Mass mutual life insurance company: December 2010

Thursday, December 30, 2010

SHAME ON YOU: Rep. Speier To You Mr. Sullivan,. Chairman Waxman's Eric R. Dinallo, Superintendent, NY State Insurance Dept, Lynn E. Turner, arch accountant, Securities Exchange Commission Robert B. Willumstad, CEO, Martin J. Sullivan, CEO, AIG

Obaid Karki An Outcast Underdog Libertarian Diogenesist Kabbalist Spinoziste Qutbist Pantheon Hexalingual Automath Former UAE Under Secretary Independent Street-Knowledge Urban Talking-head. Unaffiliated to a State, an Organized Religion Group, a Sect or a Kin and an Anti Tribal Gentile. Every phrase is an earnest verdict. Thats my bio. If you dont agree with me thats an honor. It is immoral to appease to please. My word hurts big time because it is quality of a moment of truth US Conspiracism is a Grassroot Religion alas belief masterminded by the Establishment to Worthy the Worthless. This in-thing is sold as Partisanship to the Unemployables for free. Its the Disneyfication of the Mass to glorify a Legacy of Ghosts as Rothchild, Bilderberg, English royalty etc. Neither Mainstream Media & nor Hollywood or the Publisher's Clan would be outsourced to such task simply because they are assigned to edutain the Untalentable Aristocrat Urban Parasites. AIG American International Group, Inc. (NYSE) Google Finance Yahoo Finance MSN Money AOL Finance CNN Money Reuters 3.51 0.36 ( 9.30%) 7 Oct 4:00pm ET Open: 4.22 High: 4.22 Low: 3.51 Volume: 90285327 Avg Vol: 218654000 Mkt Cap: 9.44B Disclaimer After Hours: 3.54 +0.03 (0.85%) 7 Oct 7:59pm ET Crisis strengthens Manulife's hand in AIG bid Manulife and other insurers are expected to bid for AIG divisions as early as this week, they said. The American insurance giant is under pressure to sell Former AIG Executives Get Harsh Criticism ...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jK4_rDGEXZs&hl=en

Tuesday, December 28, 2010

SHAME ON YOU: Rep. Speier To You Mr. Sullivan,. Chairman Waxman's Eric R. Dinallo, Superintendent, NY State Insurance Dept, Lynn E. Turner, arch accountant, Securities Exchange Commission Robert B. Willumstad, CEO, Martin J. Sullivan, CEO, AIG

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jK4_rDGEXZs&hl=en

Saturday, December 25, 2010

Knights Founded 1882.mpg

The Knights of Columbus is the world's Largest Catholic Fraternal service organization. Founded in the United States in 1882, it is named in honor of Christopher Columbus[1] and dedicated to the principles of Charity, Unity, Fraternity, and Patriotism. There are more than 1.7 million members in 14000 councils, with nearly 200 councils on college campuses. Membership is limited to "practical Catholic" men aged 18 or older.[2] Councils have been chartered in the United States, Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean, Central America, the Philippines, Guam, Saipan, and most recently in Poland. The Knights' official junior organization, the Columbian Squires, has over 5000 Circles. All the Order's ceremonials and business meetings are restricted to members though all other events are open to the public. A promise not to reveal any details of the ceremonials except to an equally qualified Knight is required to ensure their impact and meaning for new members; an additional clause subordinates the promise to that Knight's civil and religious duties. In the 2005 fraternal year the Order gave US$136 million directly to charity and performed over 63.2 million man hours of voluntary service. For their support for the Church and local communities, as well as for their philanthropic efforts, the Order is often referred to as the "strong right arm of the Church". The Order's insurance program has more than $60 billion of life insurance policies in force and holds the highest insurance ratings ...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-d2O0cTPd9Q&hl=en

Thursday, December 23, 2010

Toys for Tots at MassMutual with Mike Fanning and Diana Rudd

Diane Ruddick, vice president of field operations at Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company (MassMutual), and Michael R. Fanning, executive vice president of MassMutual's US Insurance Group look over some of the toys donated by MassMutual employees for the annual Toys for Tots drive. Marines picked up the toys at MassMutual's headquarters on State Street in Springfield, Mass. on Wednesday, Dec. 15.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lVRqq5k3Gz0&hl=en

