Securian Retirement Services'.

Securian Retirement Services' online, real-time reports give employers the information they need to manage a 401(k) plan in the best interests of employees, a critical fiduciary responsibility employers assume when sponsoring a retirement plan. The reports show at a glance which employees are not taking full advantage of their 401(k) benefits.

"Rather than simply provide employers access to data, we rely on our experience to provide them answers to key questions," said Rick Ayers, director, Plan Sponsor Services, for St. Paul, Minn.-based Securian. "We expanded our online, real-time reports to identify four opportunities to encourage increased employee participation," including:

* employees who do not contribute to their 401k plans;

* employees who contribute less than the national industry average;

* those who do not indicate how they want their contributions invested;

* employees aged 50 and older who are eligible to make catch-up contributions.

Securian's employee communication materials work hand-in-hand with the reports, enabling employers to effectively address each scenario. "It's a ready-made system for employers to identify and provide employees the information they need to gain maximum benefit from their plans," said Ayers. "Online, real-time reports and education materials eliminate the guesswork."

Securian Retirement Services, a unit of Minnesota Life Insurance Co., manages more than $7 billion in assets for 3,300 retirement plans and over 250,000 participants nationwide.

Web: www.securian.com

Material for this column has been developed in most cases from promotional material supplied by the companies, which have not paid to appear in this column.