Portfolio

Putnam Investments unveiled a new website for its 401(k) plans Monday that keys investors into a monthly retirement income figure, rather than their existing balance or a retirement savings target.

NEW YORK—Putnam Investments unveiled a new website for its 401(k) plans Monday that keys investors into a monthly retirement income figure, rather than their existing balance or a retirement savings target.

New York Life Insurance has secured the rights as the presenting sponsor of the 2010 Big East Men’s and Women’s Basketball Championships. The men’s championship is taking place March 9-13 at Madison Square Garden, and the women’s games will be held March 5-9 at the XL Center in Hartford, Conn.

In 2009, mutual funds netted a total of $377 billion, with $357 billion, or 95% of that going to bond funds. Outflows from U.S. stock funds were $25.7 billion.

401(k) investors aided by professional investment advice—be it in the form of a target-date default investment, managed accounts or bona fide online advice—earn nearly 2% more (186 basis points) than those who do not receive such help, according to a joint study by Hewitt Associates and Financial Engines.

GuaranteesMatter.com, a microsite from New York Life Insurance, is designed to offer consumers educational and planning materials to help them navigate the changing financial landscape, by showcasing guaranteed products.

Bank of America’s Merrill Lynch Wealth Management unit has launched a new U.S. marketing campaign, “help2retire_____,” to illustrate individuals’ evolving retirement priorities and personal aspirations. Budgeted at $20 million, it launched Monday and is scheduled to run through the end of April on broadcast network and national cable TV, as well as print and online consumer and trade magazines, including sister publication Financial Planning.

Starting March 31, the WisdomTree Japan Total Dividend Fund will be renamed the WisdomTree Japan Hedged Equity Fund and, while still providing the same equity exposure and using its dividend-weighting methodology, begin to hedge Japanese yen exposure against the U.S. dollar.

In helping the middle-class save for retirement, President Obama may have also given a boost to the annuities sector.

The White House plans to promote “the availability of annuities and other forms of guaranteed lifetime income, which transform savings into guaranteed future income, reducing the risks that retirees will outlive their savings or that their retirees’ living standards will be eroded by investment losses or inflation.”