Thursday, January 26, 2012

White Paper from Drinker Biddle Considers Risk Mitigation Approach to 401(K) Plan Design

‘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.

Contact:
Laura Parsons
CSG-PR
3225 East 2nd Avenue
Denver, CO 80206
303-887-2911

ELM Hosts Landscape Management Customer Education Series

In an effort to promote a better understanding of the opportunities available to our customers, ELM is offering a series of 90 minute seminars on topics related to the outdoor environment with the potential to reduce operating costs.

Stamford, CT, January 26, 2012 - The following is the a listing of the next series of seminars:

February 2, 2012 2:00PM WATER MANAGEMENT Presenter: Mike Astram
Mike is a certified irrigation designer and water auditor with many years of experience designing urban irrigation systems and other challenging sites. He will present some case studies of water audits he has completed and the proposed recommendations resulting in significant costs.


February 15, 2012 3:00PM EFFECTIVE USE OF ICE MELTERS
Presenter: Dale Keep
Dale is a nationally recognized expert in the snow management field and is a resource to many states DOT and other government agencies. He will provide a basic introduction to the proper and effective use of ice melters, the trends toward liquid de-icing products, and how to evaluate the actual costs of materials
.
MARCH 8, 2012 3:00PM CREATING & MANAGING SUSTAINABLE LANDSCAPES
Presenter: Michael Spitzer, ASLA
Michael is a registered landscape architect with considerable experience in designing and maintaining commercial landscapes in urban and suburban environments. Locally, Michael has recently completed projects for RFR and Nestle Waters. He will review the steps required to initiate a sustainable landscape and strategies to extend and protect the life cycle of mature landscapes.

For more information, please contact bmooresr@easternland.com.

Contact:
Bruce Moore, Sr.
Eastern Land Management, Inc.
142 Hamilton Ave
Stamford, CT 06902 USA
(203) 316-5433

Insurance King is the SR-22 Kings

Insurance King are SR-22 experts, filing 20-50 new SR-22’s every week in IL.Insurance King has been crowned the SR-22 Kings.

Rockford, IL, January 26, 2012 - Insurance King is the Sr-22 Kings. Insurance King are SR-22 experts, filing 20-50 new SR-22’s every week in IL. Insurance King has been crowned the SR-22 Kings. People are easily confused about SR-22’s. It is a misunderstanding that SR-22’s cost more, this is because most Insurance Agent’s don’t issue them or understand them. The SR-22 filing simply lets the State know if a policy is cancelled. When someone cancels their insurance policy, with a SR-22 filing, the State is notified so they can suspend their license when the policy cancels. A 36 month filing is now required for all SR-22’s. The most standard reason for someone to be issued a SR-22 is for receiving a no insurance ticket, a DUI, an accident without insurance, or not having enough insurance and not paying the difference for an at fault accident. People also don’t realize that the State randomizes people for insurance, sending them a letter, asking them to prove they had insurance on a certain date. If they cannot prove they had a policy during those dates, they can get a fine and be required to be on a SR-22 for 36 months. Insurance King files SR-22’s electronically with the State daily and helps their customers understand the importance of paying their insurance with a SR-22 endorsement on time, to avoid penalties and possible license suspension.

If you are required to carry a SR-22 call the SR-22 experts at Insurance King and start the process immediately and affordably.

To get your Free SR-22 quote, contact any Insurance King location in Rockford IL and speak to an agent. Insurance King on Alpine Rd office 815-639-0149, Insurance King on Auburn St office 815-968-(KING)5464 , Insurance King on 7th St. office 815-316-9522, or visit www.insurancekingquote.com to have an agent call you.

Contact:
Dan Block
Insurance King
123 N. Alpine Rd
Rockford IL 61107
815-639-0149

Insurance King Agent’s Deliver a Personal Touch

Insurance King Agent’s deliver a personal touch. “People like to deal with real people.” says co-founder Dan Block.

Rockford, IL, January 26, 2012 - Insurance King Agent’s deliver a personal touch. “People like to deal with real people.” says co-founder Dan Block. Insurance King has a more personal approach where you deal with your Agent, not a receptionist that covers while your Agent is out golfing, or spending 30 minutes on an automated call trying to find out which button to push to find out how much your bill is this month. “I have my regular customers that like to rub it in when my Chicago Bear’s and Cub’s lose, or bring me a birthday card, or even sometimes lunch.” says Justin Cremeens, Auburn St. Insurance King Manager. Dan, co-founder of Insurance King, encourages that Insurance King Agents engage in a more personal touch when dealing with the customers and referral sources. Dan built Insurance King by going above and beyond what was expected of an Agent. Dan has let customers use his car to take driving tests and even spent every Wednesday for 3 years driving several people each week to the Chicago Secretary of State office to help them get their licenses back the same day, by filing their SR-22 live in person. Back then it would take up to 6 weeks to get a SR-22 filed; today it is 24-48 hrs. Largely due to Dan’s efforts on a mandatory task force that got the state to file SR-22’s electronically.


Insurance King has a mobile office for issuing policies after hours. Serving the Northern IL area, people wishing to buy a policy after hours can contact Insurance King Agent Joe Bitner, who will come to your home or meet you some where public and issue a policy on the spot. Just contact him at the 7th St. office 815-316-9522, if you know in advance that you cannot make it during regular hours or even call after hours. Joe has also been known to setup near road blocks to sell car insurance to people that got no insurance tickets, or he also sits at the city impound yard for people to get their insurance and then get their cars released from the impound.

To get your free quote for car insurance, contact any Insurance King location in Rockford IL and speak to an agent. Insurance King on Alpine Rd office 815-639-0149, Insurance King on Auburn St office 815-968-(KING)5464 , Insurance King on 7th St. office 815-316-9522, or visit www.insurancekingquote.com to have an agent call you.

Contact:
Dan Block
Insurance King
123 N. Alpine Rd
Rockford IL 61107
815-639-0149