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FINANCIAL PROFESSIONAL REACH NEW MARKETS AND NEW HEIGHTS SERVING FAMILIES WITH SPECIAL NEEDS

MassMutual’s SpecialCaresm program expands business models

(Indianapolis, IN., December 15, 2009)  - Kevin Clasen, a financial professional with WestPoint Financial Group, a general agency of MassMutual in Indianapolis, was looking to take his career to the next level when he decided to look into MassMutual’s SpecialCare program.

“SpecialCare is a differentiator in our industry,” says Clasen, who became a MassMutual Special Care Planner in 2007. “It makes a valuable addition to your practice because you are not only offering a specialized service and giving back to the community, but you are also helping to fulfill a critical need in the United States since more than 50 million Americans have disabilities and an estimated 5 million of them are children.”

MassMutual’s SpecialCare program encompasses a broad range of opportunities for seasoned financial professionals including the certificate program offered by The American College in Bryn Mawr, PA, offered exclusively to MassMutual financial professionals. In addition to intensive training, financial professionals gain valuable insight in estate and tax planning concepts, special needs trusts, government programs, and the emotional dynamics of working with people with special needs and their families.

 They also have access to MassMutual’s breadth and depth of resources, as well as a network of more than 300 Special Care Planners spanning the entire country.

In fact, a December 2008 MassMutual/Easter Seals study of families with children who have autism found that 74 percent of parents fear their children won’t have enough financial support after mom and dad die compared with 18 percent of parents with typically developing children.

From an intensive training course at The American College that all planners must go through, to an expansive network of highly trained, seasoned financial professionals, MassMutual provides an excellent support system so that its Special Care Planners have the resources they need to review a family’s financial picture and suggest options for each unique situation.

A goal of MassMutual Special Care Planners is to help families bring life care plans to the forefront and take a hard look at the future of their loved ones, including siblings of children with special needs who may be overlooked.

But despite the satisfaction of knowing they’ve made a difference in the lives of families they’ve helped, these financial professionals agree that being a Special Care Planner is not easy.

“When you first start out as a Special Care Planner, you do a lot of networking, public relations and community events to get the word out to potential clients,” says Clasen. Keeping current on constantly changing laws and regulations pertaining to government benefits also can be a challenge for Special Care Planners.

In addition, the turnaround time for completing a life care plan can take anywhere from 60-90 days to a year and a half as the process can be interrupted due to the attention the person with the disability may need. “It takes a lot of time to not only create and execute a life care plan, but also to grow your practice and gain the trust of the special needs community,” says Platt. “It’s important to show families that you are genuinely working to help them develop the best possible life care plan and that you care about their loved one’s future.”

If you would like to learn more about WestPoint Financial Group’s MassMutual’s SpecialCare program, visit www.westpointfinancialgroup.com or www.massmutual.com/specialcare.

About WestPoint Financial Group:
WestPoint Financial Group is a statewide firm with a combined financial services professionals and staff of 200. The firm is currently ranked 6th in the state among financial services firms with 36,880 policyholders and clients. Originally established in 1948, WestPoint Financial Group currently manages $2.2 billion in assets.*

WestPoint Financial Group associates are dedicated to educating their clients to help them fulfill their financial goals and the promises of security they have made to others. Among the cities represented are: Indianapolis, Fort Wayne, Bloomington, Evansville, Merrillville, New Albany, South Bend, and Louisville, KY. For more information regarding WestPoint Financial Group visit: www.westpointfinancialgroup.com

About MassMutual:
Founded in 1851, MassMutual is a leading mutual life insurance company that is run for the benefit of its members and participating policyholders. The company has a long history of financial strength and strong performance, and although dividends are not guaranteed, MassMutual has paid dividends to eligible participating policyholders every year since the 1860s. With whole life insurance as its foundation, MassMutual provides products to help meet the financial needs of clients, such as life insurance, disability income insurance, long term care insurance, retirement/401(k) plan services, and annuities. In addition, the company’s strong and growing network of financial professionals helps clients make good financial decisions for the long-term.

MassMutual Financial Group is a marketing name for Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company (MassMutual) and its affiliated companies and sales representatives. MassMutual is headquartered in Springfield, Massachusetts and its major affiliates include: Babson Capital Management LLC; Baring Asset Management Limited; Cornerstone Real Estate Advisers LLC; The First Mercantile Trust Company; MassMutual International LLC; MML Investors Services, Inc., member FINRA and SIPC; OppenheimerFunds, Inc.; and The MassMutual Trust Company, FSB. For more information, visit www.massmutual.com.

Contact:
Rachel Mahl
Marketing Director
WestPoint Financial Group
Office: 317-469-9999 ext. 109
www.westpointfinancialgroup.com