International Planning Group Serves Life Insurance Needs of Ultra-High-Net-Worth Marketplace

Some companies thrive in their areas of operation. Others shape and even redefine entire professions. International Planning Group is in the second category.

With a sales staff of only 26, IPG is a world leader in life insurance-based wealth planning. The company creates customized solutions for ultra-high-net-worth individuals and large, closely held or multinational corporations the world over.

This is not the usual insurance sales and distribution company; far from it. The firm has a solutions orientation – as opposed to a product orientation – using life insurance as a wealth-planning methodology.

Everything about IPG is world-class, and was designed that way for a sound business reason: to address the evolving needs of the global client segment. “In the mid to late ’80s, I determined that profitable opportunities in the U.S. life insurance industry were diminishing and simultaneously recognized there was a significant untapped global market,” says IPG Founder, Chairman and CEO Jon Baker Sr. “At the time, there was no major U.S. planning organization that had an international platform built to serve the needs of high-net-worth individuals wherever they resided. I made a strategic business decision to build that platform and redirect energies into the underserved international market to facilitate generational wealth transfer planning and structure assets to achieve financial goals for many of the world’s wealthiest people.”

In order to better serve a global referral network of financial institutions, the firm developed a team of highly qualified and trained International Planning Group producers. Most have legal or financial backgrounds. All are IPG employees.

Company traits will surprise no one: professionalism, reputation, a global focus, referrals from top financial institutions, the ability to plan, the technology to implement. “Client service, of course, is second to none,” says Jon Baker Jr., president. “Our retention rate is about 97 percent.”

Clearly, IPG’s business approach is rock solid. “This year we’ll exceed $16 billion of life insurance in force.  And this is all on non-U.S. insureds.”

As a global company, International Planning Group has sales offices and/or companies in Boston, Bermuda, Hong Kong, Miami, Singapore and Switzerland. Sales and distribution stretch through Asia, the Middle East, Latin America, Europe and Africa.

62 Walnut Street  |  Wellesley, MA 02481  | (781) 237-5900  |  info@ipgltd.com
www.ipgltd.com

Business-Savvy, Concierge Service in
IT Consulting

It’s 6:18 p.m. the day before the holiday. Everyone has gone. You’re about to run the last report, log off and leave. The network freezes.

You sigh. You dial IT service. You settle in for the wait. A few minutes later the phone rings. Coretelligent calling back: We’re on it.

Chances are, Coretelligent was on it even before your call connected. This information technology services firm proactively monitors clients’ systems to keep them running smoothly and to respond quickly if something needs attention. “We have established a very aggressive response time of 15 minutes,” says company founder Kevin Routhier, “and that’s a metric we hold to and we achieve more than 99 percent of the time. Not every issue has an immediate resolution, but every issue receives immediate action.”

STRATEGIC VISION
That’s good business, and business is the primary focus. When Coretelligent hires, the first qualification it seeks in a technical consultant is business acumen. “Understanding the client’s business and relative challenges are the first steps to identifying the appropriate technology,” Routhier says. “It isn’t just about the commodity of fixing a box or a network. It’s really about forging a unique partnership where thoughtful technology solutions maximize business opportunity for each client.”

Coretelligent goes well beyond day-to-day tactical support, infrastructure management and hosting. The firm lifts outsourced IT to a higher plane, adding value by integrating true strategic planning. “There is a time and a place for industry standard solutions, however they don’t always address a company’s specific needs,” says Routhier. “We create solutions tailored to the client’s business model. Our approach balances best practices with fiscal responsibility while mitigating security risk and downtime. We have a responsibility to our clients to architect solutions that traverse traditional, virtualized and cloud offerings in a scalable solution that drives long term value.”

TECH EXCELLENCE
Routhier started his firm in 2006 to fill a gap he recognized in the IT outsourcing ecosystem. “I founded Coretelligent based on the simple principle of white-glove, concierge-approach IT services. The business and customer-service aspects really needed to be brought to a much higher level. I felt we could accomplish this through attentive consultation with strategic, technical and communicative excellence,” he says.

Companies can, of course, build their own IT organization and infrastructure. In this scenario, Coretelligent’s prevailing expertise in virtualization, high availability solutions and cloud integration adds significant value by complementing and augmenting the skills of the internal IT staff.

Coretelligent has over 100 clients, more than 25 employees, and, with its ranking of 1,736 on the Inc. 5000 list, a success story to tell. “We are customer focused, we are service oriented. When we anticipate a client need or receive a client’s request, we act with full force.”

