Contents:

1. Getting Started
2. Basic Operations
3. Search Criteria
4. Operators ("Equals", "Starts With", "Contains"…etc.)
5. Search Criteria Dropdown Menus
6. MSA
7. Running Totals
8. Performing a Search and Viewing List of Records
9. Blue Bars (On The Search page)
10. Templates
11. Customized Sales Proposals
12. Exporting
13. Industry Stats
14. Trending Searches
15. Help
16. Viewing Records/Detail Reports
17. Printing
18. Entering Notes
19. Additional Help Sources
20. 5500 Forms and Instructions
21. Exporting "multiple" vs "single" selections
22. Primary providers
23. Underfunded plans
24. Printed reports - graphics not showing
25. Rate of return


Getting Started:
Thank you for choosing Larkspur Data Resources to support your marketing efforts.

Planisphere contains detailed information on nearly one million qualified retirement and group benefit plans. You can instantly search this volume of information using any combination of criteria to pinpoint plans of interest, then view, print or export information to suit your needs.

To quickly acquaint yourself with the operation of the search engine, report formats, printing and exporting functions, review Basic Operations: below and then browse the other help menus on-page.

For technical support and other resources to help with your sales and marketing efforts visit our website: www.larkspurweb.com, e-mail info@larkspurdata.com or call (800) 282-4567

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Basic Operations:
Planisphere is designed to help users locate qualified plans by entering search criteria into various categories of plan type, size, location, financial characteristics, service provider and more. This enables the user to search through an extensive database of plan information and quickly locate specific records (i.e. plans) to fit a particular marketing niche. The search possibilities are nearly endless limited only by the user’s creativity.

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Search Criteria:
The Search page is your starting point. Search criteria are grouped into nine categories, any combination of which can be used to select plans:
The search fields in each of these nine categories represent criteria that can be used to select records. Most of the fields have an operator to assist the user in data entry.

It’s important to note that the software is not case sensitive. There is no distinction between upper and lower case characters in any search field. "ABC" is the same as "aBc" and "abc". Users should also remember that when entering numbers (such as dollar amounts), leave out dollar signs and commas.

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Operators:
The standard Operators are Equals, Starts With, All With A Value, All With No Value, Containing and In List (CSV). It’s important for the user to understand how these work in order to find the kind of plans they are looking for. Operators are used in lieu of wildcards such as *, and, or.
Several Operators apply only to numeric fields. These are: Equals, Greater + Equal, Less + Equal and Between. It’s important to understand how to use these Operators.
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To view your search options under any of the nine categories listed, simply click on the category name. A dropdown menu will open with all of the search options for that category. As an example, if you clicked on the "Sponsor" heading, you’d see Company Name, Mailing Address, City, State, Zip Code...etc.

To minimize a dropdown menu, simply click again on the category bar at the top.

Under some categories you’ll notice that there are expandable subcategories. These can be expanded or collapsed by clicking in the same way on the subcategory bar.

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MSA:
"MSA" is an abbreviation for "Metropolitan Statistical Area". This is a term used by the US Postal Service to define cities and closely surrounding suburbs. So, if you wanted to search for Boston and surrounding suburbs, use the "Boston" MSA.

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Running Totals:
In the upper left corner of the search page and the list page you will see a running count of records that meet the criteria you’ve entered. A list of the search terms you’ve used will also be displayed. You can remove any or all of the search criteria by clicking the circled "X" next to each search field. This will enable you to delete a field without having to go back and open the search Category.

Your counts will be automatically recalculated. These are provided to let you know if you’re on the right track to finding your target market.

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Performing a Search and Viewing List of Records:
Once you have entered all of the criteria you wish to select by, click the Search bar at the top of the page. Upon clicking the "Search" bar the list of records/plans that your criteria produced will be displayed. The initial list is in alphabetical order by Sponsor’s Name. There are 6 columns of data: "Sponsor", "City", "Plan Type", "Participants", "Assets" and "Plan #". You can sort your list of plans using any of these categories. Simply click on the column header. Clicking once will put records in ascending order. Clicking twice will put them in descending order.

You will also notice that on the far right a column will appear with an icon for any record you’ve previously flagged for follow up. Mouse-over the icon to see a summary of your notes on that contact.

After clicking on the search bar and generating your list, the first 25 records produced by your search will be displayed. You can easily page through to the next 25 by clicking on the page numbers at the top of the list.

On the left-hand side of this page you’ll see three bars; the first is for printing your results, the next is for exporting your results and last one is to return to the main search page. Above the bars you’ll also see your search criteria along with the number of records found.

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Blue Bars (On The Search page):
The blue bars to the left of the search fields will help you prospect even more effectively. They are ordered as follows:

Current Searches: These are searches you’ve executed in your current session (since you logged in this time). If you just ran a search, but forgot what it was, you can always go back here and find it. Select "make current" to make a selected search the current search.

Saved Searches: You can easily save and name any of your "Current Searches" and they will become "Saved Searches" for use in future sessions. Simply click on the Current Searches bar then click the bar to name a search you previously performed. You have 3 options available with regard to previously named searches 1) you can make that search your current search; 2) rename the search; or 3) delete that search. Note that each search lists the criteria you used in creating that search. In the dropdown menu, add a name and click "save".

