Acquisition Management Services Selects Persumma Financial's Innovative 401k.

Business/Technology Editors

NEWTON, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 22, 2001

Company Looks to Improved Portfolio Performance, Benefits from

Improved Plan Management

Persumma Financial LLC, a full-service online 401(k) provider and member of the MassMutual Financial Group, today announced that Acquisition Management Services (AMS), a provider of buy-side acquisition and integration services, has chosen to provide the Persumma 401(k) to its employees.

AMS selected the Persumma 401(k) because it gives employees more options to help save for retirement. The Persumma 401(k)'s combination of access to unbiased advice and virtually unlimited investment options also provides employees with more opportunity to make informed decisions about lower-cost and/or better-performing investments.

In addition, AMS chose the Persumma 401(k) because it eases plan management by providing Web-based record keeping and administration with real-time access to plan information.

"The Persumma 401(k) has enabled us to provide a more creative and flexible benefit to our employees, a product that supports our culture of retaining and attracting high-level employees," said Brian Murphy, founder of AMS. "This allows us to offer a big company-style employee benefit without over-taxing our HR staff. This also places our employees in the enviable position of self-selecting the vehicles for their retirement equity."

The Persumma 401(k) enables AMS employees to enjoy access to a combination of lower investment costs and better-performing investments.

AMS employees now will be able to meet their individual needs by having four distinct ways to invest their retirement savings. These options include the choice of:

-- Three actively-managed and three passively-managed portfolios from Morningstar that include best in category, low-cost investments and represent aggressive, moderate and conservative investment strategies;

-- A group of core funds selected on the basis of AMS' corporate profile;

-- Virtually any investment in the fund universe, using Morningstar's ClearFuture retirement planning advice engine; and/or

-- Individual securities (planned for July 1).

The Persumma 401(k) provides employees with highly personalized and unbiased advice from Morningstar Associates LLC, educational resources from SmartMoney.com and the unprecedented capability to directly set, track and meet individual retirement goals. Furthermore, Persumma Financial uses the power of the Internet to offer ease of access, convenient transactions and the ability to alert individual users to news and other developments affecting their investments and retirement planning.

"We believe that many forward-looking companies face the same challenges that AMS faced when looking for a 401(k) plan. They want a new solution that delivers advantages both to their businesses and their employees," said Spencer Williams, CEO of Persumma Financial. "The AMS experience demonstrates the advantages that our plan can deliver."

Companies interested in implementing a Persumma 401(k) plan can schedule a guided tour of the service and obtain additional information by visiting www.persumma.com or by calling toll free 866-885-8808.

About Persumma Financial

Persumma Financial(SM) LLC is a full-service 401(k) provider and a member of the MassMutual Financial Group. Its innovative 401(k) plan helps companies enable their employees to set, track and meet their retirement goals through access to a personalized suite of online account management services, investment choices, planning tools and unbiased advice. Founded in 1999, Persumma Financial has received funding from MassMutual Financial Group and Nextera Enterprises, Inc. (NASDAQ:NXRA). The company is strongly supported by Ted Benna, inventor of the first 401(k), president of the 401(k) Association, and a member of the Persumma Financial Advisory Board. Persumma Financial is headquartered in Newton, Mass. For more information, visit the Persumma Financial Web site at www.persumma.com.

About Acquisition Management Services (AMS)

AMS is a leading provider of acquisition and integration services to growth companies. Its current service spectrum includes prospecting, valuations, due diligence, negotiation, and integration. Since 1992, the King of Prussia, Pa.-based company has closed 280 transactions, completed 350 due diligence engagements, and performed over 1,300 valuations. AMS provides services to acquirers in industries such as healthcare, financial and business services, utilities and technology. For more information, visit the Acquisition Management Services Web site at www.amsadvisors.com.

About MassMutual Financial Group

The MassMutual Financial Group - with over $200 billion in assets under management - is a global, growth-oriented, diversified financial services organization whose companies offer a broad portfolio of asset management and insurance products and services. Its family of companies provide life insurance, annuities, disability income insurance, long term care insurance, retirement planning products, structured settlement annuities, trust services, money management and other financial products and services. The MassMutual Financial Group is a marketing name for Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company (MassMutual) and its subsidiaries, which include: OppenheimerFunds, Inc.; David L. Babson & Company Inc.; Cornerstone Real Estate Advisers, Inc.; MassMutual International, Inc.; MML Investors Services Inc.; Persumma Financial LLC; The MassMutual Trust Company, FSB; Antares Capital Corporation; MML Bay State Life Insurance Company and C.M. Life Insurance Company. MassMutual's Web site is www.massmutual.com.