75 Second Avenue, Suite 210
Needham, MA 02494 | 781-247-4900
800 West El Camino Real, Suite 180 
Mountain View, CA 94040 | 415-857-4060
www.coretelligent.com

You’re Never a Number at Constellation Financial & 
Wealth Management Services

Only yesterday, or so it seemed, the young woman was a newborn, her parents’ newest tax dependent. But here she was, 22 years old, with financial concerns of her own.

“I remember clearly her dad coming into my office and dropping her Social Security card on my desk and saying, ‘I have another tax deduction this year,’” says Stephen P. Piotte, E.A., CEO of Constellation Financial & Wealth Management Services. “In fact, the plan I worked out with him helped her get through college, while allowing him to continue to save for his and his wife’s retirement. Now here was his daughter, all grown up, wanting to open her own IRA and needing help with her taxes. I found it extremely gratifying.”

Active Investment Management
Close, personal client relationships, including multigenerational relationships, have always been a hallmark of Constellation Financial. The firm provides a wide range of financial services, including investment management, retirement and college planning, tax preparation and business consulting, to individuals and businesses.

“We get to know our clients on a personal level so we can advise them on all kinds of financial decisions,” Piotte says. “Our trademarked logo says it all: ‘We review your numbers without ever treating you like one.’”

According to Piotte, it is never too early to start saving for retirement, and he cautions clients against saving for their children’s college before securing their own retirement. “Your children will have time to pay off their loans, but you may not have time to make up what you’ve spent on their education,” he says. Ideally, of course, clients are able to help their children without sacrificing their retirement, but this is not always possible.

An enrolled agent as well as a financial advisor, Piotte has the knowledge and expertise to advise clients on the tax implications of any financial decision. “You cannot look at the wealth management side without looking at the tax side,” he says.

Piotte and his team believe in active investment management, with frequent client communication. “We don’t just buy a set of mutual funds and forget it,” Piotte explains. “We look at clients’ portfolios daily and make any necessary changes. Our customers like knowing there is someone who is reviewing and watching and taking the stress of ‘Am I making the right decision?’ out of their hands. That’s what we offer our customers, and it’s the reason they come here.”

179 Great Rd., Suite 210 | Acton, MA 01720  978-266-1930
CustomerService@CFWMS.com | www.CFWMS.com
Constellation Financial has been awarded Boston Magazine’s 5 Star Wealth Manager Award for the fourth consecutive year.

Securities offered through 1st Global Capital Corp. Member FINRA, SIPC
Investment advisory services offered through 1st Global Advisors, Inc. Five Star Award is presented to 7% of wealth managers with five years of experience in the financial services industry. The final list identifies the wealth managers, of those evaluated, in the local market that score highest in client satisfaction. Each wealth manager was reviewed for regulatory actions, civil judicial actions and customer complaints. Details of the award can be viewed at www.fivestarprofessional.com/wmresearch. Third-party rankings and recognitions from rating services or publications are no guarantee of future investment success. Working with a highly rated advisor does not ensure that a client or prospective client will experience a higher level of performance or results. These ratings should not be construed as an endorsement of the advisor of any client nor are they representative of any one client’s evaluation. 

Private Wealth Management Since 1838

Managing investments is a lot like steering a ship. It is easy to stay on course in good weather, but when the sea is rough, there is nothing so reassuring as having an experienced captain at the wheel.

For nearly 175 years, Welch & Forbes has been at the helm, helping New Englanders protect their assets through all types of market conditions. Founded in 1838—before the stock market existed—this revered Boston firm originally oversaw the personal business affairs for the families of sea captains and ship owners while they traveled the world. Much has changed during the ensuing decades, but one thing that remains the same is Welch & Forbes’ commitment to the high level of customer service their many discerning clients expect and deserve.

“People are understandably nervous about the economy,” says President and Portfolio Manager Jay Emmons, CFA. “We look for the best companies to invest in, that have fundamental characteristics that can stand the test of time. Our clients have great confidence in the research we do.”

Portfolios as Unique as Each Client
From real estate and railroads in the mid-19th century to the technology boom that began over a century later, Welch & Forbes has long invested in innovative businesses on behalf of its clients. With $3.4 billion in managed assets, the firm manages all accounts on an individual basis, most often with the individual portfolio manager serving as trustee.*

“We create portfolios for our clients company by company, stock by stock, bond by bond. We don’t typically use mutual funds or other investment products,” Emmons says. “We invest in the tried-and-true manner — looking for companies with long-term, sustainable, competitive advantages.”

As one of the country’s oldest wealth management firms, Welch & Forbes often represents multiple generations of some of New England’s most influential families, in one case dating back to the Civil War era. The reason for that loyalty is simple—trust earned through open communication, conservative principles and genuine concern for each client as a unique person.

