MANAGEMENT METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR A USER
The invention provides a system, method, machine readable program and a graphical user interface for managing multiple accounts associated with a user. The method includes receiving a first set of information associated with identification of a user, in response to the first set of information, identifying a second set of information relating to a financial account associated with the user, the financial account being associated with a financial institution, in response to the first set of information. The method also includes identifying a third set of information relating to a health account associated with the user, the health account being associated with a healthcare institution. A fourth set of information is generated based upon the second set of information and the third set of information. The method also includes sending a signal representative of the fourth set of information. The signal may be sent to the user or a designee of the user.
The present application claims priority to and the benefit of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/489,213 filed on Jul. 19, 2006. The present application also claims priority to and the benefit of International Patent Application Serial No. PCT/2007/013623 filed on Jun. 7, 2007. Both applications are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety for all purposes.
COPYRIGHT NOTICEA portion of the disclosure of this patent document contains material which is subject to copyright protection. The copyright owner has no objection to the reproduction by anyone of the patent document or patent disclosure as it appears in the Patent and Trademark Office, patent file or records, but otherwise reserves all copyrights whatsoever.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method, system, and machine readable program that may include a graphical user interface for assisting a user, such as a consumer. Particularly, the present invention is directed to an integrated system that can facilitate management of the financial, health, and other affairs of a consumer, as desired.
2. Description of Related Art
A variety of computer implemented systems including graphical user interfaces are known in the art for helping users, such as consumers, manage various aspects of their lives. For example, service providers, such as financial institutions that provide banking services, frequently provide online access to a user so that the user can view the balances of their accounts with the institution. Online access to personal information specific to institutions offering various services has been growing, and has started to become very common. For example, it is becoming more common for a user to access personal health related information online, such as from a website built by their health insurance provider. Indeed, many services have become available online.
While the availability of services online has initially presented many advantages to the user, it is not without its problems. For example, so many aspects of management of a user's affairs have gone online that it has become cumbersome and difficult for a user to keep track of user names and passwords for accounts for multiple bank accounts and brokerages, auto and health insurance accounts, tax accounts, online learning accounts, mortgages, credit cards, and the like. As can be seen, while online access has solved certain problems and created convenience, it has also created confusion and a highly segmented view of a consumer's state of affairs.
Moreover, with the internet boom, nearly every kind of information one can think of has become available online as well. For example, financial advice, health advice and legal advice, among myriad others, can all be found by a user online. As so much information is available, it is difficult for a user to find the correct information that they need, let alone determine which information is the most accurate and therefore useful to the user.
At the same time, new dynamics are reshaping the Wealth Management industry. Because of online access, potential customers for services have become more empowered than ever before. For example, over the past twenty years, retirement responsibilities have shifted largely from institutions to individuals. Indeed, nearly seventy percent of U.S. households now have two or more financial relationships that they manage. These financial relationships are managed through checking, savings, money market, retirement, 401k, stock and other accounts. Although the internet and online access have created some confusion as described above, the Internet has also provided unprecedented transparency to wealth management performance and shifted decision maker power to the end client.
Compounding the above, the “baby boomer” population is aging and starting to think about retirement. Nearly 76 million baby boomers account for one-third of the total US population. Two-thirds of baby boomers, or about 46 million people, will likely retire before 2013. As investors become more sophisticated, they require access to multi-asset class solutions, including fixed income and alternative investments. Baby boomers will drive more assets into the investable asset market, possibly thirty trillion dollars by 2010. The baby boomer generation will then move from “saving” to “income preservation,” requiring increased tax planning.
Self management for retirement and healthcare is becoming increasingly complex. As the population continues to age, there will be a shift to self-managed retirement plans. Most customers are now in defined contribution plans, as evidenced by the expanding 401K market which reached $1.6 trillion in assets in 2003. There has also been a shift to self-managed healthcare planning: Healthcare costs account for nearly 26% of all retirement funds. This percentage of funds will likely grow with increasing health care costs as time progresses.
