MassMutual Retirement Services Announces 2012 RetireSmart(SM) Seminar Series Line-Up

SPRINGFIELD, Mass., Jan. 31, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- MassMutual's Retirement Services Division is kicking off 2012 with an entirely new topic line-up for its RetireSmart(SM) interactive participant education series. The program, focused on helping plan participants break through barriers and make smarter decisions about their finances, reached nearly 9,000 participants in 2011.

The 2012 series will kick off on February 29 with returning guest speaker Farnoosh Torabi, an independent Generation Y money coach, best-selling author and personal finance journalist, and will continue throughout the year on a bi-monthly basis.

Each online seminar is free of charge and includes a 30-minute presentation followed by a 30-minute Q&A session with the speaker. Designed to be informative, convenient, and action-inspiring, the seminars give participants an opportunity to learn on their terms – either through live interaction or at their convenience through on-demand replays.

The 2012 RetireSmart seminar series is scheduled as follows (official dates to be announced on www.retiresmartseminars.com):

• February 29, 2012: Raising Financially Savvy Kids. To be presented by Farnoosh Torabi, independent Generation Y money coach, best-selling author and personal finance journalist.
• April: Understanding Target Date & Risk-Based Investments. To be presented by MassMutual Retirement Services.
• June: How Much Will Social Security Provide for Retirement? To be presented by a representative from the U.S. Social Security Administration.
• August: Money & Marriage: Financial Strategies for Couples. Also to be presented by Farnoosh Torabi.
• October: Estate Planning Basics. Presenter to be announced.
• December: Budgeting Your Way to Financial Success. Also to be presented by Farnoosh Torabi.

"MassMutual's RetireSmart program is designed to engage participants with informative and understandable presentations to ultimately help them achieve their personal financial goals and increase their level of retirement readiness," says E. Heather Smiley, senior vice president and chief marketing officer for MassMutual's Retirement Services Division. MassMutual's 2011 seminar series provided retirement plan sponsors and participants with holistic awareness and education to help them to take action. Among respondents participating in post-event surveys, a significant percentage indicated their intention to take the following actions:

• Review their investment mix (47%)
• Assess their personal retirement strategy using MassMutual's RetireSmart Ready Tool available on www.retiresmart.com (42%)
• Try the retirement calculators available on www.retiresmart.com (36%)
• Increase their current contribution (20%)

"MassMutual's 2012 RetireSmart educational series covers a variety of financial topics – from estate planning basics to understanding target date and risk-based investments – all suggestions collected from past RetireSmart seminar participants. MassMutual is extremely excited to bring these six 'most requested' topics to life in 2012," adds Smiley.

Space for these seminars is prioritized to retirement plan sponsors and participants on MassMutual's platform. MassMutual retirement plan clients can pre-register for any upcoming RetireSmart seminar as well as access on-demand replays to past seminars covering a variety of financial topics at www.retiresmartseminars.com.

For more information about MassMutual Retirement Services, please contact your retirement plan advisor or call MassMutual at 1-866-444-2601.

Event dates, subjects and speakers are subject to change. The information within these presentations (excluding April's Understanding Target Date & Risk-Based Investments seminar) is solely the opinion of the speakers, who are independent orators and are not employees of MassMutual.

About MassMutual

MassMutual Financial Group is a marketing name for Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company (MassMutual) [of which Retirement Services is a division] 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, LLC, Member FINRA and SIPC; OppenheimerFunds, Inc.; and The MassMutual Trust Company, FSB.

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's Retirement Services Division has been serving retirement plans for 65 years. It offers a full range of products and services for corporate, union, nonprofit and governmental employers' defined benefit, defined contribution and nonqualified deferred compensation plans. It serves approximately 1.3 million participants.

For more information, visit www.massmutual.com or "Like" MassMutual on Facebook and Facebook.com/retiresmart.

Copyright ©2012 Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company (MassMutual) and affiliates, Springfield, MA 01111-0001. All rights reserved.

Contact: Jessica Barry
413-744-8334
[email protected]

SOURCE MassMutual Retirement Services