Financial Professionals Reach New Markets and New Heights Serving Families with Special Needs

SPRINGFIELD, Mass., Dec. 3 /PRNewswire/ -- After 14 years of building a career as a financial professional and specializing in the special needs community, Melissa Morris was looking to take her career and practice to a more professional level. That's when she took a deeper look at Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company's (MassMutual) SpecialCare program. SpecialCare is an innovative program that helps families prepare for the financial future of a person with a disability or other special needs."I had been focusing on the special needs community for the past 4 years but wanted to take my specialty to the next level," says Morris, who is now with Minneapolis Financial Group, a general agency of MassMutual. "The numerous resources and strong support that MassMutual offers agents as part of its SpecialCare program made me feel that it was an excellent opportunity."Kevin Clasen, a financial professional with WestPoint Financial Group, a general agency of MassMutual in Indianapolis, went through an experience similar to Morris' when he was looking to grow his practice. He also decided to look into MassMutual's SpecialCare program. "SpecialCare is a differentiator in our industry," says Clasen, who became a MassMutual Special Care Planner in 2007. "It makes a valuable addition to your practice because you are not only offering a specialized service and giving back to the community, but you are also helping to fulfill a critical need in the United States since more than 50 million Americans have disabilities and an estimated 5 million of them are children(1)."MassMutual's SpecialCare program encompasses a broad range of opportunities for seasoned financial professionals including the certificate program offered by The American College in Bryn Mawr, PA, offered exclusively to MassMutual financial professionals. In addition to intensive training, financial professionals gain valuable insight in estate and tax planning concepts, special needs trusts, government programs, and the emotional dynamics of working with people with special needs and their families. They also have access to MassMutual's breadth and depth of resources, as well as a network of more than 300 Special Care Planners spanning the entire country."Providing long term benefits through insurance and other financial products is important for all families, but that much more important to parents or caregivers of family members with disabilities," says Mike Fanning, Executive Vice President of MassMutual's U.S. Insurance Group. "Providing peace of mind for people who worry about caring for a loved one can become an invaluable gift and MassMutual's SpecialCare program helps to make that relief a reality for families who do not need any more worries." In fact, a December 2008 MassMutual/Easter Seals study of families with children who have autism found that 74 percent of parents fear their children won't have enough financial support after mom and dad die compared with 18 percent of parents with typically developing children.From an intensive training course at The American College that all planners must go through, to an expansive network of highly trained, seasoned financial professionals, MassMutual provides an excellent support system so that its Special Care Planners have the resources they need to review a family's financial picture and suggest options for each unique situation. Marlene Dattilo, a MassMutual Special Care Planner with Financial Architects, a general agency of MassMutual in Rochester, NY, entered the special needs arena when the agency's general agent noticed Dattilo's involvement in the special needs community, and encouraged her to investigate the program. "SpecialCare seemed like a natural fit for me," says Dattilo, who has a nephew with special needs and regularly volunteers at a local facility for individuals with special needs. "It helps to have experience with children with special needs because you can empathize and relate to the anxieties and troubles of the families you're helping and really understand why life care planning is important for them." A goal of MassMutual Special Care Planners is to help families bring life care plans to the forefront and take a hard look at the future of their loved ones, including siblings of children with special needs who may be overlooked. "In families with children with special needs, life care planning commonly ends up on the back burner behind the doctor and therapist visits, numerous appointments for school and general care for the children. Either they don't have time, don't know where to start, or don't think anyone can help them," says Ryan Platt, a MassMutual Special Care Planner with Hinrichs Flanagan Financial, a general agency of MassMutual in Charlotte, N.C.. "It's my job as a Special Care Planner to show the families that there is hope and that I can help them iron out a comprehensive life care plan for their child's future that they are comfortable with." Platt also notes that no one professional can provide everything a family needs. That's why Special Care Planners work with an integrated team of attorneys, CPAs, and others, such as social workers and caregivers to best serve clients. Financial professionals should also ensure that the professionals they choose to team up with are qualified, experienced, and involved in the area of special needs.Platt joined MassMutual five years ago and became a Special Care Planner not long after. "I always say it was fate that I became a Special Care Planner," he explains. "I kept seeing signs at company events and in our office for SpecialCare, so I decided to explore further but never did I dream that it would turn into the passion it has become for me." But despite the satisfaction of knowing they've made a difference in the lives of families they've helped, these financial professionals agree that being a Special Care Planner is not easy. "When you first start out as a Special Care Planner, you do a lot of networking, public relations and community events to get the word out to potential clients," says Clasen. Keeping current on constantly changing laws and regulations pertaining to government benefits also can be a challenge for Special Care Planners. In addition, the turnaround time for completing a life care plan can take anywhere from 60-90 days to a year and a half as the process can be interrupted due to the attention the person with the disability may need. "It takes a lot of time to not only create and execute a life care plan, but also to grow your practice and gain the trust of the special needs community," says Platt. "It's important to show families that you are genuinely working to help them develop the best possible life care plan and that you care about their loved one's future."One important way to stay connected to the community is to volunteer. In fact, all four of these agents and many other Special Care Planners spend an extensive amount of time volunteering in their communities and spending quality time with organizations that are dedicated to helping individuals with special needs. Nevertheless, the work is rewarding. "Just being able to see the sense of relief on a person's face when they've made it to the end of the planning process and finally put the life care plan in place for their child or children makes it all worth it," says Dattilo.If you would like to learn more about MassMutual's SpecialCare program, visit www.massmutual.com/specialcare.About MassMutualFounded 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 Financial Group is a marketing name for Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company (MassMutual) 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, Inc., member FINRA and SIPC; OppenheimerFunds, Inc.; and The MassMutual Trust Company, FSB. For more information, visit massmutual.com.(1) According to the US Census Bureau's 2006 Americans with Disabilities report. Contact: Laura DeMars 413-744-7181 Karen Lavariere-Sanchez 413-744-7660 SOURCE MassMutual Financial Group