As shown above, while there has been a shift to systems that can permit more convenient management of an individual's personal affairs online, the nature of what an individual needs to manage is growing increasingly complex. Moreover, while the availability of information that would be useful to such individuals has been growing, finding and distilling the information useful for an individual presents a problem. As such, there exists a strong and growing need for a system that can help an individual collect and manage myriad information relating to their affairs. The present invention provides a solution for these and other needs, as described herein.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONThe purpose and advantages of the present invention will be set forth in and apparent from the description that follows. Additional advantages of the invention will be realized and attained by the methods and systems particularly pointed out in the written description and claims hereof, as well as from the appended drawings.
To achieve these and other advantages and in accordance with the purpose of the invention, as embodied herein, the invention includes a method for managing multiple accounts associated with a user. The method includes receiving a first set of information associated with identification of a user. The method also includes identifying, in response to the first set of information, a second set of information relating to a financial account associated with the user. The financial account is associated with a financial institution. The method also includes identifying, in response to the first set of information, a third set of information relating to a health account associated with the user. The health account is associated with a healthcare institution. The method further includes generating a fourth set of information based upon the second set of information and the third set of information. Additionally, the method includes sending a signal representative of the fourth set of information. The signal may be sent to the user or a designee of the user, for example.
In accordance with a further aspect of the invention, the first set of information may include information selected from the group including an account number such as a user's social security number, taxpayer identification number, bank account number, website username, email address, telephone number, a date and combinations thereof. The financial account may be selected from the group including a bank account, a tax account, a mortgage account, education account, credit account, brokerage account and a retirement account, for example. The health account may be selected from the group including a benefits record, a health insurance account, a disability insurance account, a long term care insurance account, a medical record account and a pharmaceutical record account, among others. Transactions performed using data relating to the health of the user may be transacted in accordance with a preselected standard. For example, the preselected standard may be one established in accordance with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (“HIPAA”).
In accordance with a further aspect of the invention, the fourth set of information may be an amalgamation of the second set of information and the third set of information. If desired, the fourth set of information may be a subset of an amalgamation of the second set of information and the third set of information. If desired, a fifth set of information may be identified in response to the first set of information. The fifth set of information may relate to the financial account, or a second financial account of the user. The second financial account may be associated with the financial institution or a second financial institution. If desired, the fourth set of information may be generated using the fifth set of information and at least one of the second and third sets of information. If desired, multiple financial accounts may be accessed by the user from a single or multiple financial institutions.
In accordance with a further aspect of the invention, a sixth set of information may be identified in response to the first set of information, the sixth set of information relating to a second health account of the user, the second health account being associated with a second health institution. If desired, the fourth set of information may be generated using the sixth set of information and at least one of the second, third sets of information. If desired, multiple health accounts may be accessed by the user from a single or multiple health institutions.
In accordance with still a further aspect of the invention, the second set of information may further include information relating to a financial advisor of the user. If desired, the financial advisor may be selected from the group including a stockbroker, a financial planner, an accountant, a credit analyst, a real estate agent, and an attorney, among others. The second set of information may include information relating to the credentials of the financial advisor, among other things.
In accordance with yet a further aspect of the invention, the third set of information may further include information relating to a health advisor of the user. The health advisor may be selected from the group including a doctor, a health insurance agent, a physical therapist, a psychologist, a nutritionist, a therapist and a spiritual advisor, among others. The second set of information may include data relating to the credentials of the health advisor.
In accordance with a further aspect of the invention, the signal may be related to a set of actionable information. An operation can be performed on the set of actionable information. The operation may be performed by using a decision support tool selected by the user. Preferably, the decision support tool permits computation of a financial projection, a health projection or a lifestyle projection. By way of example, the decision support tool may be selected from the group consisting of a retirement calculator, a college savings calculator, a drug cost saving calculator, and combinations thereof. Preferably, the actionable information relates to at least one of a financial or a healthcare decision.
