations and in Note 9 to the Consolidated Financial Statements.

Marketing and Distribution

The Company’s marketing strategy focuses on high net worth individuals including small business owners and higher income individuals, particularly family builders and pre-retirees. The Company believes this strategy capitalizes on the Company’s key strengths, namely its wide range of protection, accumulation, securities brokerage, investment planning, and investment banking products and services, as well as its Retail and Wholesale distribution systems.

Retail Distribution — —

The Company actively manages its Retail distribution to ensure that expertise is properly leveraged across the organization so that customers’ needs can be optimally managed. Following is a brief overview of the Company’s Retail distribution channel.

Career Agency System

The Company believes that its career agency system provides a competitive advantage in the marketplace. Distribution through career financial professionals allows the Company to establish closer relationships with customers than is typical of insurers using third party brokers, thereby enhancing the ability of the Company to evaluate customer needs and underwriting risks.

The Company’s career agency distribution system consisted of 1,460 domestic career financial professionals at December 31, 2003. The sales force is organized as a managerial agency system, which is comprised of 34 agency managers as of December 31, 2003, who supervise the marketing and sales activities of financial professionals. Such professionals are managed by experience and productivity level within defined marketing territories in the United States.

The Company segregates its career agency sales force into four groups (“tiers”) according to experience and productivity levels and assigns agency managers to tiers based on their skill sets and the particular needs and goals of such tiers. There is a tier for new financial professionals with little or no experience in the industry, a tier for experienced financial professionals who are producing at superior levels, and two tiers in between. The Company believes that this tiering system is unique in the life insurance industry and gives the Company a competitive advantage in the marketplace. For example, by having certain managers responsible solely for recruiting and providing necessary support systems for new recruits, the Company is able to increase the quality of new financial professionals recruited each year. The Company believes that the tiering system allows the Company to attract and retain already established and successful financial professionals by providing an environment in which such financial professionals can compete favorably with other producer groups, such as third-party brokers or general agents and to attract and retain other financial professionals by providing marketing and training support that is responsive to their career development needs.

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The agency managers are all employees of the Company, while the career financial professionals are all independent contractors and not employees of the Company. The Company’s compensation arrangements with career financial professionals, which are based on a broker dealer type model, contain incentives for them to solicit applications for products issued by MONY Life and MLOA and for products issued by insurance companies not affiliated with the Company, made available by the Company through MBI and MSC. Career financial professionals receive a percentage of gross dealer concessions associated with each product sale that is made. The percentage paid to the career financial professionals is directly linked to their level of production.

The Company’s compensation structure provides a salary plus incentive compensation system for all of its agency managers and sales managers, designed to more closely align the interests of the managers with those of the Company. The Company has several programs to recruit and train its career financial professionals. As a result of its recruiting programs and the alignment of its new financial professionals financing program with its productivity-driven commission plus expense reimbursement arrangement, the Company hired 392 new financial professionals in 2003.

Advest

The Company, through its wholly-owned subsidiary, Advest, distributes investment products and services through 490 financial advisors. Advest Inc., one of the country’s leading regional financial services firms, is headquartered in Hartford, CT. Advest provides financial, securities brokerage, trading, investment banking, trust, and other advisory services to its clients through a network of more than 100 offices in 18 states and the District of Columbia. Advest is a member of the New York, American, and other principal stock exchanges.

Lebenthal, now a division of Advest, has long been one of the most respected names in the financial services industry. The firm was founded in 1925 and became a division of Advest in 2002. Through a series of creative advertising campaigns, innovative sales tools, and investor education, Lebenthal has established itself as a household name in the Northeast and is particularly well known for its expertise in the municipal bond area.

Boston Advisors manages the financial assets of individuals, endowment funds and retirement plans from their location in Boston, Massachusetts. In addition, Boston Advisors manages four money funds.

Advest Trust Company, an FDIC-insured, federal savings bank, provides trust and custody services primarily through Advest’s branch network.

Trusted Securities Advisors Corporation

Through Trusted Securities Advisors Corporation (“Trusted Advisors”), now a division of MSC, the Company sells a variety of financial products and services to customers through certified public accountants and other tax professionals who are licensed agents and registered representatives of the Company. Trusted Advisors became a division of MSC in December, 2003.

Wholesale Distribution — —

The following is a brief overview of the Wholesale distribution channel.

MONY Partners

During 2001 MONY Partners was formed as a division of MONY Life. MONY Partners wholesales the Company’s individual life and annuity products through MONY Life’s career agency sales force, Trusted Advisors’ representatives, Advest financial advisors, independent brokerage agents and independent securities broker-dealers. The Company believes that MONY Partners has a competitive advantage in the independent brokerage marketplace in being able to offer brokers competitive products, as well as access to the multiple

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services, channels and experience within the Company’s organization. For example, broker general agents or securities broker-dealers have an opportunity to grow revenue by utilizing: (i) Matrix’s merger and acquisition advisory services; (ii) MONY Life’s estate planning and seminar marketing resources; and (iii) cross-selling arrangements with Trusted Advisors’ representatives.

Other Wholesale Distribution Channels

The Company utilizes wholesalers to sell its mutual fund products through third party broker-dealers. The Company continually attempts to expand the number of these specialized sales agents distributing its products.

USFL distributes certain protection products through 223 insurance brokerage general agencies located in 49 states. USFL specializes in manufacturing and underwriting term and universal life insurance policies for individuals considered special medical risks using its proprietary “Clinical Underwriting” risk evaluation process.

Through its corporate marketing group, the Company distributes COLI and BOLI products to small to mid-size business owners as well as corporate CEOs, CFOs and benefits administrators to develop retirement plans.

Pricing and Underwriting

Insurance underwriting involves a determination of the type and amount of risk which an insurer is willing to accept. The Company’s underwriters evaluate each policy application on the basis of information provided by the applicant and others. The Company follows detailed and uniform underwriting practices and procedures designed to properly assess and quantify risks before issuing coverage to qualified applicants. The long-term profitability of the Company’s products is affected by the degree to which future experience deviates from these assumptions.

Reinsurance

The Company uses a variety of indemnity reinsurance agreements with reinsurers to control its loss exposure. Under the terms of reinsurance agreements, the reinsurers will be liable to reimburse the Company for the portion of paid claims ceded to it in accordance with the reinsurance agreement. However, the Company remains contingently liable for all benefits payable even if the reinsurers fail to meet their obligations to the Company.

Life insurance business written by MONY Life and MLOA is primarily ceded on a yearly renewable term basis under various reinsurance contracts, except for the Company’s level term product, which utilizes a coinsurance agreement. The Company’s general practice is to retain no more than $4.0 million of risk on any one person for individual products and $6.0 million for last survivor products. The total amount of reinsured life insurance in force on this basis was $30.0 billion, $24.9 billion, and $20.7 billion, at December 31, 2003, 2002, and 2001, respectively. As of December 31, 1997, 100% of the Company’s individual disability income insurance business was reinsured on an indemnity basis.

The Company retains 100% of the risk in connection with the return of premium death benefit for its variable annuity products. The benefits in connection with guaranteed minimum death benefits in excess of the return of premium benefit, which are offered under certain of the Company’s annuity contracts, are 100% reinsured up to specified limits. Benefits in connection with the earnings increase benefit rider under the new variable annuity are similarly reinsured. The guaranteed minimum income benefit in the new variable annuity product is 100% reinsured up to individual and aggregate limits as well as limits which are based on benefit utilization.

USFL has automatic and facultative treaties for new business. USFL’s retention is $750,000 per single life product and $1.0 million on last survivor products. New UL business is ceded on a yearly renewable term basis.

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New term business is ceded on both a coinsurance and yearly renewable term basis. USFL has a number of automatic and facultative treaties that are closed to new business, on either a yearly renewable term or coinsurance basis, which cover approximately 20% of its older business.

