Guardian Introduces Enhanced Awards Program for Third-Party Administrators

NEW YORK, Jan. 12 /PRNewswire/ -- The Guardian Insurance & Annuity Company, Inc. (GIAC), a wholly-owned subsidiary of The Guardian Life Insurance Company of America (Guardian), announced today that it is initiating an enhanced awards program for third-party administrators (TPAs) whose clients utilize The Guardian Choice(SM) and The Guardian Advantage® group retirement products. The new program, effective January 1, 2010, features an upgraded annual award as well as a new marketing allowance feature.  

"We've designed our retirement products to provide the resources, support and efficiency needed by today's plan sponsors," said Scott Dolfi, Guardian's Executive Vice President, Retirement Solutions.  "While this new awards program is a welcome enhancement to a TPA's business model, we know that the primary concern is making sure clients have a top-quality product provider. The Guardian Advantage® and The Guardian Choice(SM) products provide strong, independently selected and monitored investment options from well-known asset managers."

GIAC's enhanced TPA awards program is easy to understand, highly competitive and has no minimum requirements for the number of plans administered or the amount of new plan sales to qualify for the program.  The new marketing allowance award commences with the first plan sold with at least $250,000 of takeover assets. The upgraded annual award applies to both start-up and takeover plans when they reach at least $250,000 in assets at the end of their contract year.

Dale Magner, Vice President of Guardian Retirement Product Sales, added, "With this enhanced program, TPAs will benefit from a competitive awards package that also includes GIAC's award-winning services such as our state-of-the-art record keeping and customized employee education and communications that engage employees, encourage participation and help plan participants make informed, appropriate investment decisions."

About Guardian

The Guardian Insurance & Annuity Company, Inc., a Delaware corporation that is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Guardian, issues The Guardian Choice(SM) and The Guardian Advantage®.

A mutual insurer founded in 1860, The Guardian Life Insurance Company of America and its subsidiaries are committed to protecting individuals, business owners and their employees with life, long term care insurance, disability income, group medical and dental insurance products, and offer 401(k), annuities and other financial products. Guardian operates one of the largest dental networks in the United States, and protects more than six million employees and their families at 120,000 companies. The company has more than 5,400 employees in the United States and a network of over 3,000 financial representatives in more than 80 agencies nationwide.

The Guardian Advantage® group variable annuity contract and The Guardian Choice(SM) group variable funding agreement are issued by The Guardian Insurance & Annuity Company, Inc. (GIAC), a Delaware corporation whose principal place of business is 7 Hanover Square, New York, NY 10004.  GIAC is a wholly-owned subsidiary of The Guardian Life Insurance Company of America, New York, NY.

For more information about Guardian, please visit: www.GuardianLife.com.

SOURCE The Guardian Life Insurance Company of America