In accordance with a further aspect of the invention, the method further includes receiving a decision associated with the user in response to the set of actionable information. The second and/or third sets of information may be updated based upon the decision. The decision may include an affirmative response, a negative response or another response, as appropriate. For example, a user can be asked to postpone any decision.
In accordance with a further aspect of the invention, the signal representative of the fourth set of information may be forwarded as an alert to the user. The alert may relate to a health decision or a financial decision. The alert may be sent to the user by way of electronic mail. If desired, alert may include a financial projection that computes the effect of costs of the health or lifestyle of the user on the user's finances. An alert differs from a set of actionable information in that the alert does not require an action on the part of the user. A user taking action can include, for example, a user electing taking action at the time the actionable information is first reviewed by the user, by a user declining to take action, and by a user deciding to be reminded to take action at a time in the future, among other actions.
In accordance with a further aspect of the invention, the user may permit an advisor to access desired profile information relating to the user in a database. The advisor may be a financial advisor and the profile information may include financial information relating to the user. If desired, the user may specify a subset of the profile information that the advisor can access. The advisor may be a health advisor and the profile information may include health information relating to the user.
In further accordance with the invention, a system for managing multiple accounts associated with a user is provided. The system includes means for receiving a first set of information associated with identification of the user. The system also includes means for identifying a second set of information in response to the first set of information, the second set of information relating to a financial account associated with the user, the financial account being associated with a financial institution. The system also includes means for identifying a third set of information in response to the first set of information, the third set of information relating to a health account associated with the user, the health account being associated with a healthcare institution. The system also includes means for generating a fourth set of information based upon the second set of information and the third set of information, and means for sending a signal representative of the fourth set of information to the user or a designee of the user.
In further accordance with the invention, a machine readable program on a computer readable medium containing instructions for controlling a system for managing multiple accounts associated with a user is provided. The program includes a first computer code segment for processing a first set of received information associated with identification of the user and a second computer code segment for identifying a second set of information in response to the first set of information, the second set of information relating to a financial account associated with the user, the financial account being associated with a financial institution. The program further includes a third computer code segment for identifying a third set of information in response to the first set of information, the third set of information relating to a health account associated with the user, the health account being associated with a healthcare institution. The program also includes a fourth computer code segment for generating a fourth set of information based upon the second set of information and the third set of information, and a fifth computer code segment for sending a signal representative of the fourth set of information to the user or a designee of the user.
In accordance with still another aspect of the invention, a graphical user interface for controlling a system for managing multiple accounts associated with a user is provided. The graphical user interface includes a first field for receiving a first set of information associated with identification of the user and a second field for specifying a second set of information relating to a financial account associated with the user, the financial account being associated with a financial institution. The interface further includes a third field for specifying a third set of information relating to a health account associated with the user, the health account being associated with a healthcare institution. The interface also includes a fourth field for requesting generation of a fourth set of information based upon the second set of information and the third set of information, and a fifth field for displaying a signal representative of the fourth set of information to the user or a designee of the user.
It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and are intended to provide further explanation of the invention claimed. The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute part of this specification, are included to illustrate and provide a further understanding of the method and system of the invention. Together with the description, the drawings serve to explain the principles of the invention.
Reference will now be made in detail to the present preferred embodiments of the invention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. The method and corresponding steps of the invention will be described in conjunction with the detailed description of the system, machine readable program and graphical user interface as described herein.
The devices and methods presented herein may be used to assist a user, such as a consumer in making financial and health related decisions. The present invention is particularly well suited for assisting a user, such as a consumer to study the interaction between their health and their finances. It will be appreciated that the user can include a consumer, as well as a designee of the consumer, such as a legal designee (e.g, guardian or parent), as well as an advisor of the consumer as described herein. Thus, the user can be considered to be anyone capable of using the system described herein to help accomplish a useful, tangible end result.
Thus, in accordance with the invention, a system and associated method for managing multiple accounts associated with a user, such as a consumer, is provided. It will be understood that an account “associated with” a “user” can refer to an account that belongs to a consumer (as such, the account is “associated with” the consumer). Similarly, an account of a consumer may be “associated with” an advisor of the consumer by the consumer giving the advisor access to view the account of the consumer by way of system 100.
