Commonwealth Financial Network, the nation's largest privately held independent broker/dealer, has launched a suite of products, including worksheets, presentations and articles, that will help its 1,400 independent financial advisors educate retirement plan participants.
The program, called RetireReady, encourages employees to join a workplace retirement plan. It also educates participants about where extra money can be found for a retirement savings plan and discusses dollar-cost averaging and asset allocation. And it helps people create an income plan when they get close to retirement.
The program also helps advisors differentiate themselves from the competition by giving them an education component when they are staring down clients.
"For advisors targeting the plan sponsor market, RetireReady presents them with the means to truly set themselves apart in the industry," said Paul Mahan, Commonwealth's director of retirement consulting services. "The robust library of out-of-the-box resources helps advisors showcase their expertise and helps plan sponsors and participants by driving employee engagement and plan participation.
"This is a critical piece in a strong and expanding framework for helping position our advisors to tap into unprecedented opportunities and for helping employees make the best decisions possible when it comes to their retirement planning and savings," he said.
Commonwealth is headquartered in Waltham, Mass., and San Diego.
--Karen DeMasters