Lincoln Financial Group's Retirement Plan Services Announces Enhanced Ibbotson Insights Series

RADNOR, Pa., Sept. 11, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Lincoln Financial Group's (NYSE: LNC) Retirement Plan Services business today announced the launch of enhancements to its Ibbotson Insight Series investment lineup available in the Lincoln Alliance^® employer-sponsored retirement plan program. The new lineups are designed to help meet the needs of a plan sponsor's varying workforce along with helping them meet their fiduciary responsibilities. The Ibbotson Insight Series has expanded from two to five investment lineups, including retail and institutional share classes, each based on a workforce profile with specific characteristics that best fit the needs of a plan sponsor's participant population.

"It is more important than ever that employer-sponsored retirement plans provide compelling and comprehensive services that help motivate participants to take actions that boost their retirement readiness," said Chuck Cornelio, president of Retirement Plan Services. "The enhanced Ibbotson Insight Series is another example of Lincoln taking a more holistic view of retirement programs by offering plan sponsors customized products, services, and communication and education programs that maximize plan participation and, ultimately, help participants successfully plan for and thrive in retirement." 

The enhanced workforce fund lineups offer a range of complexity and investment preference and differ by number of investment options, percentage of equity options, number of alternative strategies and investment mandates. Workforce profiles are used to help plan sponsors determine the investment lineup that best match an organization's workforce characteristics, including financial literacy, investment experience, sponsor-driven education efforts, participant engagement, time horizon and investment preferences.

The workforce profiles include:

• Fundamental –investment options that are primarily core in nature and can help meet the needs of employers that seek to simplify investment choices for a workforce with less investment knowledge and lower levels of participation.
• Standard –investment options that provide employers with a workforce that has an average degree of investment knowledge with access to core asset classes in addition to several alternative asset classes.
• Index Oriented –investment options that can help meet the needs of employers that have a diverse workforce and prefer low-cost, passively managed investments.
• Socially Responsible –investment options that offer employers with diverse workforce investments that incorporate socially conscious or ethical considerations.
• Expanded –investment options that help meet the needs of employers with employees that are very knowledgeable about investments and have extensive experience with a self-directed plan.   

The Ibbotson Insight Series provides investment options that span asset classes and style categories and help provide participants with the diversification needed for an effective balance between risk and return as well as an opportunity to develop long-term strategies for savings. With the workforce lineups, Ibbotson, a registered investment advisor and wholly owned subsidiary of Morningstar, Inc., can act as a 3(21) or 3(38) fiduciary in selecting and monitoring investment lineups. In addition, Lincoln also offers LifeSpan^® custom portfolio services so that custom asset allocation portfolios for participants, such as target date and target risk portfolios, can be offered utilizing the workforce lineups.

"Plan demographics and investing expertise can vary significantly from plan to plan, affecting the suitability of a plan's lineup. The Ibbotson Insight Series helps address these issues by providing advisors and plan sponsors customized, institutional-quality, and diversified plan lineups while delivering additional fiduciary support," Brock Johnson, president of retirement solutions for Morningstar, said. "We've been working with Lincoln to provide the Ibbotson Insight Series since 2007, and are excited to expand this service to help advisors elevate their retirement offering, plan sponsors meet their fiduciary responsibilities, and participants better prepare for retirement."

About Lincoln Financial Group
Lincoln Financial Group is the marketing name for Lincoln National Corporation (NYSE: LNC) and its affiliates. With headquarters in the Philadelphia region, the companies of Lincoln Financial Group had assets under management of $189 billion as of June 30, 2013. Through its affiliated companies, Lincoln Financial Group offers: annuities; life, group life, disability and dental insurance; employer-sponsored retirement plans; savings plans; and comprehensive financial planning and advisory services.

For more information, including a copy of our most recent SEC reports containing our balance sheets, please visit www.LincolnFinancial.com.

LifeSpan^® is an example of an asset allocation model. Asset allocation models use the investment options available in the retirement product or program and are designed to help an individual select the investment options that best align with their retirement goals. They offer the option to select from either time-based or risk-based models. Asset allocation does not ensure a profit nor protect against loss.

The Lincoln Ibbotson Insight Series is not an investment option. It is a fund lineup chosen by Ibbotson Associates, Inc. from the investment options that are available in the Lincoln Alliance^® program. Ibbotson Associates, Inc. is a registered investment advisor and a wholly-owned subsidiary of Morningstar, Inc. Neither Ibbotson nor Morningstar are affiliated with the Lincoln Financial Group. The Ibbotson name is a registered mark of Morningstar, Inc. Ibbotson Associates, Inc., 22 W. Washington Street, Chicago, IL 60602.

Affiliates of Lincoln National Corporation include, but are not limited to, The Lincoln National Life Insurance Company, Lincoln Life & Annuity Company of New York, and Lincoln Retirement Services Company, LLC (herein separately and collectively referred to as "Lincoln").

Mutual funds in the Lincoln Alliance^® program are sold by prospectus.  An investor should carefully consider the investment objectives, risk, and charges and expenses of the investment company before investing.  The prospectus contains this and other important information and should be read carefully before investing or sending money.  Investment values will fluctuate with changes in market conditions, so that upon withdrawal, your investment may be worth more or less than the amount originally invested.  For prospectus, please contact your Lincoln professional.

The program includes certain services provided by Lincoln Financial Advisors Corp. (LFA), a broker-dealer (member FINRA) and an affiliate of Lincoln Financial Group, 1300 S. Clinton St., Fort Wayne, IN  46802.  Unaffiliated broker-dealers also may provide services to customers.

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SOURCE Lincoln Financial Group