Abstract:
A system and method for managing a consolidated account which consolidates the cash flows of a plurality of different accounts and outside income, tracks the cash flows, monitors the sustainability of income streams and expense needs, makes projections for further potential cash flows, has the ability to make variable distributions, tracks the current and projected balance in the income managed account and issues alerts when account parameters fail to meet a criteria, and automatically takes corrective action or makes recommendations.

Description:
[0001]    The present application claims the priority U.S. Provisional Patent Appn. Ser. No. 61/581,417 filed Dec. 29, 2011, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference. 
     
    
       [0002]    The present disclosure is directed to the monitoring, managing and consolidation of income and investments from several sources and the controlled distribution of assets from consolidated accounts. 
         [0003]    It is known to use unified managed accounts or cash management accounts to consolidate and manage the assets in a variety of accounts. Most of these known consolidated accounts are used to track the acquisition of investments. In some cases, an investment portfolio may have a planned allocation among a plurality of assets in several different accounts, or consolidate and manage the income and cash flow from the assets associated with various accounts including income from outside sources including Social Security, annuities and pensions. The holdings of the accounts are tracked and rebalancing can occur when the accounts exceed some predetermined threshold from a desired goal. 
         [0004]    Orderly distribution of assets from such a consolidated account has been problematic, particularly when the owner of the consolidated account wishes to receive a fixed cash flow stream from a plurality of non-cash accounts. For example, an individual may own a mutual fund account, a stock account, a bond fund and/or a retirement account comprising one or more types of assets. In addition the consolidated account may receive a cash flow from a money market account, certificate of deposit, annuity or other cash equivalent. The stock account may pay a quarterly dividend, and the bond account may pay a distribution semi-annually. Notwithstanding the variability of the earnings of the consolidated account, the individual may wish to withdraw assets from the account in a fixed manner. In order to determine the amount of cash available to distribute to the individual on a monthly basis, the financial advisor typically determined the amount of income expected to be earned from the assets over the year, divided that number by twelve, and used this resultant number as the fixed amount distribution available each month. However, such a coarse determination does not take into account the actual balance of cash available to pay the fixed amount through the course of the year. This can be even more difficult when the owner is receiving cash flow from outside non-investment sources like Social Security, a pension, etc., as it becomes more challenging to monitor and track the cash flows from a variety of sources to see how much the owner is actually receiving and spending month to month. For example, predicting the cash flow can be problematic in that dividends are not guaranteed and can increase or decrease, bonds can default or have varying interest rates and annuities can vary or end altogether. Thus, this prior art method does not take into account the variability of the cash flow in the consolidated account. This prior art method also does not take into account that certain assets may be better utilized to generate the cash flow from an after-tax perspective, either due to the nature of the cash flow or due to the cash basis of the assets, or due to an overweight/underweight in the asset relative to the overall asset allocation. 
         [0005]    The need for accurately managing cash balance and cash flow from accounts used for retirement is particularly critical as the account holder is probably no longer in the asset acquisition phase of their life, and thus their lifestyle needs to be maintained using an asset base that is drawn down overtime. 
         [0006]    Thus, there is a need for an income managed account which consolidates the cash flows of a plurality of different accounts and outside income, tracks the cash flows, monitors the sustainability of income streams and expense needs, makes projections for further potential cash flows, has the ability to make variable distributions, tracks the current and projected balance in the income managed account and issues alerts when account parameters fail to meet a criteria, and automatically takes corrective action or makes recommendations on which assets/accounts to be used to generate cash flow from a tax efficient perspective. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0007]      FIG. 1  is a simplified flow diagram showing a prior art income management flow. 
           [0008]      FIG. 2  is a simplified pictorial representation of one embodiment of the present disclosure. 
           [0009]      FIG. 3  is a simplified graphical representation of one embodiment of the present disclosure. 
           [0010]      FIG. 4  is a simplified illustration of a projected balance of an income managed account using one embodiment of the present disclosure. 
