Products February 16, 2011

MFS Offering Free Access to TPA Search Service

MFS Investment Management has teamed with TPA(k)nowledge.com to offer complimentary access to TPALocator Service, a national network of third-party administrators (TPAs). 
Reported by

The service will be free for advisers through the end of the year.

The TPALocator Service includes:

For more stories like this, sign up for the PLANADVISERdash daily newsletter.

  • A national network of TPAs, with a broad range of retirement plan capabilities in both defined contribution and defined benefit plans, and a choice of platform capabilities (including TPAs that specialize in supporting investment-only, open-architecture businesses)
  • A search engine focused on identifying prospective TPA partners nationwide, based on advisers’ specific needs
  • Targeted screening criteria so that advisers can hone in on the specific characteristics they are looking for in a TPA and pinpoint service partners positioned to meet their case-specific needs
  • Up-to-date, relevant details on each TPA, to provide advisers with the knowledge they need to make informed choices
  • Easy-to-use mechanism for contacting a TPA and receiving prompt TPA assistance to help the adviser win more business

“Recent research shows that as much as 43% of new annual adviser sales in the retail retirement plan market are going through TPA solutions,” said William Loesch, director of Investment Only Marketing at MFS. “Being able to provide advisers who are focused on the retirement plan market with a means to connect with TPAs is another way we can offer the leadership, strategies, and resources to support advisers in building their practices.”

 

Products February 16, 2011

S&P Brings On Israeli Indexes

Standard & Poor's and Harel Financial Group launched a suite of sector indexes covering a range of companies within the Israeli equity market.
Reported by

The S&P/Harel Sector Indices will provide investors with a benchmark for measuring sector performance within the Israeli equity market and will serve as the basis for investment products. 

The S&P/Harel Sector Indices are part of a collaboration agreement entered by the two companies where S&P launches new sector indices for the Israeli market and Harel issues investment products which track the new indexes. On February 23, 2011, Harel will issue two investment products which track the following indexes:  

For more stories like this, sign up for the PLANADVISERdash daily newsletter.

  • S&P/ Harel TA Energy Index, and
  • S&P/ Harel TA Telecommunication Index.

“With the launch of these Indices, Israeli investors will have access to S&P Indices full range of indexing capabilities essential to both measuring asset classes and for serving as the basis for investment products,” said Alka Banerjee, Vice President at S&P Indices. “Our full expectation is that these Indices will be the first of a family of indices serving both Israeli investors and those from outside of Israel looking to access this market.”

Each index within the S&P/Harel Sector Indices is made up of 12, 15, 20 or 25 of the largest eligible publicly traded Israeli companies listed on the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange (TASE) within industry sectors and sub-industries as defined by GICS, the Global Industry Classification Standard.

«