Total Assets in Employer Retirement Plans Offering Financial Engines Exceed $1 Trillion

SUNNYVALE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Financial Engines FNGN, America's largest independent registered investment advisor, today announced that collective assets in employer retirement plans offering the company's advisory services exceed $1 trillion. More than 600 companies now trust Financial Engines to deliver independent advisory services to more than nine million employees. Companies making Financial Engines advisory services available to their employees include Microsoft, Mondelēz International and Northrop Grumman.

Financial Engines helps customers prepare for and live in retirement by providing independent online investment advice, professionally managed accounts and services for near-retirees, such as Social Security claiming guidance. The company introduced managed accounts to the retirement marketplace in 2004 and the service is now recognized as a best practice 401(k) plan feature nationwide. In the last five years, the company has experienced an increase of more than 245 percent in the aggregate assets of retirement plans where its services are available.¹

"Financial Engines is honored to be trusted by so many large employers to deliver independent, high quality retirement help to their employees – something that we believe every American deserves," explained Lawrence Raffone, president and chief executive officer of Financial Engines. "Companies hire us for the retirement results we provide employees, our non-conflicted advice, and our deep integration with the nation's leading record keepers. Employers' continued trust has enabled us to advocate for millions of Americans as they plan, save and invest for retirement."

According to a joint 2014 report from Financial Engines and Aon Hewitt AON that examined investing behavior of 723,000 workers at 14 large U.S. employers, 401(k) participants who used professional retirement help in the form of managed accounts, target date funds or online advice had median annual returns that were on average 3.32 percent higher, net of fees, than participants managing their own portfolios.² In addition, Financial Engines has identified more than six billion dollars in additional Social Security benefits³ for users of its Social Security planner, which the company introduced last year.

About Financial Engines

Financial Engines is America's largest independent investment advisor.⁴ We help people make the most of their retirement assets by providing professional investment management and advice. Headquartered in Sunnyvale, CA, Financial Engines was co-founded in 1996 by Nobel Prize-winning economist Bill Sharpe. Today, we offer retirement help to more than nine million employees across 600+ companies nationwide (including 144 of the Fortune 500). Our investment methodology, combined with powerful online services, dedicated advisor center and personal attention allow us to help more Americans get on the path to a secure retirement.

Advisory and sub-advisory services provided by Financial Engines Advisors, L.L.C., a federally registered investment advisor and wholly-owned subsidiary of Financial Engines, Inc. Financial Engines does not guarantee future results.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements, including statements regarding the use of professional investment and financial planning help, which involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially. These risks and uncertainties are outlined in our SEC filings. You are cautioned not to unduly rely on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this press release. Unless required by law, Financial Engines undertakes no obligation to publicly revise any forward-looking statement to reflect circumstances or events after the date of this press release or to report the occurrence of unanticipated events.

¹ Comparing Financial Engines Assets Under Contract (AUC) from March 31, 2010 to March 3, 2015. Please refer to our securities filings for the definition of AUC.

² Help in Defined Contribution Plans: 2006 through 2010 published September 2011. The study is available on financialengines.com

³ Based on application of Financial Engines' Social Security guidance regarding claiming strategies for unique users between March 12, 2014, and January 31, 2015. Financial Engines uses information about users and their stated goals and applies our knowledge of the Social Security system, among other factors, in providing its claiming guidance. Each individual can decide when is the best time to claim Social Security, based on their own personal circumstances. Estimates are not guarantees of future benefit payments.

⁴ For independence methodology and ranking, see InvestmentNews Data Center. (http://data.investmentnews.com/ria/).