For purposes of illustration and not limitation, as depicted in
Thus, in accordance with the invention, the system includes means for receiving a first set of information associated with identification of the user.
For purposes of illustration and not limitation, as embodied herein and as depicted in
If desired, system 100 can be adapted to deliver alerts to a user relating to financial and/or health information. Alerts can be delivered in a variety of forms, such as by way of electronic mail, pop-up alerts, text messaging, voice mail messages, and the like.
Interactions between a user and system 100 are preferably facilitated by way of a graphical user interface (“GUI”) 200, described in detail below and as depicted in
As further depicted in
Web interface 120 also includes a proxy component 126 that interfaces with a proxy server 127 to permit use of external applications 139, as contrasted to integrated applications 122. A user can thus view external applications within a frame, for example in GUI 200 by such information being imported and integrated into system 100 via proxy server 127 and proxy component 126.
As further depicted in
Online framework engine 132 delineates the framework that applies across all applications being run. For example, framework engine 132 designates entitlements to users. Entitlements can include, for example, permissions that a user can grant to an advisor, such as the user's accountant to grant the accountant access to selected records of the user to assist the accountant in performing services for the user. Entitlements can also be established more generally by a system administrator, to designate which applications and/or portions of applications a user has access to, and in what capacity. For example, based on a certain level of service, a user may be entitled to receive stock market quotes on a periodic or delayed basis as contrasted to a real time basis. Thus, even though system 100 may be able to access real time stock market quotes as needed by way of back end services layer 150 that contains such data, if the user is not entitled to such data at the user's designated service level, such data will not be provided to the user.
Online framework engine 132 also controls segmentation of data and applications to tailor appropriate content for GUI 200 depending on the particular user. For example, depending on the demographics of a user (e.g., gender, age, marital status, retirement, income bracket, health condition, geography, group affiliation (e.g., AARP) and the like stored in a user profile), framework engine 132 can specify content that is appropriate to the user. For example, if system 100 includes a profile for a user indicating that the user has high cholesterol, is near retirement and has children in college, the available data that could be sent to the user is segmented to filter out data such as news releases, advertisements, services and the like that may be of interest to the user such as those directed to managing high cholesterol, retirement savings and managing college expenses. As such, content segmentation can be customized by market segment, product subscription, client tiers and groups. Framework engine provides dynamic evaluation of entitlements and role membership and adjusts content, system behaviors and basic site functionality accordingly.
Online framework engine 132 also controls aspects relating to system security. For example, online framework engine may include controls for determining which user data (such as account numbers) is encrypted. In accordance with one embodiment of the invention, as depicted in
In accordance with a further aspect of the embodiment of
Business logic engine 133 contains the system logic for running the integrated applications 122 described above. Moreover, business logic engine 133 can identify information stored for example, in layer 150 in response to a user request. For example, business logic engine can retrieve information relating to financial and health accounts of a user, each account being associated with a corresponding financial or health institution. Business logic engine also includes means (e.g., software) for generating a set of information based upon the financial and health data. A resulting amalgamation of the financial and health data can be sent through the web interface 120 to be displayed to the user or advisor, for example, or can be embodied into an alert, if desired, and sent to the user.
Thus, if a user requests that a cost/benefit projection be computed, for example, business logic engine 133 controls the application to make the computation, and provides the requested result to web interface 120 which, in turn sends a signal to client layer 110 where a user sees the requested result.
If desired, a signal generated using information from the financial and health accounts can be related to a set of actionable information—that is to say, information can require action of a user. For example, business logic engine 133 of system 100 can generate actionable information in the form of a prompt requesting that the user review the amount of coverage of life insurance to see if it is adequate.
