NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (MMC), a global professional services firm providing advice and solutions in risk, strategy and human capital, and the Stanford Center on Longevity, a research center at Stanford University, today announced that the two organizations will collaborate to raise awareness and preparedness around lifetime financial security. As part of its previously announced commitment to fund retirement policy exploration, Marsh & McLennan Companies will contribute $1.5 million through 2013 to support the Stanford Center on Longevitys studies and activities related to financial security.

Marsh & McLennan Companies is eager to advance awareness and education around issues related to retirement and aging populations. Two aspects of those issuesincreased longevity and financial securityare top of mind for governments, businesses and individuals, said Brian Duperreault, President and CEO of Marsh & McLennan Companies. Through our Companys support of the Stanford Center on Longevity, we will take part in forward-looking dialogue on these issues and work to be a catalyst for new ideas and perspectives that benefit the greater good of the aging population and of future generations, Mr. Duperreault concluded.

It is a privilege for the Stanford Center on Longevity to receive this support for our programs from Marsh & McLennan Companies, said Laura Carstensen, Founding Director of the Stanford Center on Longevity. Our Center aims to connect with the best thinkers, business leaders and policy makers, and we look forward to the insights Marsh & McLennan Companies will provide based on its deep expertise in risk, strategy and human capital.

Michele Burns, who previously served as Chairman and CEO of Mercer, a subsidiary of Marsh & McLennan Companies, and was named to lead Marsh & McLennan Companies retirement policy center exploration last year, will serve as Center Fellow and Strategic Advisor to the Stanford Center on Longevity. She will join Founding Director Laura Carstensen, PhD and Deputy Director Thomas Rando, MD, PhD in providing strategic guidance for the overall efforts of the Center and development of the Financial Security Division of the Center.

In exploring how Marsh & McLennan Companies could have the greatest impact in the retirement policy arena, the Stanford Center on Longevity emerged as an excellent partner, said Michele Burns. The Center brings a unique perspective to issues facing our society by rethinking the perceived problems around an aging populationchallenges such as retirement planning and the need to work longerand finding value in the opportunities these challenges present.

The Centers Financial Security Division, in collaboration with Marsh & McLennan Companies, will examine these issues from multiple perspectives, ranging from individual financial capability, the changing nature and role of work, common financial pitfalls such as fraud, and the resulting key policy issues. The goal is to help drive the dialogue forward in order to facilitate a healthier state of long-term financial securityboth for the individual and society. I am very proud to work with the Stanford Center on Longevity on these issues and to contribute to solutions that can make a difference for us all, Ms. Burns concluded.

The two organizations recently collaborated on a conference that brought together contributors from business, academia and government to address retirement planning in the age of longevity. The insights discussed at the conference are being used to inform the Stanford Center on Longevitys financial security agenda as well as recommendations for future policy and research. The Centers Financial Security Division will also launch an expanded web presence this fall that will highlight the Divisions work and will also serve as an information resource for key stakeholders.

About Marsh & McLennan Companies

MARSH & McLENNAN COMPANIES (MMC) is a global team of professional services companies offering clients advice and solutions in the areas of risk, strategy and human capital. Marsh is a global leader in insurance broking andrisk management; Guy Carpenter is a global leader in providing risk and reinsurance intermediary services; Mercer is a global leader in human resource consulting and related services; and Oliver Wyman is a global leader in management consulting. Marsh & McLennan Companies 53,000 colleagues worldwide provide analysis, advice and transactional capabilities to clients in more than 100 countries. The Company prides itself on being a responsible corporate citizen and making a positive impact in the communities in which it operates. Visit http://www.mmc.com for more information.

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Marsh & McLennan Companies Partners with Stanford Center on Longevity to Foster Lifetime Financial Security Preparedness