MullinTBG Program Provides Lifetime Executive Financial Care

December 13, 2007 (PLANSPONSOR.com) - Nonqualified executive benefit plan provider MullinTBG has launched a new "life-long" executive benefits program.

Called Continuum, the firm says that the program provides financial services for executives during their employment tenure as well as after they retire.   Continuum gives employers the advantage of assisting their executives’ total wealth management needs by providing opportunities to accumulate assets for retirement and access to continued professional guidance post-retirement.

The program provides:

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  • individualized portfolio review,
  • asset allocation modeling, and
  • money manager and investment due diligence.

The service includes financial planning for all company-provided plans and personal assets, coordination of qualified and nonqualified plan investments, and retirement plan development. As executives near the end of their careers, Continuum advisors help with the transition by analyzing cash flow needs and coordinating upcoming distributions from qualified and nonqualified plans. Once retired, executives can choose to receive ongoing help managing their investments along with retirement income and estate planning support.

“Deferred compensation plans can be the largest source of non-equity wealth accumulation for executives, so it is critical that they choose the right investments for their accounts,” said Jim Clary, president of MullinTBG. “Continuum is designed to give these busy executives on-demand advice and counsel on structuring their investment portfolios appropriate to their individual needs, with the goal of enhancing the value of their retirement assets.”

The announcement says that companies with deferred compensation assets in excess of $10 million are best suited to benefit from Continuum's service offerings, which are tiered to accommodate different members of the executive population.

The first level, "Continuum Advisory Services," provides essential advice and guidance core to the Continuum program. The second level, "Echelon," is scaled to deliver services to executives with larger accounts. Finally, "Elite"-level services are reserved for senior officers.

Continuum services are provided by MullinTBG Advisors, a Registered Investment Adviser and a MullinTBG company. MullinTBG Advisors is led by Robert Shier, who created the concept and the program offering after twenty years of experience in the executive benefits and financial counseling arena, according to the firm.  

World Equity Markets Turn Negative in November

December 12, 2007 (PLANSPONSOR.com) - According to Standard & Poor's global stock market review, The World By Numbers, developed equity markets fell 4.39% in November, while emerging equity markets lost 6.18%.

Twenty-four of the 26 developed equity markets turned negative in November erasing strong October returns, S&P said in a news release. Only Portugal (+0.60%) and Spain (+0.68%) managed positive returns during the month. Iceland (-15.48%) and Canada (-11.17%) posted the steepest drops in returns during the month.

Emerging markets performed slightly better on average as 19 of the 26 emerging markets posted negative returns in November, S&P data showed. China (-12.68%), Taiwan (-11.82%), and Peru (-11.56%) all posted double-digit losses, but strong, positive returns were posted by Nigeria (+10.59%) and Jordan (+6.02%). 

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Despite the rough month, all 26 emerging markets remained positive for the 12-month period, with Nigeria (+111%) in the lead, followed by China (+101%). 

Seven of the 10 sectors posted losses in November, following two months of positive returns for all ten sectors.  Utilities led all sectors with a 1.60% monthly return, followed by Consumer Staples with a 1.49% gain. 

Thrifts & Mortgage Finance sub-industry continued its drop, posting a 23.19% decline on top of October’s -10.43% return. 

The S&P/Citigroup World by Numbers Report for November can be accessed at  www.standardandpoors.com/indices .

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