Product and Service Launches – 5/30/25

PensionBee Launches SEP IRA for Gig Workers

Retirement plan provider PensionBee has launched a Simplified Employee Pension IRA, designed for gig workers, as part of its digital retirement platform. PensionBee’s SEP IRA will allow accountholders to contribute up to 25% of their income to the plan.

The company said the higher contribution limit will enable self-employed people, small business owners and other workers who make up the gig economy an opportunity to catch up with their retirement savings.

Vanguard Adds Four Equity Index Funds to its Lineup

Vanguard has added four equity index funds to its Investor Choice program, expanding the program to 12 funds since its 2023 launch. Vanguard’s Investor Choice has 10 million eligible investors with nearly $1 trillion in assets.

The program provides investors access to proxy voting choice, which Vanguard research found that 83% of investors believe is important for asset managers to consider their preferences when casting proxy votes, with 57% indicating they would participate in a program that would allow them to influence how their asset manager votes.

Valmark, Lincoln Financial Expand ETF Portfolio

Portfolio manager Valmark Advisers Inc. and Lincoln Financial have expanded their ETF portfolio with three new products. The new offerings: TOPS Conservative ETF Portfolio, TOPS Growth ETF Portfolio and TOPS Aggressive Growth ETF Portfolio will be managed by Valmark and made available to Lincoln’s clients. Valmark oversees about $10.6 billion in total assets under management or advisement.

Jackson Adds Nasdaq 100 Index Option

Jackson National Life Insurance launched enhancements to its registered index-linked annuities with its Jackson Market Link Pro® III and Jackson Market Link Pro Advisory product, which introduce the Nasdaq 100 index as investment option.  The additions are designed to give investors growth potential both pre- and post-retirement while offering varied levels of downside protection.

Carry Launches Investment Alternative to High-Yield Savings Accounts

Financial platform Carry announced an investment alternative to high yield savings accounts through the launch of its new Smart Yield product. The new offering allows users to obtain after-tax cash returns via automated allocations through money market funds that are often tax-free at all levels of government.

Clients are allocated to funds that invest in U.S. Treasuries, government or municipal securities, and the product works with taxable brokerage accounts, 401(k)s, traditional IRAs and Roth IRA accounts.

Goldman Sachs Unveils ETF Look Through Feature to Enhance Direct Indexing Strategy

Goldman Sachs Asset Management launched ETF Look Through feature as part of its Goldman Sachs Tax-Advantaged Core Strategies and made available on its Registered Investment Advisor channel.

The strategy includes evaluating ETF positions based on underlying stock exposure, sector risk, tax consequences and fees. ETF positions with higher appreciation and low tracking error to the benchmark are more likely to be retained, while those with lower appreciation and higher tracking error may be trimmed or sold.