If desired, a user can perform an operation can be performed on the set of actionable information. For example, the user can press a button on the prompt including actionable information to review the amount of insurance coverage at that time, or can press a button declining the invitation. If desired, other myriad options can be provided, such as requesting a reminder to revisit the issue later. By way of a further example, the user can select an option to use a decision support tool selected by the user. Preferably, the decision support tool permits computation of a financial projection, a health projection or a lifestyle projection relevant to the actionable information. By way of example, the decision support tool may be selected from the group consisting of a calculator, a goal tracker, a college savings calculator, a drug cost saving calculator, health and disease cost calculators that can project the lifetime cost of a particular health condition, and combinations thereof. Preferably, the actionable information relates to at least one of a financial or a healthcare decision.
A decision associated with the user in response to the set of actionable information can thus be received. The financial and/or health information may be updated in layer 150 based upon the decision of the user.
If desired, an alert can be programmed by the user or advisor to remind the user of action that the user should take, or to inform the user about available products or services, for example. The alert may relate to a health decision or a financial decision, for example. The alert may be sent to the user by way of electronic mail, pop-up messages, or text messaging, among others. An alert may be contrasted from actionable information, at least to the extent that actionable information requires a user to take a step to respond, whether that be clicking on a prompt, responding within or after a certain period, and the like.
It will be appreciated that a hybrid prompt can be provided in the form of an alert that includes actionable information that must be acted upon within a predetermined time period (e.g., ten seconds). Failure to respond within the time period could remove the option to respond, but leave the alert portion of the message on the screen for display to the user.
Any suitable subject matter may be made the subject of an alert. By way of further example, quality indicators or alerts can also be provided. Specifically, personal health record information may be combined with information from drug-to-drug interaction databases (supplied, for example by Micromedex® databases owned by Thomson Healthcare) to identify drug interactions that would be applicable to individual consumers.
In a similar vein, system 100 can be equipped with fraud prevention measures to protect users of the system. For example, system 100 can be adapted to monitor accounts (e.g., financial and health) of the user (e.g., consumer/advisor) to detect unusual activity. Detected unusual activity can be reported to a consumer user and/or their advisor by way of actionable item and/or alerts as described herein. If an advisor is suspected of engaging in unscrupulous activity, or for other reasons, any activity relating to accounts to which a consumer has entrusted some degree of control to an advisor can be reported to the consumer for monitoring purposes.
The financial account viewed using system 100 may be any financial account that can be viewed on a computer. For example, the financial account may include a bank account, a tax account, a mortgage account, education account, credit account, brokerage account, a trust account and a retirement account, for example. The health account may include any health account that can be viewed using a computer, such as a benefits record, a health insurance account, a disability insurance account, a long term care insurance account, a medical record account, a health savings account, and a pharmaceutical record account, among others. Moreover, the health or financial accounts can include government provided information, such as social security accounts, Medicaid or Medicare accounts, tax withholding accounts and the like. In addition, other governmental information can be integrated and processed with the financial and/or health information such as court judgments, governmental and private liens, and the like.
It will be further understood that systems made in accordance with the invention can combine information from any number of financial, health and other accounts to create a useful end result for the user using any one of a variety of system tools. System tools can include calculators, projectors, charting applications, portfolio builders, indices, and the like, as are known in the art.
In accordance with a further aspect of system, transactions can be performed at the request of the user or the user's designee (e.g., relative or advisor). If desired, transactions performed using data relating to the health of the user may be transacted in accordance with a preselected standard. For example, the preselected standard may be one established in accordance with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (“HIPAA”) or other governmentally or privately instituted standards.
Moreover, to the extent that any information contained in or processed by system 100 is subject to privacy laws, rules, contractual obligations, and/or regulations, well known procedures can be implemented to comply with all applicable national, international and foreign laws, rules, contractual obligations, and/or regulations and to safeguard the information, as are known in the art.
Channel syndication engine 134 provides the ability to “syndicate” any of the content on system 100 for display to a user in accordance with predetermined conditions. For example, syndication engine provides a means for customizing generic “white label” content for a particular end user. Thus, if the content is to be provided through a customized platform, style guides housed in syndication engine 134 accordingly facilitate “rebranding” of the “white label” content to suit a particular situation.
