Data & Research April 1, 2009

America’s Favorite College Basketball Teams

Only two of America’s 10 favorite college basketball teams made it to the Final Four.
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An annual poll by Harris Interactive found that the University of North Carolina and Duke University are still at top of the list of America’s favorite men’s college basketball teams. However, UNC is back in the number one spot, pushing Duke to number two.

UCLA moved up to the number three slot. Rounding out the top five is: Ohio State (number four) and University of Texas (number five), both of which returned to the top 10 after a one-year hiatus, according to a release of the survey results.

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Of the teams that made it into the Final Four this weekend (Michigan State, North Carolina, UConn, and Villanova), only UNC and the University of Connecticut (UConn) are also in the top 10 favorite teams.

Boston College is making its first appearance on the top 10 list, while Illinois, Florida and UConn are all returning after an absence of a couple of years, the release said.

Six teams dropped out of the top 10 since last year: Indiana, Iowa, Georgetown, Tennessee, Kansas, and Wisconsin.

The entire list is:

  1. UNC
  2. Duke
  3. UCLA
  4. Ohio State
  5. Texas
  6. Illinois
  7. Kentucky
  8. Boston College
  9. Florida
  10. UConn

Those are some of the findings of The Harris Poll, a nationwide survey of 2,355 U.S. adults, of whom 650 follow college basketball. The poll was taken online between March 9 and 16 by Harris Interactive.

 

Products April 1, 2009

RISE Launches Retirement Income Marketing Tools for Advisers

For financial advisers wanting to educate clients about and sell retirement income solutions, the Retirement Income Solutions Enterprise (RISE) offers an engagement system.
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The RISE Mature Simplicity engagement system includes interactive tools embedded in PowerPoint presentations and PDF documents, according to a news release. Included in the system are seminars and brochures about the five key risks in retirement (longevity, inflation, healthcare, withdrawal, and market). Also included is an in-office presentation that introduces clients to the retirement income big picture and their individual readiness.

RISE said the system provides clients the information they need about retirement income issues, which helps the adviser provide guidance and effective solutions.

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“There are many different products available for retirement income, but advisers struggle to position them in an integrated package to their clients without coming across as ‘product pushers’” said Garth Bernard, RISE principal. “This is especially true with products providing guaranteed income such as income annuities—a critical component in most retirement income plans. We saw that the most successful advisers work to educate clients on the critical risks and issues they face in retirement, creating a big picture framework for their clients before they ever discuss specific products.”

 

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