Tuesday, December 14, 2010

Authors@Google: John C. Médaille

"Toward a Truly Free Market: A Distributist Perspective on the Role of Government, Taxes, Health Care, Deficits, and More" Taking "free markets" from rhetoric to reality For three decades free-market leaders have tried to reverse longstanding Keynesian economic policies, but have only produced larger government, greater debt, and more centralized economic power. So how can we achieve a truly free-market system, especially at this historical moment when capitalism seems to be in crisis? The answer, says John C. Médaille, is to stop pretending that economics is something on the order of the physical sciences; it must be a humane science, taking into account crucial social contexts. Toward a Truly Free Market argues that any attempt to divorce economic equilibrium from economic equity will lead to an unbalanced economy—one that falls either to ruin or to ruinous government attempts to redress the balance. Médaille makes a refreshingly clear case for the economic theory—and practice—known as distributism. Unlike many of his fellow distributists, who argue primarily from moral terms, Médaille enters the economic debate on purely economic terms. Toward a Truly Free Market shows exactly how to end the bailouts, reduce government budgets, reform the tax code, fix the health-care system, and much more. About the Author John C. Médaille is the author of The Vocation of Business: Social Justice in the Marketplace and an instructor at the University of Dallas. He writes and lectures ...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X1PtStipIsc&hl=en

Monday, December 13, 2010

SHAME ON YOU: Rep. Speier To You Mr. Sullivan,. Chairman Waxman's Eric R. Dinallo, Superintendent, NY State Insurance Dept, Lynn E. Turner, arch accountant, Securities Exchange Commission Robert B. Willumstad, CEO, Martin J. Sullivan, CEO, AIG

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jK4_rDGEXZs&hl=en

Saturday, December 11, 2010

How Life Expectancy Affects Retirement

Retirement planning is notoriously difficult because it requires you to plan for an estimated period. You cannot know if you would spend 5 or 35 years in retirement- or if you would even get to retire at all. This is where life expectancy is valuable. You can use life expectancy as a guide to retirement planning and issues surrounding it. In addition to this, there is a clear link between retirement age and life expectancy, according to research conducted by LIMRA.

You should base the period that you plan for retirement on your expected life span. Retirement planners normally suggest that you should cater for a minimum of thirty years of retirement. This is not too far-fetched. For instance, the average age of death for a male in the U.S. is close to 80 years. This suggests that some men have lived way beyond this average. To be safe, you should cater for living to 90 at least. That means that if you retire at 50, you should definitely plan for 30-plus years.

You can estimate your minimum retirement period from the average life span. Some might argue that some life spans do not reach near the averages. That is quite right. However, it is prudent and wise to plan for too long than too short. If you plan for a longer retirement and die sooner, you will leave an estate. If you plan for a short retirement period and live longer, you will be begging for bread.

The combination of retirement age and life span is the best gauge for your planning period. Research by LIMRA indicates that early retirees live longer. Those who retire at 50 can expect to live until 86! A 60-year old retiree can expect to live up to 76, while those who push the envelope and retire at 65 can expect to live until 66. This does not mean that later retirement requires little or no planning, however. You could be one of those who live way past the averages.

Gender differences in life spans also affect retirement plans. Women should plan for a longer period than men should. The corollary of a longer life for women is that they receive lower annuity payments and retirement benefits. Women with male partners also have to consider the impact of life expectancy on their retirement circumstances. Married women are more likely to survive their spouse and should anticipate this.

The higher life expectancy average also increases the various risks associated with retirement. Retirees have a greater risk of outliving their savings, having inflation devalue over a longer period and spending a longer time with health concerns. Living longer is a double-edged sword. There is more time in retirement to enjoy but greater risks and potential burdens to bear as well.

Thinking about life expectancy also has implications beyond health and finances. Retirees must think about how they would remain socially active, especially when those in their social circle may fall ill or pass away. Those with a longer life span have a higher risk of becoming more isolated as time goes by. This is both a social and psychological issue that should be addressed as a function of life expectancy.

It is not just that life expectancy affects retirement, but that retirement affects life expectancy. The relationship between the two is necessarily reflexive. Considering life expectancy is important when gauging your retirement period, circumstances and retirement risks. A robust retirement plan includes life expectancy consideration- leading to a better-prepared retiree.

Wednesday, December 8, 2010

SHAME ON YOU: Rep. Speier To You Mr. Sullivan,. Chairman Waxman's Eric R. Dinallo, Superintendent, NY State Insurance Dept, Lynn E. Turner, arch accountant, Securities Exchange Commission Robert B. Willumstad, CEO, Martin J. Sullivan, CEO, AIG

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jK4_rDGEXZs&hl=en

Tuesday, December 7, 2010

The Process of Change in Marketing Approaches

In a world economy that is in constant flux and undergoing turbulence, more companies are realizing that their most precious asset is their customer base. An even more important realization is the need to satisfy the whims and fancies of these customers in order to survive in these increasingly competitive markets. Organizations that do not act on this dictum have suffered the loss of market share or worse, total annihilation. Such dire consequences have awakened many organizations to rethink the way they see marketing. Thus, there is urgency for an organization (be it products or service providers) as a whole to develop appropriate holistic customer-focused strategies to ensure that the customer remains at the core of their organizational thinking.