As mentioned above, external application 139 can also be accessed by system 100. External application 139 can take on myriad forms and is suitable for incorporation into system 100 as long as they can be displayed through GUI 200. For example, external application 139 can be used to manipulate data such as by computing financial projections. Moreover, external application 139 can be an external advertisement serving application that distributes particular advertisements to a user based on their demographics, such as their health condition and corresponding pharmaceuticals that a given consumer may be using.
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Client system content can be managed by integrating a client's Document Management System (“DMS”) or other workflow system into system 100. Such integration permits a client to directly publish content to a website generated by system 100.
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A user such as an advisor 186, on the other hand, can also log into system 100 to access records of and/or communicate with one or more clients as depicted in
A variety of advisors can be given access to a user's account as the user desires. For example, financial and health advisors can be given access to system 100. For example, financial advisors, such as stockbrokers, financial planners, accountants, credit analysts, real estate agents, attorneys, guardians, an individual with a power of attorney, and the like may be granted access by a user. The health advisor may include, for example, a doctor, a health insurance agent, a physical therapist, a psychologist, a nutritionist, a therapist and a spiritual advisor, among others. Information such as credentials and relevant experience of an advisor can be provided in advisor database 190 to assist a user in selecting an advisor.
As depicted in
It will be appreciated that while system 100 as embodied herein supports direct relationships between individuals (e.g., consumer-advisor), it will be understood that systems made in accordance with the invention can support multiple relationships, particularly in a non-hierarchical fashion, as depicted in
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A Medication Details window 244 is presented in
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Drug cost calculator 252 is presented in
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With further reference to
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In further accordance with the invention, a machine readable program on a computer readable medium containing instructions for controlling a system for managing multiple accounts associated with a user is provided. For purposes of illustration and not limitation, the machine readable program is adapted to be read by processors, for example in framework servers 131 as depicted in
The computer program may be written using techniques well known in the art. The computer program in accordance with the invention has instructions therein for operating a system, such as system 100 described herein. The program can include, for example, a first computer code segment for processing a first set of received information associated with identification of the user. The first set of information can include a variety of means for uniquely identifying the user, as described herein. The program also includes a second computer code segment for identifying a second set of information in response to the first set of information, the second set of information relating to a financial account associated with the user, such as the types of financial accounts disclosed herein. The program further includes a third computer code segment for identifying a third set of information in response to the first set of information, the third set of information relating to a health account associated with the user. As with the system of the invention described herein, any one of a variety of health accounts may be accessed by the program of the invention. The program also includes a fourth computer code segment for generating a fourth set of information based upon the second set of information and the third set of information. The fourth set of information can comprise, for example, an amalgamation of financial and health information or a subset thereof, as described herein. Program also includes a fifth computer code segment for sending a signal representative of the fourth set of information to the user or a designee of the user. The signal can be sent in the form of an actionable message, an alert or the like.
The computer program provided in accordance with the invention can accomplish a variety of functions. By way of example, the computer program can facilitate all functions of system 100 described herein (and similar systems) and may be used to control the form and function of graphical user interface 200 as embodied herein.
All statements herein reciting principles, aspects, and embodiments of the invention, as well as specific examples thereof, are intended to encompass both structural and functional equivalents thereof. Additionally, it is intended that such equivalents include both currently known equivalents as well as equivalents developed in the future, i.e., any elements developed that perform the same function, regardless of structure.
The block diagrams herein, such as those depicted in
In the claims hereof any element expressed as a means for performing a specified function is intended to encompass any way of performing that function including, for example, a) a combination of circuit elements which performs that function or b) software in any form, including, therefore, firmware, microcode or the like, combined with appropriate circuitry for executing that software to perform the function. The invention as defined by such claims resides in the fact that the functionalities provided by the various recited means are combined and brought together in the manner which the claims call for. Applicants thus regard any means which can provide those functionalities as equivalent to those shown herein.
