Toronto, March 14, 2006 -- Desjardins Financial Security helps put the wind in the sails of Canadian workers by launching Enrolment at Home, a new turnkey-multimedia registration tool bundled into the award-winning Setting Sail for the Future program.
Enrolment at Home has the flexibility to anchor employers' group retirement savings programs and gives employees the opportunity to learn about their benefit program and the freedom to enrol at their convenience - from any location.
Following the concept of the Setting Sail for the Future program, this innovative multimedia registration package is designed as a travel itinerary with five ports of call that take employees on a user-friendly tour to educate them about retirement planning and investing and guide them through the process of setting up a group retirement savings account. Complementary to traditional on-site sessions, it is also the ideal solution for employers with teams working in remote offices, where having an enrolment session might not be feasible.
"Enrolment at Home is designed to complement existing group retirement savings services," said Eric Filion, senior director of Product Development and Marketing for Desjardins Financial Security. "It provides companies with alternatives to meet the evolving needs of their employees. This flexible interactive service can be part of a multi-contact strategy or as a complement to the principal enrolment session.
"The new Capital Accumulation Plan Guidelines emphasize that it is the responsibility of plan sponsors to provide ongoing communication to participants about plan activities and investments. That's why we developed Setting Sail for the Future: to support plan sponsors in their responsibilities," added Filion.
Enrolment at Home guides and supports employees right at the outset when they first sign up for their group retirement savings plan, and continues right through to the steps of planning their retirement. "It's designed to provide employees with information about all the advantages of their group retirement plan. In addition, it gives them the tools to reach their retirement objectives; since we know from our latest retirement survey that nearly one in five Canadians (19%) is going through their retirement savings faster than expected and could face the reality of running out of money while they're still alive," added Filion.
The five ports of call in the Setting Sail for the Future itinerary, which are incorporated into Enrolment at Home, are:
1. Defining retirement objectives and determining financial needs.
2. Exploring various sources of retirement income to identify saving needs.
3. Determining an investor profile and making investment choices.
4. Taking action and exploring the available tracking tools.
5. Encouraging a regular review of the participant's investment portfolio and individual needs, as these shift over time.
Enrolment at Home is an addition to the existing services Desjardins Financial Security offers to participants such as traditional on-site education sessions and My Personal Teller, our secure and user-friendly transactional and informational Web site.
About the Setting Sail for the Future Program:
The Setting Sail for the Future program is a complete education and financial planning program, which won Best of Show at the 2005 Insurance & Financial Communicators Association (IFCA) competition in San Francisco.
About Desjardins Financial Security
Desjardins Financial Security, a subsidiary of Desjardins Group, the largest integrated cooperative financial group in Canada, specializes in life and health insurance, as well as savings products and services. Every day over 5 million Canadians rely on Desjardins Financial Security to ensure their financial security. The Company, which employs 3,659 people and has over $17 billion in assets under management, has offices in several cities across Canada, including Vancouver, Calgary, Winnipeg, Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal, Quebec, Levis and Halifax.
Information:
Shannon Bowness Claude Beauchamp Sandra Nunes
Desjardins Financial Security Desjardins Sécurité financière Hill & Knowlton
(416) 926-2700 ext. 2015 (418) 838-7800 poste 7797 (416) 413-4611
shannon.bowness[at]dfs.ca claude.beauchamp[at]dsf.ca sandra.nunes[at]hillandknowlton.ca
www.desjardinsfinancialsecurity.com www.desjardinssecuritefinanciere.com