IRI honors 4 with its 2016 Marketing Innovation Award

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Insured Retirement Institute (IRI) has honored Transamerica President and CEO Mark Mullin, Sammons Retirement Solutions Inc., Lincoln Financial Distributors and Federated Investors as the 2016 recipients of the IRI Marketing Innovation Award. The awards, which were presented during a ceremony at the IRI Marketing Summit 2016 held in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., March 20-22, recognize breakthroughs in the areas of new products and services, development of consumer and advisor educational resources, and overall marketing campaigns to promote retirement income strategies.

“The recipients of this award have embraced new technologies, ingenuity and innovative thinking to solve for a need in today’s marketplace,” IRI President and CEO Cathy Weatherford said. “This year’s recipients have developed campaigns to support financial professionals by providing important advisor education material and tools for working with clients. They have leveraged technology to create efficiencies and deliver real-time results. IRI is proud to recognize these recipients for their significant contributions and innovations.”

Mark Mullin – Transamerica

In the individual category, IRI recognized Transamerica President and CEO Mark Mullin for leading his company’s effort to create its “Financial Planning in the Shadow of Dementia” program. The program provides financial planners with new tools to help clients – impacted by dementia – effectively manage their personal finances. Research shows that declining financial skills are among the first symptoms to appear with dementia. That means financial advisors are potentially among the first to recognize cognitive impairment in their clients. Through a strategic collaboration with Dr. Joseph Coughlin, Director of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) AgeLab, the Alzheimer’s Association^®, and Steven A. Starnes, MBA, CFP^®, Grand Wealth Management, Transamerica created this much-needed program.

Sammons Retirement Solutions Inc.

IRI recognized Sammons Retirement Solutions Inc. in the insurer category for its PracticeWell^SM Adviser Success Strategies Program, which is designed to help independent financial professionals create dialogue with clients on issues such as multi-generational planning. The program used Sammons Retirement Solutions’ “360° Real-Time Marketing View” technology, which integrates its marketing automation system and its customer relationship management (CRM) platform. This integration enables Sammons Retirement Solutions to deliver personalized marketing campaigns, to respond immediately to requests, and to analyze and track results.

Lincoln Financial Distributors

IRI recognized Lincoln Financial Distributors in the broker-dealer/distributor category for developing a new mobile app for wholesalers, “the Territory Visualizer.” The app provides wholesalers with immediate access to firm-level details, market share data and individual advisor activities. It also offers data aggregation and mapping features, which enable wholesalers to efficiently plan their days. By spending less time studying data, they are able to spend more time supporting advisors. Since the official launch in September 2015, 85% of wholesalers downloaded the app and 65% have incorporated it into their daily routine.

“The Territory Visualizer is the most innovative and effective application of advanced analytics in the industry as it puts intelligence in the hands of wholesalers – increasing their productivity, enabling them to be closer to the customer, and creating better customer experiences,” said Rich Aneser, CMO, Annuity Solutions, Lincoln Financial Distributors and Lincoln Financial Network.

Harnessing the power of data and analytics from multiple sources, the Territory Visualizer is able to quickly and accurately aggregate data from a range of inputs including Lincoln’s sales and internal demographic data as well as external industry sources and salesforce.com. Easy access to this information helps Lincoln’s wholesalers drive more business more effectively instead of relying on multiple sources for information and merging them together. Another key feature is the app’s visual mapping tool, which provides a holistic picture of producers and firms on an interactive map, allowing more productive days.

“Lincoln Financial’s mobile app, ‘the Territory Visualizer,’ is an outstanding example of how ingenuity can be employed to solve a challenge in today’s marketplace,” IRI’s Weatherford said.

Federated Investors

In the asset manager category, IRI recognized Federated Investors for an advisor-facing campaign designed for financial professionals working with 401(k) plans. As part of this campaign, Federated Investors developed “Beyond Gravity,” a toolkit plan advisors can use to train investment committees on the role of a fiduciary and how to best document their actions. In addition to “Beyond Gravity,” Federated’s most recent program, “No Two Alike,” was created to allow advisors to create and implement custom target date solutions for defined contribution plans.

National Retirement Planning Week set for April 11-15

IRI is also preparing for National Retirement Planning Week 2016, which will take place April 11-15. Held during financial literacy month, National Retirement Planning Week is led by the National Retirement Planning Coalition, a group of prominent education, consumer advocacy and financial services organizations that have joined together to increase awareness of the need for comprehensive retirement planning. The coalition is spearheaded by IRI.

On Tuesday, April 12, IRI will offer a continuing education webinar for financial professionals on addressing the needs of female retirement savers. The webinar will be produced in partnership with Lincoln Financial.

On Wednesday, April 13, IRI will present retirement research and convene a retirement security discussion during a Capitol Hill luncheon at noon. On April 14, IRI and Nationwide will partner to provide a continuing education webinar for financial professionals.

On Friday, April 15, IRI will host a personal finance workshop on Capitol Hill from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. During this time, financial professionals will be available for complimentary meetings to discuss questions related to finances and retirement planning.

Additional events may be added as details become available.

The National Retirement Planning Coalition recognizes that the need to educate Americans on retirement planning is an ongoing effort and is committed to making this a national priority. National Retirement Planning Week and other coalition activities will demonstrate that it is possible for Americans to “Retire On Your Terms” if comprehensive retirement plans are properly developed and managed. To support these education efforts, the coalition has collected the latest resources to help consumers and financial professionals focus on long-term financial goals. These tools are available year-round at: www.RetireOnYourTerms.org.

The National Retirement Planning Coalition is led by the Insured Retirement Institute (IRI). Members of the coalition include: America Saves, American Academy of Actuaries, American Benefits Council, American Council of Life Insurers (ACLI), American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA), American Savings Education Council (ASEC), Association for Financial Counseling and Planning Education (AFCPE), Association of Ohio Life Insurance Companies, Center for Retirement Research at Boston College, CFA Institute, Defined Contribution Institutional Investment Association (DCIIA), Employee Benefit Research Institute (EBRI), Federal Citizen Information Center (FCIC) of the U.S. General Services Administration, Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) Investor Education Foundation, Financial Services Institute (FSI), Financial Services Roundtable (FSR), Jump$tart Coalition, Life Insurance Association of Michigan, Life Insurance Council of New York (LICONY), LIMRA LOMA Secure Retirement Institute, Louisiana Department of Insurance, Minnesota Department of Commerce, Mississippi Department of Insurance, National Academy of Social Insurance (NASI), National Association for Fixed Annuities (NAFA), National Endowment for Financial Education (NEFE), National Foundation for Credit Counseling (NFCC), NICSA, Society of Actuaries, Texas Association of Life and Health Insurers, The American College, The Aspen Institute, Wisconsin Council of Life Insurers, Women’s Institute for a Secure Retirement (WISER), and WorldatWork.

• Click here to access National Retirement Planning Week 2016 participant kits.