Financial Behaviors Index® wins National Media Award

First Command Financial Services has won a 2011 Bulldog Award for Excellence in Media and Public Relations for the Financial Behaviors Index®. Created in 2008 by First Command, the Index is a research initiative that provides timely consumer data to journalists and the news media. The Index assesses trends in the American public’s financial behaviors, attitudes and intentions through a monthly survey of approximately 1,000 U.S. consumers aged 25 to 70 with annual household incomes of at least $50,000. Commissioned by First Command Financial Services, Sentient compiles and analyzes the research which is then used to create media releases. First Command uses the Financial Behaviors Index® to better understand the challenges and opportunities facing middle-class American households, and provides timely data to media outlets, including The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times and USA Today.
With the help of the Financial Behaviors Index®, First Command has gained a national reputation as being a leader in consumer finance trends. One key trend that has emerged since the inception of the Index is the concept of “new frugality.” Scott Spiker, CEO of First Command Financial Services, Inc., comments: “This research initiative has allowed us to identify one of the most striking trends of the economic downturn: the emergence of a new frugality. Middle-class Americans have been making a distinct shift in their personal financial habits. After years of rampant consumerism, they are reining in spending, cutting debt and adopting frugality as a way of life. We are particularly interested in nurturing these behaviors, which we have long identified in our financial planning business as the keys to long-term financial security.”
The Bulldog Awards is a highly respected recognition program in the news media industry recognizing the best in business media. The Bulldog Awards is judged by dozens of working journalists, and winners are chosen from hundreds of entries and campaigns. First Command has won a Silver Award for Best Investment, Banking and Financial Services Campaign for the First Command Financial Behaviors Index®. Winning entries will be covered in the 2011 Bulldog Awards “Hall of Fame” magazine.