With the rapid advancement of information technology (especially the rise of the Web) and the increasing difficulties of meeting customer's needs and wants (for example, their expectations of 24 / 7 customer service especially for online transactions), there is a shift from a traditional marketing approach to customer targeted marketing. Many organizations and marketing consultants are emphasizing the need to allocate more funds to apply new-found knowledge of consumer behavior in new products development, build better customer relationships through customer loyalty and retention programs.

This purpose of this paper is to raise the awareness of the need to concentrate marketing efforts towards the customer rather than the inward-looking traditional product-focused arrangement. And more importantly, the paper will shed light on how an organization could go about in making this important transition in this current competitive market.

Marketing Approaches Explained:

Before I proceed to discuss the shift in the marketing approach, it will be appropriate to explain briefly the two marketing approaches separately for greater clarity.

Traditional Marketing-The 4 Ps of Marketing:

The marketing mix or what is commonly known as the 4 Ps is a framework for marketers to implement a marketing concept. It consists of a set of major decision areas that a company needs to manage in order to at least satisfy consumer needs. According to Kotler et al. (1999), the mix is a set of "controllable tactical marketing tools [...] that the firm blends to produce the response it wants in the target market" (p.8). Hence, in an effective marketing program, all of those elements are "mixed" to successfully achieve the company's marketing objectives.

The traditional marketing mix contains four major elements, the "4 Ps of marketing". As defined by Kotler et al. (1999):

1.Product: Anything that can be offered to a market for attention, acquisition, use or consumption that might satisfy a want or need. In includes physical objects, services, persons, places, organizations and ideas.

2.Price: The amount of money charged for a product or service, or the sum of the values that consumers exchange for the benefits of having or using the product or service.

3.Promotion: Activities that communicate the product or service and its merits to target customers with a view to persuading them to buy.

4.Place: All the company's activities that make the product or service available to target customers.

With the rapid changes surrounding organizations, the traditional marketing mix of the 4 Ps has been criticized for being too myopic in this current market situation. The traditional marketing mix has also been disparaged for being too product-focused and for taking an overly inward-looking strategy with regards to the organization's resources and capabilities in production matters. This is antithetical to attending to the more important organizational goal of satisfying the desired needs and wants of customers.

In addition, the Web and E-commerce revolution has played a major role in alleviating customers' ability to shape their relationships with the company. This has led customers to expect companies to market their products and services in ways that reflect more directly their individual needs.

These changes have prompted enterprises that wish to stay ahead of their competitors to shift their traditional marketing approach to customer-targeted marketing.

Customer Targeted Marketing:

In customer targeted marketing, the customer becomes the central focus of the organization's strategy and activities, rather than the product itself (which is the prime concern in traditional marketing). The organization's paradigm shift in marketing requires a company to build a commitment to quality and to listen critically to the customer to determine the market needs and how the company can meet those needs more effectively.

One of the major characteristics of the approach is to focus on each customer's interests and interactions with the organization to deliver targeted, personal messages. This would require the company to be constantly gathering information about their customers in an effort to better serve them and, most importantly, to retain them as loyal customers. As suggested by Peppers and Rogers (1998), the organization would need to use various techniques and strategies (possibly with the help of information technology and the Web), such as focus groups, in-depth interviews, customer surveys, attitude testing and so on to obtain information about consumers for more effective marketing of a product or service. With these customers' data and feedback, the organization will apply the knowledge to develop more customer-centric products and services and/ or to improve existing ones. In addition, the information will be shared within the organization to encourage employees at all levels to focus on creating maximized customer value and loyalty.

Why Customer-Targeted Marketing?:

In order to have a competitive edge and to satisfy increasing levels of customers' desires, companies realized that they have to see their customers as individuals rather a homogeneous mass of similar tastes, values and buying behaviors. Due to such transformation, companies need to be more customer-focused in its overall marketing strategy. This has resulted in organizations adopting a customization strategy to increase customer's loyalty to their products and services. For example, in banking and insurance industry, there has been a move towards greater customization. Standard products/services have been given way to a varied menu of features from which customers may select their own preferred combination.

In view of these changes, companies that understand the asset value of each customer, and that tailor their marketing efforts (and their costs) to acquire and sustain the highest-value assets, will win over less-adaptable traditional marketing approach of the 4 Ps.

The Process of Transition:

In order to strategically change from a traditional marketing approach to customer targeted marketing, an organization must be aware of these following areas:

Paradigm Shift. A company must fully understand that customer targeted marketing requires a shift in the organizational mindset, and not just structural organizational changes. They must realize that their sole purpose is to continuously satisfy customers' needs and wants. Thus, to ensure a smooth transition from a traditional marketing approach to customer targeted approach, an organization must reflect and ask itself questions as to what areas need to be analyzed and to understand the ramifications of such a transition in the organization. On the other hand, an organization needs to realize the negative consequences for not willing to be a more customer-focused marketing organization.

