The Principal Offers New Media Features for Participants

August 12, 2009 (PLANSPONSOR.com) - Participants with retirement accounts through the Principal Financial Group can now receive certain account information via text messages and their personal iGoogle home pages.

According to a press release, participants can opt in to receive email or text messages with retirement account information weekly on whichever day they choose. The messages include total account balance and personalized rate of return.

In addition, the announcement said The Principal also created an iGoogle gadget that allows participants to view key account information directly from iGoogle without accessing The Principal's Web site. Through iGoogle, users can create customized Web pages with quicker access to the information they value the most. The gadget uses the same encryption and security measures that are in place when logging in at www.principal.com , and users must still go to the Web site to perform transactions.

Both technologies are available to participants at no additional fee.

The Principal said it received requests especially from younger participants for electronic communications.   Within the first month of the launch of the new features in mid-May nearly 800 participants added the gadget to their iGoogle home page, and nearly 1,500 participants signed up to receive email or text messages from The Principal.

Rebecca Moore
editors@plansponsor.com