Goods benefit pension

Abstract

To solve the problems that personal pensions, which are a representative example of long-term savings-type financial products, have shown vulnerability during economic downturns, and financial institutions are struggling to attract customers and do business, and that although people are searching for solutions to promote sales, they have yet to come up with any decisive innovations in product development and sales strategies.SOLUTION: The present invention provides a goods benefit pension (GBP), in which pension providers pay part or all of pension to policyholders in electronic money instead of cash, in accordance with the policyholders' wishes, and provide daily necessities and other items at lower prices than market prices in stores exclusively for pensioners who use the electronic money, thereby reducing payment reserves of the pension providers and improving business balance.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a type of in-kind annuity in which a pension provider pays a part or all of an annuity to a policyholder in kind instead of in cash, in accordance with the policyholder's wishes. [Background technology]

[0002] Traditionally, financial products such as pensions have been sold by financial institutions such as insurance companies, while general products such as food and miscellaneous goods have been sold by distribution companies such as supermarkets. As such, since the financial industry and the distribution industry are completely different industries, financial institutions do not handle general products, and supermarkets do not handle financial products. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] This had the following drawbacks: Personal annuities are a system in which policyholders pay premiums, which are then accumulated and managed by insurance companies. The investment yield (expected interest rate) at this time is linked to economic indicators and is affected by economic trends. When the economy is sluggish, the investment yield deteriorates and the ratio of total benefits to total payments falls, making the product less attractive as a financial product and causing sales to stagnate. In such a situation, if the payout ratio is increased in order to differentiate from other companies, the insurance company's profit margin will shrink and revenues will fall, so it will eventually become unprofitable and they will be forced to stop sales. Personal pensions, which are a representative example of long-term investment savings financial products, have shown their vulnerability during the economic downturn, and financial institutions are struggling to attract customers and do business with them. Although they are searching for a solution to sales promotion, they have not found any decisive innovation in product development or sales strategy. Financial institutions, precisely because they are financial institutions, have an unshakable belief that pension payments can only be made in monetary form, and for many years have had no concept or idea of ​​providing in-kind payments. Because private pensions play a role in complementing public pensions, it is necessary to offer as attractive products as possible to increase the participation rate in private pensions. If the participation rate in private pensions declines, public opinion will become critical of public pensions, which will affect the approval ratings of the government and political parties. The present invention has been made to eliminate the above-mentioned drawbacks. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] When pension providers pay pensions to recipients, in addition to transferring cash to the recipient's bank account, they will be able to choose to charge a specified card (tentative name: pension card) with electronic money for part or all of the pension amount. This choice is made at the recipient's own free will. Furthermore, the ratio of cash to electronic money can be freely set within the range of the pension amount, and can be changed as many times as desired. Cancellation and resumption are also free. The pension card is a shopping-only card that can be used to purchase products sold at member-only stores (tentatively called pension shops) run by pensioners, up to the amount of the charged balance. Pension shops mainly sell daily necessities such as food, consumables, and daily necessities at prices lower than market prices than regular supermarkets and other stores, for products of the same manufacturer and grade (and in the case of food, expiration date). Pensioners will find it more economical to charge their pensions to electronic money and buy at pension shops than to withdraw their pensions in cash and buy at regular stores as before, by the amount of the price difference, so they will choose electronic money within their budget for daily necessities. The funds that pension providers use to operate pension shops come from pension payment reserves (reserves) that are part of pension payment reserves (reserves) from which recipients have waived their cash receipts, in other words, extinguished liabilities that have been relieved of the obligation to pay. The selling price of a general retail business is composed of ▲1▼ "Purchase cost" + ▲2▼ "Sales and administrative expenses (expenses)" + ▲3▼ "Profit," but the selling price of a pension shop is overwhelmingly price competitive because ▲3▼ "Profit" is zero or close to zero. Since pensioners have an advantage in receiving their pension in electronic money rather than cash, at least for items that can be purchased at pension shops, they have an incentive to pursue pension reductions. As the number of items available increases, pension reductions accelerate, and ultimately the number of pensioners who receive their entire amount in electronic money increases. Pension providers have already secured investment profits at the time pension payments begin. New operating funds are generated for pension shops, but because payment reserves exceeding these funds are freed up, the difference is generated as a second profit on top of the already secured investment profits. This profit margin is correlated with the discount rate on product prices, and the lower the profit margin, the more attractive the selling prices of pension shops become, increasing the rate of transition to electronic money. When pension shops first start up, they have a limited product lineup and the stores are modest, but they develop over the years. The present invention is a kind-delivery annuity having the above-mentioned configuration. Effect of the Invention

