eBusiness

Learning About Recordkeepers Online

Posted by Anu Heda on Nov 02, 2011, in Thoughts , tagged with , , , , ,

In the previous post, we examined the experience of searching for a recordkeeper. In this post, we’ll consider another common experience – the referral. Many people will look for a referral from anyone they deem qualified to provide a starting point.  With a referral mindset, I asked a few DCIO wholesalers to recommend recordkeepers for small and new plans.  I heard three firms repeatedly (and reasons why):

  1. Ascensus – Low-cost, open architecture
  2. Principal – Big, hands-on, and helpful sales force
  3. John Hancock – Good, easy-to-use technology

From reviewing the firms’ Web sites, online marketing has not been a major focus to-date.  None of the top firms’ sites provides a comprehensive pre-sale experience.

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Searching for a Recordkeeper

Posted by Anu Heda on Nov 02, 2011, in Thoughts , tagged with , , , ,

The 401(k) market is massive. There’s nearly $3 trillion dollars in 401(k) plans. For white-collar America, it’s simply part of the on-boarding process at a new job. And those recordkeepers that sell primarily small plans, I think there’s an opportunity to increase sales from optimizing parts of the Web site.  By “optimizing,” I mean improving sales leads in two ways:

  1. Through search engine results
  2. By providing quick visibility into recordkeepers’ value proposition

 … [read more]

Best Blogs of the Week

Posted by Anu Heda on Oct 31, 2011, in Best Blogs of the Week , tagged with , , ,

This week’s best feature a few definitions. I’m torn on this.  Is it helpful or condescending (leave a comment) to define a twenty-five cent word?

American Century – The post provides six reasons why the businesses are bouncing back from recession faster than consumer. (Defining word: dichotomy)

Russell – This post shares an interesting impact of mentally shifting the quarter-end and seeing the impact on quarterly returns influenced by market volatility (Defining word: volatility).

Wells Fargo Advantage Fund – This post is a bit of  a bruiser (long, dense).  If you stay with it, the author has a few standout points about how and why the Fed is not seeing the Treasury market behave as expected.

 

Best Blogs of the Week

Posted by Anu Heda on Oct 24, 2011, in Best Blogs of the Week , tagged with ,

A dearth of FA impact this week, as we share two posts that cover super-committee and TIPS.  Additionally, we have our first-ever best video.

  • BlackRock – This video includes a few talking points about how the super-committee can impact investing.  As the news outlets ramp up coverage, more advisors will get questions and so this two minute video is valuable.
  • BlackRock – The author does an excellent job describing the differences in owning TIPS and TIPS ETFs.  It’s common sense but a helpful and worthwhile review as clients’ minds turn to year-end tax planning.