‘Fiduciary Partnership Service’ From Security Benefit Can Help Both Plan Fiduciaries And Financial Representatives According To Law Firm’s Analysis
Topeka, KS, January 26, 2012 - Security Benefit Corporation, a Guggenheim Partners Company, is making available a new white paper from the law firm, Drinker Biddle, considering the Fiduciary Partnership Service created by Security Benefit and Mesirow Financial.
The paper — Selecting Investments: The Security Benefit® Fiduciary Partnership Solution — analyzes the specific challenges facing plan fiduciaries and financial advisors providing services to their plan clients.
Authored by Bruce Ashton, Fred Reish, and Summer Conley — each recognized among the top lawyers in the nation representing 401(k) and other retirement plans — the paper concludes that the approach designed by Security Benefit and Mesirow Financial offers a complete solution to certain fiduciary challenges.
“We worked hard with the professionals at Mesirow Financial to create a program that removes the fiduciary pressure from plan advisors and assists plan sponsors with their fiduciary obligations at the same time,” says Kevin Watt, Vice President of Security Benefit. “This analysis by Drinker Biddle confirms we were fairly successful in our efforts.”
The paper outlines the pressures employers are under to offer a well-designed, well-managed retirement plan, typically a participant-directed 401(k) or 403(b) plan, for their employees.
According to co-author Reish, an employee benefits partner with Drinker Biddle, one of the key choices employers must make — the selection of investment alternatives to be offered to the participants — may seem almost unmanageable given the roller-coaster ride the financial markets have experienced since 2008.
“The solution is for the plan to engage a discretionary investment manager to take on the responsibility of selecting and monitoring the plan’s investment options,” says Mr. Reish. “This approach limits the plan fiduciary’s liability exposure and relieves the financial adviser of the pressure to provide services that step over the fiduciary line.”
Designed for 401(k) plan fiduciaries and financial advisors, Selecting Investments: The Security Benefit® Fiduciary Partnership Solution, can be accessed at Security Benefit’s website, securitybenefit.com.
About Security Benefit
Security Benefit, a Guggenheim Partners Company, is a leading provider of retirement plan services throughout the nation, primarily in the education marketplace, and offers a variety of compelling and customized fixed and variable annuity products. The firm’s se2 division is an award-winning and nationally recognized provider of administrative services for the insurance and financial services industry. To learn more, go to securitybenefit.com.
About Guggenheim Partners
Guggenheim Partners, LLC is a privately held global financial services firm. The firm provides investment management, investment banking and capital markets services as well as insurance and investment advisory solutions for institutions, corporations, governments and agencies, investment advisors, family offices and individuals. Guggenheim Partners is headquartered in New York and Chicago and serves clients from more than 25 offices in nine countries.
About Mesirow Financial
Mesirow Financial is a diversified financial services firm headquartered in Chicago. Founded in 1937, it is an independent, employee-owned firm with approximately 1,200 employees in locations globally. The firm is well capitalized and has been consistently profitable, with capital of $302 million, revenues totaling $510 million for fiscal 2011 and $59.1 billion in assets under management, of which $31 billion are in currency and commodities as of September 30, 2011. With expertise in Investment Management, Global Markets, Insurance Services and Consulting, Mesirow Financial strives to meet the financial needs of institutions, public sector entities, corporations and individuals. For more information about Mesirow Financial, please visit mesirowfinancial.com.
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