[0006] Compared to protection-type products such as term insurance, which are non-refundable, savings-type products such as individual pension plans have low profit margins to begin with, but when profits from the sale of goods are added to these, the revenue structure changes for the better. As the selling prices at pension shops become a hot topic, the product appeal of pensions with in-kind benefit functions will increase, and the competitiveness of the insurance companies selling them will also increase. For annuity policyholders, the pension they receive is not the object of their life but an alternative means to obtain that object, so if the object they are looking for can be obtained at a special price only at the insurance company's directly managed or affiliated stores, the policyholders will have more opportunities to come into contact with the insurance company in their daily lives. For the insurance company, this will contribute to sales promotion in the development of customer attraction and sales activities for their main business of insurance. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0007] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram of an embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A mobile phone embodying the present invention will now be described. When pension providers pay pensions to recipients, in addition to transferring cash to the recipient's bank account, they will be able to choose to charge a designated card (tentatively called the pension card) with electronic money for part or all of the pension amount. This choice is made voluntarily by the pension recipient. Furthermore, the ratio of cash to electronic money can be freely set within the range of the pension amount, and can be changed as many times as desired. Cancellation and resumption are also free. The procedure is usually carried out online, but it can also be completed by bringing in or mailing the designated application form. However, once charged, the electronic money cannot be converted into cash. It can only be used up by shopping. The pension card is a shopping card that can be used to purchase items sold at member-only stores (tentatively called pension shops) run by pensioners, up to the amount of the charged balance. Payment for product purchases is made using a card reader terminal. It is a completely cashless card, and cash cannot be used to make up a shortfall. No change is given. Pension shops mainly sell daily necessities such as food, consumables, and daily necessities at prices lower than market prices for products of the same manufacturer and grade (and in the case of food, expiry date) than regular supermarkets and other stores. This does not constitute an unfair trade practice or dumping (unfairly cheap prices) under the Antimonopoly Act. This is because pension shops are member-only stores that do not sell products to general consumers. Furthermore, there is a legitimate reason for the discounts. There is also no particular problem with the manufacturer's suggested retail price. Pensioners will choose electronic money within their budget for daily necessities, because it is more economical to charge electronic money and buy things at pension shops by the amount equivalent to the price difference than to withdraw the pension money deposited in cash as before and buy things at regular stores. Furthermore, if a pensioner lives with his / her family, for example, a son and his / her wife will request that the amount transferred to electronic money be increased, because they want to buy things cheaper from pension shops than from regular supermarkets. Or rather, they will put up a pressure offensive. Then, in order to buy daily necessities for the entire household, the entire amount will be transferred to electronic money. At pension shops, even if you are not the pensioner, if you have a card, it is considered that you have asked your family to do the shopping for you. In any case, a reduction in cash benefits is very welcome. Since the selection of products at pension shops is incomplete, a certain amount of free funds should be secured in cash, but this is not a problem because of the public pension. The funds that pension businesses use to operate pension shops are the pension payment reserves (reserves) that recipients have waived from receiving cash, in other words, extinguished liabilities that have been exempted from payment obligations. To put it simply, the business makes recipients waive their large right to receive pensions, which corresponds to the "selling price" of the pension shop, and bears a small cost equivalent to the "purchase price". There are very few product items that cannot be differentiated from the market price unless the profit margin is reduced to zero. Most products should be able to generate a certain amount of profit even after establishing a superior position in price competition. The reason for this is that pension shops, unlike general companies, do not need to use their profits for capital investment, shareholder dividends, loan repayments, compensation for non-operating losses, internal reserves, or corporate tax reserves. The selling price of a general retailer is composed of ▲1▼ "purchase cost" + ▲2▼ "sales and administrative expenses (expenses)" + ▲3▼ "profit", but the selling price of a pension shop is overwhelmingly price competitive because ▲3▼ "profit" is zero or close to zero. The profit margin as a percentage of the selling price of a product varies greatly depending on the type of product, and is distributed within a certain range for each type of product. A typical example would be the price difference between a general restaurant with a reasonable profit and a company cafeteria with zero profit. Since it is more advantageous for pensioners to receive their pension in electronic money than in cash, at least for items that can be purchased at pension shops, there is an incentive to pursue pension reduction. As the number of items increases, the reduction of pension accelerates, and eventually the number of pensioners who receive the entire amount in electronic money increases. For example, if a contract holder who receives a personal pension of 30,000 yen per month applies for a reduction of 5,000 yen, his pension will become 25,000 yen. Then, 1,000 yen is charged to the card every month. Then, an item with a market price of 6,000 yen can be purchased at the pension shop for 5,000 yen. If the pension is reduced, the take-home income increases by 1,000 yen compared to doing nothing. If the reduction is not requested, the consumer will have no choice but to withdraw 6,000 yen in cash from the deposit account into which the pension was deposited and purchase it from a regular store for 6,000 yen. From the viewpoint of economic psychology, there are very few consumers who will take such actions. Pension providers have already secured investment profits at the time pension payments begin. New operating funds are generated for pension shops, but because payment reserves on a larger scale than these are freed up, the difference is generated as a second profit on top of the already secured investment profits. This profit margin is correlated with the discount rate on product prices, and the lower the profit margin, the more attractive the selling prices at pension shops become, increasing the rate of transition to electronic money. When insurance companies consolidate their accounting for annuity sales and product sales, annuity sales become their main business, so the profits generated from product sales, although small, become non-operating profits, which, when combined with the investment profits from annuity sales, increase ordinary profits. When pension shops first start up, they have a small product lineup and the stores are small, but they develop over the years. The most representative food is "Region-designated standard rice". Next, they expand to soy sauce, miso, cooking oil, flour, general seasonings, general processed foods, and general foods. Consumables include toilet paper, tissue paper, and other consumables such as soap, detergent, towels, and various daily necessities. In the future, we will open stores the same size as supermarkets, either individually or jointly with multiple companies. When we first started up, we set up space in a corner of an insurance company's sales base in a city, ward, town, or village, and the store is manned by a clerk or sales employee on a rotation basis. This means that there is no need for rent, utility costs, or labor costs for the store. Under the pretext of delivering products to customers, we can also make insurance sales calls by bringing a handy card reader. [Industrial Applicability]