The following table presents the Company’s principal reinsurers and the percentage of total reinsurance recoverable reported in the Company’s Consolidated Financial Statements at December 31, 2003 that was due from each reinsurer, including reinsurance recoverable reported in the Consolidated Financial Statements under the caption “Amounts Due From Reinsurers” (which amounted to $605.0 million) and indemnity reinsurance in connection with the Group Pension Transaction (which amounted to $66.5 million). See Note 15 to the Consolidated Financial Statements.

Reinsurers:

International Business

MONY International Holdings, LLC (“MIH”), through its Brazilian domiciled insurance brokerage subsidiary, principally provides insurance brokerage services to unaffiliated third party insurance companies in Brazil. In addition, on a more limited basis since its reorganization in 2001, MIH, through its direct and indirect Cayman Island based insurance and banking subsidiaries (MLICA and MBT, respectively), provides life insurance, annuity and investment products, as well as trust services, to nationals of certain Latin American countries. MLICA is a wholly-owned subsidiary of MBT.

Ratings

Third party ratings of claims-paying ability and financial strength have become an increasingly important factor in establishing the competitive position of insurance companies. Ratings are important to maintaining public confidence in the Company’s life insurance subsidiaries and their ability to meet their obligations. Rating organizations continually review the financial performance and condition of insurers. Any lowering of the Company’s life insurance subsidiaries’ ratings could have a material adverse effect on the Company’s ability to market its products and retain its current policyholders.

A.M. Best’s ratings for insurance companies currently range from “A++” to “F”, and some companies are not rated. A.M. Best publications indicate that “A” ratings are assigned to those companies that in A.M. Best’s opinion have achieved excellent overall performance when compared to the standards established by A.M. Best. “A” companies are considered to have a strong ability to meet their obligations to policyholders over a long period of time.

Moody’s Investor Service (“Moody’s”) ratings for insurance companies currently range from “Aaa” to “C”; Standard & Poors (“S&P”) ratings for insurance companies range from “AAA” to “CCC-”; and Fitch IBCA (“Fitch”) ratings for insurance companies range from “AAA” to “CCC-.” In evaluating a company’s financial and operating performance, Moody’s, S&P and Fitch review, among other things, its profitability, leverage and liquidity as well as its book of business, the adequacy and soundness of its reinsurance, the quality and estimated market value of its assets, the adequacy of its policy reserves and the experience and competence of its management.

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The following table presents the claims-paying ability and financial strength ratings of the Company’s domestic life insurance subsidiaries as of December 31, 2003. Subsequent to December 31, 2003 all four rating agencies took certain actions with respect to their ratings of the Company as discussed in the footnotes to the table below. These footnotes and the actions discussed therein are material to understanding the ratings.

In addition to the claims-paying ability and financial strength ratings of the Company’s insurance company subsidiaries, the aforementioned rating agencies also rate the financial strength of the Company to meet its obligations to investors with respect to debt that it has issued.

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The following table presents the ratings assigned by the aforementioned ratings agencies to each of the Company’s outstanding debt obligations as of December 31, 2003. Subsequent to December 31, 2003 all four rating agencies took certain actions with respect to their ratings of the Company as discussed in the footnotes to the table below. These footnotes and the actions discussed therein are material to understanding the ratings.

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In February 2004, the rating agencies revised the Company’s outlook and/or ratings, primarily in response to the postponement of the scheduled date of the shareholder vote on MONY Group’s proposed merger with AXA Financial (see Notes 2 and 18 to the Consolidated Financial Statements). All four rating agencies have indicated that they may upgrade the Company’s current ratings or review their outlook on the Company’s ratings upon the successful completion of the MONY Group’s proposed merger with AXA Financial, reflecting the additional strength and support that would be received from AXA Financial. However, if the proposed merger of MONY Group with AXA Financial is not completed, the resulting uncertainty of the Company’s future direction would likely result in further ratings downgrades and/or revisions to the Company’s financial outlook. See Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations – Potential Forward Looking Risks Affecting Profitability – If the Merger with AXA Financial Does Not Close for Any Reason, the Company’s Profits and Financial Condition Could Deteriorate Drastically.

The foregoing ratings reflect each rating agency’s current opinion of the various companies’ claims-paying ability, financial strength, operating performance and ability to meet their obligations and are not evaluations directed toward the protection of investors in the common stock of the MONY Group. Such factors are of concern to the Company’s policyholders, insurance agents and intermediaries, as well as holders of its debt obligations.

Competition

The Company believes that competition in its lines of business is based on service, product features, price, compensation structure, perceived financial strength, claims-paying ratings and name recognition. The Company competes with a large number of other insurers as well as non-insurance financial services companies, such as banks, broker-dealers and asset managers, many of which have greater financial resources, offer alternative products or more competitive pricing and, with respect to other insurers, have higher claims paying ability ratings than the Company. Competition exists for individual consumers and agents and other distributors of insurance and investment products.

The Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act of 1999 permits business combinations of commercial banks, insurers and securities firms under one holding company. The ability of banks to affiliate with insurance companies and to offer annuity products of life insurance companies may materially adversely affect all of the Company’s product lines by substantially increasing the number, size and financial strength of potential competitors.

The Company must attract and retain productive financial professionals to sell its insurance and annuity products. Strong competition exists among insurance companies for financial professionals with demonstrated

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ability. Management believes that the key bases of competition among insurance companies for financial professionals with demonstrated ability include a company’s financial position and the services provided to, and relationships developed with, these financial professionals in addition to compensation and product structure.

Regulation

General Regulation at the State Level — —

MONY Life is licensed to transact its insurance business in, and is subject to regulation and supervision by, all 50 states, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands. MLOA is licensed and regulated in all states other than New York, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, and USFL is licensed and regulated in all states other than New York and the District of Columbia.

The laws of the various states establish state insurance departments with broad administrative powers to approve policy form, and for certain lines of insurance, approve rates, grant and revoke licenses to transact business, regulate trade practices, license agents, require statutory financial statements and prescribe the type and amount of investments permitted. In addition, the New York Insurance Department imposes additional regulations including restrictions on certain selling expenses. The aforementioned regulation by the state insurance departments is for the benefit of policyholders, not stockholders.

The MONY Group is not regulated as an insurance company but will, as the direct or indirect owner of the capital stock of MONY Life, MLOA and USFL be subject to the insurance holding company acts of the states in which MONY Life, MLOA and USFL are domiciled (or deemed to be commercially domiciled). Most states have enacted legislation that requires each insurance holding company and each insurance company in an insurance holding company system to register with the insurance regulatory authority of the insurance company’s state of domicile and, periodically to furnish financial and other information concerning the operations of companies within the holding company system that may materially affect the operations, management or financial condition of the insurers within such system. The Company is subject to the insurance holding company laws in New York, Arizona and Ohio. Under such laws, all transactions within an insurance holding company system affecting insurers must be fair and equitable and each insurer’s policyholder surplus following any such transaction must be both reasonable in relation to its outstanding liabilities and adequate for its needs. The New York, Arizona and Ohio insurance holding company laws also require prior notice or regulatory approval of the change of control of an insurer or its holding company and of material inter-corporate transfers of assets or other material transactions within the holding company structure. Generally, under such laws, a state insurance authority must approve in advance the direct or indirect acquisition of 10% or more of the voting securities of an insurance company domiciled in its state. Under the New York Insurance Law, for a period of five years following the date when the distribution of consideration to MONY Life policyholders in exchange for their membership interest was completed (December 23, 1998), no person could acquire beneficial ownership of 5% or more of the outstanding shares of MONY Group’s common stock without the prior approval of the New York State Superintendent of Insurance (the “New York Superintendent”). Certain affiliates of Goldman Sachs & Co., one of the underwriters of the MONY Group’s initial public offering, received a conditional waiver of this rule from the New York Superintendent in connection with the potential exercise of warrants they held prior to the end of such five-year period. See “— Determination of Non-Control.”

