As Congress continues to debate the tax treatment of defined contribution retirement plans and as most defined benefit plans are being changed or phased out, it has become even more important for workers to figure out how much they will need in retirement and what they need to do now to reach that figure.

A plethora of retirement tools abound on company websites. Many will calculate how much you have to save to reach your goals, but there is a new breed of calculators out there that do much more than that, and some of them are on your mobile phone.

ING U.S. Retirement has two very popular tools, Compare Me and My Retirement Outlook. Neither is a standard retirement calculator.

“Compare Me really goes to the idea of behavioral finance and the research we’ve done in our retirement institute to understand behaviors, what drives people,” said Amy Vaillancourt, senior vice president of Inside Sales and Service for ING U.S. Retirement. One of the things ING learned is that people like to compare themselves to others.

ING’s Compare Me tool allows individuals to plug in many factors about themselves, including hobbies, like golf or swimming, and then compares them to their peers who have the same interests and make the same amount of money.

“If your peer group is saving more than you are, it could motivate you to do better and save more. The other good thing about this is there are over 1.2 million users,” Vaillancourt said.

The tool has another benefit. It collects behavioral data on its users so “we are able to share that information with the advisor community….so they can use that in their discussions with participants and people who are saving for retirement,” she said.

Many advisors use the Compare Me tool when they are sitting down with their clients because it is publicly available.

My Retirement Outlook takes the details of a person’s financial situation and generates an interactive gap statement. The tool shows workers whether they have enough money in retirement and it allows them to enter things like additional savings outside of their retirement plan, any defined benefit plans or proceeds that are anticipated.

“We already factored in Social Security or they can enter in their own Social Security amount if they have their Social Security statement saved,” she said.

The tool has many variables that participants can play around with, like what if I saved more? What if I retired later? Then it produces a gap statement, letting them know if they are on track.

ING also has a mobile phone app called ING Retire that is available for the iPhone and Android devices. It allows people to view their retirement accounts online and also allows them to complete transactions over their phone, like increase their contribution rate.

“We recognize we have to continue to evolve from a communications perspective with the way people are communicating,” Vaillancourt said. Younger people are more attached to their phones than anything else, so it is a good way to reach them.

Another tool that is unique to ING is its gaming application, Struct, that is available on iTunes. “We know that many many more people play gaming apps than enroll in their 401(k), so this is another way to reach people in ways they want to be reached, educated and communicated with,” she said. “Struct is a gaming app and it has several messages around saving and diversification and asset allocation, based on the construction of a building.”

The game is in pre-launch currently. It is available on the iTunes store, but the company hasn’t promoted it yet.

“It’s just a fun, unique take on what can sometimes be a topic that people aren’t interested in,” Vaillancourt said.

GuidedChoice’s QuickAdvice tool takes you and your spouse’s current financial information and savings details and determines how much you would have per month in retirement if the market is weak, moderate or strong.

The tool is a “way to get in and get information really quickly. You don’t have to enter a lot of data and it can give you a quick snapshot,” said David Bernard, chief client officer at GuidedChoice.

“The entire industry has an uphill battle against inertia. Whether people admit they have a need, life is busy for all of us and it falls down on the priority list. We don’t need a lot of data or a lot of time to start the awareness process. It triggers that reaction: I know I need to do more, learn more about my situation,” he said.

“The best thing we can do at GuidedChoice is to get people up and moving, is to give them a piece of information that makes them think. The best marketing brochure doesn’t do a whole lot,” he said. “We all know we should save more….The best way is to give people [a reason] to move, give them real information. Not a brochure or a sales pitch. Here’s where you are today and here’s what we think that will turn into when you retire.”

The AARP website also has some cool tools for figuring out what your Social Security distribution will be at retirement and figuring out the fees you pay on your 401(k).

The AARP 401(k) Fee Calculator, powered by BrightScope, Inc., estimates the fees associated with individual plans and compares them to the average for a low-cost 401(k) investor. It also approximates in dollars the potential impact of the fees on the investor’s balance when they reach retirement age.

“Americans are trying to plan for their retirement without all the information they need about their 401(k) plans,” said Jean Setzfand, AARP director of financial xecurity. “The research shows a clear lack of understanding about 401(k) fees and the impact they might have on one’s saving. We developed this calculator to help people make better informed decisions about their retirement savings plans.”

Setzfand added that a sound investment strategy should take into account not just fees, but also an individual’s portfolio, risk tolerance, objectives, diversification, fund performance, age and other factors.

Instant Insights /

Games, mobile apps, fee calculators hot new trend in retirement tools

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