Follow Ups: With Planisphere you can now mark specific plans for follow up and enter private notes on your conversations with plan sponsors. You can access this information from anywhere. When you click on the "Follow Ups" bar, you’ll see your personal prospects broken up into 5 categories: Industry Stats: Here you will find a list of graphs displaying overall industry statistics. We will be expanding this area in the future, so if there is a graph you'd like to see, please let us know.

Trending Searches: This area allows you to look at activity from users across the country to determine what the hottest new prospecting trends are or see which markets are underprospected.

Help: Direct link to the help menu.

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Customized Sales Proposals:
Planisphere comes with a detailed Sales Proposal template pre-populated with plan information that you can customize and save any way you like.

After clicking on a spcific plan on your list, you'll be taken to the reports page with detailed information on that plan. To create, edit or view sales proposals, click on the Sales Proposals bar on the left-hand side of your page. Four options will be available to you. The first is a dropdown menu of your previously saved proposals. The next allows you to create a new sales proposal template. The third option allows you to edit and delete saved proposals and the fourth option takes you to a help page.

You can create a new custom proposal template in 4 easy steps. As you will see, many of the fields are pre-populated with plan data and generic compliance-friendly language that should suffice for nearly any situation.
  1. To build your proposal, review and/or modify any of the fields on the right-hand side of your page.
  2. If you’d like to exclude a particular field, simply uncheck the box next to it.
  3. Name your proposal and save it for print and/or future use.
  4. After saving, you’ll return to the report page. To view and/or print your saved template, click on the blue "sales proposal" bar and select from the drop-down list of saved templates. Once you’ve saved a proposal, you can re-use it for any plan at any time by selecting it from the drop-down list under "sales proposal" on the report page. You can also edit or delete proposal templates by clicking "edit proposal templates".
After you have created your custom template, you can use it to make other proposals anytime. In this case just repeat Step #4

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Exporting:
On the left-hand side of the list of plan sponsors (displayed right after you run a search), you’ll see a blue bar that reads, "Export Results". Clicking on this bar will give you a drop down menu of export options. First choose a list format or a detail format. List formats are: "List of Plan Sponsors" and "Labels". The list of sponsors will include just the 6 columns you see on your list ("Sponsor", "City", "Plan Type", "Participants", "Assets" and "Plan #"). The labels option will give you just the fields you need to print mailing labels (name, company and full address) in PDF format.

Detail formats will give you more fields of information on the plan. Your choices are, "Plan Summary", "Financial Information", "Insurance & Brokers Information", "Insurance Information Only", "Actuarial Information", "Service Provider/Trustee Information", "Investment Information", and "Custom". Note that the information in these export settings corresponds with the information you’ll see on the plan detail reports (when you click on a plan on your list). Have a look at what fields are on each report and see which one you might like.

If you have very specific needs, you can always create and save custom export settings by clicking on "Custom". This will allow you to "cherry pick" from a list of all available fields.

Finally, select one of the options from the "Records" field: "All (max of 1200)" or "Range (max of 1200)". Once you’re finished, simply click on the "Export" bar and click on "Open" in the dialogue box when prompted. Your data will be displayed in an Excel spreadsheet (PDF for labels).

Please note: the data will be exported in a comma delimited (text) format. This format is acceptable to virtually any Windows database management or word-processing application. For help in importing, consult the User Guide or technical support provided by the vendor from whom you received the software into which the information is to be imported.

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Industry Stats:
This is where you’ll find certain comparative statistics. We will be expanding this area in the future, so if there is a graph you'd like to see, please let us know.

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Trending Searches:
This tool will show you the most popular searches that are being performed either nationwide or in your local area in real-time. With this tool you can instantly see the hottest searches taking place over a period of time that you define. This can help you stay on top of new opportunities that are developing or help you uncover markets that have been ignored and under-prospected in your area.

To Start:
  1. Choose a date-range from the drop-down menu below OR specify your own custom date range.

    Note: If you choose a date range from the drop-down menu, the custom range fields will automatically be populated with corresponding start and end-points. If you decide to enter a custom range, don’t make any selections in the drop-down menu.

  2. Select geographical region. (Optional) You can look at all searches nationally or focus on your local area.

    Note: If region is left blank, the application will default to "National".

  3. Next, decide on the plan type you’d like to see. (Optional)

    For example, if you selected "Last 3 Months" for your date range, Springfield, MA as your region and "401k Plans" as your plan type, You are asking the application to show you how many searches have been conducted for 401k plans in Springfield, MA over the past 3 months.

    Note: You can narrow your search even further, selecting plan type and adding specific features, however this will give you significantly fewer results.

  4. You may also select asset ranges, participant ranges and service providers. (Optional)

    Important: Again, the more criteria you use, the fewer results you’ll get. You do not have to use every search field. We recommend that you start with just a couple of criteria and narrow your search from there. Note that the underlying data has been gathered since August of 2012.