Similarly, it will be appreciated that the system flows in the flow charts depicted in
Systems made in accordance with the invention herein can be constructed, for example, using techniques similar to those described in copending U.S. patent application titled “Pay-For-Access Legal Research System With Access To Open Web Content” bearing Ser. No. 11/422,281, filed Jun. 5, 2006, which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.
The methods and systems of the present invention, as described above and shown in the drawings, provide for a method, system, machine readable program and graphical user interface with superior functionality that can facilitate the management of wealth. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made in the embodiments of the present invention without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention. Thus, it is intended that the present invention include modifications and variations that are within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents.
Claims
1-20. (canceled)
21. A method for managing multiple accounts associated with a user, the method comprising:
- receiving into a computer system a first machine readable data signal that identifies a user;
- in response to the first machine readable data signal that identifies the user, obtaining financial data from a financial investment account maintained by a financial institution using the computer system, the financial data identifying assets or liabilities of the user;
- in response to the first machine readable data signal that identifies the user, obtaining information relating to a health account associated with the user using the computer system, the health account being associated with a healthcare institution and unassociated with the financial investment account;
- generating a financial projection, using the financial data and the information relating to the health account associated with the user, that computes effects of health or lifestyle costs of the user on the user's finances; and
- generating a second machine readable signal using the computer system to display the financial projection to the user or to a designee of the user.
22. The method of claim 21, wherein:
- the financial investment account is selected from a group consisting of: a bank account, a mortgage account, a tax account, an education account, a credit account, a brokerage account and a retirement account; and
- wherein the health account is selected from a group consisting of: a benefits record, a health insurance account, a disability insurance account, a long term care insurance account, a medical record account and a pharmaceutical record account.
23. The method of claim 21, wherein:
- obtaining financial data from the financial investment account maintained by the financial institution using the computer system includes obtaining the financial data using a back end services layer within the computer system;
- obtaining information relating to the health account associated with the user using the computer system includes obtaining the information relating to the health account using the back end services layer within the computer system;
- generating the financial projection includes using a business logic layer within the computer system; and
- generating the second machine readable signal includes generating the second machine readable signal using the business logic layer within the computer system.
24. The method of claim 23, wherein the computer system includes a data access layer that separates the back end services layer from the business logic layer, wherein the data access layer is configured to act as a liaison between the business logic layer and the back end services layer for added security, and wherein the method further comprises passing the financial data and the information relating to the health account from the data access layer to the business logic layer through the data access layer.
25. The method of claim 24, wherein passing the financial data and the information relating to the health account from the data access layer to the business logic layer through the data access layer includes altering a format of the financial data and the information relating to the health account, using the data access layer, to match a format required by the business logic layer.
26. The method of claim 21, wherein the information relating to the health account associated with the user is a first set of information relating to a first health account associated with the user, the method further comprising:
- obtaining a second set of information relating to a second health account associated with the user,
- wherein generating the financial projection that computes effects of health or lifestyle costs of the user on the user's finances includes generating the financial projection using the financial data, the first set of information relating to the first health account associated with the user, and the second set of information relating to the second heath account associated with the user.
27. The method of claim 26, wherein the financial data from the financial investment account maintained by the financial institution is a first set of financial data from a first financial investment account, the method further comprising:
- obtaining a second set of financial data from a second financial investment account, the second set of financial data identifying additional assets or liabilities of the user,
- wherein generating the financial projection that computes effects of health or lifestyle costs of the user on the user's finances includes generating the financial projection using the first set of financial data, the second set of financial data, the first set of information relating to the first health account associated with the user, and the second set of information relating to the second heath account associated with the user.
28. The method of claim 21, further comprising:
- receiving user input regarding a change to the financial investment account or to the health account; and
- updating the financial projection using the change.
29. The method of claim 21, further comprising:
- receiving a first user input regarding a change to the financial investment account;
- receiving a second user input regarding a change to the heath account; and
- updating the financial projection using the first user input regarding the change to the financial investment account and the second user input regarding the change to the heath account.