“We are privileged to have clients who appreciate that we help get them to a point where they can leave a legacy to the next generation and to their favorite charities,” Emmons says.

* as of September 30, 2012

45 School Street, Old City Hall Boston, MA 02108 | 617.557.9800 www.welchforbes.com
Knowing wealth. Knowing you.

Personalized Wealth Management for Retirement

Retirement should be a time to relax. Concerns about the global economy and uncertainty over the future of 
taxes, health care, Social Security and other variables, make it increasingly difficult to 
know which way to turn. Massachusetts-based Flagship Financial Advisors, LLC helps take the worry out of wealth management for retirees and those who are approaching retirement.

“We believe in doing the planning before we start with investment selection,” says Managing Director Paul V. Ryan Jr., CFP®. “You have to know where you want to go, before deciding how to get there.”

From wealth management to retirement planning, estate planning and more, the Flagship team customizes plans based on each client’s risk tolerance and goals, making age- and lifestyle-appropriate adjustments as markets fluctuate.

Founded in 1997, Flagship Financial Advisors, LLC has grown steadily, thanks in large part to referrals from clients. Ryan, who has been licensed since 1988, has guided many families, couples and individuals through all types of market conditions, including the 2008 Wall Street crisis.

“While many people throughout the country were concerned about how the market drop would affect their retirement, we positioned our clients into appropriate asset classes, which is designed to help minimize portfolio volatility,” he says.

Ryan also serves as the managing executive with the largest broker/dealer group in New England, Royal Alliance Associates, Inc., one of the country’s most respected networks of independent advisors. There are more than 45 independent professional representatives in the group managing more than $1 billion in client assets.  As part of the Royal Alliance family, Flagship Financial offers the resources and experience associated with larger firms, with the personal attention their clients desire. As an independent firm, Flagship Financial Advisors, LLC provides unbiased advice and designs portfolios that are tailored to each client’s unique financial circumstances while maintaining the utmost transparency.

“Our clients repeatedly say to us that they value how we tailor their current investments with the investments we suggest, based on their needs,” Ryan says. “The best thing about our business is that we get to help folks become and feel more independent in their retirement.”

301 Edgewater Place, Suite 400
Wakefield, MA 01880
781.224.9924 | 800.631.9997
www.FlagshipFA.com

Securities, insurance, and advisory services offered through Royal Alliance Associates, Inc., member FINRA/SIPC. Additional advisory services offered through Flagship Financial Advisors, LLC, which is not affiliated with Royal Alliance Associates, Inc. Investing involves risk including the potential loss of principal. No investment strategy, such as asset allocation, can guarantee a profit or protect against loss in periods of declining values. Past performance is no guarantee of future results.

Steering Client Legacies With a Steady Hand

Before she became a trusted financial advisor to her fellow North Shore residents, Pamela M. Nottingham was a registered nurse. She later became the director of admitting for two merging hospitals, leading her to pursue a graduate business degree and forge a new career path in the financial sector.

“As a nurse, I was used to looking at the big picture,” Nottingham recalls. “When I became an advisor, I had no interest in the hot stock of the day. I really wanted to focus on what was important to my clients and to help them achieve their total financial health.”

As Managing Director–Investments for the Nottingham Wealth Management Group of Wells Fargo Advisors for more than 20 years, Nottingham has come to be known for her “white glove” client service and her sincere, “plain English” financial speak—no doubt shades of her past career. She’s also known for her hand-picked team of experienced professionals who serve clients with the highest level of integrity, commitment and care.

Seasoned Team, Trusted Resource
Pamela Nottingham, CFA, CIMA®, CFP®, Managing Director-Investments, holds an M.B.A. from Salem State University. She also holds Series 3, 7, 9, 10, 31, 63 and 66 securities registrations as well as life and health insurance licenses.

Judy Rich is a Senior Registered Client Associate with more than 25 years’ experience in the financial industry and in-depth knowledge of investment services and products, information services and operational procedures. She holds Series 7 and 63 registrations.

Lesley Dever, Financial Consultant, is a 24-year veteran of the financial industry. She brings considerable experience in the areas of investment planning, insurance products and market research.

Kelly Connelly, Client Associate, addresses clients’ important needs and oversees the team’s administrative functions with enthusiasm, dedication and knowledge gained from more than a decade in the financial services industry.

Relationships Built to Last
From clients’ initial office visits to the ongoing plan monitoring and communication they come to rely on, Nottingham Wealth Management Group aims to provide an unsurpassed client experience. And it shows in clients’ everyday interactions with Nottingham and her team.