In recent years, a number of life and annuity insurers have been the subject of regulatory proceedings and litigation relating to alleged improper life insurance pricing and sales practices. Some of these insurers have incurred or paid substantial amounts in connection with the resolution of such matters. See Note 18 to the Consolidated Financial Statements. In addition, state insurance regulatory authorities regularly make inquiries, hold investigations and administer market conduct examinations with respect to insurers’ compliance with applicable insurance laws and regulations.

MONY Life, MLOA and USFL continuously monitor sales, marketing and advertising practices and related activities of their financial professionals and personnel, and provide continuing education and training in an

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effort to ensure compliance with applicable insurance laws and regulations. Non-compliance with such applicable laws and regulations could have a material adverse effect on the Company.

The National Association of Insurance Commissioners (the “NAIC”) has established a program of accrediting state insurance departments. NAIC accreditation permits accredited states to conduct periodic examinations of insurance companies domiciled in such states. NAIC-accredited states will not accept reports of examination of insurance companies from unaccredited states except under limited circumstances. As a direct result, insurers domiciled in unaccredited states may be subject to financial examination by accredited states in which they are licensed, in addition to any examinations conducted by their domiciliary states. The accreditation of the New York Insurance Department, MONY Life’s principal insurance regulator, has been suspended as a result of the New York legislature’s failure to adopt certain model NAIC regulations. MONY Life believes that the suspension of the NAIC accreditation of the New York Insurance Department, even if continued, will not have a significant impact upon its ability to conduct its insurance businesses.

Shareholder Dividend Restrictions — —

The payment of dividends by MONY Life is regulated under state insurance law. Under the New York Insurance Law, MONY Life may distribute a dividend without the prior approval of the New York Superintendent, where the aggregate amount of such dividends in any calendar year does not exceed the lesser of: (a) ten percent of its statutory surplus to policyholders as of the immediately preceding calendar year, or (b) its statutory net gain from operations for the immediately preceding calendar year, not including realized capital gains. If MONY Life does not satisfy the criteria mentioned above, it can only distribute dividends to its shareholder upon giving notice of its intentions to the New York Superintendent no less than thirty days in advance of such declaration, subject to the Superintendent disapproving such distribution by giving written notice to MONY Life within thirty days thereafter that the financial condition of MONY Life does not warrant such distribution. In addition, Arizona and Ohio insurance laws contain restrictions on the abilities of MLOA and USFL, respectively, to pay dividends to MONY Life. MONY Life’s inability to pay dividends to MONY Holdings in the future in an amount sufficient for MONY Holdings to pay a dividend to MONY Group in an amount sufficient for MONY Group to pay dividends to its shareholders would have a material adverse effect on the MONY Group and the market value of its common stock. See “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations — Liquidity and Capital Resources”. In 2003, MONY Life paid a dividend to MONY Holdings in the amount of $25.0 million, of which $13.8 million was retained by MONY Holdings in its DSCA sub-account CBB (see Note 22 to the Consolidated Financial Statements) and $11.2 million was paid by MONY Holdings in the form of a dividend to MONY Group.

Risk-Based Capital Requirements — —

To enhance the regulation of insurer solvency, the NAIC has adopted a model law to implement Risk Based Capital (“RBC”) requirements for life insurance companies. The requirements are designed to monitor capital adequacy and to raise the level of protection that statutory surplus provides for policyholders. The model law measures four major areas of risk facing life insurers: (i) the risk of loss from asset defaults and asset value fluctuation; (ii) the risk of loss from adverse mortality and morbidity experience; (iii) the risk of loss from mismatching of asset and liability cash flow due to changing interest rates and (iv) business risks. Insurers having less statutory surplus than required by the RBC model formula will be subject to varying degrees of regulatory action depending on the level of capital inadequacy.

The RBC formula provides a mechanism for the calculation of an insurance company’s Authorized Control Level (“ACL”) RBC and its total adjusted capital. The model law sets forth the points at which a superintendent of insurance is authorized and expected to take regulatory action. The first level is known as the Company Action Level (“CAL”) RBC, which is set at twice the ACL RBC. The second level is the Regulatory Action Level (“RAL”) RBC, set at 1.5 times the ACL RBC. The third is the ACL RBC, and the fourth is the Mandatory Control Level (“MCL”) RBC, set at 70% of the ACL RBC.

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Insurance regulators may take actions ranging in severity from reviewing financial plans if adjusted capital is greater than the RAL RBC but less than the CAL RBC to placing the insurance company under regulatory control if adjusted capital is less than the MCL. The adjusted RBC capital ratios of all the Company’s insurance subsidiaries at December 31, 2003 and 2002 were in excess of the CAL.

Determination of Non-Control — —

On December 30, 1997, certain affiliates of Goldman Sachs & Co. (the “Investors”), entered into an investment agreement with the Company (the “Investment Agreement”), pursuant to which (i) the Investors purchased $115.0 million face amount 9.5% coupon surplus notes (“MONY Notes”) and (ii) warrants (the “Warrants”) to purchase from the Company (after giving effect to the Offerings) in the aggregate 7.0% of the fully diluted common stock as of the first date following such effectiveness on which shares of common stock were first issued to policyholders. All of the MONY Notes were repurchased in 2000.

The New York Superintendent issued a determination pursuant to Section 1501(c) of the New York Insurance Law, dated December 29, 1997, that the Investors would not control MONY Life as a result of the transactions contemplated by the Investment Agreement, subject to certain notice and approval requirements, and certain commitments by the Investors. The Investors have agreed to the following notice and approval requirements: (i) the Investors and their affiliates will notify the New York Superintendent before exercising the Warrants or selling any of the Warrants; (ii) the Investors and their affiliates must notify the New York Superintendent before the sale of any securities of MONY Life, the MONY Group or any of their affiliates acquired pursuant to the Investment Agreement; (iii) the notice and non-disapproval requirements of Sections 1505(c) and (d) of the New York Insurance Law (relating to transactions within a holding company system) apply to transactions between the Investors and the MONY Group or any affiliate, except transactions in the ordinary course of the Investors’ business other than transactions involving investment management or investment advisory services performed by the Investors for or on behalf of the MONY Group or any affiliate, to which (along with certain other transactions) the notice requirements of Section 1505(d) of the New York Insurance Law will apply; and (iv) the Investors will provide to the New York Superintendent quarterly and annual reports of transactions between the Investors and the MONY Group or any affiliate. The Investors have also made commitments to the New York Superintendent as follows: (i) every transaction between the Investors and the MONY Group or any affiliate will comply with the standards of the New York Insurance Law related to transactions within a holding company system; (ii) the Investors will be subject to New York Insurance Law requirements regarding examinations by the New York Superintendent and violations and penalties in the context of the MONY Group system; (iii) the Investors will not acquire, directly or indirectly, any security issued by the MONY Group or any affiliate except pursuant to the Investment Agreement or in the ordinary course of their business as an underwriter, broker/dealer, investment manager or investment advisor; (iv) the Investors will not exercise the rights of security holders to vote (except for certain major corporate transactions), propose directors in opposition to management, solicit proxies, call special meetings, or dispose or threaten to dispose of securities as a condition for corporate action or non-action by the MONY Group or any affiliate; (v) the Investors may have one representative (with certain restrictions on activities) on the boards of MONY Life, the MONY Group, or a key subsidiary thereof as long as such boards have at least 13 members; and (vi) the Investors will not otherwise cause, or attempt to cause, the direction of the management or policies of, or otherwise exercise control over, the MONY Group or any affiliate. The determination of non-control will remain in effect until revoked by the New York Superintendent (a) in accordance with the New York Insurance Law, at the request of the Investors or upon the initiative of the New York Superintendent, or (b) as and for so long as the Investors own less than 2% of the equity securities of the MONY Group.