           [0011]      FIG. 5  is a simplified pictorial representation of a projected withdrawal analysis of using one embodiment of the present disclosure. 
           [0012]      FIG. 6  is a simplified flow diagram of one embodiment of the present disclosure. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0013]      FIG. 1  illustrates a prior art system used to manage income for a couple&#39;s retirement accounts. Income in the form of social security payments, pensions and annuity income and other cash income  100  are deposited in a joint account  110  of a couple. The couple may also maintain brokerage accounts  120  that may manage the husband&#39;s individual retirement account (IRA)  125 , the wife&#39;s Roth account  127  and other retirement accounts  129 , each of which may deposit withdrawals and distributions to the joint account  110 . The cash deposited in the joint account can be transferred to an external bank  130  or can be accessed or withdrawn by the holders of the account  140 . In prior art systems, it is difficult to predict the amount of income derived from the retirement accounts  100 ,  120 , such that they met the demands of the withdrawal for the joint account  110 . In addition, while interest and dividends from non-IRA accounts have been accounted for in prior art systems, deposits from IRA dividends and interest have not been accounted for. 
         [0014]    Management of cash flow using the prior art methods is typically a manual endeavor. For example, the $300,000 retirement account of an individual may include 25% in short-intermediate investments, 25% in intermediate-long investments and 50% in rising income-growth investments. In order to determine the amount of fixed payments that would be available on a monthly basis for an individual, a financial advisor would estimate the amount of income that would be generated annually for the investments. For example short-intermediate investments may be predicted to generate $3,395 annually, intermediate-long investments may generate $4,190 annually, and rising income and growth investments may generate $5,330 annually. Thus the cumulative income for the investment accounts would be $13,635, which supports a monthly fixed withdrawal of $1,136 for use by the individual. However, one problem is that the income derived from the investments may not be monthly and may not coincide with the monthly withdrawals. For example, a bond fund may only pay a dividend every six months. Thus, the financial advisor may need to liquidate some of the assets in order to provide a fixed monthly income. However, if assets are liquidated, the predicted income from the investments may be affected, and thus the financial advisor may get involved in a vicious cycle of attempting to predict income earned, estimating income available for withdrawal and liquidating assets to meet any shortfall. Additionally, the financial advisor may need to systematically liquidate assets in the normal course of business to supplement the income that is not provided through normal dividends and interest. Furthermore, as the assets are liquidated, there may become a time when the balance has declined so much that they can no longer provide the necessary cash flow from the systematic withdrawal. 
         [0015]      FIG. 2  illustrates one embodiment of the present disclosure which obviates the deficiencies identified in the prior art systems. Income managed account  300  is used to manage the deposits and income derived from other accounts, and the withdrawals of cash and transfers to other accounts. The projected income and deposits  310  into the IMA  300  are determined for a predetermined period of time. In the embodiment of  FIG. 2 , the predetermined period of time is 12 months. However the predetermined period of time may correspond to a longer or shorter time period. For example, an analysis of the projections may be run annually, and monthly thereafter for the same initial 12 month period. Or the analysis may be performed upon the occurrence of some event which may change the planning horizon. The projected deposits and income  310  may include non-retirement accounts  320 , retirement accounts  330  and other anticipated deposits  340 . While prior art methods only considered income from non-IRA accounts, the present disclosure includes dividend and interest from both IRA and non-IRA accounts. The projected withdrawals  350  from the IMA  300  can also be projected for the same predetermined time period. The projected withdrawals  350  from the IMA  300  may include transfers to accounts outside  360  the manager of the IMA  300 , transfers to other accounts  370  managed by the manager of the IMA  300  and other anticipated withdrawals  380 . 
