Method and apparatus for investment consulting, benefit projection and investment analysis

• US 20040088236A1
• Filed: 10/31/2002
• Published: 05/06/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 10/31/2002
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: MWM Consulting Group
• Original Assignee: MWM Consulting Group
• Inventors: Manning, Kathleen E.
• Application Number:
  US10/284,663
• Publication Number:
  US 20040088236A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/35
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/00 Finance; Insurance; Tax strategies; Processing of corporate or income taxes
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/02 Banking, e.g. interest calculation or account maintenance credit or loans G06Q40/03

Abstract

A method and software product provide an analysis and modeling of retirement investments during a pre-retirement accumulation phase and a post-retirement distribution phase. Investment returns are detailed and investment scenarios are presented, including good returns first, bad returns first, historical period modeling, and user selectable return modeling. All investment and benefit sources of a user are considered. Annuity purchase options, cost of living increases, distribution strategies, threshold driven annuity options as a bailout and tax effects upon the accumulation and distribution phases aid in development of a strategy development in the modeling process.

Claims

1. A method for investment planning and analysis, comprising the steps of:

accepting input data regarding benefit plan, account and investment information of a user;

providing a selection of models for the user to select from, said models including rates of return for investments, at least one of said models being based on rates of return in a user selectable historical period; and

providing output data to the user based on at least one of said models selected by the user.

2. A method for investment planning and analysis, comprising the steps of:

accepting input data regarding benefit plan, account and investment information of a user;

presenting a selection of payout strategies and scenarios for the user upon retirement, said selection of payout scenarios including annuity purchase options and guaranteed investments; and

providing output data to the user based on at least one of said scenarios selected by the user.

3. A method for investment planning and analysis, comprising the steps of:

accepting input data regarding benefit plan, account and investment information of a user;

integrating substantially all capital accumulations of the user;

modeling the user'"'"'s capital accumulations by applying user selected variables; and

providing output data to the user of an outcome of the modeling, the outcome being an integration of substantially all the capital accumulations of the user.

4. A method as claimed in claim 3, wherein said outcome is a total capital accumulation at a projected retirement date as selected by the user.

5. A method as claimed in claim 4, further comprising the step of:

modeling post retirement distribution of the capital accumulation.

6. A method as claimed in claim 5, further comprising the step of:

establishing a strategy by providing an option to purchase an annuity to the user upon the capital accumulation reaching a threshold during a distribution period.

7. A method as claimed in claim 3, wherein said capital accumulations being integrated include employer plans and government entitlement programs and self directed capital accumulations of the user.

8. A method as claimed in claim 3, wherein said modeling includes application of inflation and tax considerations and investment returns.

9. A method as claimed in claim 8, wherein said modeling of a future economic period is based on repeating a pattern of historical economic data from a user selected historical period.

10. A method as claimed in 8, wherein said modeling of future economic periods is based upon the grouping and timing effects of favorable and non-favorable investment events depicting the potential for depletion of capital or ruin.

11. A method for financial planning, comprising the steps of:

modeling an accumulation period of a user by applying variables selected by the user to generate an outcome in a form of an amount of accumulated capital; and

modeling a distribution period of the user, said distribution period modeling being performed by application of further variables selected by the user, said distribution period modeling starting with the amount of accumulated capital from said step of accumulation period modeling.

12. A method for financial planning, comprising

integrating substantially all current capital accumulations of a user together;

generating a model of an accumulation period of the user starting with the current capital accumulations;

generating an outcome at an end of the accumulation period for evaluation; and

modeling a distribution period of the user, said distribution period modeling starting with the outcome from the end of the accumulation period.

13. A program for running on a computer, said program operating to perform the steps comprising:

accepting input data regarding account and investment information of a user;

integrating substantially all capital accumulations of the user;

modeling the user'"'"'s capital accumulations by applying user selected variables; and

providing output data to the user of an outcome of the modeling, the outcome being an integration of substantially all the capital accumulations of the user.

14. A product including a program for running on a computer, said program operating to perform the steps comprising:

accepting input data regarding account and investment information of a user;

integrating substantially all capital accumulations of the user;

modeling the user'"'"'s capital accumulations by applying user selected variables; and

providing output data to the user of an outcome of the modeling, the outcome being an integration of substantially all the capital accumulations of the user.

15. A method of financial planning for a business, comprising the steps of:

accepting input data regarding capital accumulations of the business;

modeling the business'"'"'s capital accumulations during an accumulation period by applying user selected variables; and

providing output data to the business of an outcome of the accumulation period modeling.