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Two of Segal’s senior consultants, David Blumenstein and Clifford Routh, have had their article, “Multiemployer Defined Benefit Pension Plans, Why Their Future Looks Strong,” published in the November 2007 issue of the IFEBP’s Benefits & Compensation Digest. To view a copy of this article, click here.

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The Segal Company is pleased to announce that it recently received a 2007 Web Award for Outstanding Achievement in Website Development from the Web Marketing Association. The award was presented jointly to Segal, its Web design partners, Polar Design and its client, the Massachusetts Laborers’ Benefit Funds.

For more information, please click here.

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The Segal Company congratulates our client, Massachusetts Laborers' Benefit Funds, and its vendor, Polar Design, on receiving a Bronze Horizon Interactive Award for its Web site. According to the Horizon home page, "The Horizon Interactive Awards is a prestigious international competition recognizing outstanding achievement among interactive media producers. The awards showcase the best web site design, cd-roms, dvds, video, kiosks, video games and other interactive media."

The Massachusetts Laborers Benefits Funds (Pension, Annuity and Health &Welfare) are long-time Segal clients. Segal’s Administration and Technology Consulting (ATC) Practice and Segal/MGC Communications worked together to help the Funds develop a transactional web site to provide benefits administration services for more than 8,000 covered members their dependents. ATC worked with the Funds and Polar Design, a Web site vendor, to develop and implement the site and with Segal/MGC Communications to develop the site's content and site-launch communications. Here is a link to the Web site: www.mlbf.org

Click here for more information about the award.

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Segal has released its 2006 Survey of the Funded Position of Multiemployer Plans. The survey found that the average withdrawal liability funded ratio in the 2006 survey was 81 percent — up from 80 percent in the previous survey. Because the 2006 survey is generally based on data used for completed actuarial valuations for plan years beginning in 2005 through early 2006, the results do not fully reflect the recovery of the U.S. equity markets in 2006. Using the current data available, Segal is projecting that the average withdrawal liability funded ratio will have increased from 81 percent as of this survey to about 88 percent by the end of 2006. To read more about the Survey results, click here.

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At a recent session of the Department of Labor's ERISA Advisory Council's Working Group on Health Information Technology, two Segal executives presented testimony about the state of multiemployer health funds' technology and the ability of funds to participate in a proposed national Health Information Technology System. Request an electronic copy of the presentation of Eileen Flick (Director, Health Technology Services) and James Sokol (Chief Technology Officer) here.

to view this page without the video, click here

Services

Our consulting services for sponsors of multiemployer plans include the planning, design, qualification, implementation, operation and communication of:

• Participant Communications Services, including personalized communication
• Defined benefit and defined contribution retirement plans
• Life, survivor income and disability programs
• Health benefits programs
• Long-term care programs
• Flexible benefit and LifeCycle benefit plans
• Wage and salary programs
• Apprenticeship and training plans
• Vacation, earned time and flextime programs
• Work/life initiatives
• Administration and technology consulting
• Fiduciary liability insurance and fidelity bond brokerage services
• VEBA consulting

The Segal Company's actuarial services include the design of defined benefit and defined contribution plans, the preparation and review of actuarial valuations, the valuation of retiree health plan liabilities and obligations, long-term disability plans and other health programs. The company's actuarial reports pinpoint significant findings, present available options, explore alternatives, measure assumptions and highlight changes and trends. Our professional actuarial staff includes Fellows and Associates of the Society of Actuaries, Members of the American Academy of Actuaries, Fellows and Members of the Conference of Consulting Actuaries, Enrolled Actuaries and Fellows of the Canadian Institute of Actuaries.

Investment Services

Investment performance services are provided by Segal Advisors, the investment-consulting affiliate of The Segal Company.

Leadership in the Multiemployer Community

The company actively participates in such leading employee benefits groups as the National Coordinating Committee for Multiemployer Plans and the International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans and the Employee Benefit Research Institute.

Information

• Research and Compliance Although The Segal Company does not practice law, our national Research and Compliance Departments are available to share information with our clients and their attorneys. The company's Research Department provides the consulting staff with information on current and pending federal, state and local laws and regulations affecting employee benefit plans. When late-breaking developments can potentially affect a client, the consultants involved alert the client by telephone, letter or both. In addition, clients are encouraged to contact Segal Company staff members who are familiar with their work whenever a question arises about an issue that can affect their plan. (However, because The Segal Company does not practice law, if a legal issue arises, clients are advised to consult with their attorneys for authoritative guidance.) In addition, we offer a separate service, called Crosscheck, that provides specially trained experts to conduct an operational review of a client's administrative procedures to help a client and its legal counsel determine whether plan operations are meeting legal and regulatory requirements, and are consistent with what the plan promises.
• Publications Multiemployer plan publications include NewsLetters which discuss creative benefits design issues, Bulletins which describe major legislative, regulatory or accounting compliance developments and occasional Segal Alerts which summarize important pending legislation that can affect benefit plan sponsors. Occasionally, The Segal Company makes available copies of special studies of interest to sponsors of multiemployer plans. For an example, click here.
• Seminars and Workshops The Segal Company sponsors and conducts educational workshops and "breakfast seminars" that address recently passed legislation or an issue of current interest. Benefit consultants invite clients and friends of the firm to these functions and will follow up with additional information and consulting that is relevant to a particular client.

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