CHICAGO, Nov. 4, 2003 (PRIMEZONE) -- Ibbotson Associates, a leading provider of asset allocation and investment knowledge and tools, today launched a series of educational products and services for advisors and clients to instruct them on retirement planning. These presentation materials and training programs are the beginning of a suite of retirement income solutions Ibbotson plans to offer.
"The financial services industry has focused almost exclusively on the accumulation phase of life and very little on the retirement-income phase. But demographics and needs are changing. The number of Americans age 65 or older is projected to double over the next 30 years to 70 million. The financial services company that provides retirement income solutions to help individuals make their money last through retirement can win the lion's share of those clients. But advisor training must start now," said Mark Kowalczyk, managing director of sales and marketing.
As life expectancies rise and reliance on pension plans and Social Security declines, individuals increasingly have to fund longer retirements but have less stable income streams on which to rely. Traditional financial planning practices alone cannot address all the risks faced by this new breed of retiree.
Over the past few years Ibbotson has been conducting academic research on the topic of asset allocation in retirement. Based on this research, the company has created a series of educational products and training programs to help financial services companies develop and market retirement products and planning. The first series of educational products includes:
* Client and advisor retirement planning brochures-client brochure, A New Beginning, and advisor brochure, Retirement Strategies, explain the new risks faced in retirement and demonstrate how a combination of investment products and insurance products can lengthen income. * Advisor training-instructor-led workshops on retirement income planning. * Presentation materials * Role of Immediate Annuities in Retirement-PowerPoint presentation demonstrates how to use annuities to optimize retirement income planning. * Retirement Income Strategies-chart illustrates that annuitization reduces the chance of running out of money in retirement.
About Ibbotson Associates Ibbotson Associates, founded by Professor Roger Ibbotson in 1977, is a leading authority on asset allocation, providing products and services to help investment professionals obtain, manage and retain assets.
The company's business lines include investment consulting and research; planning and analysis software; wealth forecasting; educational services and a widely used line of NASD-reviewed presentation materials. With offices in Chicago, New York and Tokyo, Ibbotson provides integrated investment knowledge, leading-edge technology, multi-conceptual education and a variety of sales presentation solutions. Ibbotson markets its integrated product line of investment analytical tools and services to institutional money managers, plan sponsors and consultants for quantitative analysis, high level decision making and presentations. The company's clients also include financial planners, brokers, mutual fund firms, private bankers and small money managers.