BlackRock and Microsoft are reimagining America’s path to achieving greater financial security in retirement. The two companies are jointly exploring next-generation solutions to help more people make better decisions as they work toward their financial goals in retirement.
The traditional pension system that generations of workers depended on for lifetime income has been upended, leaving millions of people with the responsibility to plan for and fund their own retirement. Today, many people are struggling with the difficult tasks of saving, investing and spending their own retirement assets. This shift in responsibility, from corporations to individuals, combined with ever-increasing life spans, has created a need to reimagine our approach to securing a sound financial future in retirement, one that is powered by innovative investment solutions and the most advanced, trusted and cutting-edge technologies.
Technology is already revolutionizing entire industries and the way people interact with everything from health care to education and transportation. And yet, retirement solutions of today have been slow to keep pace. Taking advantage of Microsoft’s technologies and BlackRock’s investment products, the companies aim to make it easier for people to save for retirement and achieve the lifetime income they need through their employers’ workplace savings plan.
The companies are exploring the development of a new platform that helps people develop better saving and investing habits through more regular engagement with their retirement assets. This engagement will give people a clearer picture of how their contributions today will translate to their long-term retirement income. BlackRock intends to offer the platform in connection with next-generation investment products that it will design and manage. The new products from BlackRock will seek to provide a lifetime of income in retirement and would be made available to U.S. workers through their employers’ workplace savings plan.
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