Principal Tool Helps Employees Best Use Benefit Programs

A Principal news release said My Principal Edge Milestones is an interactive program that analyzes financial needs and gives employees a roadmap to help meet their goals. Milestones helps employees of plan customers identify shortfalls in saving for retirement and shows gaps in other financial needs, the news release said.

“It’s little wonder 66% of American workers say they have not conducted an analysis of their financial needs in the past three years.  Making financial decisions is complex and calculators often require more information than they have at their fingertips,” said Luke Vandermillen, national director of worksite solutions for the Principal Financial Group, in the announcement.  “With Milestones, employees can develop a plan with as little as four pieces of information.  What they get in return is a one-page, personalized timeline with simple steps that help them take action.”

Available online or at the worksite, early use of the tool showed double-digit increases in benefit participation. In 2007, employees took some 40,000 benefit plan actions after using Milestones during 68,000 one-on-one worksite meetings, the announcement said.

Milestones works alone or with one-on-one worksite meetings with salaried benefits experts.  Employees see how the benefit plans offered by their employer work together to help them plan for the future, the news release said. 

For more information about Milestones and to check out a simplified version of the tool, visit  www.principal.com .