In December 2003, AXA Financial acquired Warrants from the Investors which, in the aggregate, provided for the purchase of 4.4% (or 2,228,574) of MONY Group’s fully diluted common shares outstanding as of December 24, 1998. See Note 2 to the Consolidated Financial Statements.

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Assessments Against Insurers — —

Insurance guaranty association laws exist in all states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. Insurers doing business in any of these jurisdictions can be assessed for policyholder losses incurred by insolvent insurance companies. These arrangements provide certain levels of protection to policyholders from losses under insurance policies (and certificates issued under group insurance policies issued by life insurance companies) issued by insurance companies that become impaired or insolvent. Typically, assessments are levied (up to prescribed limits) on member insurers on a basis which is related to the member insurer’s proportionate share of the business written by all member insurers in the appropriate state.

Securities Laws — —

The MONY Group, certain of its subsidiaries and certain policies and contracts offered by such subsidiaries are subject to various levels of regulation under the federal securities laws administered by the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Commission” or the “SEC”) and under certain state securities laws. Certain separate accounts and a variety of mutual funds and other pooled investment vehicles are registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “Investment Company Act”). Certain annuity contracts and insurance policies issued by subsidiaries are registered under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), and certain other subsidiaries of the MONY Group are registered as broker-dealers under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”).

Several of the MONY Group’s subsidiaries are investment advisors registered under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, as amended (the “Investment Advisers Act”). Certain investment companies managed by such subsidiaries are registered with the Commission under the Investment Company Act and the shares of certain of these entities are qualified for sale in certain states in the United States and the District of Columbia. Certain subsidiaries of the MONY Group are also subject to the Commission’s net capital rules.

All aspects of the MONY Group’s subsidiaries’ investment advisory activities are subject to various federal and state laws and regulations in jurisdictions in which they conduct business. These laws and regulations are primarily intended to benefit investment advisory clients and investment company shareholders and generally grant supervisory agencies broad administrative powers, including the power to limit or restrict the carrying on of business for failure to comply with such laws and regulations. In such event, the possible sanctions which may be imposed include the suspension of individual employees, limitations on the activities in which the investment advisor may engage, suspension or revocation of the investment advisor’s registration as an advisor, censure and fines.

Certain of MONY Group’s subsidiaries may also be subject to similar laws and regulations in the states and foreign countries in which they provide investment advisory services, offer the products described above, or conduct other securities related activities.

Savings and Loan Holding Company Regulation — —

The MONY Group is a registered savings and loan holding company by virtue of its indirect ownership of Advest Trust Company. As a registered savings and loan holding company, the MONY Group is subject to holding company regulation by the U.S. Office of Thrift Supervision.

ERISA Considerations — —

The Company offers certain products and services, including investment advisory services, to (i) employee benefit plans that are subject to the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended (“ERISA”) and the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (“Code”) and (ii) individual retirement accounts and individual retirement annuities (“IRAs”) that are subject to the Code. Accordingly, while engaging in these activities the Company is subject to the standards and limitations imposed by ERISA and the Code, and the

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regulations, rulings and exemptions thereunder, where applicable. These include the requirement under ERISA that fiduciaries perform their duties solely in the interests of ERISA plan participants and beneficiaries and the requirement under ERISA and the Code that fiduciaries and certain parties in interest may not cause an ERISA - covered plan or IRA to engage in certain prohibited transactions with respect to such plans and IRAs. The applicable provisions of ERISA and the Code are subject to enforcement by the Department of Labor, the Internal Revenue Service and the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation.

Potential Tax Legislation — —

Congress has, from time to time, considered legislation that could eliminate or reduce the advantage of deferral of income taxation on the accretion of value within certain annuities and life insurance products. Passage of any such legislation could adversely affect purchases of annuities and life insurance. Additionally, legislation has been proposed to repeal the federal estate tax that could adversely affect the purchase of life insurance.

Employees

As of December 31, 2003, the Company had 3,717 employees, of which 490 were Advest financial advisors. No employees are covered by a collective bargaining agreement. In addition, as of December 31, 2003, the Company was represented by 1,578 full time domestic and international career financial professionals who are all independent contractors and are not employees of the Company. The Company believes that its employee and financial professional relations are satisfactory.

Available Information

MONY Group files annual reports on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, current reports on Form 8-K and all amendments to these reports with the SEC. These reports are available free of charge on the MONY Group’s internet website at www.mony.com. These reports and amendments are posted on this website as soon as reasonably practicable after such material is electronically filed with or furnished to the SEC.

ITEM 1A. Executive Officers of the Registrant

The names of the executive officers of the Company and their respective ages and positions are as follows:

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Executive Officers of the Company are elected annually and serve until their retirement, resignation, death or removal.

Set forth below is a description of the business positions during at least the past five years for the executive officers of the Company.

Michael I. Roth has been a Director, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the MONY Group since 1997. He has been Chairman of the Board (since 1993) and Chief Executive Officer (since 1993) of MONY Life and has been a Director since 1991. Mr. Roth is a Director of the American Council of Life Insurance, The Life Insurance Council of New York, Insurance Marketplace Standards Association, Enterprise Foundation (a charitable foundation which develops housing and which is not affiliated with the Enterprise Group of Funds), Metropolitan Development Association of Syracuse and Central New York, Enterprise Group of Funds, Inc., Enterprise Accumulation Trust, Pitney Bowes, Inc., The Partnership for New York City, Committee to Encourage Corporate Philanthropy, the Baruch College Fund Board and Interpublic Group of Companies. Mr. Roth also serves on the Board of Governors of the United Way of Tri-State and is a member of the Lincoln Center Consolidated Corporate Fund Leadership Committee.

Samuel J. Foti has been a Director, President and Chief Operating Officer of the MONY Group since 1997. He has been President and Chief Operating Officer (since 1994) of MONY Life and has been a Director since 1993. Mr. Foti previously served as a Trustee of The American College and was Chairman of the Board for 2001 and 2002 and on the board of directors of the Life Insurance Marketing and Research Association (LIMRA), where he served as Chairman from 1996 to 1997.

Richard Daddario has been Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of the MONY Group since 1997. He has been Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of MONY Life since 1994. Prior to being appointed Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of MONY Life, he served as Senior Vice President and Corporate Controller. Mr. Daddario has been with MONY Life for 14 years.

Kenneth M. Levine has been a Director, Executive Vice President and Chief Investment Officer of the MONY Group since 1997. He has also been a Director (since 1994) and Executive Vice President (since 1990) and Chief Investment Officer (since 1991) of MONY Life. Prior to that time, Mr. Levine held various management positions within MONY Life.

Steven G. Orluck has been Executive Vice President of the MONY Group since May 2002. He has been Executive Vice President and Chief Distribution Officer of MONY Life since March 2002. Prior to that time, he was Senior Vice President of Complementary Distribution of MONY Life. Mr. Orluck joined MONY after 24 years in marketing and sales with Metropolitan Life Insurance Co.

Lee M. Smith has been Vice President and Corporate Secretary of the MONY Group since 1999. Mr. Smith has been Vice President Government Relations of MONY Life (since 1999) and Vice President for Government Relations of MONY Life (from 1985 to 1999). Prior to that time, he held several positions with MONY Life. Mr. Smith has been with MONY Life for 22 years.

Bart R. Schwartz has been Senior Vice President and General Counsel of the MONY Group and of MONY Life since June 2000. Prior to joining the Company in 2000, Mr. Schwartz was Senior Vice President and General Counsel of Willis Corroon Corporation.

Richard E. Connors has been Senior Vice President (since 1994) and Head of the Annuities Division (since 2001) of MONY Life. He has also served as Senior Vice President of Marketing (from 1994 to 2001), Regional Vice President — Western Region (from 1991 to 1994) of MONY Life, Vice President — Small Business Marketing (from 1990 to 1991) and Vice President — Manpower Development (from 1988 to 1990). Mr. Connors has been with MONY Life for 16 years.

