Franklin Templeton Launches Retirement Income Program
Franklin Templeton Investments has created the “Income For What’s Next” investment program. The program is designed to provide advisors with a framework to help clients develop long-lasting retirement income investment strategies.

“The bulk of retirement planning has historically been focused on accumulation. Advisors play a vital role in guiding their clients as the more detached logic of accumulation is replaced by the very real emotions of preparing to live in retirement,” said Michael Doshier, vice president of retirement marketing for Franklin Templeton Investments. “They must help clients turn their savings into income—income that pays for their mortgage, their health care and even their vacations—and that must last longer and longer.”

Franklin Templeton suggests advisors focus on the following four practical steps: engage, plan, select and review.
Engage clients in conversations to determine what their income sources are and how those can be used to cover their expenses. It is important that clients use the appropriate income sources to sustain them for the long term.

Create a plan to prioritize your client’s goals and concerns. Develop a written strategy to calculate their fixed, rising and discretionary expenses to determine their needed retirement income.

Select the right products to build a portfolio that can withstand unexpected economic bumps while providing a steady income stream.
And finally, review your client’s portfolio regularly to monitor their investments and ensure the asset allocation remains appropriate should their situation change.


U.S Trust Addresses Online Risks
U.S. Trust has expanded its Financial Empowerment Program to address online risks. The firm has developed interactive learning and discussion guides to help clients:
• Protect the value of their digital assets including ownership of and access to social media sites, photos, health records, business intelligence and other confidential information.
• Manage their online reputations by providing steps to proactively monitor and manage their online presence, protect and secure confidential information and clear up mistakes or inaccuracies.
• Recognize and avoid identity theft by offering actionable steps for what to do if personal information is compromised.


N.Y. Life Adds Chronic Care Rider
New York Life has developed the Chronic Care Rider for its whole life product line to give policyholders the option of accelerating the face amount of their policy if necessary.

The benefits may be used for at-home care, a nursing home stay, or even to help supplement the needs of family members who are spending time providing care.

If a policyholder does not use his or her benefits for chronic care, the funds remain intact as insurance benefits for heirs or as cash value that can supplement retirement income.


Nationwide And Annexus Offer New Annuity
Nationwide Financial and Annexus have partnered to develop a new fixed indexed annuity product, the Nationwide New Heights.

New Heights is built for risk-averse clients who want the stability that a fixed product provides while also having upside growth potential and a return of principal, says the firm.

Two optional riders offer clients the greater of potential growth of their contract value or a fixed rate increase on their premium. The Lifetime Income Benefit rider helps clients meet their retirement income needs, and the Enhanced Death Benefit rider provides legacy-planning options.


Goldman Sachs Launches New Fund
Goldman Sachs Asset Management’s new Small/Mid Cap Value Fund seeks opportunities in under-researched equity sectors.

The fund aims to actively invest in 125 to 200 small and mid-cap stocks across a variety of industries. It is benchmarked to the Russell 2500 Value Index.
“We set out to identify quality companies that are attractively valued where the market may be under-appreciating the existing business or its prospects for future success,” said Sean Gallagher, co-CIO of the U.S. value team.


Scivantage Enhances Investor Platform
The Jersey City, N.J.-based financial technology provider has added several new features to its investor platform to enable brokerage firms and banks to deliver a more personalized online investment experience to their clients.

Some of the new features include:
• A combination display of market and portfolio data to help investors make more informed investment decisions.
• A quick trade feature that allows users to trade from anywhere on the site.
• A tagging and user personalization feature that allows users to create customized data views and tag specific records based on their terms, creating a personalized screen view.