         [0016]    In one embodiment, a summary of the projected deposits and income into the IMA  300 , and the projected withdrawals can be used to determine the projected balance of the IMA at the end of the predetermined period  390 , effectively monitoring the short term liquidity. In addition, the projected balance of the account be predicted at any point during the predetermined period by taking into account the timing of the projected deposits and withdrawals  392 . The predicted projected balance of the account can be compared to a targeted minimum balance  393  to determine a suggested deposit to maintain the targeted minimum balance  394  of the account  300  for the entire predetermined period. In another embodiment, the predicted projected balance of the account can be compared to a targeted maximum balance to determine a suggested withdrawal to maintain the targeted maximum balance of the account  300  for the entire predetermined period. 
         [0017]    In one embodiment, the projected balance can be linked to financial planning tools to allow a comprehensive analysis of the effect of actual deposits and withdrawals as compared to the predicted deposits and withdrawals in order to monitor the long term sustainability of the targeted cash flow. In another embodiment, the present disclosure can allow access by a financial advisor or the account holder through Internet access. The present disclosure can also provide a budgeting tool to allow ad hoc adjustments to the amount and timing of withdrawals from the consolidated account. If the amount of withdrawal exceeds a predetermined threshold, an alert can be issued to identify to the financial advisor or account holder of the impact of the withdrawal. In another embodiment, the present disclosure could help identify which assets may be targeted to generate cash flow from a tax efficient perspective. In another embodiment, an alert can be generated if the source of cash flow from a systematic withdrawal can no longer provide the desired amount of cash flow. 
         [0018]    In one embodiment, the present disclosure can take into account the impact of mandatory Required Minimum Distributions (RMDs). RMDs generally are minimum amounts that a retirement plan account owner must withdraw annually starting at a specified age. Failure to take the RMDs can subject the plan owner to stiff penalties for failure to take RMDs. Thus, the specific rules governing RMDs can be taken into account in predicting the projected balance of the consolidated or joint account in order to manage the amount and distribution of assets to an account holder. 
         [0019]    The consolidated account may also accommodate inputs from accounts managed by third party providers. For example, the consolidated account may be linked to an account that automatically provides annuity deposits of income, Social Security payments, or pension distributions into the consolidated account. 
         [0020]      FIG. 3  illustrates the use of the projected balance and the target minimum balance of the of the IMA  300  to manage the account. A graphical representation  400  of the target minimum balance  410  and the projected balance  420  of the consolidated account for a portion of the predetermined period can be used to identify when, and by how much the projected balance falls below the target minimum balance  430 ,  440 . The projected balance of the IMA  300  can also be viewed over multiple predetermined periods  450 ,  452   454 . Alerts can be generated based on predetermined parameters associated with the IMA. For example, an alert can be generated based on projected deposits  460  or projected balance  462 , 464 . 
         [0021]    Alerts can be used to notify the financial advisor and the account holder and identify suggested solutions. In one embodiment, an alert can provide a suggested deposit to maintain a targeted minimum balance during a predetermined period  470 , 472 . In another embodiment, an alert can be used to trigger some corrective action automatically. For example, a pre-designated asset for an account can be liquidated and transferred to the IMA at the appropriate time to ensure the IMA balance stays above the targeted minimum balance. In another embodiment, assets can be identified in priority order for liquidation for predetermined amounts in order to maintain the balance in the IMA as designated by the account holder. The identified assets can be liquidated automatically at the appropriate time, or a notification of suggested liquidation can be delivered to the financial advisor or account holder A rules engine can be used in conjunction with the assets identified for liquidation to take into account tax treatment, restrictions of liquidation of assets, minimum and maximum amounts, asset allocation, etc. The risk engine can recommend different actions based on account holder preference such as risk tolerance, account size or other variable. The risk engine can suggest other solutions such as a reduction in cash flow withdrawals, which can result from a decrease in income from declining market values, a reduction in outside income, or an increase in expenses. 