Evelyn L. Peos has been Senior Vice President of MONY Life since March 2002. Mrs. Peos was Vice President (from 1993-2002) and Vice President — Individual Product Actuary (from 1988 to 1993) of MONY Life. Prior to that time, she held several positions with MONY Life. Mrs. Peos has been with MONY Life for 25 years.

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Michael Slipowitz has been Senior Vice President (since March 2002) and Chief Actuary (since January 2002) of MONY Life. He also served as Vice President of MONY Life from 1993 to 2001. Prior to that time, Mr. Slipowitz held various positions with MONY Life. Mr. Slipowitz has been with MONY Life for 23 years.

Victor Ugolyn has been Senior Vice President of MONY Life since 1991. He has also been Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Enterprise Capital Management, Inc. (since 1991); Enterprise Group of Funds, Inc. (since 1991); Enterprise Accumulation Trust (since 1994); and Enterprise Fund Distributors, Inc. (since 1991); and Chairman and President of Enterprise Global Funds plc (since 2001). Mr. Ugolyn has been with MONY Life for 13 years.

Grant W. Kurtz has been Chairman (since 2001), Chief Executive Officer (since 1999) and President (since 1995) of Advest Group. Mr. Kurtz joined Advest in 1985 after 20 years with the Ohio Company to take the role of Regional Sales Manager and, in 1987, became National Sales Manager. He has been Chairman (since 2001), Chief Executive Officer (since 1999) and President (since 1990) of Advest, Inc.

Arnold Brousell has been Vice President, Controller and Chief Accounting Officer of the MONY Group since October 2002. Prior to that time, Mr. Brousell was Vice President — Financial Reporting and Chief Accounting Officer of the MONY Group (from March to October 2002). Prior to that time, Mr. Brousell was Vice President — Financial Reporting (from 1998-2002) and Assistant Vice President (from 1997-1998) of MONY Life. Mr. Brousell joined MONY Life in 1997 after 14 years of providing accounting and auditing services for Big 4 public accounting firms, including PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP and Deloitte & Touche LLP.

Kimberly Windrow has been Senior Vice President of MONY Life since March 2002. Prior to that time, she was Vice President, Human Resources (from 2001-2002) of MONY Life. Prior to joining MONY Life in 2001, Ms. Windrow was Senior Vice President, Human Resources for Willis North America.

Ernest P. Rogers has been Senior Vice President and Chief Information Officer of MONY Life since March 2002. Mr. Rogers was Vice President, Chief Information Officer (from 1994 to 2001), Vice President of Computing Services (from 1987 to 1994) and Assistant Vice President of Corporate Information Services (from 1982 to 1987). Prior to that time he held various positions in the Information Technology Department of MONY Life. Mr. Rogers has been with MONY Life for 38 years.

The Company leases its headquarters building which is located at 1740 Broadway, New York, New York and consists of approximately 267,000 square feet. The Company also occupies facilities in Syracuse, New York for use in its insurance operations, which consist of approximately 578,000 square feet in the aggregate. The Company also leases all 217 of its agency and its subsidiary offices, which consist of approximately 1,388,000 square feet in the aggregate. The Company believes that such properties are suitable and adequate for its current and anticipated business operations.

See Note 18 to the Consolidated Financial Statements. In addition to the matters discussed therein, in the ordinary course of its business the Company is involved in various other legal actions and proceedings (some of which involve demands for unspecified damages), none of which is expected to have a material adverse effect on the Company.

No matters were submitted to a vote of security holders during the fourth quarter ended December 31, 2003.

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PART II

The MONY Group’s common stock is traded on the New York Stock Exchange (“NYSE”) under the trading symbol “MNY.”

The following table presents the high and low closing prices for the common stock of the MONY Group on the NYSE for the period indicated and the quarterly dividends declared per share.

As of March 8, 2004, the closing price of MONY Group’s common stock was $31.65. There were 504,731 holders of MONY Group common stock at March 8, 2004.

The MONY Group has announced that it will pay a dividend in 2004 to shareholders who are record holders of the issued and outstanding shares of MONY Group’s common stock immediately prior to the effective time of MONY Group’s merger with AXA Financial. This dividend payment is expressly conditioned on the closing of the merger transaction with AXA Financial. See Note 2 to the Consolidated Financial Statements.

The MONY Group paid dividends to holders of its common stock of $21.0 million, or $0.45 per share, in 2002. No dividend was paid to common stock holders in 2003. Future dividend decisions will be made by the Board of Directors on the basis of a number of factors, including the operating results and financial requirements of the MONY Group and the impact of regulatory restrictions. See “Business — Regulation” and “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations — Liquidity and Capital Resources.”

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The following table sets forth selected financial data for the Company. The selected financial data as of December 31, 2003 and 2002 and for each of the years in the three-year period ended December 31, 2003 has been derived from audited financial statements included herein. The selected financial data as of December 31, 2001, 2000 and 1999 and for each of the years in the two-year period ended December 31, 2000 has been derived from audited financial statements not included herein. The selected financial data should be read in conjunction with “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations”, the Company’s Consolidated Financial Statements and the notes thereto and the other financial information included elsewhere herein.

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The following discussion and analysis addresses the financial condition and results of operations of the Company for the periods indicated. The discussion and analysis of the Company’s financial condition and results of operations presented below should be read in conjunction with the “Selected Financial Data” and the Consolidated Financial Statements and related footnotes and other financial information included elsewhere herein.

Organization and Business

The MONY Group Inc. (the “MONY Group”), through its subsidiaries (MONY Group and its subsidiaries are collectively referred to herein as the “Company”), provides life insurance, annuities, corporate-owned and bank-owned life insurance (COLI and BOLI), mutual funds, securities brokerage, securities trading, asset management, business and estate planning, trust, and investment banking products and services. The Company distributes its products and services through Retail and Wholesale distribution channels. The Company’s Retail distribution channels are comprised of (i) the career agency sales force operated by its principal life insurance operating subsidiary and (ii) financial advisors and account executives of its securities broker dealer subsidiaries. The Company’s Wholesale channel is comprised of (i) MONY Partners, a division of MONY Life Insurance Company, (ii) independent third party insurance brokerage general agencies and securities broker dealers, and (iii) its corporate marketing team which markets COLI and BOLI products. For the year ended December 31, 2003, Retail distribution accounted for approximately 17.6% and 42.6% of sales of protection and accumulation products, respectively, and 100.0% of retail brokerage and investment banking revenues, while Wholesale distribution accounted for 82.4% and 57.4% of sales of protection and accumulation products, respectively. The Company principally sells its products in all 50 of the United States, the District of Columbia, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, and currently insures or provides other financial products and services to more than one million individuals.

MONY Group’s principal operating subsidiaries are MONY Life Insurance Company (“MONY Life”), formerly known as The Mutual Life Insurance Company of New York, and The Advest Group, Inc. (“Advest”). MONY Life’s principal wholly owned direct and indirect operating subsidiaries include: (i) MONY Life Insurance Company of America (“MLOA”), an Arizona domiciled life insurance company, (ii) Enterprise Capital Management (“Enterprise”), a distributor of both proprietary and non-proprietary mutual funds, (iii) U.S. Financial Life Insurance Company (“USFL”), an Ohio domiciled insurer underwriting specialty risk life insurance business, (iv) MONY Securities Corporation (“MSC”), a registered securities broker-dealer and investment advisor whose products and services are distributed through MONY Life’s career agency sales force, (v) MONY Brokerage, Inc., a licensed insurance broker, which principally provides MONY Life’s career agency sales force with access to life, annuity, small group health, and specialty insurance products written by other insurance companies so they can more fully meet the insurance and investment needs of their customers, (vi) MONY Consultoria e Corretagem de Seguros Ltda., a Brazilian domiciled insurance brokerage subsidiary, which principally provides insurance brokerage services to unaffiliated third party insurance companies in Brazil, (vii) MONY Bank & Trust Company of the Americas, Ltd., a Cayman Islands bank and trust company, which provides investment and trust services to nationals of certain Latin American countries, and (viii) MONY Life Insurance Company of the Americas, Ltd., a Cayman Islands based insurance company, which provides life insurance and annuity products to nationals of certain Latin American countries. Advest, through its principal operating subsidiaries, Advest, Inc., a securities broker-dealer, Advest Trust Company, a federal savings bank, and Boston Advisors, Inc. (“Boston Advisors”), a registered investment advisory firm, provides diversified financial services including securities brokerage, securities trading, investment banking, trust, and asset management services.

