Products October 13, 2009

TIAA-CREF Connects Smartphone Users with Financial Advice

By taking a picture of TIAA-CREF’s advertisements, smartphone users can link up with an investment consultant.

Reported by

TIAA-CREF’s new “Make a Change for the Good” print advertising campaign uses Quick Response code technology to connect the smartphone user to a consultant. The company said the first advertisement, which debuted in The New York Times, invites smartphone users to take a picture of the Quick Response code to connect by phone with one of TIAA-CREF’s noncommissioned investment consultants.

Nearly 13% of TIAA-CREF’s 3.6 million participants are between the ages of 25 and 34, the same age range of the majority of smartphone users, according to Nielsen, a TIAA-CREF announcement said.

To scan QR codes, individuals need a smartphone with a camera and a code reader. Smartphone users can search for “QR code reader” in their search engine or go to a smartphone official app store for a free code reader.

“Sometimes the hardest part of getting started on a plan is picking up the phone,” said Jeff Fleischman, the company’s chief digital officer. “QR code marketing is one way to encourage our more tech-savvy participants to call us. We know that people who have a financial plan are more likely to save more and are better prepared to weather the ups and downs of the market.”

Deals & People October 13, 2009

Texas Universities Select VALIC as 403(b) Plan Provider

VALIC has been chosen by the University of North Texas (UNT) and Texas Woman’s University (TWU) as a 403(b) plan provider.

Reported by

VALIC is one of four plan providers selected by UNT with the goal of creating a consolidated 403(b) program that is administered in compliance with the new 403(b) regulations. VALIC was chosen for its open investment platform, and employee education, administration, and plan compliance services, according to the announcement.

The University of North Texas System is made up of UNT System Administration, the University of North Texas, the University of North Texas Health Science Center at Fort Worth, and the University of North Texas Dallas Campus, soon to become the University of North Texas at Dallas. The UNT Web site shows the other three plan providers are Fidelity, ING, and TIAA-CREF.

For TWU, VALIC will serve as one of six providers. The announcement said VALIC was selected for its competitive offering of investment services and products, employee education through its staff of financial advisers, and plan compliance services. Texas Woman’s University is an institution of higher education that receives public funding from the State of Texas with four campus locations in Denton, Dallas, and Houston.

According to the TWU Web site, the other plan providers are Fidelity, ING, Lincoln National, MetLife, and TIAA-CREF.

Through the relationship with VALIC, UNT and TWU plan administrators and participants will gain access to VALIC Retirement Services Company’s Retirement Manager, a vendor-neutral solution for managing multiple retirement plans and multiple vendors. It provides plan sponsors with administrative and compliance services while offering plan participants a single point-of-access to retirement plan information, financial planning tools, and transaction capabilities across retirement products and carriers.


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