Plan Design Consultants, Inc. - 401(k) Retirement Plans

How To Establish Internet Access to Your Account

Question: I have not set-up my The BEST of AMERICA account access yet. Can you please outline the steps to do this?

Answer: The process is really very easy. Before trying to do this, you will need to know your Case Number. That is a number that starts with 079. An example of a complete Case Number is 07900999. This is just an example - not your Case Number. Your particular Case Number appears on your company's enrollment forms and on the monthly performance report you should be receiving. If you cannot find it easily, give our receptionist a call at 650-341-3322. Tell her the name of your company and she will find out the Case Number for you.

The main Web page you will use as a gateway to all sorts of information about your 401(k) plan is: http://www.plandesign.com. This is the Web page developed and maintained by Plan Design Consultants, Inc. Bookmark this URL. In addition, you should bookmark http://www.bestofamerica.com. This is where you really control your individual account and you can go there directly rather than passing through the www.plandesign.com Web page.

If you want to establish access to your retirement account on the Internet, then follow these instructions:

First, make sure your account has been established

The quickest way to do this is to call the Inquire 800# - it is a big waste of time to try to get onto the Internet Web page before you have an active account. If you are absolutely sure that your individual account has been established in the Nationwide The Best of America program, then skip this step. Otherwise, the phone number is: 1-800-772-2182

Assuming you have never called the Inquire line before, when asked, enter your Social Security Number and then when asked for your PIN, respond with: 1234.

If your account has been activated, the Inquire system will ask you to choose a new 4 digit PIN.

After selecting your new personal PIN, you will be told your account balance for each of the mutual funds you have chosen. In fact, you can do transactions via this 800# instead of using the Internet if you find this to be easier (although it is not nearly as visual).

If you get this far, then obviously your account is active and you can proceed with establishing access to your individual account on the Internet.

If the Inquire system cannot locate your Social Security number, then your account has not been established yet. It takes a few days after money has come out of your paycheck for the first time for your account to be established.

Okay, you know your account has been established – onward to the Internet Web page.

Sign onto the Internet through your Internet Service Provider (ISP).

If you are using AOL, you should be sure that you are using one of their later versions.

If you do not have the AOL software available as of August, 1997, or a later one, you may encounter some problems when you try to do transactions that require certain levels of security.

Go to the Web page: http://www.bestofamerica.com and then click on "Access My Accounts"

When the sign-in page appears, if you have not accessed your account on the Internet before, you will need to select the option in the top Tabs labeled "Set-Up Access" or use the hotlink to the right of the sign-in box which says "First time using this site?".

To establish an account profile, you will first need to enter your social security number without any dashes into the top box designed for that purpose. Then enter the account number (the case number that starts with "079" and is eight characters in length) into the account number box underneath the "Customers" heading. Now scroll down and hit the "Continue" button at the bottom of the screen.

If your company has more than one plan with Nationwide, you can enter multiple account numbers.

The next screen asks you to pick a Username and Password. You can keep your Social Security Number for your Username or pick a different name of at least 8 characters (but not more than 20 characters). Also, pick a password and complete the two password boxes with the same password (please remember your password for later access!). A word of warning, the Username and Password items are CASE SENSOTIVE, so what you specify initially is exactly what you will have to use in the future.

The system should respond by telling you that your account access has been established.

If you need help

You can call 1-888-867-5175 if you need assistance. Someone is available 4:30 A.M. to 6:00 P.M. PST Monday - Thursday and 4:30 A.M. to 3:00 P.M. PST on Fridays. Sorry, no one is currently available on weekends.

If you forget your password, you call this same number to get assistance. After they ask you numerous questions, they have the ability to reset your account and to assign you a temporary password. You should then immediately change that password to something you choose. Remember, passwords are case sensitive.

Note: Your four digit PIN for the 800# is different from your selected 8+ character Password for the Internet access. If you forget your PIN, call us here at Plan Design Consultants, Inc.

If you have questions about the above, please call us here at Plan Design Consultants, Inc. at (650) 341-3322 and ask for the administrator of your plan.

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