Financial goal planning and analysis system

• US 7,813,989 B2
• Filed: 10/28/2008
• Issued: 10/12/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 12/02/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Financial Engines, LLC.
• Original Assignee: Financial Engines Incorporated (Edelman Financial Engines LLC)
• Inventors: Jones, Christopher L., Park, Ronald T., Watson, John G., Sharpe, William F., Scott, Jason S., Grenadler, Steven R., Bekaert, Geert, Maggioncalda, Jeff N.
• Primary Examiner(s): Kramer; James A
• Assistant Examiner(s): Vezeris; James A
• Application Number:
  US12/259,429
• Publication Number:
  US 20090055327A1
• Time in Patent Office: 714 Days
• Field of Search: 705/36.R, 705/37, 705/35
• US Class Current: 705/36.00R
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/04 Trading; Exchange, e.g. stocks, commodities, derivatives or currency exchange
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/06 Asset management; Financial planning or analysis
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/08 Insurance

Abstract

A financial advisory system is described that facilitates planning regarding financial goals, such as retirement. According to one embodiment, a method of forecasting a future value of a financial product holding is provided. Exposure analysis is performed on a financial product in which an investor holds an interest to determine how the financial product behaves relative to a set of asset classes. A forecast is generated for the financial product holding at a configurable time horizon based on forward-looking scenarios of one or more asset classes of the set of asset classes. Based on the forecast, information is directly or indirectly caused to be presented regarding a projected value of the financial product holding at the configurable time horizon.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:

performing exposure analysis, by a financial product mapping module being executed by one or more processors of one or more computer systems, on a financial product in which an investor holds an interest to determine how the financial product behaves relative to a set of asset classes;

generating a forecast, by a portfolio optimization module being executed by the one or more processors, for the financial product holding at a configurable time horizon based on forward-looking scenarios of one or more asset classes of the set of asset classes; and

based on the forecast, causing, by a user interface module being executed by the one or more processors, information to be presented indicative of a projected value of the financial product holding at the configurable time horizon.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said generating a forecast includes receiving a current value of the financial product holding and anticipated annual contributions to the financial product holding.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein said performing exposure analysis comprises performing returns-based style analysis on the financial product.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the configurable time horizon represents a difference between a current age of the investor and an estimated retirement age of the investor.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein said causing, by a user interface module being executed by the one or more processors, information to be presented comprises causing a projected annual retirement income derivable from the protected value to be presented.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the projected annual retirement income represents an inflation adjusted income guaranteed by an annuity purchased with the projected value of the financial product holding at the configurable time horizon.

7. The method of claim 4, wherein said causing information, by a user interface module being executed by the one or more processors, to be presented indicative of a projected value of the financial product holding at the configurable time horizon comprises presenting a total projected retirement portfolio value.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the financial product comprises one or more mutual funds.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the financial product comprises one or more individual equities.

10. A computer-implemented method comprising:

performing returns-based style analysis, by a financial product mapping module being executed by one or more processors of one or more computer systems, on each of one or more financial products in a portfolio of an investor to determine how future returns of the portfolio are expected to behave relative to future returns of a plurality of asset classes;

forecasting, by a portfolio optimization module being executed by the one or more processors, a value of the portfolio upon retirement of the investor based on forward-looking return scenarios of the plurality of asset classes, information indicative of a current value of the portfolio and information regarding anticipated periodic contributions to the portfolio; and

causing, by a user interface module being executed by the one or more processors, a personalized projected retirement income to be presented for the investor based on the forecasted value.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein said causing, by a user interface module being executed by the one or more processors, a personalized projected retirement income to be to be presented comprises causing a personalized projected annual retirement income derivable from the forecasted value to be presented.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the personalized projected annual retirement income represents an inflation adjusted income guaranteed by an annuity purchased with the forecasted value.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein each of the one or more financial products comprise a mutual fund, a bond fund, an individual equity, a bond or other security.

11. A server comprising:

a storage device having tangibly embodied thereon one or more routines operable to perform financial planning functions; and

one or more processors coupled to the storage device configured to execute the one or more routines to cause a projected retirement income capable of being generated by a portfolio of an investor to be presented to an end user, where

the projected retirement income is personalized for the investor based on a forecast, which, in turn, is based on a retirement time horizon of the investor, a current value of the portfolio, anticipated periodic contributions to the portfolio, a relationship between future returns of one or more financial products in the portfolio to future returns of a plurality of asset classes and forward-looking return scenarios of the plurality of asset classes;

the end user provides one or more of information indicative of the retirement time horizon, the current value of the portfolio and the anticipated periodic contributions via a web browser; and

returns-based style analysis is used to determine the relationship between the future returns of the one or more financial products and the future returns of the plurality of asset classes.

15. The server of claim 11, wherein the projected retirement income represents a projected annual retirement income derivable from a forecasted value of the portfolio at an end of the retirement time horizon.

16. The server of claim 15, wherein the projected annual retirement income represents an inflation adjusted income guaranteed by an annuity purchased with the forecasted value.

17. The server of claim 11, wherein each of the one or more financial products comprise a mutual fund, a bond fund, an individual equity, a bond or other security.