Moonachie, NJ, January 4, 2005 -- Standard & Poor’s Financial Communications, a leading provider of retirement education and communications tools, and APT Digital Marketing Solutions, a leading provider of 1:1 marketing solutions, have jointly announced the availability of a personalized educational newsletter that plan services providers can use to help increase participation and contribution rates for retirement plan sponsors. Standard & Poor’s and APT Digital Marketing co-developed an automated system to develop the eye-catching Individual Retirement Planner, which contains charts and content customized for the individual plan participant. The four-page Individual Retirement Planner is available in two versions and targets participants who are not contributing to their plan or those who are contributing at a relatively low rate. Using the latest in variable print technology, the educational newsletter uses a participant’s contribution rate, current account balance and other personalized data to offer attractive, easy-to-read charts that illustrate the financial benefits of making the most of an employer’s plan. The newsletter also contains educational articles covering the benefits of tax deferral, investment strategies and more. It can be customized to a company’s look and feel for increased brand reinforcement. “The launch of the Individual Retirement Planner is exciting for us because it delivers the best of what both companies have to offer the financial marketplace,” said Nicholas Brusco, president, APT Digital Marketing Solutions. “Standard & Poor’s is the leader in providing high-quality retirement education and APT Digital Marketing Solutions offers the latest in digital technology for delivering such a highly personalized newsletter. Companies who take advantage of this opportunity are sure to see an impact in plan participation.”