About Marshall, Smith, Kaplan Consulting, Inc.

MSK has earned the reputation of providing expert advice without charging any fees. The founders of MSK, have combined, over 25 years of experience in financial planning, employee benefits consulting and risk management. MSK helps with the design, implementation, communication and administration of estate plans, risk management and employee benefit programs. As a non fee-based consulting firm Marshall, Smith, Kaplan Consulting, Inc. works with their clients to develop the best approach to solve each unique set of goals that a client may have. While this may include the placement of "products", MSK is extremely effective at negotiating the very best arrangements. This is true for insurance related products, as well as retirement/ investment related products as all of our consultants hold the appropriate insurance and securities licenses. MSK is a diversified firm, however, it remains committed to providing the highest level of personal service and unbiased objective advice. "Doing the deal" is one of our core strengths.

Here are some the services we offer our clients:

• Program Design - In designing the total compensation program, an employer seeks to balance wages, incentives, and employee benefits to meet the needs of employees and the employer's basic compensation philosophy. We assist companies in developing their own company philosophy and then develop a benefits program that is consistent with that philosophy.
• Evaluation and Analysis - Our consultants analyze the existing benefits program in terms of coverage and plan participation to determine how well existing benefits plans meet employer needs and employer objectives. Through this step, we identify any gaps in coverage or overlapping benefits and make specific recommendations for changes in the present plan.
• Cost Containment - With employee benefits costs averaging 35% of payroll nationwide, managing cost is an integral component of employee benefits. Cost containment analysis involves evaluating alternative methods of financing benefits, plan design, flexible benefits, changes in providers, and evaluating managed care approaches
• Provider Evaluation - The best provider is not always the least expensive. We will evaluate your current provider's performance against generally accepted measurement criteria. This analysis will identify providers that are capable of delivering the level of service the employer requires at the most competitive price.
• Employee Education / Communication - An effective communication program is essential to the overall success of any employer benefit plan. We will design benefit communications that are simple, understandable and convey the status and total value of the employer's benefit program. We make a point to visit the workplace to educate employees on how their employee benefits work and how they can maximize their benefits.
• Supplemental Benefits - In addition to the core benefits program; employee's specific needs may be met by offering a variety of supplemental benefits without incurring additional cost or unnecessary administrative expense. MSK assists employers in identifying the right products and the most efficient enrollment process.

Marshall Smith Kaplan Consulting offers, at no cost, a Benefits Needs Analysis, to any business of any size. There is never any obligation or sales pressure of any kind. We accurately analyze a firm's current benefits package, after we receive a copy of their current plan design, along with their current or renewal premiums. After we get an opportunity to review the current plan design, one of our employee benefits specialists will prepare, at no cost, a comprehensive analysis of the current benefits and compare them to some of the alternative plan designs available in this ever changing marketplace. We'll look at the current benefits package, talk about future needs, determine the most cost effective solution and review our proposal in detail. Additionally, we publish a well received quarterly newsletter that is read by both clients and non-clients alike. As a rule we do not charge fees for participation in this newsletter and we are always looking for new ideas, and opinions to share with our clientele. If you feel that participating in our newsletter may be of interest to you, please feel free to contact our firm.

