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Austin – February 23, 2010 – -Fringe Benefit Group, an industry leader in group benefit plans designed specifically for hourly and part-time workers, today congratulated Manning & Napier Advisors, Inc. on the 2009 results of its Pro-Blend Maximum Term Series mutual fund.

The Manning & Napier Pro-Blend Maximum Term fund, which boasted a 36.1 percent return in 2009, is the only U.S. stock fund to beat the Standard & Poor 500-stock index for the 11th consecutive year. Fringe Benefit Group offers the collective version (Pro-Mix Maximum Term) of Manning & Napier’s Pro-Blend Maximum Term Series mutual fund as one of the Lifestyle investment choices in The Contractors Plan investment platform.

In addition, Manning & Napier’s Pro-Blend Moderate Term Series fund was recently recognized by Smart Money magazine as a runner-up in the magazine’s feature on Award-Winning Funds. According to the magazine, this special report “focuses on funds run by managers who have successfully navigated years worth of market euphoria and panic -- and helped keep investors ahead.” Fringe Benefit Group also offers Manning & Napier’s Pro-Blend Moderate Term Series mutual fund as one of the Lifestyle investment choices in The Contractors Plan investment platform

Since 1979, Fringe Benefit Group has been helping contractors satisfy prevailing wage law with fringe benefit programs designed exclusively for hourly workers. Its original retirement plan was the first plan specifically designed for merit shop contractors performing government work, and today The Contractors Plan provides valuable retirement and medical benefits on prevailing wage jobs across the U.S. Fringe Benefit Group has helped thousands of merit shop contractors reduce labor costs, win more bids and stay compliant.

“Manning & Napier’s results are impressive in any market, but especially so in light of the turmoil the market has seen in the past year. This fund, with a recent $553 million in assets, is the most aggressive of the lifestyle funds for investors of varying risk tolerance,” said Travis West, president and CEO of Fringe Benefit Group. “The Contractors Plan only partners with the best and Manning & Napier has proven their value over and over again. Their disciplined team approach to stock picking and diligent analysis of market opportunities clearly works and we congratulate them on their excellent performance, which has benefited our mutual clients for the past decade.”

Fringe Benefit Group offers two robust, diversified investment platforms to clients via The Contractors Plan, one from Nationwide and the other from Transamerica. After a contractor selects an investment platform, participants are able to choose from among the funds on the platform selected by their employer.

As trustee of The Contractors Plan, Pentegra Retirement Services is responsible for overseeing the assets of the trust fund to insure consistency with the terms of the plan and the master trust agreement. Each fund in the plan is monitored closely to make sure it is achieving its stated objectives, exhibiting style consistency and meeting performance expectations. Pentegra is assisted by Manning & Napier, a pioneer in the offering of life cycle strategies for participantdirected plans, which has earned a reputation as experts in asset allocation.

About Fringe Benefit Group

Austin, Texas-based Fringe Benefit Group and its affiliate companies have helped employers design and administer fringe benefit programs since 1983. Through its nationwide network of independent brokers and agents, Fringe Benefit Group has established itself as the leader in government contractor health, welfare and retirement plans. Drawing on its expertise in the prevailing wage segment, the company has also emerged as a leader in group benefit plans designed specifically for hourly and part-time workers (limited benefit programs). For more information, log on to www.fringebenefitgroup.com or www.thecontractorsplan.com.