Systems and methods for providing a benefit product with periodic guaranteed minimum income

• US 20050144124A1
• Filed: 02/25/2005
• Published: 06/30/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 06/08/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Genworth Holdings, Inc. (Genworth Financial Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Genworth Holdings, Inc. (Genworth Financial Incorporated)
• Inventors: Thomas, David E., Root, Vickey L., Eza, John C., Stiff, Geoffrey S.
• Granted Patent: US 8,370,242 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/39
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/1057 Benefits or employee welfare, e.g. insurance, holiday or retirement packages
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/10 specially adapted for electronic funds transfer [EFT] systems; specially adapted for home banking systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/02 Banking, e.g. interest calculation or account maintenance credit or loans G06Q40/03
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/06 Asset management; Financial planning or analysis
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/08 Insurance

Abstract

The invention provides systems, and methods of using the systems, implementing a benefit product with a guaranteed minimum income, wherein payment into the benefit product securing the guaranteed minimum income for a payout phase of the benefit product following an accumulation phase of the benefit product. The system comprises an income recordkeeper interfacing with a plurality of savings recordkeepers, the income recordkeeper including (1)an income recordkeeper interface portion that inputs attributes to the benefit product funded by payments from a plan associated with the benefit product; and (2) an income recordkeeper record keeping system that implements the benefit product, the income recordkeeper record keeping system being in communication with the income recordkeeper interface portion, the income recordkeeper record keeping system: (a) monitoring transactions to or from the benefit product; and (b) determining, based on the transactions, a guaranteed minimum income associated with participation in the benefit product, the guaranteed minimum income being an amount that may be paid from the benefit product beginning on a future start date. The system further includes the plurality of savings recordkeepers, wherein each of the savings recordkeepers includes a savings recordkeeper record keeping system, the savings recordkeeper record keeping system outputting the attributes to the benefit product to the income recordkeeper interface portion, so as to be input to the income recordkeeper record keeping system, wherein records of the plan being maintained by the savings recordkeeper, the records containing the attributes; and wherein each of the savings recordkeepers are unaffiliated third parties with respect to their relationship with the income recordkeeper.

Claims

1. A system implementing a benefit product with a guaranteed minimum income, wherein payment into the benefit product securing the guaranteed minimum income for a payout phase of the benefit product following an accumulation phase of the benefit product, the system comprising:

an income recordkeeper interfacing with a plurality of savings recordkeepers, the income recordkeeper including;

an income recordkeeper interface portion that inputs attributes to the benefit product funded by payments from a plan associated with the benefit product;

an income recordkeeper record keeping system that implements the benefit product, the income recordkeeper record keeping system being in communication with the income recordkeeper interface portion, the income recordkeeper record keeping system;

monitoring transactions to or from the benefit product; and

determining, based on the transactions, a guaranteed minimum income associated with participation in the benefit product, the guaranteed minimum income being an amount that may be paid from the benefit product beginning on a future start date; and

the plurality of savings recordkeepers, wherein each of the savings recordkeepers includes a savings recordkeeper record keeping system, the savings recordkeeper record keeping system outputting the attributes to the benefit product to the income recordkeeper interface portion, so as to be input to the income recordkeeper record keeping system, wherein records of the plan being maintained by the savings recordkeeper, the records containing the attributes; and

wherein each of the savings recordkeepers are unaffiliated third parties with respect to their relationship with the income recordkeeper.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the benefit product is associated with earnings based on market conditions, and wherein the guaranteed minimum income is independent of the earnings of underlying investments of the benefit product.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the benefit product is a group annuity.

4. The system of claim 2, wherein the benefit product is a mutual fund with an insurance guarantee.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein determining, based on transactions, the guaranteed minimum income that is paid beginning on a future start date includes:

determining a guaranteed income factor; and

the income recordkeeper record keeping system using the guaranteed income factor to transform each dollar transaction to the benefit product so as to determine the guaranteed minimum income that may be paid on a future start date.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the income recordkeeper record keeping system effects adjustments on the guaranteed minimum income based on any withdrawals from the benefit product.

7. The system of claim 5, wherein the guaranteed income factor is established for each age within an eligible age range of the benefit product.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the guaranteed income factor is determined, by the income recordkeeper record keeping system, based on age of the participant and as a result of a calculation based on a plurality of factors, and the guaranteed income factor being a guaranteed annual income factor.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the plurality of factors used by the income recordkeeper record keeping system includes each of a specified start age when income payments are assumed to commence, the annuity payout form of income payments, mortality factors and an interest rate that varies with the number of years from the benefit product-determined participant'"'"'s age to a specified start age.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the specified start age when income payments are assumed to commence may be an anticipated retirement age or some other stipulated age.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the system includes the savings recordkeeper record keeping system that is maintained by the savings recordkeeper;

and

the income recordkeeper interface portion and the income recordkeeper record keeping system are each maintained by an insuring entity, the savings recordkeeper record keeping system interfacing with the income recordkeeper interface portion so as to input the attributes in a periodic batched manner, the income recordkeeper interface portion converting the attributes for processing by the income recordkeeper record keeping system.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the system further includes an income recordkeeper web site, the income recordkeeper web site being maintained by the insuring entity, the income recordkeeper web site providing for participants to access information relating to the benefit product and to the guaranteed minimum income.

