Fidelity to Pitch Services on Amazon.com

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The nation's largest mutual fund company did not disclose terms of its agreement to become the premier sponsor of a new section of Amazon's Web site. The section provides financial planning information and links customers to offerings from Fidelity's retirement, mutual fund, brokerage, trading and college savings products. It also features tax tip products and financial advice books.

Sean Belka, a senior vice president at Boston-based Fidelity, said the deal allows Amazon to promote financial products from Fidelity rivals on the new section of its Web site. But Fidelity will remain the premiere sponsor, with the most prominent positioning for its services, Belka said. The main page of Amazon's site also includes a link that takes visitors directly to Fidelity's own site.

Craig Berman, a spokesman for Seattle-based Amazon, said the deal is part of a broader initiative by the online retailer to expand into new product categories.

Jim Lowell, who runs an independent advisory newsletter called Fidelity Investor, said the sponsorship is part of a move by Fidelity to expand baby boomers' access to retirement planning tools and other financial services that once were largely limited to the wealthy.

"They want to take a private banking model and apply it to something like the Wal-Mart business model, so they can really deliver what has traditionally been a very high-end investing service to Main Street," Lowell said.

He said Fidelity is also seeking to diversify by adding new businesses beyond its core mutual funds, including retirement planning.