MassMutual Funds Win Multiple 2014 Lipper Fund Awards

SPRINGFIELD, Mass., March 25, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- The MassMutual Premier Funds, Select Funds, and RetireSMART^SM Funds drove a big night of wins for MassMutual'sRetirement Services Division at the 2014 Lipper U.S. Fund Awards event held at Cipriani in New York on March 20. MassMutual took home three top honors, including two of Lipper's "Big 8" awards, which recognize the strong performance of multiple funds within key categories. The Lipper Fund Awards honor mutual funds and fund management firms for delivering superior performance relative to peers.

MassMutual was a repeat winner from 2013 for Best Mixed Assets Small Fund Group and added a second 2014"Big 8" award for Best Overall Small Fund Group. In addition, MassMutual Select Overseas Fund(MOSSX) won the award for Best International Large Cap Core Fund.

"These awards, particularly our second consecutive win in Mixed Assets, offer further validation of our approach, which leverages diligent, ongoing research and the expertise of multiple managers to build and maintain a variety of investment choices focused on consistent returns through all kinds of markets. The Lipper Fund Awards are a testament to MassMutual's commitment to retirement plan participants and the retirement plan sponsors and advisors who support them," says Eric Wietsma, president of the MassMutual Funds and senior vice president and head of investment services for MassMutual'sRetirement Services Division.

"MassMutual takes great pride working alongside outstanding financial professionals and retirement plan sponsors to support the retirement planning needs of the participants they serve," says Elaine Sarsynski, executive vice president of MassMutual'sRetirement Services Division and chairman of MassMutual International LLC. "We couldn't be more proud of our fund performance and the investment teams and partners who work so diligently to create and manage the investment options that can help retirement plan participants retire on their own terms."

"The Funds in the RetireSMART Target Date Funds Series are the embodiment of the investment philosophy driving the management of our overall fund families. The RetireSMART Funds include many of our best ideas and reflect the depth and strength of the MassMutual Funds complex," says Bruce Picard, CFA, portfolio manager of the MassMutual RetireSMART Funds. "These Lipper Awards emphasize the value of MassMutual's approach to retirement investing on behalf of our valued clients."

To qualify for the Lipper Mixed Assets Small Fund Group award, fund groups must have at least three mixed-asset funds. MassMutual Funds ranked #1 out of 37 eligible companies. To qualify for the Overall Small Fund Group award, fund groups must have at least three mixed-asset funds, three equity funds and three fixed-income funds. MassMutual Funds ranked #1 out of 26 eligible companies. Small Fund Groups are defined as having less than $50.7 billion in assets under management as of November 30, 2013. The lowest average decile rank of the three years' Consistent Return measure of the eligible funds per asset class and group determine the asset class group award winner over the three-year period. MassMutual Select Overseas Fund ranked #1 out of 42 qualified funds, which comprised 135 share classes in Lipper's International Large-Cap Core Funds category.

Lipper, a wholly owned subsidiary of Thomson Reuters, is a leading global provider of mutual fund information and analysis to fund companies, financial intermediaries and media organizations.

The 2014 Lipper U.S. Fund Awards winners were selected using the Lipper Leader rating for Consistent Return for funds with at least 36 months of performance history as of the end of the evaluation year. The best average decile rank of Lipper's Consistent Return measure of the eligible funds per asset class and group determines the award winner over the three-year period. All rankings are for the three-year period ended November 30, 2013. The award-winning funds are chosen from more than 5,000 funds and 16,000 share classes within the U.S. open-end universe. Awards are presented for the highest Lipper Leader for Consistent Return within each eligible classification over 3, 5 or 10 years.

MassMutual serves approximately 2.8 million participants. To learn more about MassMutual Retirement Services or MassMutual Funds, or to request a prospectus, please contact your retirement plan professional or call MassMutual at 1-866-444-2601, www.massmutual.com/retire.

About MassMutual
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 consistently 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, LLC, Member FINRA and SIPC; OppenheimerFunds, Inc.; and The MassMutual Trust Company, FSB.

MassMutual'sRetirement Services Division has been serving retirement plans for more than 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 2.8 million participants.

For more information, visit www.massmutual.com or find MassMutual on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube and Google+. For information regarding MassMutual'sRetirement Services Division, you may also visit massmutual.com/retire or find us on Facebook.com/RetireSmart and YouTube.com/RetireSmart.

About the Lipper Fund Awards
To qualify for the Lipper Mixed Assets Small Fund Group award, fund groups must have at least three mixed-asset funds. MassMutual Funds ranked #1 out of 37 eligible companies. To qualify for the Overall Small Fund Group award, fund groups must have at least three mixed-asset funds, three equity funds and three fixed-income funds. MassMutual Funds ranked #1 out of 26 eligible companies. Small Fund Groups are defined as having less than $50.7 billion in assets under management as of November 30, 2013. The lowest average decile rank of the three years' Consistent Return measure of the eligible funds per asset class and group will determine the asset class group award winner over the three-year period. In cases of identical results, the lower average percentile rank will determine the winner. Consistent Return measure does not reflect sales charges.

MassMutual Select Overseas Fund ranked #1 out of 42 qualified funds, which comprised 135 share classes in Lipper's International Large-Cap Core Funds category. All rankings are for the three-year period ended November 30, 2013.

Lipper, a wholly owned subsidiary of Thomson Reuters, is a leading global provider of mutual fund information and analysis to fund companies, financial intermediaries and media organizations.

Past performance is no guarantee of future results. Principal value and investment return will fluctuate, so an investor's shares/units when redeemed may be worth more or less than the original investment. Investment portfolio statistics change over time. The investment is not FDIC-insured, may lose value and is not guaranteed by a bank or other financial institution.

Investors should consider a Fund's investment objective, risks and charges and expenses carefully before investing. This and other information about a Fund is available in its prospectus (or summary prospectus). Read it carefully before investing.

©2014 Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company. All rights reserved. MassMutual Financial Group refers to Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company (MassMutual) and its affiliated companies and sales representatives. Principal Underwriter: MML Distributors, LLC, 1295 State Street, <location value="LU/us.ma.sprgfd" idsrc="xmltag.org">Springfield, MA 01111.

Contact: Lisa Reilly(860) 562-5133
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SOURCE MassMutual Retirement Services