ATLANTA, Ga. — Independent businesses can cost effectively add value to employee benefit packages by including a simple retirement planning software tool for employees to track and manage their personal retirement scenario, according to financial planning software experts Torrid Technologies. Reported in early march by The Wall Street Journal the Obama Administration’s 2010 budget requires businesses two years and older with more than 10 employees to automatically enroll them in retirement savings plans. Leading associations for businesses affected by the mandate, the National Federal of Independent Businesses (www.nfib.com) and the National Small Business Association (www.nsba.biz), have expressed interest in the financial and risk consequences of the proposal.
“Although the costs and details are under debate, there is almost universal agreement that small businesses will become more involved in their employees’ retirement preparation and planning,” said Torrid Technologies founder Tim Turner. “Experience tells us that whether by government mandate or voluntary participation, small businesses that deepen their commitment to employees’ long-term financial well-being will gain loyalty and competitive advantage.”
“Employers that Maintain Benefits Through Tough Times Will Gain Loyalty,” an article in the Credit Union Times (www.cutimes.com) cites remarks by Dallas Salisbury, president of the Employee Benefits Research Institute (www.ebri.org):
The entity that can maintain its benefits through this process is going to be in the strongest position in terms of retaining employees and adding to the workforce. If … it worked its way through it and honored all its commitments, it will have earned loyalty … When times are tough is when you can build your strongest bonds with your workers. Don’t be shy about communicating to your employees that you’re doing this as a matter of conscious decision making. It may squeeze earnings a little, but it is important.
Regardless of size or participation in specific retirement savings programs, independent businesses can include a retirement planning software tool in employee benefits. High quality consumer-level retirement planning software is affordable and small businesses can negotiate discounted pricing by purchasing multiple licenses, either sharing the cost with the employee or paying in full. In either case, comprehensive, graphics intensive planning tools better serve employee needs than “freeware,” according to Torrid.
“Free web-based retirement tools from 401k providers and mutual fund companies are not comprehensive enough and are inadequate for realistic planning,” said Tim Turner. “Employees are shortchanging themselves when they believe that a free web calculator is adequate for developing a realistic plan for their retirement financial picture.”
An Atlanta-based developer of retirement planning software, Torrid Technologies, targets the retirement planning needs of individuals, including employees and plan participants; and professionals, including financial advisors, insurance agents, brokers, certified financial planners, CPAs, employee benefits consultants, TPAs, and plan sponsors, 401(k) enrollment meetings, 401k education, 403b education, IRA savings, financial advisers, registered representatives, and investment advisory representatives. Its Retirement Savings Planner 2009 (http://www.torrid-tech.com/rp_main_pro.html) is now available in versions both for business applications and for individuals interested in managing their personal retirement planning scenarios.
Professional advisors and agents often use Torrid’s retirement planning software to educate clients about their retirement picture when considering LTCi (Long Term Care insurance), wealth management services, 401k plans, life insurance, annuities, split annuities, EIA equity indexed annuities, variable annuities, rollovers, reverse mortgages, indexed universal life, and any other product or service related to an individual’s retirement.
Torrid Technologies’ Retirement Savings Planner is a PC-based software program that runs on all versions of Windows(R) including Windows 98(R), Windows ME(R), Windows XP(R) (Home and Professional), Windows 2000(R), Windows NT(R) and Windows Vista(R). With less than 15 minutes data entry, the Retirement Savings Planner generates meaningful and accurate retirement income projections. It offers unlimited investments, cash infusions and income streams, and expenses, highlighting projected shortfalls in red.
About Torrid Technologies
Torrid Technologies was founded in 1993 and provides financial planning software to consumers and financial companies including Pacific Life, JANUS, The Hartford, Sentry Insurance, Lincoln Financial, and AXA. Forbes’ 2009 Retirement Guide http://www.forbes.com/forbes/2008/0929/096.html) calls retirement planning software by Torrid Technologies “Simple, easy-to-use retirement planning software with colorful graphics.”
You can contact Torrid at:
http://www.torrid-tech.com
