Retirement Research, Inc. Services

Whether your goal is to fine tune your existing product line up or infrastructure, better understand the competitive marketplace and your opportunities for growth, develop new market segments, assess your current sales and sales support structure, outsource services and establish alliance partnerships or support strategic planning, we are available to work with you.

With extensive industry knowledge and management experience in banking, insurance, investments and retirement services sectors, we bring a unique combination of market information, practical knowledge and strategic perspective to our consulting engagements. To learn more about what RRI can do for your organization please fill out this form, press Send and we will contact you.

Engagements described below are typical of those Retirement Research, Inc. has recently completed.

Product Positioning and Product Development

Develop a strategy for client to assist participants in transitioning from the active accumulation phase to the retirement income phase including competitive assessment of similar offerings
Development of a product for a provider moving up market including differentiated market positioning, distribution channel and support issues
Analysis of potential for a segment provider to offer products in a new defined contribution plan market, leveraging existing capabilities for management of new plan types

Marketing, Distribution and Support Strategy

Develop distribution and support strategy for TPA channel
Develop market strategy for new, market segment specific product, including cost/benefit analysis of new channel initiatives for that product
Survey of key broker-dealer relationships from perspectives of both BDs and providers
Competitive analysis of contractual agreements between investment-only product providers and bundled investment platforms including current trends in supplemental payments

Benchmarking and Competitive Analysis

Competitive assessment of Fiduciary Support, Investment Selection and monitoring programs
Review of sponsor web features and capabilities, plan review offerings and gap analysis
Needs assessment of distribution channel and business potential of establishing more efficient sales support process and staffing model, fee structure and channel management strategy
Comparison of provider asset allocation services and practices
Plan sponsor needs and competitive "best practices" among key providers; differentiation of the client in a core market segment
360° market and competitive assessment considering plan sponsor, advisor and competitor attitudes. Understanding each of these constituencies and their relationship to the client’s objectives

Infrastructure Analysis, Outsourcing and Partnering Opportunities

Advise in analysis of implications of a sale of a retirement servicing operation including comparative pricing and assessment of both financial and non-financial factors
Survey and comparative analysis of outsource providers for recordkeeping and administration of a small market block of retirement plans. Recommending preferred option and working with client to successfully negotiate the outsource arrangement with the selected vendor
Strategic review of outsource opportunity in plan terminations