Products September 16, 2016

ICMA-RC Adds Retirement Virtual Reality to Mobile App

The financial services company is enhancing its mobile app with virtual reality and animation features.

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ICMA-RC recently updated its mobile application to offer two new components.

One provides a brief virtual reality tour offering a glimpse into the moments of three public sector employees, the firm says. By clicking on an enroll button on the video’s interface, users can sign up for services as permitted by their employers. The video can also be viewed via custom, mini virtual-reality glasses being distributed at various ICMA-RC events and conferences.

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Second, a “My Retirement Dreams” animation feature allows users to create personalized views of their future selves in retirement. Users can also share the animation via social media providing an opportunity for others to start thinking positively about retirement as well, the firm says.

ICMA-RC says both features have proven popular during its ongoing RealizeRetirement tour, designed to influence public sector workers to start thinking positively about retirement.

“The first several months of ICMA-RC’s RealizeRetirement Tour have been a tremendous success, and this is a way to build upon those results,” says Gregory Dyson, senior vice president and chief operating officer at ICMA-RC. “By making innovative technology from the tour broadly available to local and government workers through our mobile app, we are able to expand our reach and motivate users to think about and plan for retirement in a fun, interactive way.”

The ICMA-RC’s mobile app can be downloaded via Google Play and the App Store. The RealizeRetirement tour will continue through November 2016. More information about these events can be found online here.

Products September 16, 2016

Financial Engines Expands Advice Services

The move is about expanding the number of people Financial Engines can help achieve their financial goals, the company said.
Reported by

Financial Engines is adding local advisers across the country along with “unbiased, comprehensive financial help” to its services delivered through the workplace.

The company also revealed a new brand identity, redesigned its website, and converted more than 120 The Mutual Fund Store locations into Financial Engines Advisor Centers.

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The company says it’s responding to employees’ growing demands for financial advice. According to Aon Hewitt, 54% of employees would like access to financial advice through the workplace, and its 2016 Hot Topics in Retirement and Financial Well-Being report indicated that 89% of employers are likely to add or expand the financial well-being tools and services offered to employees this year.

“Just as we transformed the industry by pioneering scalable, institutional-quality investment advice and professional management, our new adviser center network, financial planning services and brand identity show our commitment to bringing greater clarity to Americans’ complex financial lives,” says Financial Engines president and CEO Larry Raffone. “The first 20 years of Financial Engines’ history have been about helping people plan for and live well in retirement. For the next 20 years, we’re going to be helping more people better manage their financial lives today, up to and through retirement, regardless of their income or account balance. I’m excited to introduce even more people to the personal, proactive, comprehensive and non-conflicted care that our clients have come to expect from Financial Engines.”

Raffone added, “More than anything, this move is about expanding the number of people Financial Engines can help achieve their financial goals. Our clients have had access to our help online and through our call-center based advisers. By broadening our focus and making fiduciary-level care across all account types available to investors through employers and to those near a Financial Engines Advisor Center, we’re giving all people the power to grow.”

More information about the services Financial Engines offers through the workplace can be found online here.

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