Merrill Lynch Introduces Retirement Income Solutions

Merrill Lynch Global Wealth Management (MLGWM) has announced the launch of My Retirement Income, a feature within the Merrill Lynch Retirement Income Service that connects retirement income planning with the Bank of America retail banking network.

My Retirement Income allows clients nearing, or in, retirement to automatically transfer funds from a Merrill Lynch cash management account into a Bank of America deposit account on a periodic basis for simplified retirement income distribution and management, according to a press release.

MLGWM said it has recently enhanced its Retirement Income Service to enable Merrill Lynch financial advisers to help clients track their spending behaviors in retirement. Through this service, financial advisers can provide more holistic advice around managing cash flow and adjusting retirement investment strategies to help clients manage their savings so it will last throughout their lifetime.

The firm also announced the Merrill Lynch Retirement Income Framework, a proprietary retirement income planning and investment approach designed to complement Merrill Lynch financial advisers’ existing retirement income strategies when working with clients.

According to the announcement, the foundation of the new framework is a segmented investment approach best suited for clients nearing, and in, retirement that divides assets into three distinct portfolios designed to better enable clients to address short-term consumption needs, optimize long-term investment opportunities, and marshal excess savings to help maximize the value of their legacies and intergenerational transfer of wealth.

The investment approach also takes into consideration a client’s individual risk tolerance, and is designed to help mitigate common risks associated with retirement income plans, including longevity, inflation, asset allocation, and health care.

More information is in a white paper entitled “A Framework for Managing Retirement Income.” The white paper is here.

TPA Adds Financial Education Solution to Participant Portal

Third party administrator (TPA) Sentinel Financial Group will be installing vWise SmartPlan Enterprise onto its SunGard Relius platform January 1.

vWise Inc. says that by combining a video-based presentation of financial information with an interactive application that prompts users to make informed investment decisions, SmartPlan Enterprise can help increase plan enrollment, raise participant contribution levels, and reduce support costs, according a press release.

The video offers a brief overview of 401(k) basics, followed by a discussion of selected features–such as auto-enrollment, matching contributions, and loans –that providers can customize. The video hosts then guide participants through a process, including individual retirement needs and risk profile surveys, and selection of investment types and contribution amounts that generates a personalized investor profile.

The SmartPlan Enterprise system is integrated with a provider’s participant database, to deliver a custom experience and allow upload of participant choices, the press release said. It also includes an administration portal that provides a suite of tools in a menu-driven format.

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