RELEASE ON RECEIPT - October 31, 2006

New Profit-Boosting Tool for Companies

Long Term Care Educational Program, from Fayetteville-based Agency, Could Add Millions to Bottom Lines

Fayetteville, AR, October 31 - A new tool called the LTC Outreach and Education Program™ (LTCOEP™) promises to help human resource managers change their departments from cost centers to profit centers. The program could also boost productivity for smaller organizations. LTCOEP™ does its bottom-line magic by helping employees cope with the productivity-draining prospect of caring for family members, such as aging parents, who can no longer care for themselves. The program is available free to companies of all sizes from LTC Financial Partners LLC, the nation's largest and most experienced independent long term care insurance brokerage.

"Companies are suffering big losses due to caregiving demands on their employees," says Ken Merritt, Fayetteville-based Partner of LTC Financial Partners. "The losses, mostly through reduced productivity and absenteeism, are completely unnecessary," Merritt asserts. "Professional caregivers should be performing the care tasks, freeing employees to focus on their work. That's where our program comes in."

How big are the losses? Large companies are losing tens of millions each every year, says Merritt, based on a 2006 study conducted by the MetLife Mature Market Institute®. Small and medium companies are losing from thousands to hundreds of thousands, depending on their size and labor rates, Merritt estimates. "These losses are completely unnecessary and can be reversed through our program," he says. The losses all relate to reduced output. "Care demands make employees get to work late, leave early, or take leaves of absence. Often the demands are so great that a valuable employee has to take a less demanding position with the company."

Information on LTCOEP™ is available from Merritt at 479-444-8834. There's also an online calculator, developed by MetLife, that lets individual companies estimate their losses and potential gains. Merritt recommends using the calendar -- available at http://www.eldercarecalculator.org/ -- to "learn just how much money's at stake in your particular organization."

MORE ABOUT LTCOEP™:

The LTC Outreach and Education Program™ is a turnkey educational solution designed for human resource departments and/or managers or owners of smaller organizations.  LTCOEP™ guarantees every employee, family member and retiree access to a long term healthcare specialist to explain the options for long term healthcare planning. "Most employees believe their current healthcare plan and/or Medicare covers this cost, which is far from accurate,” says Merritt.

A company's top managers are equally uninformed, Merritt claims. "And losses at the top are great," he says. Bottom-line losses, when senior managers get distracted by a family member's care needs, include loss of focus, absenteeism, and poorer supervision. Some top managers even take early retirement to care for a debilitated parent or spouse. "This can really hurt a company," says Merritt. "It is widely known in the HR community that the replacement cost of a professional is $70,000, covering recruiting, training and lost-opportunity costs. And if the senior person is critical, the company's whole trajectory can be undermined.”

In the LTCOEP™ program, "employees learn that it is not IF a family member will need care, but WHEN," says Merritt. "And they learn what their options are so the planning process starts before the fact, not after."  Merritt says that long term care insurance is one solution but not the right solution for everyone, "but learning about all the options is right for every employee and their family members."

"Companies don't have to pay us for any of the educational materials we use, and they don't have to provide any company resources," says Merritt. "All they need to do is make our education available to their employees, and we do all the rest."

LTCOEP™ consists of multiple options for printed, electronic and online interactive materials; seminars or group meetings in webinar format; and individual meetings to help employees with sound long term care planning. Human resource managers and owners or managers of smaller businesses may request information at 479-444-8834.

Ken Merritt began his career in the insurance industry over 32 years ago, and has focused on long term care insurance for the past 7 years. He has received awards and recognition including the National Quality Award, for 22 years and the National Sales Achievement Award for 20 years.

He is a Chartered Life Underwriter (CLU), Chartered Financial Consultant (ChFC) and a Long Term Care Professional (LTCP). As part of the public education service, Merritt will make himself available to area groups and companies for briefing sessions, after-dinner talks, and lectures. Program chairs may reach him at 479-444-8834.

MEDIA CONTACTS:
Ken Merritt of LTC Financial Partners, Fayetteville, AR - 479-444-8834 - www.eranova.com/LTCFP-KenMerritt
Jonas Roeser of LTC Financial Partners - 425-284-4863
Dick Samson of EraNova Institute for LTC Financial Partners - 973-335-3699 – media@eranova.com

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Photo of Ken Merritt: