Products January 20, 2009

Ibbotson Widens Target Maturity Portfolio Offering across DC Market

Ibbotson Associates is now offering its custom target maturity portfolio construction service to financial institutions serving defined contribution plans of all sizes.
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A news release said Ibbotson will now offer the service to small and mid-tier plans through plan providers as an expansion of its existing product line that had been offered to the plans in the larger end of the market.

“Now, plans of all sizes will be able to provide similar competitive offerings to their participants,” said Kim Meyer, vice president of retirement services for Ibbotson Associates, in the news release. “Our sophisticated process allows us to create customized target maturity portfolios for plans of all sizes using the investment options in the plan—a service that was previously used by only the largest plans.”

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According to the release, Ibbotson uses estimates of the participant group’s average human capital (the present value of a person’s future earnings) and their financial capital (current savings for retirement) to determine an appropriate glide path, or stock-bond mix over time.

Using this approach, the glide path’s aggressiveness matches the unique characteristics of a plan’s participants. Factors considered in selecting a glide path include the existence of a defined benefit plan, employee tenure, employee risk capacity, savings rates, median salaries, and salary stability, according to the news release.

Products January 20, 2009

New Firm Provides Plan Sponsor Data

Pension Analytix, Inc., a marketing and analytical insights firm targeting companies that provide retirement services, has launched Acquisition Engine.
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Pension Analytix’s value proposition lies in working with clients to lower the cost of acquisition, by measuring sales effectiveness and improving efficiencies within marketing and sales organizations of retirement providers, the company said in a press release. It offers a full integration of multi-vendor pension databases that can be customized into a fully integrated CRM solution.

The firm was launched in 2008, and founded by Colin Fernandes, who worked previously for Fidelity Retirement Services and JP Morgan Retirement Plan Services. The firm leverages market research, and uses a proprietary analytical and technology based solution and multiple data sources to score each one of the 650,000 plan sponsors in the retirement industry, according to the release.

Pension Analytix, Inc. claims it can highlight key plan sponsor wants and needs using a market-driven database solution.

The firm works with consultants, recordkeepers, financial advisers, and third-party administrators(TPAs).

More information is available at www.pensionanalytix.com, by e-mailing sales@pensionanalytix.com, or by calling 513.328.3931.

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