“These are very close relationships,” Nottingham says. “Clients ask us for advice and input in all areas of their lives, and we express our appreciation in very personal ways. When your clients become your best advocates, as ours have, you know you must be doing something right.”

138 Conant Street | Beverly, MA 01915 | 978-524-1622
www.nottingham.wfadv.com

Insurance products are offered through nonbank insurance agency affiliates of Wells Fargo & Company and are underwritten by unaffiliated insurance companies Wells Fargo Advisors, LLC, Member SIPC. 0912-03338

Building a Better Workforce Through Sustainable Productivity

It’s a well-accepted fact that top workforces drive top employers. And landing – and keeping – those workforces are among an employer’s biggest challenges.

It’s a subject with which Bright Horizons is eminently familiar. For more than 25 years, the Massachusetts-based organization has helped leading employers move ahead with workforces that are productive, resilient and engaged. Recognized as the leader in the work/life industry, Bright Horizons partners with more than 800 clients, strengthening workforces by solving employees’ personal challenges that would otherwise hinder their performance at work.

Benefitting from top-notch workforces is a purposeful effort, says Bright Horizons Chief Human Resources Officer Dan Henry. Employer-sponsored child care and early education, for example, facilitate performance by alleviating the pressures of child care challenges. Similarly, the Bright Horizons Back-Up Care Advantage program prevents last-minute crises by providing emergency care when regular arrangements for children or adults/elders fall through. Such strategies not only enable performance, says Henry, they sustain it by minimizing disruptions that would otherwise continually hamper forward progress.

Back-up care, says Henry, is of particular consequence now that the so-called sandwich generation is a growing cohort, with millions of employees simultaneously caring for children and aging parents, often at the expense of job performance. Still, dependent care is just one part of Bright Horizons’ overall philosophy that says any unresolved challenges in an employee’s personal life can have ripples that affect whole organizations. “Outside stresses affect well-being, which is inextricably linked to job performance,” says Henry. Knowing that challenges extend beyond caring for children and adults, Bright Horizons offers solutions to address all life stages, including EdAssist tuition assistance management to help employees achieve educational goals; College Coach to guide dependents in their pursuit of admission to college; and Horizons Workforce Consulting to address and respond to an organization’s range of work/life needs. The objective is a kind of symbiosis where employers reach strategic goals by creating workforces that are energized, driven, and willing and able to deliver.

The payoffs, says Henry, are unmistakable. “What we see over and over is that employees in these cultures are extremely effective,” he says. “These people work better not just because they have to, but because they’re inspired to.”

200 Talcott Avenue South | Watertown, MA 02472 | 800-453-9383, ext.1600 www.brighthorizons.com/solutionsatwork

Executive Alliance Human Capital Management Solutions for Business & Government

When a medical device manufacturer was planning multiple acquisitions, one of the challenges was how to integrate each new company’s unique management style and culture in a way that would enhance productivity and efficiency. The company turned to Executive Alliance (EA), a leading New England-based multidisciplinary management consulting firm, for guidance. “We designed a comprehensive global human capital management strategy that allowed them to integrate their new companies smoothly,” says President and CEO Kevin Mallett. “Within six months, the number of that client’s employees doubled. We set up processes to allow them to continue to grow.”

More than a human resource firm, Executive Alliance addresses all aspects of human capital management (HCM) and payroll systems and processes in a wide range of industry sectors, particularly financial, higher education, healthcare, biotech and technology. They understand the dynamics between culture, policies and practices, people and technology. From risk reduction and operation expense to improving control, reducing compliance exposure and optimizing HCM technologies, EA helps clients in a wide range of industries manage costs, improve efficiencies and, in some cases, weed out fraud.

For example, when a municipality was losing money inexplicably, city leaders called EA to figure out why. After analyzing employment and payroll records, Executive Alliance discovered checks had been issued to nonexistent employees. “We provided a detailed process review that resulted in streamlined operations and fraud identification, providing significant ongoing savings to the city,” Mallett says.

Celebrating 20 years Since 1992, Executive Alliance has served over 300 companies and organizations throughout the United States and internationally. Working together as a team, Mallett and his partners understand the corporate environment, and the pressures and politics that can stifle improvement.

“The majority of consultants approach projects from a technology viewpoint,” Mallett says. “We start with an understanding of the business goals/drivers and gain an understanding of how business processes, policies, practices and people are aligned to achieve those goals. We help companies realign to not only improve meeting business goals but also position them to maximize the use of current or planned technology.”

