MassMutual Opens RetireSmart Academy Doors

According to a press release, the Academy is an interactive online resource designed to create a more personal educational experience for its retirement plan participants. It is accessible from the home page of The Journey, MassMutual’s participant web site.

A suite of materials including a variety of calculators, interactive charts, audio tutorials, and articles “enables participants to explore a variety of topics related to planning and saving for retirement,” according to the announcement. For example:

• Interactive tutorials with audio support and charts allow participants to review scenarios based on their own personal situation.
• Calculators help participants explore how changes to their personal finances might impact their long-term savings goals.
• Educational articles on a variety of retirement planning topics reinforce key concepts and provide “action tips.”

Acknowledging the role that plan sponsors, advisers, and third-party administrators often play in the educational process, MassMutual’s RetireSmart Academy lets them access these resources via the MassMutual web site. For example, according to the announcement, sponsors and advisers can log in and present brief seminars to small groups.

MassMutual plans to introduce additional financial planning content and concepts later in 2009 and on an ongoing basis.