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RETIREMENT - INSURANCE - INVESTMENTS

Research in Action: Summary

•Articles / Text•Graphics•Talking Points

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C11-0225-006R (3/11)

ingretirementresearch.com

ING Call Center Customer Question SummarySeptember, 2010 ?

????Voice of the Customer Insight:

“Do you have a Financial Plan?”

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Do you have a financial plan? ING asked the question of our retirement plan investor customers in for-profit, education, healthcare and government markets. 859 answered, giving us insights at the XX confidence level of +/-XX% about planning activity overall, and by age band, gender and employer sector

Despite the fact that these investors do currently have some sort of retirement savings (via the employer-sponsored ING plan), most do not have a formal, written financial plan. Only a third report any sort of plan, whether a formal, written plan or an “informal” plan.

Two thirds, or 67% have no plan whatsoever.

Living Without a…

67%

8%

25%

No plan

Not Formal

Have Plan

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Gender Matters… Somewhat

No Plan Not formal Have Plan0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

70%

6%

24%

63%

10%

27%

Men are slightly more likely to have a formal financial plan, and they are correspondingly less likely – and more significantly so – to report not having any sort of plan at all. Just 10 percent of women and six percent of men report having following an “informal” plan.

Combined, 30% of women report some sort of plan, and 37% of men report the same.

Still, the “unlikelihood” of having a financial plan does not seem to be strongly affected by investor gender: Both men and women are less likely to have a financial plan than to have undertaken a planning process that could prove beneficial to their overall long-term financial health and goals. Or, at least give them a roadmap.

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Good Intentions? No.

It could be that investors who do not have a financial plan do not recognize the value in having that plan. Only 8% say that they intend to create one.

Again, given that any sort of financial plan -- formal or informal, advisor-aided or online/electronic – can be an essential element in helping individuals strive toward achieving the spectrum of their financial goals, a potential gap / opportunity exists for employers, advisors and financial providers in helping people understand the importance of planning for their goals, and giving them accessible, clear tools to help them do that.

8%

92%

Intend to

Don't intend to

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Have a Plan by Employer Sector

Education employees / investors take the prize (or the apple) for being most likely to plan. Nearly half – 47% report that they do have some sort of financial plan. (Which still leaves just over half without a plan.)

Least likely to have a plan – and by a wide margin? Employees / investors in the private / for-profit sector.

Healthcare and Government workers fall in the middle range, with roughly a third or more reporting a plan.

Still, in no employer sector, are investors more likely to have a financial plan than not to have one.

76%

52%

66%62%

8% 8% 8% 9%

15%

39%

26%29%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

Corporate Education Healthcare Government

No

Not Formal

Yes

Have a Plan by Account Balance

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Participants with account balances over $10,000 are more likely to have a financial plan – formal or informal – than those with lower balances. Under $10,000, however, participants will $5,000 or less in their accounts are slightly more likely to have a plan than those with $5,000 - $9,000.

For higher account balances, however, the likelihood of having a plan increases as account balance increases, with half of participants with $50,000 or more in their accounts likely to have a plan.

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Respondent Breakdown / Demographics

36%

17%

23%

24%

By Employer Sector

Corporate

Education

Healthcare

Government 59%

41%

By Gender

Women

Men

20-24 25-29 30-34 35-39 40-44 45-49 50-54 55-59 60-64 65-69 70+

2%

7%8%

13%12% 12%

16%

13%

10%

5%

3%

By Age

Methodology

ING Call Center Customer Question Survey September, 2010 859 total survey participants + / - 3.36% confidence at 95% level (based on approximately 30,000 service center calls during the period

in which the question was open)This survey summary has been prepared by the ING Institute for Retirement Research for informational purposes. Nothing contained herein should be construed as (i) an offer to sell or solicitation of an offer to buy any security or (ii) a recommendation as to the advisability of investing in, purchasing or selling any security. Any opinions expressed herein reflect our judgment and are subject to change. Certain of the statements contained herein are statements of future expectations and other forward-looking statements that are based on management's current views and assumptions and involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results, performance or events to differ materially from those expressed or implied in such statements. Actual results, performance or events may differ materially from those in such statements due to, without limitation, (1) general economic conditions, (2) performance of financial markets, (3) interest rate levels, (4) increasing levels of loan defaults (5) changes in laws and regulations and (6) changes in the policies of governments and/or regulatory authorities. The opinions, views and information expressed in this commentary are subject to change without notice based on market conditions and other factors. The information provided is not a recommendation to buy or sell any security. Products and services are offered through ING family of companies. Please log on to www.ING.com/us for information regarding other products and services offered through ING family of companies. Not all products are available in all states.

Survey conducted March 23-26, 2010 by ING Customer Service Representatives

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