508.733.4000 | www.executivealliance.com | P.O. Box 824, Northboro, MA 01532

Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Making Health Care Work Better For You

At Harvard Pilgrim, we are driven by our passion for making health care work better for the people and communities we serve. With the goal of improving value and quality across the health care system, we collaborate with consumers, doctors, employers and brokers to offer innovative and customized solutions delivered with exceptional service.

Harvard Pilgrim is a not-for-profit health plan serving members in Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Maine. We are recognized across the country for outstanding quality and customer service, and have been named the #1 private health plan among the nation’s best health plans by the National Committee for Quality Assurance for eight years in a row.*

For employer customers and their employees and families, Harvard Pilgrim offers a wide range of coverage options. Our consumer-driven health plans with health savings and health care reimbursement accounts encourage members to get preventive care and think carefully about how they spend their health care dollars. Easy-to-use retiree plans are available not only to employers but to individual customers as well.

Harvard Pilgrim continuously develops innovative offerings that promote high quality of care and cost savings for our members. For example, Focus Network – MASM is a new, high-performance defined network plan in Massachusetts that was specially created to provide access to high quality, lower-cost providers, resulting in lower premiums for our members.** SaveOnSM enables members to earn cash rewards when choosing high quality, lower-cost providers for routine outpatient medical tests and procedures. And Healthy Futures, our groundbreaking incentive-based program for improving wellness, rewards members for taking steps to improve their health.

Harvard Pilgrim has also long been recognized for leadership in prevention and disease management. Whether it’s online tools or working directly with a personal health coach, we provide the necessary resources to help members make healthier lifestyle decisions.

Through the Harvard Pilgrim Foundation, we provide tools, training and leadership to build healthy communities. Since its inception more than 30 years ago, we have awarded more than $100 million to programs that support healthy eating and active living for children and families, enrich local schools, care for the homeless, clean the environment and make health care more equitable.

At Harvard Pilgrim, everything we do is grounded in our mission to improve the quality and value of health care for the people and communities we serve. To learn more how Harvard Pilgrim makes health care work better for you, visit www.harvardpilgrim.org.

* NCQA’s Private Health Insurance Plan Rankings, 2011-12 HMO/POS. NCQA’s Health Insurance Plan Rankings 2010-11 – Private. U.S.News/NCQA America’s Best Health Insurance Plans 2005-2009 (annual). America’s Best Health Insurance Plans is a trademark of U.S.News & World Report. NCQA The State of Health Care Quality 2004. **Focus Network – MA is a Limited Provider Network. Visit www.harvardpilgrim.org/focus for more information.

Custom Benefit Solutions That Save Money, Increase Coverage

A medium-size company was losing top talent to larger competitors that offered superior employee benefit packages. With insurance premiums skyrocketing and money tight, the beleaguered employer turned to Benemax, one of New England’s most innovative providers of customized benefit solutions, for help.

“We went right to work,” says David Cowles, co-founder and principal. “We combined a traditional, high-deductible insurance coverage with a thin layer of additional benefits, self-funded by the employer and customized to meet all of their benefit objectives. Net result: we reduced the company’s overall cost while increasing member benefits. This company is now paying about 20 percent less for their health benefits than they would pay for a comparable package purchased off-the-shelf.”

Typically, the Benemax System™ delivers double-digit savings without reducing employees’ benefits and usually without requiring employers to switch insurance carriers. Most clients save at least $1,000 a year per enrolled employee.

More than a broker, Benemax is a true benefit consultant, offering customized design and funding solutions tailored to the unique needs of each employer and its employees.

“Most companies begin with a benefit design and then invite carriers to bid based on that design, but not Benemax,” Cowles explains. “First, we identify the highest value product in an insurer’s portfolio and then we retrofit that contract to match the employer’s customized benefit design. We often begin with a high-deductible plan but we mitigate the impact of that deductible by adding an additional layer of benefits. In the long run, everyone gets better coverage, for less!”

Benemax provides comprehensive online support through its Virtual Benefit Manager®, which allows members to manage benefits and access information 24/7. Benemax also offers a variety of wellness tools and incentives, including a free online second opinion, courtesy of Harvard Medical School and the Center for Connected Health (formerly known as Partners TeleMedicine). Cowles believes that when the economy turns around, employers that have slashed benefits during the recession will suffer as their employees migrate to companies that maintain attractive benefit packages. Benemax, he says, can help companies rebuild their plans, without adding cost.

“Since 1985, we have saved millions of dollars for countless companies, enabling them to keep their people employed during down times and then aggressively attract top talent once markets turn around.”

Seven West Mill Street P.O. Box 950 • Medfield, MA 02052 800.528.1530 www.benemax.com