ALISO VIEJO, Calif., Dec. 7, 2009 — vWise Inc. today announced that NextStep Defined Contribution, Inc. has agreed to add its SmartPlan Enterprise interactive-video retirement planning system to the NextStep participant education offering.
"NextStep offers leading-edge recordkeeping and administration services to enterprise and advisor clients. Our SmartPlan Enterprise interactive-video employee engagement solution is the perfect complement," remarked vWise President Tony Mingo.
"We believe interactive-video websites offer a significant improvement in remote participant communications, and the SmartPlan Enterprise system will be significantly more effective — and efficient — at driving participant behavior than a text-based website," noted Jerry Bramlett, president and CEO of NextStep.
About SmartPlan Enterprise
Designed to help employees better understand their retirement plans, SmartPlan Enterprise provides the benefits of a personal financial professional, in a website available 24/7/365. By combining a video-based presentation of detailed financial information with an interactive application that prompts users to make informed investment decisions. The system is integrated with a provider's database, to deliver a custom experience and allow upload of participant choices.
The SmartPlan Enterprise participant environment features a familiar interface that makes it easy to navigate, even for novice users, and allows a participant to go at his or her own pace. Our video hosts offer a brief video overview of 401(k) basics, followed by a discussion of selected features – such as auto-enrollment, matching contributions, loans, etc. – that you can customize. Then, using simple interactive forms, our video hosts then guide participants through a short process, including individual retirement needs and risk profile surveys, and selection of investment types and contribution amounts, that generates a personalized investor profile. The SmartPlan Enterprise system also includes an administration portal that provides a comprehensive suite of tools in a simple menu-driven format.
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NextStep Defined Contribution, Inc. (NextStep) is an independent provider of recordkeeping and administration services for 401(k) and other defined contribution plans. Through the use of leading-edge technology, the Company offers an innovative and comprehensive retirement solution for advisors, TPAs, plan sponsors, and plan participants. NextStep's independence and "advisor-friendly" business model – along with its ability to provide access to key investment options such as institutional class funds, a broad array of index and enhanced index funds, and exchange traded funds (ETFs) – make it an appealing choice for advisors and TPAs in need of low-cost and transparent investment options for their clients. The Company is located east of San Francisco in the Bay Area of Northern California. For more information about NextStep, please visit http://www.nextstepdc.com.
About vWise
vWise is a leading developer of rich-media Internet applications based upon its E3 (that's E-Cubed) architecture. Its SmartPlan Advisor and SmartPlan Enterprise solutions, which serve the defined contribution markets, and its SmartHealth solution, which serves the employee benefits market, use a proprietary mix of video and interactive technologies to help people better understand complex information and make personalized choices. For more information, visit http://www.vwise.com.
For more information, contact:
Gregory Newman
Chief Operating Officer
(949) 233-7588
Email
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