Optimizing Retirement Income Marketing Strategies in Unprecedented Economic Times: Planned for launch by the first quarter, this timely quantitative consumer research will examine critical changes in older consumers' attitudes, perceptions, and behaviors after the 2008 market meltdown, and how this will affect retirement income market strategies. The study will profile pre-retirees and recent retirees, and identify what drives their financial decisions around retirement. Survey results will be benchmarked against the results of DSG's Consumer Segmentation Study completed in 2006, illustrating how behavior and views have changed as a result of the current economic environment.

2010 Retirement Income Products and Solutions Study: Planned for launch in the spring, this 11th annualstudy in DSG's annual research series will map the retirement income products and solutions "universe." It will focus primarily on variable and fixed annuities, guaranteed living benefits, mutual fund alternatives, and the ever expanding universe of retirement income solutions. The study will emphasize recent market developments, product designs, marketing and distribution efforts, as well as key future trends. Findings will be supplemented and enhanced by interviews with financial industry leaders, including executives from the mutual fund industry, who are actively developing their own retirement income marketing effort. This year's study will be expanded to examine how companies are reacting to the still uncertain markets, and whether optimism is being restored at the corporate, advisor and consumer levels.

The Current Outlook for Guaranteed Retirement Income Solutions: Recent DSG research indicates a growing preference for income guarantees by both consumers and producers. This study, planned for the first half of 2010, will determine the current state of the market and future expectations for guaranteed retirement income solutions. Using both quantitative and qualitative methods, the study will examine products and features in terms of usage, popularity, and preferences. The research will include two major stages: a consumer survey and producer interviews. Guaranteed products will include fixed and variable immediate annuities, annuitization of deferred annuities, and various annuity products with guaranteed withdrawal benefits. The overall goal of this research is to identify preferred products and features, determine successful marketing approaches, and specify preferred customer and producer profiles. Where possible, the findings of this research will also be compared with previous DSG consumer and producer studies. Subscribers to the research will gain a better understanding of which factors are critical to make their guaranteed income offerings more successful in today's challenging environment.

Design an Interactive Community with your Financial Advisors to Build their Performance and Reinforce Your Company Brand: The INtouch Program provides unique dialogue marketing tools help you better understand and market to your advisor base in a more personal and effective manner. Create your own proprietary community of advisors that allows you to exchange valuable information on such issues as new product development, sales materials and competitive intelligence. Let us show you how INtouch can tailor your advisor communications, improve the production of your 2nd tier performers and recruit new advisors that can hit the ground running and drive immediate results to your sales operation.

2009 FPA Financial Advisors' Attitudes and Perceptions About Retirement Income Management (Quantitative): Conducted in conjunction with the Financial Planning Association and sponsored by Nationwide Financial, this 4th annual in-depth quantitative study focuses on the perceptions and activities of the financial planner channel regarding the post retirement client and retirement income opportunity.

2009 Retirement Income Products and Solutions Study - In the New Economic Climate: This annual research series maps the retirement income products' "universe," including guaranteed living benefits, new mutual fund solutions and the emerging concepts that lie on the retirement income drawing boards of the major financial services companies across the country. Included is a comprehensive overview of retirement income market activity and results during the economic turmoil of 2008 and 2009. The study looks at sales results, major and minor product designs, marketing and distribution strategies, as well as key future trends. Findings from over 40 surveyed companies are supplemented and enhanced by 17 interviews with industry leaders whose companies have a more developed retirement income market effort. Find out what is working for these executives and what keeps them awake at nights.

2008 Capturing and Retaining Rollover Assets at the Retirement Inflexion Point™: This study builds upon DSG's prior research and updates the climate of retirement income at the worksite, including the understanding and impact of recent pension reform regulations. Findings will help financial service firms succeed at capturing and/or retaining defined contribution plan rollover assets.