Providing holistic financial education and advice services is the focus of Francis Investment Counsel’s MoneyAdvice@Work® Team, and this focus continues to earn recognition.
Pensions & Investments’ nation-wide Eddy Award competition recognizes best practices by defined contribution plan sponsors and service providers in delivering financial education to plan participants. Francis Investment Counsel, in partnership with three plan sponsor clients, was honored with three 2019 Eddy Awards for customized campaigns completed with the Boldt Company, Mortgage Guaranty Insurance Corp. (MGIC), and Ashley Furniture Industries Inc.
The Boldt Company is a national construction company working coast to coast in the education, health care, energy, and manufacturing industries. Their business philosophy, BoldThinking®, encourages a mindset of collaborative and creative problem solving.
Following this philosophy, Boldt incorporated financial wellness into the organization’s existing wellness benefit. The approach engaged employees through on-site and remote financial education events followed by personal financial planning sessions with a Certified Financial Planner® professional from the MoneyAdvice@Work® Team.
The efforts at Boldt were recognized with a first-place Eddy Award in the “Financial Wellness” category.
MGIC founded the mortgage insurance industry in 1957 and remains the industry leader today. They help borrowers achieve their dreams of homeownership by supporting lenders nationwide with private mortgage insurance.
MGIC wanted to assist their coworkers with broader financial education opportunities, providing special focus to those nearing retirement. They partnered with the MoneyAdvice@Work® Team to provide detailed financial planning for individuals within one year of retirement, helping them solidify their plans for retirement income and receive broader support for their retirement planning process.
MGIC’s special focus and partnership with Francis Investment Counsel earned them a first-place Eddy Award in the “Pre-Retirement Preparation” category.
Ashley Furniture Industries Inc. is the world’s largest manufacturer of furniture. Their vision to be the best furniture company means not only investing in the latest tools and equipment, but also meaningfully investing in its people.
As part of enhancing the retirement plan benefit, Ashley collaborated with the MoneyAdvice@Work® Team to create an innovative rollout campaign. The campaign included on-site and remote group financial education events, personal financial planning sessions, and ongoing engagement through the MoneyAdvice@Work® mobile application. Additionally, the “Golden Acorn Hunt,” held as part of Ashley’s Family Day picnic and attended by an estimated 10,000 employees and their families, provided a great opportunity to build awareness of the MoneyAdvice@Work® service offering.
Ashley’s innovative rollout approach was recognized with a second-place Eddy Award in the “Special Projects” category.
Kelli Send, Senior Vice President of Participant Services at Francis Investment Counsel and leader of the MoneyAdvice@Work® Team, joined Boldt, MGIC, and Ashley at Pensions & Investments’ annual East Coast Defined Contribution Conference, where the award winners were formally honored.
“Our plan sponsors work hard to engage their employees with services that address their unique financial concerns. It is a pleasure for our MoneyAdvice@Work® Team to make these efforts come to life. We are excited to see these organizations receive such well-deserved recognition among plan sponsors from across the nation.”
Francis Investment Counsel’s 2019 Eddy Awards represent the eighth, ninth, and tenth times the Firm’s financial education efforts have been recognized, having recently won three Eddy Awards in 2016 and one in 2018. The Firm remains steadfast in its commitment to providing creative financial education and communications to the retirement plan participants served in Wisconsin and across the nation.
More information regarding the 2019 Eddy Awards, including a full list of categories and winners, can be found here.
Disclaimer
2019 Eddy Award recognition received based on Pensions & Investments annual evaluation process. Winners demonstrated program effectiveness and creativity, as well as completion of the entry form, which included a $150 fee per entry. Number of entries varies annually but averages 130-150. Selection criteria weighted differently based upon the category, but in general, creativity and the ease of understanding complex topics was key in determining successful entries. Francis Investment Counsel completed three submissions in the entry type “Joint – Plan sponsor and service provider entering together as a team,” and was recognized with a first place award in the “Financial Wellness” category, a first place award in the “Pre-Retirement Preparation” category, and a second place award in the “Special Projects” category. 2019 Eddy Awards represent the eighth, ninth, and tenth times Francis Investment Counsel has received such recognition, having previously received Eddy Awards in 2011, 2012, 2014, 2016, and 2018. In 2019, a total of 66 defined contribution plan education programs were recognized with a First, Second, or Third-Placed Eddy Award, based on the entry category, size of the plan, and educational topic discussed. Francis Investment Counsel is not affiliated with and does not receive remuneration from Pensions & Investments. Receipt of this award should not be construed as a guarantee of future performance or results.