30. The method of claim 21, further comprising:
- generating a graphical user interface that uses the second machine readable signal to display the financial projection to the user or to a designee of the user along with the financial data and the healthcare data.
31. A server for generating a graphical user interface for managing multiple accounts associated with a user, the server comprising:
- a financial module configured to transmit identification information for a user in order to obtain financial information relating to a financial investment account associated with the user, the financial investment account being associated with a financial institution;
- a heath module configured to transmit identification information for the user in order to obtain health information relating to a health account associated with the user, the health account being associated with a healthcare institution and unassociated with the financial investment account;
- a goal module configured to receive user input regarding a financial goal or a heath goal, the goal module being further configured to determine progress towards the financial goal or the health goal using both the financial information from the financial module and the health information from the module; and
- a user interface module configured to generate and display a user interface that includes a financial window in which the financial information is displayed, a health window in which the health information is displayed, and a goal window in which the process towards the financial goal or the heath goal is displayed.
32. The server of claim 31, wherein the goal module is configured to determine recommended changes to the financial information or the health information that enables the user to reach the financial goal or the heath goal more quickly, and wherein the user interface module in configured to display those recommended changes through the user interface.
33. The server of claim 32, wherein the user interface module is configured to receive user input through the user interface regarding the recommended changes, and wherein the financial module is configured to convey the user input to the financial institution and the health module is configured to convey the user input to the health institution.
34. The server of claim 32, wherein the goal module is configured to determine recommended changes to the health information that enables the user to reach the financial goal more quickly.
35. The server of claim 32, wherein the goal module is configured to determine recommended changes to the financial information that enables the user to reach the health goal more quickly.
36. The server of claim 31, wherein the user interface further includes a projection window through which a financial projection, a health projection or a lifestyle projection is displayed.
37. The server of claim 31, further comprising a fraud detection module configured to monitor the financial information and the health information to detect fraudulent actions, and wherein the user interface is configured to convey a notification of detected fraudulent actions to the user.
38. The server of claim 31, wherein the server includes a business logic layer and a back end services layer that are separated by a data access layer, wherein the back end services layer includes the financial and health modules, the business logic layer includes the goal module and the user interface module, and the data access layer is configured to act as a liaison between the business logic layer and back end services layer for added security.
39. The server of claim 31, further comprising a portal module configured to securely transmit selected information from the health module, the financial module, or the goal module to a third party.
40. A method for analyzing information from independent accounts associated with a user, the method comprising:
- receiving, by one or more processors, identification information for a user;
- obtaining, by the one or more processors, a first set of information relating to a financial investment account associated with the user using the identification information for the user, the financial investment account being associated with a financial institution;
- obtaining, by the one or more processors, a second set of information relating to a relating to a health account associated with the user, the health account being associated with a healthcare institution and unassociated with the financial investment account;
- analyzing the first and second sets of information, using the one or more processors, to identify interactions between health and finances of the user;
- generating and displaying a user interface conveying the interactions.
41. The method of claim 40, wherein the user interface includes a prompt for user input, the method further comprising:
- receiving user input identifying changes to the first or second sets of information; and
- analyzing the changes to update the interactions between the health and finances of the user.
42. The method of claim 41, wherein the prompt for user input is part of a decision support tool, and wherein the decision support tool is selected from a group consisting of:
- a retirement calculator, a college savings calculator, a drug cost saving calculator, a goal tracker, and combinations thereof.
Type: Application
Filed: May 28, 2014
Publication Date: Oct 23, 2014
Inventors: Linda Birbara (New York, NY), John P. Bench (Norfolk, MA), Patrick C. Kim (New York, NY), Alexander M. Kleiner (Woodbridge, CT), Matthew P. Burkley (Cambridge, MA), Nicholas Prastos (Closter, NJ), Douglas Schneider (Cincinnati, OH), Barbara Coluni (Ann Arbor, MI)
Application Number: 14/289,492
International Classification: G06Q 40/06 (20120101);