GUARDIAN LIFE NEWS
Press Release

Guardian Launches Enhanced 401(k) Website for Retirement Readiness

Small business owners and their employees now have access to sophisticated retirement planning management system

NEW YORK, N.Y., August 4, 2015 -- The Guardian Insurance & Annuity Company, Inc.® (GIAC), a wholly-owned subsidiary of The Guardian Life Insurance Company of America® (Guardian), today introduced significant enhancements to its website to improve the administration, management and utilization of workplace defined contribution plans for small businesses.

The enhanced 401k.GuardianLife.com introduces several new features designed to improve the overall experience for financial professionals, plan sponsors, third party administrators (TPAs) and participants, including a dashboard with easy access to key retirement plan health statistics, enhanced reporting options, intuitive navigation and a resource library. These features will provide education and guidance to positively influence how plan participants engage with their retirement plans. This is particularly important as 401(k)s and other defined contribution plans are the largest anticipated source of retirement income for plan participants.

Key among the enhancements is the Guardian IncomeConnectTM Calculator, which alerts plan participants in real-time if they are on target to meet their retirement goals. Findings from the recently released Guardian Small Plan 401(k) RetireWell StudySM2.0:  What’s Working and Not Working for Small Plan Participants revealed that individuals are likely to contribute more to their 401(k)s if they know how much their current contributions will provide in future retirement income. The Guardian  IncomeConnectTM Calculator projects current savings into retirement income and provides a real-time gap analysis.  If a shortfall in savings is detected, the website will suggest educational tools and resources to help the plan participant close the gap for a more financially secure retirement.

"The RetireWell Study found that while Americans are generally satisfied with  their 401(k)s, they are not taking full advantage of their benefits. Guardian has redesigned our site to improve our clients’ web experience so that it’s easier and faster to retrieve important plan information in real time," said Douglas Dubitsky, Vice President of Guardian Retirement SolutionsTM. “Participants may be more engaged with their 401(k)s if their retirement plan information and educational resources are easy to access and understand.”

The new website reduces the administrative burden on financial professionals, TPAs and plan sponsors, and enables them to review plan data and indicators for a snapshot of what’s happening in the plan at any point in time. In addition, the website now offers eDelivery for plan sponsor summary statements and participant quarterly statements.

For additional information, please visit https://www.guardianlife.com/401k/401k-new-website-video.  

About Guardian

The Guardian Life Insurance Company of America® (Guardian) is one of the largest mutual life insurers with $7.3 billion in capital and $1.5 billion in operating income (before taxes and dividends to policyholders) in 2015.  Founded in 1860, the company has paid dividends to policyholders every year since 1868.  Its offerings range from life insurance, disability income insurance, annuities, and investments to dental, vision, and 401(k) plans. The company has approximately 8,000 employees and a network of over 3,000 financial representatives in more than 70 agencies nationwide. For more information, visit Guardian’s Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/GuardianLife/, and Twitter: @GuardianLife.

Financial information concerning The Guardian Life Insurance Company of America as of December 31, 2015 on a statutory basis: Admitted Assets = $48.1 Billion; Liabilities = $42.0 Billion (including $37.0 Billion of Reserves); and Surplus = $6.1 Billion..  Dividends are not guaranteed. They are declared annually by Guardian’s Board of Directors. 

About Retirement Solutions

The Guardian Insurance & Annuity Company, Inc. (GIAC) issues variable insurance contracts such as variable annuities and variable life insurance; fixed annuities; and 401(k) funding vehicle products. Guardian Retirement Solutions™ refers to the administrative support services, including participant recordkeeping as well as marketing, enrollment and educational materials, provided by GIAC. For more information about retirement planning please visit www.401k.GuardianLife.com or www.MyRetirementWalk.com.  

Financial information concerning The Guardian Life Insurance company of America as of December 31, 2014 on a statutory basis: Admitted Assets = $45.3 Billion; Liabilities = $39.6 Billion (including $34.9 Billion of Reserves); and Surplus =$5.7 Billion.  Dividends are not guaranteed. They are declared annually by Guardians’ Board of Directors.