NEW YORK, Sept. 12, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- A retirement and 401(k) industry leader now brings the capabilities of Pathfinder 2.0 directly to independent advisers and RIAs active in the retirement plan market. Strategic Insight and PLANSPONSOR have extended the industry's most comprehensive provider evaluation tool beyond enterprise level subscriptions to individual personal subscriptions for advisers. Pathfinder offers advisers a proven tool and process that facilitate the complex business of conducting a comprehensive RFP and service provider benchmarking.

"We have seen increasing demand for Pathfinder from individual independent practitioners that service 401(k)s and other retirement plans which prompted our decision to extend this industry-leading product," said Kevin Ng, Senior Managing Director, Pathfinder Product Management. Pathfinder allows advisers to more easily standardize and document their 401(k) recordkeeping provider search and due diligence process and more effectively compare and select providers that can best match the needs of plan sponsor clients. Advisers also can use Pathfinder as a means to retain clients with a higher degree of efficiency, while increasing their close-ratio for new business.

With Pathfinder 2.0, advisers and RIAs now receive:

The ability to tailor a search across the nation's leading 401(k) recordkeepers

Quick and easy access to an extensive library of RFP/RFI capability questions

Detailed side-by-side comparisons of the 401(k) industry's top service providers applied to the needs of individual plan sponsor clients

Access to Strategic Insight's mutual fund and ETF investment data Customized client reports

Commenting on the expanded capabilities, Ng noted, "One of the major trends in the retirement plan industry has been the immense growth and impact of the independent adviser sector. Pathfinder 2.0 represents an important step in their quest to level the playing field and provide better outcomes for their clients."

About Pathfinder

Pathfinder is a product of Asset International's Strategic Insight, one of a family of information and technology solutions companies that have provided research, information, data, and technology solutions to retirement advisers, mutual funds, hedge funds, broker dealers, pension funds, 401(k) plans, sovereign wealth funds, endowments, financial advisers, and custodial banks for nearly a quarter century. Other key Asset International brands include Simfund, SimfundGlobal, Annuity Insight, PLANSPONSOR, PLANADVISER, Global Custodian, aiTrade, aiCIO and Plan For Life. The company has offices in New York, Hong Kong, London, Melbourne, Boston, and Stamford, CT.

For more information, please visit us at www.pathfindersearch.com or contact Jon Hale at sales@pathfindersearch.com or at 800-761-9941.

SOURCE Asset International