Plum launches new online news service

21 October 2009

Plum Financial Services (Plum) has recently launched the News Hub, an online news service designed for members so they can remain up-to-date with what’s going on in superannuation.

Updated on a regular basis, the News Hub provides members with relevant news and information on five key areas: superannuation strategies; legislative changes; investment market updates; products and services; and general updates. The News Hub builds on Plum's existing Mail2Me subscription service which currently has more than 18,900 subscribers (13 per cent of Plum members).

According to Plum's Head of Sales and Marketing, David Woodall, the launch of the News Hub was in response to feedback from members where the majority said they wanted to receive more information online.

"Since Plum was launched more than ten years ago, we have continuously invested in our web capabilities as we could see that not only was it critical to deliver a consistent education experience to members who may live in remote areas but that members appetite for technology was growing significantly.

"We pioneered real-time online member information and are increasingly focussed on providing members with personally relevant investment information to help them make informed investment decisions," acknowledged Mr Woodall.

"Today, the Plum website gives members the power to manage their superannuation arrangements when and where it suits them. In fact, the Plum website has been ranked the best superannuation website by KMPG’s Superannuation Fund Internet Capability Survey 2008 which was recently released.

"Members can access their member benefit statement, re-balance investment options, access calculators with personalised information and use a broad range of education resources all designed to help them engage with their superannuation.

"While building strong online capability is increasingly important, the challenge is to drive member activity online and to help members use it. Plum has been very successful in helping members to understand the advantages of the online environment and recognising the benefits they can access.

"For the month of August, we had more than 57,500 hits to our website. And when you consider that Plum has a membership base of 140,000 members, website usage is very high."

The News Hub is just one of the most recent initiatives implemented by Plum to help increase members’ superannuation knowledge. In the past twelve months, Plum has launched a dedicated online investment site with weekly local and global investment commentary, daily index performance, and investment articles and webcasts. It has also released a market-leading superannuation calculator that helps members identify the impact of making a range of different life decisions on their super.

About Plum

Plum Financial Services Limited (Plum) provides integrated and innovative superannuation solutions to medium and large Australian organisations.

Plum has offices in Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane and is a subsidiary of MLC Limited, one of the National Australia Group of companies. Plum also has a strategic alliance with the US-based Vanguard Group Inc. This relationship brings to Plum the knowledge and skills of the world's second largest mutual fund manager.

Plum was purpose-built for the era of member investment choice and from our beginnings we have challenged traditional ways of thinking about superannuation. Plum's vision is about providing members with a meaningful education experience to help build their knowledge and understanding of superannuation so that they are empowered to manage their financial future.

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