Products August 24, 2009

Security Mutual Releases Retirement Plan Guide for Advisers

Security Administrators, Inc., a subsidiary of Security Mutual Life Insurance Company, introduced a guide about fully insured plans and cash balance plans.

Reported by

Security Mutual said the guide is designed to help financial advisers better understand those types of plan designs. “Federal law and regulations regarding fully insured plans and cash balance plans are more involved than those that apply to 401(k) plans,” the company said.

According to Security Mutual, fully insured plans or cash balance plans, when used in combination with 401(k) plans, can provide many business owners and self-employed professionals with much greater retirement accumulations than standalone 401(k) plans. They can also provide tax benefits. The guide provides a road map for insurance advisers interested in presenting such combination designs to their clients.

The guide is available for download at www.smlplans.com or www.saiplans.com.

Products August 24, 2009

MetLife B/D Reaches Out to Smaller Accounts

The MetLife Broker-Dealer Group unveiled an automated advisory product to capture emerging investors, or those investors with as little as $10,000 to invest.

Reported by

The solution, MetLife Fund Management Services, is available to all MetLife’s retail registered investment advisers (RIAs), which includes MetLife Securities, New England Securities, Tower Square Securities, and Walnut Street Securities.

MetLife said the service captures mutual fund clients whose assets might otherwise be held directly at multiple mutual fund companies.

The idea is that the tool simplifies account maintenance and support to free up the investment advisory representatives (IARs) to build an advisory, rather than a transactional, relationship with clients, according to MetLife. The online tool offers consolidated statements and tax reporting.

MetLife Fund Management Services is supported by an electronic process that provides validation after an IAR completes the electronic form. The system then immediately notifies the IAR of missing information from the application and provides suitability guidance, according to MetLife.



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