  5. Select the type of display you’d like to see (line graph, bar graph or table) and click on the "View" bar to see your results!
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Help:
In addition to this Help Menu you will see we have added several tutorial videos. You will find these at the top of your Search page.

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Viewing Records/Detail Reports:
To view any of the detailed reports on any plan in your list, just click on the "Sponsor" name. This will take you to the "Plan Summary" page with all of the reports/options listed below.

On the left-hand side of your page you’ll see eleven blue bars: Below the column of blue bars, you will also find an index of Form 5500 filings with up to ten years of filings.

Right above where reports are displayed, you’ll see that you have the option to skip to the next or previous plan on the list, go to a specific record (by number) or return to the results list.

There is also a "User Notes" bar in the top left-hand corner. See Entering Notes: for further description.

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Printing:
On the list page you will see a blue bar on the left-hand side that reads, "Print Reports". Click on the bar to see listed the various report formats available for printing: To print any of these reports for either one plan or several plans, select either "All" (Max = 1,200) or a range (Max = 1,200).

You will also note that you can print reports or ranges of reports at the plan report level as well. At the top of the report, you’ll see a print bar. To print any report, simply go to that report and click on the print bar.

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Entering Notes:

When you’re looking at a particular plan, you’ll see a blue bar above the report bars. Click on it and you’ll see where you can flag a prospect as "hot" "warm" or "cold", enter new contact information, notes…etc. You can also set an email reminder to follow up.

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Underfunded plans (Actuarial Information) :

Schedule MB
"Funding Percentage (MB)"
Line 2(a)Current Value of the Assets This is the total value of assets in the plan
Line 2b(4), "Total benefits" The amount that the plan owes in benefits.
If line 2b(4) is less than line 2(a), the plan is overfunded.
If line 2b(4) is more than line 2(a), the plan is underfunded.
Instructions for line 2c state:
"If the current value of the assets of the plan is less than 70 percent of the funding target, enter such percentage"
2C is the field searched

Schedule SB
"Funding Percentage (SB)" searches MB line #15 "Adjusted funding target attainment percentage"

The DOL has warning labels for underfunding. Here's their alert system:
* Critical. This is code red for pensions, meaning that your plan is less than 65% funded and faces either a funding shortfall in the next five years or insolvency within five to seven years.
* Severely Endangered. The next level down, this translates into less than 65% funding and a shortfall within seven years.
* Endangered. This is akin to a yellow alert, meaning the plan is less than 80% funded and will face a shortfall within 7 years.


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Primary providers:

Unfortunately there is not one specific place in the filed plan document identifies the "Service provider". It could be in one of several places:
  • Insurer
  • TPA Broker
  • Plan Admin where the EIN is different than the plan sponsor
  • Payor of benefits
  • Investment sponsor - Sched D
  • Recordkeeper
    • What we have done is to gather these and put each into it's own column in a set of columns we call "Primary providers". When you look at this data, it should be apparent which entity is the true "service provider". There is not a 100% reliable order in which the service provider can be determined, so we err on the conservative side and show you all the data.

    Additional Help Sources:
    If you still require assistance, please e-mail info@larkspurdata.com or call 800-282-4567. We are committed to helping you use this product effectively. At Larkspur Data, our business is helping develop your business!

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    Printed reports not showing graphics
     Firefox
  • Click File > Page Setup.
  • When the Page Setup multi-tabbed dialog box appears, click the Format & Options tab.
  • Underneath Options, check Print Background (colors & images).
  • Print the Web page again
    Chrome:
    On the Tools menu, click Internet Options and then click the Advanced tab. In the Settings box, under Printing, click to select the Print background colors and images check box, and then click OK.
    Explorer
    On the Tools menu,
  • click Internet Options and then click the Advanced tab.
  • In the Settings box, under Printing, click to select the Print background colors and images check box, and then click OK.

    "Multiple Row" vs "Single Row" custom exports :
    Sometimes our users want data in multiple rows, sometimes a single row for a given plan,
    Here's an example :
    The ABC 401(k) plan has 10 service providers.
    When you export a field marked as multiple, there will be one row for each service provider. This may be seen as duplicates, but it's not.
    To get service providers, insurers, brokers on one row use the sections marked "Single row". This will output each plan on a single row.
    The downside is that sorting the spreadsheet is more difficult.

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    Rate of return :
    We believe that a perfect calculation of this is not possible but that this the most reasonable calculation :
    ((totincome - contrib) - (totexpenses - distrib)) / avgassets
    We calculate avgassets as: BeginOfYearAssets + EndOfYearAssets / 2
    Timing of assets into and from the plan is softened by using this average.
    We remove the contributions, expenses, transfers, and distributions from the calculation as these do would do not reflect the rate of return on plan investments.

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    Key Lists:
    The following codes relate to fields of information reported on 5500 filings.

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    5500 Forms and Instructions:
    For detailed definitions of particular fields of information, we suggest you visit the IRS website.

    At this site, you can view or download a variety of forms, publications and instructions, including information pertinent to Forms 5500 , 5500-SF and 5500 C/R.

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