[0008] This invention is a customer acquisition and sales support technology developed for the purpose of promoting the sales of personal annuities sold by private insurance companies, but the function can also be applied to public pensions. In fact, it is more effective for public pensions. Companies can be broadly divided into general companies and public utility companies. Public utility companies are companies that play an important role in society and the lives of the people, and conduct their business in accordance with national policy. Examples include electric power companies, gas companies, and telephone companies. These companies are nominally joint-stock companies, but in reality they are quasi-public organizations, "public instruments of society." As a result, they are given favorable markets with no competitors, a monopoly on the business environment, and the preferential treatment and benefits of a stable profit structure bestowed upon them by the government, allowing them to grow into huge corporations. Therefore, in times of national crisis, these companies have a good faith obligation to show due consideration in repaying the country's kindness. The basis for this is the concept of "noblesse oblige." The declining birthrate and aging population have caused major changes in social structure, and public pensions, which use a pay-as-you-go system based on mutual aid, have fallen into a serious shortage of funds. This has been the main cause of the worsening economy and declining national strength, which can truly be described as a national crisis. Based on this philosophy, these companies have a mission to cooperate for the public good. The above are not the only businesses over which the state has a certain degree of influence. There are many others, including "public broadcasting," "public transportation," "rice," "alcohol," "tobacco," "postal service," and "public gambling." If we work as a team and share the burden little by little, we can overcome this national crisis.

[0009] . The principle is the same for both private and public pensions. In the case of public pensions, pension shops are set up in a corner of pension offices nationwide or in simple, space-saving prefabricated stores on their premises. Staff rotation is also the same. As with the private sector, they will expand gradually. A special privilege of public pension shops is that, in addition to the same product lineup as private pension shops, they can also sell "electricity bill discount coupons," "gas bill discount coupons," and "telephone bill discount coupons." For example, suppose a recipient of a national pension whose monthly income is 80,000 yen applies for a reduction to 70,000 yen. In this case, the difference of 10,000 yen is charged to the pension card as electronic money. If the recipient uses that 10,000 yen to purchase an "electricity bill discount coupon" with a face value of 12,000 yen, compared to if the reduction application was not made, (1) the pension recipient will have an income of 2,000 yen in their household income and expenditures; (2) the public pension's operating income and expenditures will be exempt from payment of 10,000 yen; and (3) the power company's operating income and expenditures will suffer a loss of 2,000 yen. Specifically, when you purchase an "electricity bill discount coupon" at a pension shop, it is automatically processed the moment you scan it, and the amount to be deducted next time is deducted from the account you registered in advance for electricity bill withdrawals. Any surplus amount is carried forward. The same applies to "gas bills" and "telephone bills." In the case of "public gambling," for example, if a pension shop sells 12 horse racing tickets for the price of 10, a pensioner will give up the cash equivalent of the 10 tickets. Of course, the same applies to bicycle racing, boat racing, and lotteries. This kind of initiative would be completely impossible for private insurance companies that sell individual pensions. However, it is something that the state, which is the administrator of public pensions, can easily do. It can be implemented simply by having councils and expert councils submit recommendations and passing a bill in the Diet. Since national pension recipients have a high Engel coefficient, they would likely give up most of their basic old-age pension if they could purchase daily necessities at low prices. For all recipients, the calculation method is the same, just change the units from "ten thousand" to "billion" or "trillion." This would dramatically improve pension problems and fiscal crisis issues caused by the declining birthrate and aging population. The GBP does not exist in the world today (first quarter of the 21st century), but from a different perspective, it is a simple evolution of applying "senior discounts" to basic necessities and utility bills and will likely become standard in the 22nd century world.

Claims

[Claim 1] GBP Goods Benefit Pension is a pension scheme that provides pension providers with a system of creating and issuing a recipient-only card (tentative name: pension card) and allowing the recipient to charge the card with electronic money up to the amount of the pension payment, in addition to the system of transferring the amount of the pension payment to a designated account of the recipient. The recipient can freely select the system and specify the amount to be charged, and the funds freed up by the recipient giving up part or all of their pension in cash are used as operating funds for a member-only store (tentative name: pension shop) made up of recipients, and the store sells daily necessities and other goods to recipients at prices lower than the market price.

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