Biographies

Leonard Marshall, former NFL great and two time Super Bowl Champion with the New York Giants. Mr. Marshall joined our team as a partner in our Boca Raton, Florida office in January 2009. Mr. Marshall is a licensed insurance agent and a licensed mortgage broker. His vast experience in the business world can only enhance and improve our ability to offer you the highest level of expertise in the employee benefits business. Mr. Marshall played twelve seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played defensive end for the New York Giants for 10 seasons, then played a season each as a defensive tackle for the New York Jets and Washington Redskins. He was a starter on the Giants teams that won Super Bowl XXI and Super Bowl XXV. Mr Marshall was drafted by the Giants in the second round (#37 overall as the fourth defensive lineman in the draft) out of Louisiana State University (LSU) in the 1983 NFL Draft. He was selected to the Pro Bowl for his performances in the 1985, 1986, and 1991 seasons and finished his career with 83.5 in the regular season and another twelve sacks in the post seasons quarterback sacks. He currently is a professor of Sports Management and Executive-in-Residence at Seton Hall University and runs an annual instructional camp for youth football players in south Florida. Mr Marshall majored in Business Management at Louisiana State University and was a member of the Omega Phi Psi fraternity. Since his NFL career ended Marshall has hosted the annual Leonard Marshall Football Academy Camp which trains football players aged 8-18. The camp uses an extensive list of current and former NFL Pro Bowlers, to help teach the fundamentals of football in a non-contact setting. It is organized each June in south Florida. The camp also offers scholarships annually to 50 underprivileged youths who qualified through the Marvin Jones Foundation. Marshall hosted a radio show on WFAN entitled the Leonard Marshall Show which was recorded in  Hollywood, Florida near Marshall's former residence in Boca Raton, Florida. Marshall also appeared on radio during his five-year stint on The Howard Stern Show where he co-hosted NY Football (CBS). Marshall is a noted philanthropist who has received several awards in recognition of his charitable work. Mr Marshall has also worked as an entrepreneur. Among his early ventures he was the Co-Founder, Chairman, and CEO of Pro Star Athletic, a licensed Sports apparel company, which was later purchased by International Apparel Manufacturers Group of New York. Mr. Marshall currently chairs The Game Plan Foundation, an organization dedicated to securing adequate health care for those former NFL players who suffer from football related injuries and who cannot afford proper healthcare. . Mr.Marshall is formerly a professor of Sports Management at Seton Hall University in South Orange, New Jersey.

Neil Kaplan, has operated in the insurance and financial services business since November 1987. He began his career at Prudential Insurance Company, where he spent four years, earning President's Club honors in 1988 and 1989. In 1991 Mr. Kaplan decided to learn the employee benefits consulting and retirement planning business from "the inside-out" and accepted a position working with "high net-worth" accounts with Shearson Lehman- American Express. After the Shearson-Lehman division was purchased by Smith Barney, Mr. Kaplan accepted a promotion to work in the Retirement Plan Operations department. His repsonbilities included, retirement plan compliance for the entire Southeastern portion of the United States, with cities including Charleston, Charlotte, Savannah, Atlanta and Birmingham. Mr. Kaplan reviewed for compliance, all transactions within Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) governed accounts and Simplified Employee Pension (SEP) accounts. During his tenure in Retirement Plan Operations, he received numerous commendations and accolades for his compliance work. In 1995, Mr.Kaplan co-founded and partnered in his own employee benefits consulting firm, Crown Management Group, located in Brooklyn, NY. Under Mr. Kaplan's leadership, CMG grew to become an industry leader in the area of employee benefits and experienced remarkable growth. At the end of his tenure at CMG, the firm had between 8 and 12 employees operating both in sales and administration. In July 2000, citing philosophical differences, Mr. Kaplan left CMG and formed his own firm Smith Kaplan Consulting Inc. in Nanuet, NY. Along with his wife, Baila Smith, a licensed insurance agent, Mr. Kaplan built Smith Kaplan into an industry leader with offices in Nanuet, NY and Miami, FL. The success of Smith Kaplan far surpassed any of the previous success at CMG. In fact, as of today Smith Kaplan Consulting has evolved into Marshall, Smith, Kaplan Consulting and CMG no longer exists. In June 2008, Smih Kaplan moved their base operations to Boca Raton, FL. The Miami office was moved to Boca Raton and the Nanuet office was downgraded to a sattelite office. Mr. Kaplan and his wife Bailey reside along with their three sons in Boca Raton, FL and New Hempstead, NY.

In January of 2009, Neil Kaplan and Leonard Marshall agreed to partner and operate as Marshall, Smith, Kaplan, Consulting, Inc. The shrewd business acumen of Mr. Marshall and the vast experience of Mr. Kaplan have combined to vault Marshall, Smith, Kaplan Consulting into a position of respect in the areas of employee benefits consulting, human resources consulting and financial planning. The friendship between Mr. Marshall and Mr. Kaplan has made the transition to a partnership a smooth one and the firm has experienced uncharacteristic growth in these troubled financial times.

Please call our office in Florida (561) 245-5308 or New York (845) 362-1261 for more information.