SPRINGFIELD, MA -- (Marketwire) -- 12/04/12 -- One thing that is clear this election season is that small businesses in the U.S. are being counted on to ramp up the sluggish economic recovery, but the Great Recession of the past several years has resulted in many small businesses becoming stagnant, struggling to maintain their client base and with little resources to move forward. In order for small business owners to live up to these lofty expectations, they need to plan effectively over the long term to move their businesses forward. A new interactive seminar program offered by Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company's (MassMutual) financial professionals looks at real businesses in various stages of growth, the real challenges that they face and could help them find the individualized solutions that they need.

The video-vignette-based seminars -- called realBUSINESS(SM) -- explore the planning concerns many business owners face during the lifecycle of their businesses. Essential considerations include how to pass ownership from one generation to the next, how to prepare for the unexpected, such as the death or illness of an owner, how to effectively plan for retirement and how to attract and retain key employees. Many of these familiar issues were uncovered in MassMutual's Business Owner Perspectives Study: 2011 Insights in an Uncertain Economy.

Through unscripted interviews, three real businesses share their planning challenges. As the owners and employees of these three businesses candidly talk about the planning issues that they face, participants of the documentary-style seminars are provided with brief commentary from experienced and recognized professionals who work with business owners in a variety of disciplines, from law to business planning and academia.

At the conclusion of each seminar, attendees will have the opportunity to take inventory of where they stand on each of the planning issues addressed. The realBUSINESS "Scorecard" is designed to help business owners pin-point their critical areas of concern and gauge the overall effectiveness of their current business planning strategy.

Attend a seminar session or find a MassMutual financial professional near you. To learn more about the businesses and consultants featured in the realBUSINESS seminar series or to access additional tools, such as calculators, an interactive quiz and the results of MassMutual's Business Owner Perspectives Study: 2011 Insights in an Uncertain Economy, logon to massmutual.com/smallbusiness.

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 every year 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.

For more information, visit www.massmutual.com or find MassMutual on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube and Google+.

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