         [0022]      FIG. 4  illustrates a detailed projected balance for an IMA. The detailed projected balance may be made available through a pull down menu, or may be accessed through drill down technology from a display as shown in  FIG. 3 . The detailed projected balance can identify on a transaction by transaction basis  500 , the projected balance  510  of the IMA. In one embodiment, alerts can be identified if the IMA account fails to satisfy predetermined account parameters. For example, on Nov. 27, 2011, an alert  520  is generated that identifies that the IMA account balance is projected to fall below the targeted minimum balance. The alert also identifies the specific transaction associated with the predetermined account parameter not being satisfied. For example, the alert on November 27 may be attributable to the transfer out of $2,700 from the IMA and transfer in of $600 to the IMA. In one embodiment, the alert can trigger automatic action to increase the deposit into the account, or to decrease the amount transfer from the account. The automatic corrective action can be based on a set of predetermined criteria set by the account holder. For example, the account holder may designate that transfer from the IMA account should never be reduced, and instead, the deposit into the IMA account should be increased. The account holder may also designate which retirement accounts can be used to make deposits to the IMA, or can designate the type of asset, e.g., mutual funds, stocks, etc. In another embodiment, the account holder may prioritize which accounts to draw deposits from, and those accounts can be identified in response to an alert or action may automatically be taken. In yet another embodiment, the asset to be liquidated can be prioritized automatically as a function of a specified criteria such as minimize tax consequences, minimize losses, maximize gains, maintain target asset allocation, etc. 
         [0023]    Note that the predetermined period is selectable, and thus an alert may issue even though the account criteria that is predicted to not be satisfied may be months away. The earlier that an alert is identified, the more time is available to take corrective action. However, in some circumstances, corrective action may be purposefully delayed until closer to the alert event to monitor the effects of the deposits from the variable income accounts which may obviate the alert. Thus, in one embodiment, a selectable window can identified within which to take corrective action prior to the account parameter failing to satisfy some criteria. 
         [0024]    In another embodiment, different type of alerts can identify different responses. For example, on Dec. 2, 2011, an alert may be issued that the IMA account balance is projected to be negative. The corrective action for a negative account balance can be selected to be different than the corrective action for an account balance that is projected to fall below a targeted minimum balance. In another embodiment, corrective action can have selectable parameters. For example, selectable parameters can identify the corrective action which corrects the greatest number of alerts, or results in the least amount of transactions, or requires the least amount of liquidations. 
         [0025]      FIG. 5  illustrates a projected withdrawal analysis to help manage the withdrawal of cash from the account holders retirement or other income accounts  600 . The analysis may incorporate withdrawals from the income accounts  600  into the IMA account  610  as well as other withdrawals  620 . The total withdrawals  630  can be used to determine a withdrawal rate  640  for a predetermined period which is helpful in determining whether the assets are being sufficiently maintained and appropriate for the account holder. For example, if the withdrawal rate is above a certain targeted amount, it may help suggest that corrective action may need to be taken to moderate withdrawals. 
         [0026]    Thus, use of the present disclosure greatly simplifies and more accurately manages the ability of an account holder to be provided with a desired periodic distribution from a plurality of accounts that provide a variable income stream. The predictive nature of managing a cash balance and cash flow to provide a desired amount periodically is necessary to ensure that sufficient assets are available during the lifetime of the account holder and is not possible with prior art systems and methods. The present disclosure is implemented in a general purpose processor specifically programmed to perform the methods described herein, which are not capable of being performed using pen or paper. The account information may be maintained in databases and the display and input of information can be through graphical user interfaces. 
         [0027]      FIG. 7  illustrates one embodiment of an implementation of the present disclosure for managing a consolidated account. The consolidated account can include a first account of non-cash assets and a second account of non-cash assets, the second account being different than the first account. The first and second accounts can be provided by the same institution providing the consolidated account, or all three accounts can reside at different institutions. The consolidated account can also include a cash account. The cash account may be a checking account or a savings account and include income in the form of social security payments, pensions and annuities. The non-cash accounts may be brokerage accounts that may manage the individual retirement accounts (IRA) and income from IRA dividends and interest may be deposited into the consolidated accounts. 