On September 17, 2003, MONY Group entered into an Agreement and Plan of Merger with AXA Financial, Inc. (“AXA Financial”) and AIMA Acquisition Co., which was subsequently amended on February 22, 2004

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(hereafter referred to collectively as the “AXA Agreement”), pursuant to which MONY Group will become a wholly owned subsidiary of AXA Financial in a cash transaction valued at approximately $1.5 billion. Under the terms of the AXA Agreement, which has been approved by the boards of directors of AXA Financial and MONY Group, MONY Group’s shareholders will receive $31.00 for each share of MONY Group’s common stock. The acquisition contemplated by the AXA Agreement is subject to various regulatory approvals and other customary conditions, including the approval of MONY Group’s shareholders. A special meeting of MONY Group’s shareholders is scheduled for May 18, 2004 to vote on the proposed acquisition of MONY Group by AXA Financial. The transaction is expected to close in the second quarter of 2004. The MONY Group has announced that it will pay a cash dividend, which was determined in accordance with the AXA Agreement, of approximately $0.33 to $0.35 per share to shareholders who are record holders of the issued and outstanding shares of MONY Group’s common stock immediately prior to the effective time of the merger transaction with AXA Financial. However, the exact per share amount of the dividend will be determined by the total number of issued and outstanding shares of MONY Group’s common stock immediately prior to the effective time of the merger transaction with AXA Financial. This dividend is expressly conditioned on the closing of the merger transaction with AXA Financial. See Notes 2 and 18 to the Consolidated Financial Statements for further information regarding MONY Group’s pending merger transaction with AXA Financial.

See Part I Item 1, “Business” and Notes 1, 2, and 9 to the Consolidated Financial Statements for further information regarding the Company’s organization and business.

General Discussion of Factors Affecting Profitability

The Company derives its revenues principally from: (i) premiums on individual life insurance, (ii) insurance, administrative and surrender charges on universal life and annuity products, (iii) asset management fees from separate account and mutual fund products, (iv) net investment income on general account assets and (v) commissions from securities and insurance brokerage operations. The Company’s expenses consist of insurance benefits provided to policyholders, interest credited on policyholders’ account balances, dividends to policyholders, the cost of selling and servicing the various products sold by the Company, including commissions to sales representatives (net of any deferrals) and general business expenses.

The Company’s profitability depends in large part upon (i) price movements and trends in the securities markets, (ii) the amount of its assets and its third-party assets under management, (iii) the adequacy of its product pricing (which is primarily a function of competitive conditions, management’s ability to assess and manage trends in mortality and morbidity experience as compared to the level of benefit payments, and its ability to maintain expenses within pricing assumptions), (iv) supply and demand for the kinds of products and services offered by the Company (see Note 9 to the Consolidated Financial Statements included herein for the principal products and services offered by the Company), (v) the maintenance of the Company’s target spreads between credited rates on policyholders’ account balances and the rate of earnings on its investments, (vi) the amount of time purchasers of the Company’s insurance and annuity products hold and renew their contracts with the Company (referred to as “persistency”), which affects the Company’s ability to recover the costs incurred to sell such policies and contracts, (vii) the ability to manage the market and credit risks associated with its invested assets, (viii) returns on venture capital investments, (ix) the investment performance of its mutual fund and variable product offerings, and (x) commission and fee revenue from securities brokerage and investment banking operations which fluctuate with trading volume. External factors, such as general economic conditions and the securities markets, as well as legislation and regulation of the insurance marketplace and products, may also affect the Company’s profitability. In addition, downgrades of the claims paying ability ratings of the Company’s insurance subsidiaries by Nationally Recognized Statistical Rating Organizations may affect the Company’s ability to compete in the marketplace for its products and services. Similarly, downgrades of MONY Group’s credit ratings may affect the Company’s ability to access the debt markets to raise additional capital, which could affect the Company’s liquidity and ability to support the capital of its insurance subsidiaries.

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Potential Forward Looking Risks Affecting Profitability

The results of operations of the Company’s businesses, particularly the businesses comprising its Accumulation Products segment and the businesses comprising its Retail Brokerage and Investment Banking segment, are highly sensitive to general economic and securities market conditions. Such conditions include the level of valuations in the securities markets, the level of interest rates, the level of retail securities trading volume, consumer sentiment and the consensus economic and securities market outlook. Set forth below is a discussion of certain matters that may adversely impact the Company’s results of operations in the event of worsening economic and securities market conditions, as well as other matters that could adversely affect its future earnings.

If the Merger with AXA Financial Does Not Close for Any Reason, the Company’s Profits and Financial Condition Could Deteriorate Drastically

If a majority of the outstanding shares are not voted in favor of the proposed merger with AXA Financial or if the AXA Financial merger transaction does not close for any reason, both the profitability and the financial condition of the Company could suffer severely. A.M. Best, Moody’s, S&P and Fitch have all recently lowered the Company’s ratings and/or their outlook on the Company’s ratings. It is likely that, in the event the proposed merger is not approved by MONY Group’s shareholders, the rating agencies would promptly further lower their ratings and/or their ratings outlook of MONY Group’s debt obligations and their financial strength ratings of its domestic insurance subsidiaries. This action could cause the Company either (a) to lose business to competitors, given that MONY Life’s distribution includes third-party channels with access to other, higher rated providers, or (b) to pay higher gross concessions to its distributors to maintain premium volume, resulting in lower profits. In addition, among other things, lower ratings could increase the rate of policy surrenders to MONY Life, thereby reducing revenue to a level that would require a write-down of deferred policy acquisition costs. A ratings downgrade could also undermine MONY Life’s relationships with its distributors and, thus, its attractiveness to third parties as an acquisition candidate. Further, such a downgrade could impair MONY Group’s ability to borrow money or to raise money by selling additional equity. This, in turn, could have a negative effect on the Company’s liquidity or the Company’s cost of capital.

In addition, a failure of the proposed merger with AXA Financial could have significant negative effects on the Company’s staff and agents. As to staff, many employees may have found other jobs by the time the transaction closes in anticipation of losing their positions with the Company after the closing. In addition, the perceived instability of the Company if the proposed transaction does not close could lead to additional employee and agent turnover.

Declines in Securities Market Prices Could Reduce the Value of Certain Intangible Assets on the Company’s Balance Sheet

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At December 31, 2003 the carrying value of the Company’s DPAC was $1.3 billion. Approximately $172.0 million of this amount pertains to the Company’s annuity in force business. The profit margins from this business, over which the related DPAC is amortized, are particularly sensitive to changes in assumed investment returns and asset valuations. With respect to the investment return assumptions which underlie the amortization of the Company’s variable annuity DPAC, the accounting policy applied, which is referred to as the “reversion to the mean” method, assumes a rate of return over the life of the business of 8.0%. In applying this method, the future assumed rate of return assumption is adjusted based on actual returns to date so that the ultimate rate of return over the expected life of the business is always 8.0%. However, the Company’s policy is to never exceed a future rate of return assumption in excess of 10.0%. Accordingly, the ultimate rate of return over the life of such business may be less than 8.0%. In addition, in applying the “reversion to the mean” method the Company’s policy does not provide for a floor on the assumed future rate of return. Accordingly, actual returns to date sufficiently in excess of the ultimate assumed rate of return of 8.0% may result in a future rate of return assumption that could actually be negative.

