Retirement Protection Plus:
Disability Insurance Protection for Your Retirement Plan Contributions

You know the importance of planning ahead

You care about maintaining your quality of life in the future, so you've worked hard to set aside money for your retirement. Of course, that future depends heavily on your being able to make regular retirement plan contributions because you'll need a sizable nest egg to ensure your comfort and security. And as long as things continue the way you've planned, you can look forward confidently to a happy, prosperous retirement.

But what about a "Plan B?"

The problem is, sometimes the unexpected happens. For example, an accident or sickness can upset your long-term planning overnight--because if you become disabled and can't work for an extended period, you can also no longer contribute to your retirement plan. That's why it's important to put a fallback plan in place well before you ever need it.

Retirement Protection Plus -
Disability Insurance for Retirement Savings

Retirement Protection Plus (RPP) is not a pension plan. Rather, it is disability income insurance that ensures that contributions continue to be made to your retirement savings even if you become disabled. The goal: to provide you with close to what you could have expected from your retirement plan if you had not become disabled.

Pays the amount you contribute now -
plus the amount your employer contributes -
into an irrevocable trust

The trustee, an independent Massachusetts bank, then invests the funds--in consultation with you--until you reach age 65. At that point, the trust assets are distributed to you to supplement whatever you receive from your original retirement plan. And, since funds in the RPP trust generally do not accumulate on a tax-deferred basis, they may be tax-free at distribution.

Some important facts about RPP:

• RPP uses ProVider Plus*, our own-occupation, non-cancellable and guaranteed renewable individual disability income insurance product
• It is a separate policy, not a rider, so it may be issued independent of other disability coverage.
• The maximum benefit available is $3,380 per month (including COLA or FIO increases) to accommodate the federal maximum annual defined contribution limit of $40,000 for 2003. The benefit amount issued can include a $50 per month trust administration fee.

Two optional riders are also available to enhance your RPP coverage. One is the Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA) Rider, which helps you offset the impact of inflation on your benefits if your disability lasts--as many do--for an extended period.** The other is the Future Increase Option (FIO), designed for those who earn more each year. It offers you the annual option of purchasing additional RPP benefits regardless of any changes in your health or occupation. Specific age limitations and income and underwriting rules do apply.

RPP-New from Berkshire Life,
an Industry Leader in Disability Income Insurance

We are one of the leading providers of high-quality, competitively priced, disability income insurance-with features that would be hard to duplicate elsewhere.

With our Retirement Protection Plus program, you can feel confident that you have done the best you can to protect your retirement savings with a quality product from a reputable company.

* Form 0100, 1100 or 2100.Disability income products underwritten and issued by Berkshire Life Insurance Company of America, Pittsfield, MA, a wholly-owned stock subsidiary of The Guardian Life Insurance Company of America, New York, NY.
** Please note: This benefit is not necessarily protection against increases in the cost of living.

Contact us now for more information.