More information about
these announcements can be found on www.plansponsor.com. If you have a product
announcement that you believe would be of interest to our readers, drop us a
line at news@plansponsor.com.
PLATFORM ENHANCEMENTS
The Fidelity Investments application was updated to enable
stock plan participants to better access and track their portfolios and conduct
transactions from their iPhone, iPod touch or Android smartphone. With the
updates, participants with stock option plans can now exercise and sell their
options by following simple prompts within the app.
MassMutual’s Retirement Services Division enhanced its
defined benefit (DB) plan termination services offering to existing clients.
The offering provides existing retirement plan advisers and sponsors with
resources, education and consulting.
Mercer launched “My Retirement Workshop,” an online
retirement planning and education campaign for employees whose 401(k) plans it
administers. The website provides interactive tools and hands-on instruction to
help investors “fix up” their retirement plans.
Financial Engines’ Income+ has been integrated into J.P.
Morgan Retirement Plan Services’ 401(k) offering. Income+ is available as part
of J.P. Morgan’s in-plan professionally managed account program, J.P. Morgan
Personal Asset Manager, which works within a 401(k)’s existing investment
lineup to administer personalized portfolios designed to provide a stream of
retirement income.
The Principal Financial Group created an online resource to
help plan sponsors grasp the new retirement plan disclosure regulations.
“Assessing Retirement Plan Value” offers tips and tools for understanding and
evaluating retirement plan fees, services and overall worth.
HR consultant Findley Davies launched “Retirement Focus,” a
mobile application for the iPhone and Android. The app allows client plan
sponsors and their plan participants to get real-time information about their
retirement accounts.
Wells Fargo made enhancements to the website for 401(k)
participants in the employer-sponsored retirement plans it administers. A
customizable dashboard gathers a participant’s most important retirement
information all in one place. Using a series of questions that assess a
participant’s confidence in retirement planning, appetite for advice and risk
tolerance, the site is now able to determine what content might be most
relevant to the individual.
The “Participant Perspective Satisfaction Tool,” introduced
by Anova Consulting Group, enables plan sponsors to survey their participants,
as well as nonparticipants, and interpret their level of satisfaction on an
absolute and relative basis. By gathering constructive feedback from employees,
sponsors will be able to better understand their participants’ needs, increase
plan participation and gain insights as to how their participant satisfaction
levels compare with those at similar firms.