First Mercantile Hosts Annual Conference for Investment Professionals

MEMPHIS, Tenn., May 19, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- First Mercantile, a leading recordkeeper / service provider of advisor-delivered retirement plans, hosted its annual conference in Memphis April 27 - 29.  The theme of the conference -- "The Difference is in the Details" -- focused on retirement practice management tools and service details aimed at helping investment professionals grow their business.

This year's conference featured sessions with institutional money managers, professional motivational speaker Joel Zeff, author of Make the Right Choice, and Joanne Black, an authority on referral selling and author of No More Cold Calling(TM).  A keynote address from Elaine Sarsynski, executive vice president, MassMutual's Retirement Services Division (MMRS), highlighted the strength and stability of MMRS while reinforcing their advisor-centric model.  Discussions centered on how an unwavering focus on details can create a great service experience and help investment professionals expand their practice.

Hugh O'Toole, senior vice president, sales and client management, reported that interest ran high on the topics of driving retirement plan health and plan fiduciary considerations. "We had many substantive discussions about how investment professionals can more effectively differentiate their practice by focusing on these areas of concern for plan sponsors," said O'Toole.  "Great information sharing took place between the attendees."

"We were thrilled at the turnout and consider the loyalty of our investment professional community to be a detail that we never take for granted," O'Toole added.

First Mercantile reports that the vast majority of conference attendees surveyed rated the conference theme, format, session topics and speakers as "good" or "excellent."  Favorite sessions included the driving plan health discussion, fiduciary considerations, and money manager panel discussions.

For more information about First Mercantile, please contact your investment professional, contact First Mercantile at 800-753-3682 or visit our website www.firstmerc.com.

About First Mercantile

First Mercantile, one of the premier collective investment trust (CIT) recordkeepers in the United States, offers investment solutions for qualified retirement plans. Employing a due diligence process, First Mercantile Trust (FMT) searches the investment universe to select non-proprietary options suited for the investment platforms. CITs are sub-advised by institutional money managers, or invest in mutual funds or exchange traded funds (ETFs). Also included on the investment platform are Dimensional Fund Advisor (DFA) investments, Lifestyle and Target Date options. First Mercantile acts in a fiduciary capacity with respect to the management of the assets of the collective investment trust. The Advisor Review Committee oversees the entire due diligence process, which includes qualitative and quantitative analysis.

These investment products are distributed through solid relationships with quality investment consultants and third party administrators. First Mercantile offers robust fee disclosure and transparency with a flexible and competitive cost structure. FMT has a national network of seasoned, knowledgeable professionals to provide excellent client service, customer care and support.

© 2011 First Mercantile. MassMutual Financial Group is a marketing name for Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company (MassMutual) and its affiliated companies and sales representatives. www.firstmerc.com.

Contact: Patrice Saddler
901-463-1226
[email protected]

SOURCE First Mercantile