While the Company’s current best estimate for the ultimate investment return underlying this business is 8.0%, a sustained deterioration in the securities markets (whether with regard to investment returns or asset valuations) could require the Company to revise its estimate of the ultimate profitability of this business. This could result in accelerated amortization and/or a charge to earnings to reflect the amount of DPAC which may not be recoverable from the estimated present value of future profits expected to emerge from this business. Such an event, should it occur, may materially affect the Company’s financial position and results of operations.

The Company’s calculation of variable annuity product DPAC asset balances as of December 31, 2003 incorporated an asset growth assumption of 9.6% in 2004, gradually decreasing to 8.0% in 2013 and thereafter, for all funds underlying variable annuity products. This assumption is consistent with the “reversion to the mean” method described above. The assumption of future returns impacts the Company’s expectation of both future fee income and future expenses, including the cost of guaranteed minimum death benefits.

The Company May Be Required to Recognize in its Earnings “Other Than Temporary Impairment” Charges on its Investments in Fixed Maturity and Equity Securities, as Well as Mark to Market Losses on Certain of its Venture Capital Investments

Management’s assessment of whether an investment in a debt or equity security is other than temporarily impaired is based primarily on the following factors:

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Changes in the factors discussed above (particularly, a sustained or continuing decline in the prices of securities or a deterioration in the credit quality of issuers or a deterioration in industry or issuer fundamentals or in the macro economic outlook) may significantly affect the Company’s determination of whether a security is “other than temporarily impaired”, which may require the Company to recognize an “other than temporary impairment” charge that could be material to its financial position and results of operations. See—Investments—Other Than Temporary Impairment Charges On Investments in Fixed Maturity Securities and Common Stocks.

The Company makes investments in partnerships specializing in venture capital investing. The Company’s investments are in the form of limited partnership interests. The Company generally limits these investments to no more than 2.0% to 3.0% of its total invested assets. In accordance with GAAP, certain of the Company’s investments in these partnerships are accounted for under the equity method of accounting, while the balance of the portfolio is accounted for at estimated fair value with changes in fair value recorded in other comprehensive income. Generally, substantially all the Company’s partnership investments acquired before May 1995 are accounted for at fair value, while those acquired on or after May 1995 are accounted for under the equity method of accounting. Because the underlying partnerships are required under GAAP to mark their investment portfolios to market and report changes in such market value through their earnings, the Company’s earnings will reflect the pro rata share of such mark to market adjustment if the Company accounts for the partnership investment under the equity method. With respect to partnerships accounted for at fair value, there will be no impact on the Company’s earnings until: (i) the underlying investments held by the partnership are distributed to the Company by the partnership, or (ii) the underlying investments held by the partnership are sold by the partnership and the proceeds distributed to the Company, or (iii) an impairment of the Company’s investment in the partnership is determined to exist. Historically, venture capital investments have had a significant impact on the Company’s earnings. The Company’s future earnings from venture capital investments could be adversely affected when market valuations deteriorate, which could materially affect the Company’s results of operations and financial position. At December 31, 2003, the carrying value of the Company’s venture capital investments was $177.6 million, of which $80.6 million was accounted for under the equity method and $97.0 million was accounted for at fair value.

Declines in Securities Market Prices Could Increase the Company’s Liabilities and Expenses

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Declines in Securities Market Prices Could Decrease the Company’s Revenues

Events in 2004 Could Result in Significant Changes to Pension and Other Post-retirement Benefit Costs

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The Company’s Expenses May Increase if it Chooses or Becomes Required to Adopt the Fair Value Recognition Provisions of Statement of Financial Accounting Standards (SFAS) No. 123 Accounting for Stock Based Compensation (“SFAS 123”) and Recognize Expense for the Issuance of Certain Employee Stock Based Compensation

Segments

The Company’s business is organized in three principal reportable segments: the “Protection Products” segment, the “Accumulation Products” segment, and the “Retail Brokerage and Investment Banking” segment. Substantially all of the Company’s other business activities are combined and reported in the “Other Products” segment. Certain amounts, which are not allocated to the segments, are reported as reconciling items. Reconciling items are principally comprised of: (i) revenues and expenses associated with contracts issued by MONY Life relating to its employee benefit plans, (ii) revenues and expenses of the MONY Group, (iii) revenues and expenses of MONY Holdings, since its formation and commencement of operations in 2002—see Note 1 to the Consolidated Financial Statements, (iv) certain charges associated with the Company’s reorganization activities—see Note 26 to the Consolidated Financial Statements, and (v) merger related expenses incurred in connection with the pending merger of the MONY Group with AXA Financial—see Note 2 to the Consolidated Financial Statements.

Critical Accounting Policies

Preparation of the Company’s financial statements in accordance with GAAP requires the application of accounting policies that often involve significant use of judgment. Differences between estimated and actual results and changes in facts and circumstances that cause management to revise its estimates may materially affect the Company’s results of operations and financial position.

The following is a discussion of the critical accounting policies that, in the Company’s view, require significant use of judgment. See Note 4 to the Consolidated Financial Statements for a complete description of the Company’s significant accounting policies.

Investments—

The Company records investments in fixed maturity securities and equity securities available for sale, trading securities and certain investments in venture capital partnerships at fair value in its consolidated balance sheet. In most cases, the Company determines fair values using quoted market prices. However, the valuation of certain investments, such as private placement fixed maturity securities, requires the use of assumptions and estimates related to interest rates, default rates, and the timing of cash flows because quoted market prices are not available. At December 31, 2003, the carrying value of private placement fixed maturity securities was $3,061.2 million.

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The Company records changes in the fair values of investments in fixed maturity and equity securities available for sale that are not considered to be “other than temporarily impaired” in other comprehensive income. The Company reports changes in the value of trading securities and venture capital investments accounted for using the equity method, in the consolidated statement of income and comprehensive income. For investments the Company considers to be “other than temporarily impaired”, the Company records an impairment loss, which is reflected in realized gains and (losses) on investments. See—Investments—Other Than Temporary Impairment Charges On Investments in Fixed Maturity Securities and Common Stocks. Determining whether a security is “other than temporarily impaired” requires the use of estimates and significant judgment. The Company’s financial position and results of operations are therefore affected by changes in circumstances that affect the value of these investments and the Company’s determination as to whether the investments are “other than temporarily impaired”.

The Company records mortgage loans on real estate at their unpaid principal balances, net of valuation allowances. Valuation allowances are established for the excess of the carrying value of a mortgage loan over its estimated fair value when the loan is considered to be impaired. Mortgage loans are considered to be impaired when, based on current information and events, it is probable that the Company will be unable to collect all amounts due according to the contractual terms of the loan agreement. Estimated fair value is based on either the present value of expected future cash flows discounted at the loan’s original effective interest rate, or the loan’s observable market price (if considered to be a practical expedient), or the fair value of the collateral if the loan is collateral dependent and if foreclosure of the loan is considered probable. In addition, the Company records an estimate for incurred but not reported defaults. The Company bases its estimate for incurred but not reported defaults on historical default rates and the current mortgage portfolio composition. The Company’s financial position and operating results are therefore sensitive to: (i) changes in the estimated cash flows from mortgages, (ii) the value of the collateral, and (iii) changes in the economic environment in general. At December 31, 2003 and 2002, the valuation allowance on these mortgage loans was $20.0 million and $22.7 million, respectively.

Deferred policy acquisition costs and insurance reserves—

The Company values DPAC and insurance reserves in accordance with the relevant GAAP pronouncements: generally SFAS 60 for term and whole life insurance products, SFAS 97 for universal life and investment-type contracts, and SFAS 120 for traditional participating life insurance contracts. The valuation of DPAC and insurance reserves requires management to assume future investment yields, mortality rates, lapse rates, expense levels, policyholder dividends and where flexibility is allowed, policyholder premium payment behavior. For many of the Company’s products, amortization of DPAC varies with profit margins of the policies and contracts supporting the DPAC balances. The Company must periodically evaluate the recoverability of DPAC and the adequacy of its reserves based on historical and projected future results. Changes in management’s assumptions or actual results that differ significantly from management’s estimates may materially affect the Company’s financial position and results of operations. See—Potential Forward Looking Risks Affecting Profitability.