         [0028]    In step  700 , the consolidated account balance can be predicted over a period of time. The predicting takes into account the deposits into the consolidated account including the amount and timing of income to be earned from the assets of the first and second account. It also includes predicting the amount and timing of withdrawals from the consolidated account. The step of predicting can be performed over a selectable planning horizon, for example a tax year. However the predetermined period of time may correspond to a longer or shorter time period. For example, the prediction may be run annually, and monthly thereafter for the same initial 12 month period. Or the prediction may be performed upon the occurrence of some event which may change the planning horizon. Thus, the projected balance of the consolidated account be predicted at any point during the predetermined period by taking into account the timing of the projected deposits and withdrawals 
         [0029]    In step  710 , the predicted balance of the consolidated account can be compared with a predetermined criteria. In step  720 , if the predicted account balance is more or less than the predetermined criteria, an alert can be issued The predetermined criteria can be a targeted minimum balance for the consolidated account, a negative account balance, or any other account criteria. The alert may identify the specific condition which caused the alert as well as the specific transaction associated with the predetermined account parameter not being satisfied. For example, the alert may identify a bond call, a dividend cut, a systematic withdrawal issue, or other previously unplanned circumstance. 
         [0030]    In step  730 , the alert can trigger automatic corrective action to increase the deposit into the consolidated account, or to decrease the amount transferred from the consolidated account. The automatic corrective action can be based on a set of predetermined criteria. For example, the corrective action can include identifying a list of the plurality of accounts in a priority order in which to liquidate assets to thereby increase the predicted balance of the consolidated account to satisfy the predetermined threshold. The prioritized list may designate the type of accounts can be used in priority order to make deposits to the consolidated account, or can designate the type of asset, e.g., mutual funds, stocks, etc. taking into account a specified criteria such as minimizing tax consequences, minimize losses, maximize gains, etc. Once the corrective action has been taken, the normal prediction cycle can continue. 
         [0031]    The present disclosure can be implemented by a general purpose computer programmed in accordance with the principals discussed herein. It may be emphasized that the above-described embodiments, particularly any “preferred” embodiments, are merely possible examples of implementations, merely set forth for a clear understanding of the principles of the disclosure. Many variations and modifications may be made to the above-described embodiments of the disclosure without departing substantially from the spirit and principles of the disclosure. All such modifications and variations are intended to be included herein within the scope of this disclosure and the present disclosure and protected by the following claims. 
         [0032]    Embodiments of the subject matter and the functional operations described in this specification can be implemented in digital electronic circuitry, or in computer software, firmware, or hardware, including the structures disclosed in this specification and their structural equivalents, or in combinations of one or more of them. Embodiments of the subject matter described in this specification can be implemented as one or more computer program products, i.e., one or more modules of computer program instructions encoded on a tangible program carrier for execution by, or to control the operation of, data processing apparatus. The tangible program carrier can be a computer readable medium. The computer readable medium can be a machine-readable storage device, a machine-readable storage substrate, a memory device, or a combination of one or more of them. 
         [0033]    The term “processor” encompasses all apparatus, devices, and machines for processing data, including by way of example a programmable processor, a computer, or multiple processors or computers. The processor can include, in addition to hardware, code that creates an execution environment for the computer program in question, e.g., code that constitutes processor firmware, a protocol stack, a database management system, an operating system, or a combination of one or more of them. 
         [0034]    A computer program (also known as a program, software, software application, app, script, or code) can be written in any form of programming language, including compiled or interpreted languages, or declarative or procedural languages, and it can be deployed in any form, including as a standalone program or as a module, component, subroutine, or other unit suitable for use in a computing environment. A computer program does not necessarily correspond to a file in a file system. A program can be stored in a portion of a file that holds other programs or data (e.g., one or more scripts stored in a markup language document), in a single file dedicated to the program in question, or in multiple coordinated files (e.g., files that store one or more modules, sub programs, or portions of code). A computer program can be deployed to be executed on one computer or on multiple computers that are located at one site or distributed across multiple sites and interconnected by a communication network or as an app on a mobile device such as a tablet, PDA or phone. 
