AXA Equitable Supports National Retirement Planning Week

NEW YORK, April 10, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Changes in employee benefits, longer life spans, uncertainty around Social Security and Medicare, and the rising costs of health care have made planning for and funding retirement a challenge for many Americans. But the National Retirement Planning Coalition – a group of prominent financial industry and advocacy organizations – says that there is hope, and it all begins with a financial roadmap and a plan for savings.

The coalition – which is spearheaded by the Insured Retirement Institute (IRI) – has worked to organize National Retirement Planning Week® — a national effort to help consumers focus on their financial needs in retirement. AXA Equitable is a proud supporter of National Retirement Planning Week® 2012, which takes place from April 9 to 13.

"AXA Equitable strongly supports this week of education and awareness," said Nick Lane, president of the Retirement Savings division at AXA Equitable. "Retirement planning can be challenging and every day priorities and pressures have a tendency to lead many people to avoid or delay putting together a comprehensive plan."

"The good news is that today's mobile apps and online tools can help break down those barriers and make it easier for people to become informed and take the first steps toward retirement planning, at their pace and in a way that is comfortable and convenient for them."

In support of National Retirement Planning Week, AXA Equitable has compiled a suite of mobile retirement planning apps, tools and online resources, including:  

• Virtual retirement consultations featuring experienced financial professionals who help guide individuals through the process of determining how long their retirement savings may last;
• Retirement income calculators for BlackBerry® and iPhone® users;
• SSA Social Security Benefits Calculator;
• Retirement Shortfall Calculators and more.

These tools and resources are available on the company's website AXA-Equitable.com.  

About AXA Equitable
In business since 1859, AXA Equitable Life Insurance Company (NY, NY) is a leading financial protection company and one of the nation's premier providers of life insurance and annuity products, as well as investment products and services through its affiliates, including, AXA Advisors, LLC. The company's products and services are distributed to individuals and business owners through its retail distribution channel, AXA Advisors and to the financial services market through its wholesale distribution channel, AXA Distributors, LLC. Find AXA Equitable on Facebook and Twitter or visit the company's multi-media newsroom The Source @ AXA Equitable.

AXA Equitable, a subsidiary of AXA Financial, Inc., is part of the global AXA Group, a worldwide leader in financial protection strategies and wealth management. "AXA Group" refers to AXA, a French holding company for an international group of insurance and financial services companies together with its direct and indirect consolidated subsidiaries. For more information, visit www.axa-equitable.com.

About National Retirement Planning Week® 2012: National Retirement Planning Week® 2012 will take place from April 9 to 13. Held during financial literacy month, National Retirement Planning Week® is led by the National Retirement Planning Coalition—a group of prominent financial industry, education and advocacy organizations that have joined together to increase awareness of the need for comprehensive retirement planning.

About the National Retirement Planning Coalition: The National Retirement Planning Coalition recognizes that the need to educate Americans on retirement planning is an ongoing effort and is committed to making retirement planning education a national priority. The National Retirement Planning Week® and other coalition activities are intended to demonstrate that it is possible to "Retire On Your Terms" if comprehensive retirement plans are properly developed and managed. To support these education efforts, the coalition maintains a year-round website – www.retireonyourterms.org – offering the latest resources to both consumers and financial professionals to help them stay focused on long-term financial goals.

The coalition is headed by IRI, and includes America Saves, American Council of Life Insurers (ACLI), American Savings Education Council (ASEC), Americans for Secure Retirement (ASR), Center for Retirement Research at Boston College, Defined Contribution Institutional Investment Association (DCIIA), Employee Benefit Research Institute (EBRI), Financial Services Institute (FSI), Financial Services Roundtable (FSR), Jump$tart Coalition, National Association for Fixed Annuities (NAFA), NICSA, Retirement Income Industry Association (RIIA), The American College, The Aspen Institute, and the Women's Institute for a Secure Retirement.

About the Insured Retirement Institute: The Insured Retirement Institute (IRI) is a not-for-profit organization that for twenty years has been a mainstay of service, commitment and collaboration within the insured retirement industry.  Today, IRI is considered to be an authoritative source of information pertaining to annuities, insured retirement strategies and retirement planning. IRI proudly leads a national consumer education coalition of nearly twenty organizations and is the only association that represents the entire supply chain of insured retirement strategies: members are the major insurers, asset managers, broker dealers and more than 150,000 financial professionals (AXA Equitable is a member of IRI). IRI exists to vigorously promote consumer confidence in the value and viability of insured retirement strategies, bringing together the interests of the industry, financial professionals and consumers under one umbrella. IRI's mission is to: encourage industry adherence to highest ethical principles; promote better understanding of the insured retirement value proposition; develop and promote best practice standards to improve value delivery; and to advocate before public policy makers on critical issues affecting insured retirement strategies and the consumers that rely on their guarantees. Visit www.IRIonline.org today to experience the vast resources of the Insured Retirement Institute for yourself.        

Interactive calculators are general informational tools for your independent use and do not provide or indicate the actual performance of any particular investment, insurance, or other financial product.

iPhone® is a registered trademark of Apple, Inc.

The Registered Trademark BlackBerry® is owned by Research In Motion Limited and is registered in the United States and may be pending or registered in other countries. AXA Equitable is not endorsed, sponsored, affiliated with or otherwise authorized by Research In Motion Limited.

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SOURCE AXA Equitable