Welcome to Corporate Insight's monthly newsletter where we provide summaries of our research reports for the current month.
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| Trends & Highlights
"You"nique Ad Campaign |
Firms wasted no time in the first month of 2010, introducing new products and advertising campaigns.
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| The 2009 Monitor Awards
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 This month we once again present our annual Monitor Awards reports, which recognize the best online features and capabilities in the annuity, banking, brokerage, credit card and mutual fund areas. Each Awards report for our individual Monitor services - Annuity Monitor, Bank Monitor, Credit Card Monitor, e-Monitor, Mutual Fund Monitor and Mutual Fund Monitor-Advisor - focuses on the best online tools and services in several key areas, ranging from homepages and transactional capabilities, to online account opening, to educational and planning resources.
The Monitor Awards can serve as a blueprint for firms looking to improve their websites. Each report provides in-depth reviews of leading features, along with a plethora of accompanying screenshots. We also analyze the major events that impacted the retail financial services industry in the past 12 months.
For site features that we consider truly outstanding, we award Corporate Insight Monitors - Gold, Silver and Bronze - based on the overall quality as determined by our custom category criteria. The categories covered in each Monitor are as follows:
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Annuity Monitor - Public Homepage & Navigation, Public Education Resources, Public Product Information Offerings, Client Transaction Capabilities, Client Account Information, Client Statements, Advisor Sales Tools, Advisor Sales Resources, Advisor Literature Order Systems
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Bank Monitor - Account Selection Tools, Account Information, Bill Payment Capabilities, Transfer Capabilities, Self-Service Options, Alert Services, Private Site Help, Online Applications
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Credit Card Monitor - Card Product Comparison Tools, Transaction Search Tools, Statement Centers, Online Card Payment, Balance Transfer Centers, Alerts, Private Site Help, Initiating Disputes/Inquiries
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e-Monitor - Product/Service Range, Quotes, Charts, Trading Tickets, Account Information, News & Research, Online Documentation, Education Centers, Online Help, Alerts
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Mutual Fund Monitor - Public Homepage, Education Resources, Fund Screeners, Transactions, Navigation, Online Help, Online Security, Retirement Resources
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Mutual Fund Monitor - Advisor - Advisor Homepage, Navigation, Tools & Calculators, Literature Order Systems, Sales Ideas, Practice Management Resources, Rich Media Commentary
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Commissions - A Key Competitive Edge for Brokers
Commission Review
Broker Monitor Report |
This Broker Monitor Report provides an in-depth look at trading commissions charged by brokerage firms. We also highlight notable pricing changes since our previous Commission Review in November 2008. As in previous reports on this topic, we provide a matrix detailing stock, option, mutual fund and fixed income commissions for different trading channels at self-directed firms, as well as a separate table listing sample full-service stock commissions.
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Consumer Financial Education Today: Best Practices |
 We recently published a 90-page report on how the industry has tackled the issue of education. This groundbreaking study looked at over 70 financial websites and identified those firms that emerge as true leaders in educating their investors and thus emerge as strong customer advocates. Based on this analysis, we assembled recommendations and best practices that will enable readers to greatly improve their educational content and help their clients navigate the new investing landscape.
With this report, you will learn:
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Which firms provide the best educational content
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Which third-party vendors are able to offer turn-key solutions for your educational content
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Best practices in providing educational content
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How to best present your education content
Loaded with links to actual content and dozens of images, this report is a must read for any financial executive responsible for content and client communications.
Click here for a 10 page excerpt of the report. |
| Upcoming Reports
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- Annuity Monitor - Introducing SunLife Financial
- Bank Monitor - FAQ Sections
- Broker Monitor - Mail Marketing Review
- Credit Card Monitor - Online Card Payments
- e-Monitor - Stock Screeners
- Mutual Fund Monitor - 2010 Roth IRA Conversion Materials
- Mutual Fund Monitor - Advisor - Seminar Support Materials
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