Asset planning and tracking

• US 8,676,687 B2
• Filed: 08/07/2013
• Issued: 03/18/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 12/17/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: FMR LLC
• Original Assignee: FMR LLC
• Inventors: McDonough, John, Elterich, Steve
• Primary Examiner(s): Hammond, III, Thomas M
• Application Number:
  US13/961,580
• Publication Number:
  US 20130325751A1
• Time in Patent Office: 223 Days
• Field of Search: 705 30- 45
• 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 40/06 Asset management; Financial planning or analysis
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/12 Accounting

Abstract

A asset planning and tracking system plans and tracks progress towards a savings goal and analyzes the consumption of assets that are being used to satisfy the savings goal. The system may further be configured to analyze a user'"'"'s periodic (e.g., monthly, quarterly, yearly) transactions and provide suggested transactions if the user has excess income for the period. An asset planning and tracking system may be implemented in the context of a retirement planning system to aid a non-retired user in planning for his or her retirement and to aid a retired user in tracking the consumption of retirement assets.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method comprises:

receiving, by one or more computer systems that comprise a computer processor and memory, information indicative of transactions that debit and credit financial resources from a first set of one or more financial accounts of a user;

periodically receiving by the one or more computer systems information indicative of a recommended amount of financial resources and a savings goal;

periodically determining by the one or more computer systems based on the information received about the transactions that an aggregate balance of the first set of one or more financial accounts exceeds the received information indicative of the recommended amount of financial resources to transfer to a second set of one or more financial accounts of the user to meet the received information indicative of the savings goal;

causing a transfer, by the one or more computer systems, of the recommended amount of financial resources to the second set of one or more financial accounts; and

generating, by the one or more computers, a suggested transaction that has a suggested amount that is based on an amount of financial resources in excess of the periodically determined aggregate balance minus the received information indicative of the recommended amount.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving information indicating the user'"'"'s preferences for purchasing a product or a service; and

generating the suggested transaction at least partly based on the information received indicating the user'"'"'s preferences for purchasing the product or the service.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the suggested transaction comprises a first suggested transaction, and wherein the method further comprises

computing the recommended amount of financial resources to meet the savings goal to save a certain amount of financial resources by a certain future date;

and

generating a second suggested transaction for saving at least a portion of the amount of financial resources in excess of the aggregate balance minus the recommended amount.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the suggested transaction is a first suggested transaction to purchase goods and/or services and the method further comprises:

computing the savings goal to save a certain amount of financial resources by a certain future date;

determining that the user has not met the savings goal based on the information indicative of the transactions that debit and credit financial resources from the first set of the one or more financial accounts; and

generating a second suggested transaction for saving at least a portion of the amount of financial resources in excess of the aggregate balance minus the recommended amount to meet the savings goal.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, from a device used by an operator, information indicating a desire of the user to save a certain amount of financial resources by a certain future date.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

transmitting, to a device used by the user, a message that comprises information indicative of the suggested transaction.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

selecting the message transmitted to the user to be one or more of an electronic mail message, an SMS message, and an SMTP message.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

posting a webpage on a server accessible by the user, the webpage comprising information indicative of the suggested transaction.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a request from a device used by the user to execute the suggested transaction.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

causing the one or more computer systems to execute the suggested transaction.

11. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 wherein the savings goal is a retirement savings goal and the second set of one or more financial accounts include one or more retirement accounts.

12. A computer system comprising:

a processor; and

a computer program product embodied on a computer-readable storage medium, the computer program product comprising instructions for causing the processor to perform operations comprising;

receiving information indicative of transactions that debit and credit financial resources from a first set of one or more financial accounts of a user;

periodically receiving information indicative of a recommended amount of financial resources and a savings goal;

periodically determining based on the information received about the transactions that an aggregate balance of the first set of one or more financial accounts exceeds the received information indicative of the recommended amount of financial resources to transfer to a second set of one or more financial accounts of the user to meet the received information indicative of the savings goal;

causing a transfer of the recommended amount of financial resources to the second set of one or more financial accounts; and

generating a suggested transaction that has a suggested amount that is based on an amount of financial resources in excess of the periodically determined aggregate balance minus the received information indicative of the recommended amount.

13. The computer system of claim 12, wherein the operations further comprise:

receiving information indicating the user'"'"'s preferences for purchasing a product or a service; and

generating the suggested transaction at least partly based on the information received indicating the user'"'"'s preferences for purchasing the product or the service.

14. The computer system of claim 12, wherein the suggested transaction comprises a first suggested transaction, and wherein the operations further comprise:

computing the recommended amount of financial resources to meet the savings goal to save a certain amount of financial resources by a certain future date; and

generating a second suggested transaction for saving at least a portion of the amount of financial resources in excess of the aggregate balance minus the recommended amount.

15. The computer system of claim 12, wherein the suggested transaction is a first suggested transaction to purchase goods and/or services, and wherein the operations further comprise:

computing the savings goal to save a certain amount of financial resources by a certain future date;

determining that the user has not met the savings goal based on the information indicative of the transactions that debit and credit financial resources from the first set of the one or more financial accounts; and

generating a second suggested transaction for saving at least a portion of the amount of financial resources in excess of the aggregate balance minus the recommended amount to meet the savings goal.

16. The computer system of claim 12, wherein the operations further comprise:

transmitting, to a device used by the user, a message that comprises information indicative of the suggested transaction.

17. A computer program product embodied on a computer-readable storage hardware device, the computer program product comprising instructions for causing a processor to perform operations comprising:

receiving information indicative of transactions that debit and credit financial resources from a first set of one or more financial accounts of a user;

periodically receiving information indicative of a recommended amount of financial resources and a savings goal;

periodically determining based on the information received about the transactions that an aggregate balance of the first set of one or more financial accounts exceeds the received information indicative of the recommended amount of financial resources to transfer to a second set of one or more financial accounts of the user to meet the received information indicative of the savings goal;

causing a transfer of the recommended amount of financial resources to the second set of one or more financial accounts; and

generating a suggested transaction that has a suggested amount that is based on an amount of financial resources in excess of the periodically determined aggregate balance minus the received information indicative of the recommended amount.

18. The computer program product of claim 17, wherein the operations further comprise:

receiving information indicating the user'"'"'s preferences for purchasing a product or a service; and

generating the suggested transaction at least partly based on the information received indicating the user'"'"'s preferences for purchasing the product or the service.

19. The computer program product of claim 17, wherein the suggested transaction comprises a first suggested transaction, and wherein the operations further comprise:

computing the recommended amount of financial resources to meet the savings goal to save a certain amount of financial resources by a certain future date; and

generating a second suggested transaction for saving at least a portion of the amount of financial resources in excess of the aggregate balance minus the recommended amount.

20. The computer program product of claim 17, wherein the suggested transaction is a first suggested transaction to purchase goods and/or services, and wherein the operations further comprise:

computing the savings goal to save a certain amount of financial resources by a certain future date;

determining that the user has not met the savings goal based on the information indicative of the transactions that debit and credit financial resources from the first set of the one or more financial accounts; and

generating a second suggested transaction for saving at least a portion of the amount of financial resources in excess of the aggregate balance minus the recommended amount to meet the savings goal.

21. The computer program product of claim 17, wherein the operations further comprise:

transmitting, to a device used by the user, a message that comprises information indicative of the suggested transaction.