Goodwill and intangible assets—

The Company’s assets include goodwill and intangible assets, which are primarily related to its 2001 acquisition of Advest. In accordance with SFAS 142, the Company must reevaluate the valuation of the goodwill and intangible assets at least annually by comparing the fair value and carrying value of the reporting unit to which the goodwill and intangible assets relate. If the carrying value of the reporting unit exceeds its fair value, the Company must recognize an impairment loss for the excess of carrying value over fair value. The estimate of a reporting unit’s fair value considers various valuation methodologies and in certain cases, requires the use of assumptions and estimates regarding the reporting unit’s future cash flows and discount rates. Changes in the business supporting the goodwill and intangible assets may affect management’s assessment of the recoverability of goodwill and intangible assets. See—Potential Forward Looking Risks Affecting Profitability.

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Litigation, contingencies and restructuring charges—

Accounting for litigation, contingencies and restructuring charges requires the Company to estimate the expected costs of events which have already occurred but which the Company has not completely resolved. As discussed in Note 18 to the Consolidated Financial Statements, the Company is party to various legal actions and proceedings in connection with its businesses. To the extent the losses are probable and reasonably estimable, the Company records liabilities related to these matters in accordance with the provisions of SFAS 5 and FASB Interpretation 14. Judgments or settlements exceeding established loss reserves or changes in the circumstances requiring management to update its loss estimate may materially affect the Company’s financial position and results of operations.

As discussed in Note 26 to the Consolidated Financial Statements, in each of the years in the three-year period ending December 31, 2003 the Company established reserves related to the reorganization of certain of its businesses. These reserves are primarily related to the estimated costs of employee terminations and related benefits, lease abandonments and other costs directly related to the Company’s reorganization plans and incremental to the Company’s normal operating costs. Although management does not expect significant changes to its reorganization plans, the actual costs related to these plans may differ from management’s estimates. See – Reorganization and Other Charges.

Pension liabilities and the corresponding periodic expense—

The accounting for pension liabilities and the corresponding periodic expense requires assumptions with respect to the future return on the Company’s pension plan (the “Plan”) assets, the discount rate used to determine the present value of pension liabilities, the rate of compensation increases, and the determination of the fair value of Plan assets and the resultant unrealized gain or loss.

The Company’s assumption with respect to the future return on Plan assets is made by management after taking into consideration historic returns on such assets (generally the geometric annual rate of return over at least a ten year period), the actual mix of the Plan’s invested assets at the valuation date (which is assumed to be consistent in future periods), management’s outlook for future returns on such asset types, and the long-term outlook for such returns in the marketplace. At December 31, 2003, the Plan’s invested assets were comprised of the following:

The Company’s assumption as to the appropriate discount rate to be used to determine the present value of the Company’s pension liabilities is made by management after taking into consideration the Moody’s AA rate index.

The Company’s assumption with respect to the rate of future compensation increases was made by management based on future expected salary trends.

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The fair value of Plan assets is determined as follows:

The most significant assumptions underlying the valuation of the Company’s pension valuation are the expected future rate of return on Plan assets and the discount rate which, at January 1, 2003, were determined to be 8.0% and 6.125%, respectively. Each 1% increment in the return on assets lowers the future expected annual GAAP expense for 2005 and later by approximately $700,000, while each 1% decrease in the discount rate adds approximately $9.6 million to annual expense.

Other significant estimates—

In addition to the items discussed above, the application of GAAP requires management to make other estimates and assumptions. For example, the recognition of deferred tax assets, which depends upon management’s assumptions with respect to the Company’s ability to realize deferred tax benefits. See Notes 3 and 12 to the Consolidated Financial Statements.

Reorganization and Other Charges

During 2003, the Company recorded charges aggregating $5.8 million as part of the Company’s continuing initiative to enhance operating efficiency and effectively allocate resources. These charges consisted of: (i) severance and related benefits of $1.1 million incurred in connection with the merger of MONY Asset Management, Inc.’s operations into Boston Advisors and the resulting termination of certain employees; (ii) losses from the abandonment of leased offices of $1.3 million; (iii) losses from the abandonment of leased space in the Company’s home office of $2.0 million; (iv) write-offs of unused furniture and equipment in certain abandoned agency offices of $1.3 million; and (iv) moving and alteration costs incurred in connection with the consolidation of leased space in the Company’s home office of $0.2 million. The severance actions were substantially completed during the fourth quarter of 2003. The reserves established for the abandonment of leased agency offices and leased space in the Company’s home office are expected to run-off through 2008 and 2016, respectively. All of the charges recorded in 2003 represent “costs associated with exit or disposal activities” as described in SFAS 146, Accounting for Costs Associated with Exit or Disposal Activities (“SFAS 146”).

During the fourth quarter of 2002 and 2001, the Company recorded reorganization and other charges aggregating approximately $7.7 million and $146.1 million, respectively, as part of the Company’s initiative to enhance operating efficiency, more effectively allocate resources and capital, and discontinue certain non-core operations. Of these charges, $7.7 million and $19.0 million, respectively, met the definition of “restructure charges” as defined by Emerging Issues Task Force Consensus 94-3, “Liability Recognition for Certain Employee Termination Benefits and Other Costs to Exit an Activity (including Certain Costs Incurred in a Restructuring)” (“EITF 94-3”). The 2002 restructure charge consisted of severance and related benefits resulting

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from headcount reductions of 161 and 26 in the Company’s home office and career agency system, respectively, as well as losses from the abandonment of certain leased offices and equipment. The 2001 restructure charge consisted of severance and related benefits of $10.3 million resulting from headcount reductions of 117 and 240 in the Company’s home office and career agency system, respectively, and $8.7 million of other miscellaneous items. These actions were substantially completed in 2002. The remaining restructuring reserves primarily relate to lease abandonment costs and are expected to run-off through 2007. The balance of the charge in 2001, $127.0 million, was unrelated to the Company’s restructure activities and consisted of: (i) impairments of certain invested assets and valuation related write-downs of private equity securities held in the Company’s equity method venture capital portfolio; (ii) the write-off of deferred sales charges in the Company’s mutual fund business to reflect revised estimates of recoverability which are principally due to the decline in the value of the Company’s internet funds; (iii) write-downs of certain information technology assets; and (iv) other miscellaneous items.

The following tables summarize the components of the aforementioned charges recorded during 2003, 2002, and 2001, respectively. None of the charges referred to below as “Reorganization Charges” have been allocated to the Company’s operating segments, however, the charges in 2001 referred to as “Other Charges” have been allocated to the Company’s operating segments. All Reorganization Charges incurred in 2003, 2002 and 2001 are reported as reconciling items.

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All charges referred to as Reorganization Charges included in the tables above, except $17.0 million related to deferred policy acquisition costs in 2001 and $5.3 million related to investment expenses in 2001, are included in “Other Operating Costs and Expenses” in the Company’s 2001 consolidated statement of income and comprehensive income.

The following table indicates the line items in the Company’s consolidated and segmented income statements for the year ended December 31, 2001 that the Other Charges in the table above are reflected in.

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Set forth below is certain information regarding the liability recorded in connection with the Company’s restructuring actions, as well as the changes therein during the year ended December 31, 2003. Such liability is reflected in Accounts Payable and Other Liabilities on the Company’s consolidated balance sheet.

Summary of Financial Results

The following tables present the Company’s consolidated and segment results of operations for the years ended December 31, 2003, 2002 and 2001. The financial information herein is presented in accordance with GAAP unless otherwise noted.

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Results of Operations