Abstract: A system and method for facilitating annuity transactions between annuity purchasers and providers via an annuities placement program accessible to the purchasers and providers. Purchasers enter quote solicitation information used by the annuity providers to establish a quote for an annuity. Annuity providers enter a quote in response to the quote solicitation information, and the quote is provided to the purchaser via the annuities placement program. The quote is customized to the annuity purchaser's quote solicitation information. Multiple quotes from multiple providers may be presented to the purchaser for ease of quote comparison. To facilitate such transactions, a discretionary group is established to be a contract holder for each participating annuity provider.

Abstract: A method of providing financial advice to a client that provides sufficient confidence that their goals will be achieved or exceeded but that avoids excessive sacrifice to the client's current or future lifestyle and avoids investment risk that is not needed to provide sufficient confidence of the goals a client personally values. The method comprises obtaining typical client background information, as well as a list of investment goals, and ideal and acceptable values in dollar amounts and timing for each goal. The client is then asked to provide their preferences for each goal on the list compared to each other goal in the list, wherein the client's preference is expressed in terms of the price, in money or time, that the client is willing to pay in one goal to achieve another goal or a greater amount or sooner timing of other goals on the list. A matrix can be used to express these value contrasts.

Abstract: A system for determining latent demand for at least one of a plurality of commodities includes an offer analyzer and a commodity selector. The offer analyzer analyzes at least a plurality of initially unaccepted offers for each of the plurality of commodities. The commodity selector selects at least one of the plurality of commodities to offer for sale which satisfies at least one criteria based on the analysis by the offer analyzer.

Abstract: The present invention provides a system and related method that enables a user to use one or more appropriate ROI tools according to the needs of the users. Specifically, the user provides data related to the organizations and technical expenditures, and this information is used to determine an applicable set of ROI tools. The inputted data is then provided to the applicable ROI tools for automatically examining a company's financial data, and using this evaluation to assess the desirability of technology expenditures.

Abstract: The invention relates to a program that administers a method of funding life insurance policies using annuities that are purchased at least in part using borrowed money, using business and trust structures to reduce and/or eliminate tax. This investing can be done either directly by the policy or through the trust and/or other business entity. As an internal investment of the insurance policy the income generated by the annuity and the inside build-up are non-income taxable to the owner of the policy. The resulting death benefits will also be non-income taxable to the beneficiary.

Abstract: An automated teller machine (ATM) (10) includes a display device (14), an input device (16), a cash acceptor (22), and a cash dispenser (24). The ATM also has access to a network, such as the Internet. The ATM enables a user thereof to make online purchases of goods and to receive from the user a cash payment for the purchase through a cash acceptor. The ATM administrator pays the merchant who supplies the goods. An ATM may be operative to also dispense purchased digital content and/or gift certificates. Purchased goods may also be hand delivered to an indicated address. The ATM may be further operative to charge a user fee for transactions.

Abstract: An advertising terminal (12) and a network of advertising terminals are described. The advertising terminal may be an ATM (12b). The ATM (12b) comprises a transceiver (80) for wireless communication with portable devices (26,28) in the vicinity of the ATM (12b). The ATM (12b) is operable to create a profile of persons in the vicinity of the ATM (12b) by detecting portable devices such as PDAs (26) and cellphones (28) that have a wireless communications facility (26a,28a) and identifying the owners of the portable devices. The ATM is also operable to display an advertisement appropriate for the created profile of persons.

Abstract: The present invention provides a system suitable for displaying price modeling data having an indexing module that calculates indexes based on price modeling data and a display module configured display a calculated index. Other embodiments provide a data aggregation module that aggregates indexes calculated by the indexing module that may be also be displayed.

Abstract: Trade processing system and method. Tiers are established, representing a range of values associated with a trade size and a percentage of an average daily volume of trading in a security. The tiers are associated with a price improvement. An order, associated with an order size, to trade in the security is received. The tier within which the order falls is determined based on the order size and the percentage of the average daily volume. At least a portion of the order is automatically executed with the price improvement associated with the determined tier. Depending on the manner in which the order is flagged, it may be processed in accordance with one of a plurality of workflows. Partial order fills are also supported.

Abstract: A job seeker accesses a human resource auction site from his/her mobile telephone and registers his/her personal information therein ((1)). The human resource auction site obtains the job seeker's license certificate from a corresponding license organization ((2) and (3)). The license organization requests a communication carrier to collect a fee for the license certificate issuance ((4)). The communication carrier pays the fee to the license organization instead ((7)). The communication carrier adds the fee for license certificate issuance to a communication charge paid by the job seeker to the communication carrier so that the fee for the license certificate issuance can be collected ((8)). The human resource auction site posts personal information of the job seeker and holds a human resource auction. Recruiting companies participate in the auction and each of them places a bid for a salary payable to the job seeker who matches the job requirements by the recruiting company ((5)).