Customer Targeted Planning. As in any organizational change initiative, proper planning is needed. The objective of planning customer-centric marketing strategies is to find win-win opportunities with customer and to identify the best mutual opportunities for your customers and your company. This requires the organization to see the issue(s) from the customers' perspectives and to strategically plan the organization's resources around them.

In short, the organization's shift to customer-targeted marketing should embrace these three important points:

1.Planning should focus on customer wants and not looking inwardly at company goals

2.Focus on the honest feedback and suggestions through creating different channels of communications. Listen to the customers, rather than forcing them to listen to you.

3.Integrate your customers in every aspects of your business, from new product design to after-sales services and more.

Organization-wide Responsibility. For the approach to be successful, members need to understand the new philosophy of marketing and embrace it organization-wide. Many organizations tend to underestimate the degree to which every facet of the enterprise needs to be involved in the process and to be integrated into the actual customer relationship.

Organization Redesign. An organization has to assess the roles of all functional departments interacting with customers to ensure that they add value to customers instead of increasing the costs. By reorganizing the company with the customer as the focus, many departmental roles and responsibilities will have to be redesigned. And when that happens, the employees will have to adopt new work processes that would be more customer-centric in nature.

Human Resource Training. There is a need to develop customer-focused human resource through customer behavior training, across the functional departments. By investing in such training at all levels, the members will be more knowledgeable, more autonomous, and more efficient in anticipating and meeting the needs of the customers.

Use of Information Technology. With the advancement and increased affordability in information technology, more companies are able to collect available data on customer purchase behavior more efficiently. For example, technologies ranging from checkout scanning to Internet cookies are commonly used to track customers' buying behaviors. Companies that employ such technology will be more adept at acquiring new customers, retaining existing customers, and cross selling than those who do not.

Enhanced Customers Communications. With the use of the Internet as a medium for targeted communication, this allows companies to be in touch with customers at less than one-hundredth of the cost of more traditional snail mail, brochures or flyers. Communication through emails with the customers is almost free, and the customers can retrieve communications almost immediately. However, this has also resulted in customers having 24 / 7 service expectations of these companies.

Customer Targeted Measurement. An organization must be able to measure and evaluate the success of their customer targeted marketing strategy. In most cases, traditional measurement techniques such as profitability, market share and profit margins are used to measure the success. There should be an added emphasis given to developing measures that are customer-centric and which are able to assess the marketing strategy. Customer acquisition costs, conversion rates, retention rates, customer sales rates, loyalty measures and customer share within a brand are some examples of customer-centric measures than a customer-focused organization can adopt

Conclusion:

The need for survival has provoked many organizations to shift from traditional to customer targeted marketing. The market conditions surrounding us will continue to change at an accelerating rate and customer's expectation will continue to rise. Hence, without any doubts, more and more companies will adopt a customer-targeted marketing strategy with increased intensity.

Monday, December 6, 2010

SHAME ON YOU: Rep. Speier To You Mr. Sullivan,. Chairman Waxman's Eric R. Dinallo, Superintendent, NY State Insurance Dept, Lynn E. Turner, arch accountant, Securities Exchange Commission Robert B. Willumstad, CEO, Martin J. Sullivan, CEO, AIG

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jK4_rDGEXZs&hl=en

Friday, December 3, 2010

Tips Booklets For Overlooked Boomer Women

An interesting article was in a recent Ad Age ezine about missed opportunities in marketing to the highly desirable demographic of women aged 50-70. The article talked about how few companies are effectively doing so, considering these women (I am among them) are important decision makers, are consumers of lots of things, and have more time and money to follow up on their interests. The one company positively cited for doing a good job of reaching this group of people was Mass Mutual insurance company.

What's this got to do with tips booklets? Think about your topic or topics. Is there anything there that a woman in her 50's-70's would find particularly valuable? When considering the vast range of tips booklets that have been written and are in the process of being written, there's very few of those booklets that would not be good for a company, association, or publication to use as a promotional tool for their product, service, or cause.

You may need to specifically frame the use of your tips booklet that way for that part of the population when speaking with a marketing or sales manager at a company, or a membership chair at an association, or the circulation manager of a publication. These companies want to increase their market share, launch a new product, and keep their brand in front of people. Your tips booklet can help them do that. Associations want to keep their members and add new ones. Your tips booklet can help them do that. The same goes for subscribers of print magazines. Your tips booklet can help them do that. And each of these entities has large universes, which means large sales for you.

Thursday, December 2, 2010

SHAME ON YOU: Rep. Speier To You Mr. Sullivan,. Chairman Waxman's Eric R. Dinallo, Superintendent, NY State Insurance Dept, Lynn E. Turner, arch accountant, Securities Exchange Commission Robert B. Willumstad, CEO, Martin J. Sullivan, CEO, AIG

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jK4_rDGEXZs&hl=en