13. The system of claim 1, further including an income recordkeeper-maintained database maintained by the income recordkeeper, the income recordkeeper-maintained database being in communication with the income recordkeeper interface portion and the income recordkeeper record keeping system, the income recordkeeper-maintained database maintaining data related to the benefit product for participants with balances in the benefit product.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the income recordkeeper interface portion performs needed conversion of data received from each savings recordkeeper'"'"'s record keeping system so as to be processed by the income recordkeeper record keeping system.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the income recordkeeper-maintained database stores data so as to provide the income recordkeeper record keeping system with data to calculate the guaranteed minimum income associated with each transaction to or from the benefit product and resultant cumulative guaranteed minimum income.

16. The system of claim 13, wherein the income recordkeeper-maintained database stores data so as to provide the income recordkeeper record keeping system with data to manage each of:

corrections associated with implementation of the benefit product, projecting potential future minimum income guarantees under certain scenarios, and supporting “

what if”

analyses.

17. The system of claim 13, wherein the income recordkeeper-maintained database stores data so as to provide the income recordkeeper record keeping system with data to manage at least one selected from the group consisting of corrections associated with implementation of the benefit product, projecting potential future minimum income guarantees under certain scenarios, and supporting “

what if”

analyses.

18. The system of claim 1, wherein the income recordkeeper includes:

a database that stores data used in processing performed by the income recordkeeper record keeping system; and

a report generator that provides a reporting environment for the database.

19. The system of claim 1, wherein the savings recordkeeper record keeping system of each savings recordkeeper outputs select data to the income recordkeeper interface portion for processing by the insuring entity to calculate the guaranteed minimum income for respective participants.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the plurality of savings recordkeepers each have different formats associated with data in the respective savings recordkeeper record keeping systems;

and

the income recordkeeper interface portion inputting the data with different formats and converting the input data to a standardized format so as to be processed by the income recordkeeper interface portion.

21. The system of claim 1, wherein the guaranteed minimum income is an annual guaranteed minimum income.

22. A system implementing a benefit product having a guaranteed minimum income feature, the system comprising:

a single insuring entity;

a plurality of savings recordkeepers each interacting with the single insuring entity, and each savings recordkeeper maintaining a savings recordkeeper record keeping system for respective plans associated with the benefit product, the benefit product being offered by the insuring entity; and

the record keeping system of each of the plurality of savings recordkeepers outputting select data to the insuring entity to effect processing relating to the benefit product; and

the benefit product including a guaranteed minimum income feature; and

wherein each of the savings recordkeepers are unaffiliated third parties with respect to their relationship with the single insuring entity.

23. The system of claim 22, wherein each of the savings recordkeepers administer a plurality of plans, and each such plan receives participation by a plurality of participants in a cascaded interrelationship.

24. The system of claim 22, wherein the plurality of savings recordkeepers each have different formats associated with data in the respective record keeping system of each savings recordkeeper.

25. The system of claim 22, wherein for each benefit product, payment into the benefit product secures the guaranteed minimum income for a payout phase of the benefit product following an accumulation phase of the benefit product.

26. The system of claim 25, wherein the insuring entity system includes:

an income recordkeeper interface portion that inputs attributes relating to the benefit product from the plurality of the savings recordkeepers who each administer plans associated with the benefit product; and

an income recordkeeper record keeping system that implements the benefit product for the plurality of savings recordkeepers, the income recordkeeper record keeping system being in communication with the income recordkeeper interface portion, the income recordkeeper record keeping system;

monitoring transactions to or from the benefit product for each participant; and

determining, based on the transactions, the guaranteed minimum income associated with participation in the benefit product, the guaranteed minimum income being an amount that is paid from the benefit product beginning on a future start date.

27. A method of implementing a benefit product with a guaranteed minimum income, wherein payment into the benefit product securing the guaranteed minimum income for a payout phase of the benefit product following an accumulation phase of the benefit product, the method comprising:

maintaining an income recordkeeper system interfacing with a plurality of savings recordkeepers, the income recordkeeper system including;

an income recordkeeper interface portion that inputs attributes to the benefit product funded by payments from a plan associated with the benefit product;

an income recordkeeper record keeping system that implements the benefit product, the income recordkeeper record keeping system being in communication with the income recordkeeper interface portion, the income recordkeeper record keeping system;

monitoring transactions to or from the benefit product; and

determining, based on the transactions, a guaranteed minimum income associated with participation in the benefit product, the guaranteed minimum income being an amount that may be paid from the benefit product beginning on a future start date; and

interfacing, by the income recordkeeper, with the plurality of savings recordkeepers, wherein each of the savings recordkeepers includes a savings recordkeeper record keeping system, the savings recordkeeper record keeping system outputting the attributes to the benefit product, to the income recordkeeper interface portion, so as to be input by the income recordkeeper record keeping system;

wherein the benefit product is funded by payments from the plan, the plan being administered by the savings recordkeeper; and

wherein each of the savings recordkeepers are unaffiliated third parties with respect to their relationship with the income recordkeeper.