Abstract: A system and method is disclosed for monitoring the flow of transactions during a security syndicate offering. The system comprises one or more security syndicate offerings offered for sale by an issuer, and a security syndicate transaction system. Various subsystems can be provided for storing and receiving information regarding the security syndicate offerings, and for processing information pertaining to transactions performed during the security syndicate offering. The system allows an issuer, remotely located from the security syndicate transaction system, to receive information associated with the security syndicate offerings from the security syndicate transaction system and transmit various information back to the security syndicate transaction system.

Abstract: Systems and methods are provided for setting a cycle date for a financial account. For instance, a cycling module may be provided to set a default cycle date for cycling the financial account, and an account monitoring module may be provided to determine whether a transaction is posted on the financial account within a first predetermined period before the default cycle date. If a transaction is posted on the financial account within the first predetermined period, then the cycling module sets a new cycle date. The new cycle date can be set to a date that follows the transaction post date by a second predetermined period. Alternatively, the new cycle date may be set to other dates, such as a date corresponding to the next qualifying date.

Abstract: A method and system of appraising a life insurance or annuity product includes receiving a request for a life insurance or annuity product and information about a party requesting the life insurance or annuity product; preparing a bid solicitation for the life insurance or annuity product based on the request and information and transmitting the bid solicitation to a plurality of product carriers; a plurality of product carriers submitting initial proposals for providing the life insurance or annuity product; generating ratings for the initial proposals, respectively; and generating appraisals for the initial proposals; and informing the product carriers of the decision.

Abstract: A method of adding a value to a customer account is provided. A request to add a value to a customer account of a customer is received from a point of sale terminal. Value identification data associated with the value and account identification data associated with the customer account may form part of the request. The customer account identification data may be entered at the point of sale. The request may be associated with a purchase of the value. The value may be caused to be added to the customer account. During subsequent value purchase transactions, additional value may be added to the account.

Abstract: A system and method for an event driven virtual workspace are described. According to one example method, a trader can define a plurality of windows to be associated with a virtual workspace. Also, the trader could define one or more triggering events, the combination of which may be used to activate the virtual workspace. In such an embodiment, when the system detects the one or more triggers, the system can attempt to activate the virtual workspace. According to the example method, the trader may place a number of limiting conditions before any states of the currently displayed windows are modified such that the triggered virtual workspace could be displayed. If no limiting conditions are detected, the system can display the triggered virtual workspace.

Abstract: A system and method calculate an optimal rates in a multi-source price engine in over the counter (OTC) markets. The system and method integrate rates from multiple liquidity sources to generate an output rate that can be transacted upon. Specifically, the system and method calculate a best bid/offer rate from input rates provided by multiple liquidity sources and apply a target spread and minimum profit to the best bid/offer rate to generate an optimal output rate. The optimal output rate may be a function of many factors, including market conditions, customer credit, and the preferences of the market maker or broker.

Abstract: An automated estimation and optimization solution for selecting the best auction format by determining the latent elements of the auction environment taking into account the strategic and information conditions with minimal assumptions on the distributions of unobserved random elements. Structural analysis of bid data from prior auctions is used to identify and estimate the distributions of bidders' private signals conditional on observable bidder characteristics. The estimated signal distributions, identified by the structural analysis, are used to evaluate alternative auction formats and to select the best format from among a given set of candidates. The present invention provides decision support tools to select an auction format based on structural econometric analysis of available data on the market environment. A decision-maker may estimate the unobservable private signals of the bidders and to determine the best auction format the decision maker can employ to sell a given set of items.

Abstract: An annuity provides a guaranteed rate of return for a guarantee period while at the same time providing upward adjustments to the interest rate if there is a corresponding increase in a specified referenced rate. The guaranteed base interest rate is set at the beginning of the guarantee period, and the annuity account is credited with the base interest rate for an initial pre-defined period. Periodically, the then-current referenced rate is compared to a base referenced rate defined at the establishment of the guarantee period. If the referenced rate has increased, the interest rate that will be credited to the annuity account value will increase by an amount that is based on the amount of increase in the referenced rate. If the referenced rate has not changed or has decreased, the interest rate that will be credited to the annuity account value will be the guaranteed base interest rate.

Abstract: Systems and methods for optimizing financial risk mitigations. A system and method can be provided for the generation of a financial risk mitigation optimization model. The model can be used in determining an allocation of financial risk mitigations with respect to exposures.

Abstract: A method and system for providing multiple graphical user interfaces for electronic trading is provided. Electronic trading information is obtained on an application on a target device from one or more electronic trading exchanges. The electronic trading information is displayed on a multi-windowed graphical user interface (GUI) with a number of alternative output displays such as V-shape, with circles or rotating spheres, etc.