         [0035]    The processes and logic flows described in this specification can be performed by one or more programmable processors executing one or more computer programs to perform functions by operating on input data and generating output. The processes and logic flows can also be performed by, and apparatus can also be implemented as, special purpose logic circuitry, e.g., an FPGA (field programmable gate array) or an ASIC (application specific integrated circuit). 
         [0036]    Processors suitable for the execution of a computer program include, by way of example, both general and special purpose microprocessors, and any one or more processors of any kind of digital computer or mobile device. Generally, a processor will receive instructions and data from a read only memory or a random access memory or both. The essential elements of a computer are a processor for performing instructions and one or more data memory devices for storing instructions and data. Generally, a computer will also include, or be operatively coupled to receive data from or transfer data to, or both, one or more mass storage devices for storing data, e.g., magnetic, magneto optical disks, or optical disks. However, a computer need not have such devices. Moreover, a computer can be embedded in another device, e.g., a mobile telephone, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a mobile audio or video player, a game console, a Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver, to name just a few. 
         [0037]    Computer readable media suitable for storing computer program instructions and data include all forms data memory including non volatile memory, media and memory devices, including by way of example semiconductor memory devices, e.g., EPROM, EEPROM, and flash memory devices; magnetic disks, e.g., internal hard disks or removable disks; magneto optical disks; and CD ROM and DVD-ROM disks. The processor and the memory can be supplemented by, or incorporated in, special purpose logic circuitry. 
         [0038]    To provide for interaction with a user, embodiments of the subject matter described in this specification can be implemented on a computer having a display device, e.g., a CRT (cathode ray tube), LCD (liquid crystal display) monitor or other monitor, for displaying information to the user and a keyboard and a pointing device, e.g., a mouse or a trackball, by which the user can provide input to the computer. Other kinds of devices can be used to provide for interaction with a user as well; for example, input from the user can be received in any form, including acoustic, speech, or tactile input. 
         [0039]    Embodiments of the subject matter described in this specification can be implemented in a computing system that includes a back end component, e.g., as a data server, or that includes a middleware component, e.g., an application server, or that includes a front end component, e.g., a client computer having a graphical user interface or a Web browser through which a user can interact with an implementation of the subject matter described is this specification, or any combination of one or more such back end, middleware, or front end components. The components of the system can be interconnected by any form or medium of digital data communication, e.g., a communication network. Examples of communication networks include a local area network (“LAN”) and a wide area network (“WAN”), e.g., the Internet. 
         [0040]    The computing system can include clients and servers. A client and server are generally remote from each other and typically interact through a communication network. The relationship of client and server arises by virtue of computer programs running on the respective computers and having a client-server relationship to each other. 
         [0041]    While this specification contains many specifics, these should not be construed as limitations on the scope of any invention or of what may be claimed, but rather as descriptions of features that may be specific to particular embodiments of particular inventions. Certain features that are described in this specification in the context of separate embodiments can also be implemented in combination in a single embodiment. Conversely, various features that are described in the context of a single embodiment can also be implemented in multiple embodiments separately or in any suitable subcombination. Moreover, although features may be described above as acting in certain combinations and even initially claimed as such, one or more features from a claimed combination can in some cases be excised from the combination, and the claimed combination may be directed to a subcombination or variation of a subcombination. 
         [0042]    Similarly, while operations are depicted in the drawings in a particular order, this should not be understood as requiring that such operations be performed in the particular order shown or in sequential order, or that all illustrated operations be performed, to achieve desirable results. In certain circumstances, multitasking and parallel processing may be advantageous. Moreover, the separation of various system components in the embodiments described above should not be understood as requiring such separation in all embodiments, and it should be understood that the described program components and systems can generally be integrated together in a single software product or packaged into multiple software products. 
         [0043]    Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the present invention can be practiced by other than the described embodiments, which are presented for the purposes of illustration and not of limitation, and the present invention is limited only by the claims which follow.