(Boston, MA. – August 2009) For the third quarter in a row, Principal Financial’s plan sponsor Web site places first in DALBAR’s DC WebMonitor ranking while also earning an “Excellent” DALBAR designation for the first time. Rounding out the top five for Quarter 2-2009 are, in order: Transamerica, John Hancock, The Newport Group and Vanguard.
Principal Financial’s unwavering focus on superior site functionality gives the firm the edge to remain in the number one spot. John Hancock and The Newport Group also earn high scores and praises from DALBAR in the category of online functionality.
Transamerica holds the second spot thanks to its focus on usability and attention to customers’ online behaviors. New to the top five, The Newport Group’s extensive level of customization and participant communication capabilities give the firm its impressive position. Vanguard, also new to the top five, earns its standing due to its across the board showing in online functionality, ease of use and addressing online behaviors.
In addition to the Web site ranking, DALBAR’s Quarter 2 Plan Sponsor Leadership Report highlights the elements that make a Web site a leader and features an insightful E-ERISA Commentary. Quarterly analysis looks at current industry offerings and Best Practices are presented. This quarter’s analysis looks at sponsor sites’ provisions for tracking participants’ usage of plan services and benefits.
| Ranking | Firm |
|---|---|
| #1 | Principal Financial |
| #2 | Transamerica |
| #3 | John Hancock |
| #4 | The Newport Group |
| #5 | Vanguard |
About DC WebMonitor
DALBAR’s DC WebMonitor offers Defined Contribution plan service providers up-to-date and critical information regarding the Web presence of retirement industry firms. Highlights of the program include quarterly rankings, e-mailed industry updates as well as access to an online database of industry intelligence.
About Dalbar, Inc.
Dalbar, Inc., the nation’s leading financial services market research and consulting firm, is committed to raising the standards of excellence in the financial services industry. With offices in both the US and Canada, Dalbar develops standards for, and provides research, ratings, and rankings of intangible factors to the mutual fund, broker/dealer, life insurance, property and casualty, and managed account industries. They include investor behavior, customer satisfaction, service quality, communications, Internet services, and financial professional ratings. www.dalbarcanada.com
