Since 1988 the ELCA has comprised the American Lutheran Church, the Association of Evangelical Lutheran Churches, and the Lutheran Church in America, which together represent almost 11,000 congregations. Although its members are looking forward to a more lasting reward, the ELCA Board of Pensions tries to help them toward a little heaven on earth during their retirement years. The Board of Pensions of The Evangelical Lutheran Church In America (or ELCA Board of Pensions) provides health, retirement, and other benefits and services for some 50,000 pastors, employees, and their families connected to the Evangelical Lutheran Church In America.

Astellas Venture Management invests in seed-stage and emerging biotech companies, including drug discovery and development companies. The firm manages four venture funds, and its portfolio includes more than 20 companies. Astellas Venture Management is the venture capital arm of Astellas Pharma, formed from the 2005 merger of Yamanouchi Pharmaceutical and Fujisawa Pharmaceutical. Astellas Venture Management provides its portfolio companies not only with cash, but also access to the scientific expertise, production facilities, and marketing clout of its parent firm.

Founded in 1994, CommerceNet has been a trusted intermediary, conducting research and piloting programs that have advanced the commercial use of the Internet.CommerceNet sees dollar signs. The tech incubator provides seed money and takes stakes in companies that often are just a glimmer in their founders' eyes. It helps its target companies fund their ideas, collaborate with other Internet companies, and in general advance the commercial aspects of the Internet. The organization operates the Open Network for Commerce Exchange (ONCE), a business-to-business trading community. Funded companies include Webify Solutions (health care provider software) and SupplyFrame (supply chain software).

U.S. Trust, Bank of America Private Wealth Management provides investment management, planned giving, and fiduciary services to a range of institutional clients, including not-for-profit organizations, corporations, public funds, insurance companies, and unions. The company provides wealth management services that include investment, financial, tax, and estate planning; and private banking services. Its planned giving services include administration, tax preparation, and record-keeping. It also offers investment consulting, tax-intelligent investment management, custody and private-label statement, and check distribution services. U.S. Trust also provides investment management, trustee, and fiduciary consulting services to employee benefit plans of all sizes.

Switzerland's number two financial services firm does business all over the world, including in Israel. Credit Suisse Financial Services (Israel) helps private banking, investment banking, and asset management clients with wealth accumulation and protection, and succession and inheritance planning using global equity markets, private equity funds, foreign exchange trading, and fixed-income products. It also offers a customized mix of products tailored for investors' specific needs and advises clients on using third-party investment products. Credit Suisse Financial Services (Israel) was formed in 2007 as a result of growing wealth in the country's booming economy.

CI Financial Corp. (CI), formerly CI Financial Income Fund, is a diversified wealth management firm. It is engaged in the management, marketing, distribution and administration of mutual funds, segregated funds, structured products and other fee-earning investment products for Canadian investors, distributed primarily through brokers, independent financial planners and insurance advisors, including Assante Capital Management Ltd. and Assante Financial Management Ltd. It operates in two segments. The Asset Management provides the majority of its income and derives its revenues from the fees earned on the management of several families of mutual, segregated, pooled and closed-end funds, structured products and discretionary accounts. The Asset Administration derives its revenues from commissions and fees earned on the sale of mutual funds and other financial products, and ongoing service to clients. On December 31, 2009, it completed the sale of Blackmont Capital Inc. to Macquarie Group.

Banc of America Investment Services (BAI) is the primary retail brokerage unit of banking powerhouse Bank of America. Banc of America Investment Services, Inc. offers online brokerage services for do-it-yourself investors; customers with a balance of more than $25,000 get up to 30 free trades per month. BAI provides access to stocks, bonds, options, mutual funds, exchange-traded funds (ETFs), as well as investment research, retirement accounts, and college savings plans. Banc of America Investment Services, Inc. offers full-service financial advisory services to clients with investable assets in excess of $100,000. BAI is a part of Bank of America's Premier Banking and Investments division.

TRS was founded in 1939. Teachers Retirement System of The State of Illinois is a public pension benefit plan that provides retirement, disability, and survivor benefits for Illinois public school teachers, administrators, and personnel. Funded by contributions from members, employers, and the State of Illinois, as well as by investment income, TRS manages approximately $30 billion in assets. The system serves more than 350,000 members from all public schools except those in the city of Chicago. TRS is one of five state-funded retirement systems; the others are the State Universities Retirement System, the State Board of Investments, the State Employees' Retirement System, and the Judges Retirement System.

Bayview Capital Group specializes in mergers and acquisitions-related services for middle-market companies in the service and manufacturing sectors. The company has completed about 100 such transactions since it was founded in 1995; clients typically have annual sales between $10 million and $150 million. Bayview Capital believes that serving only smaller firms and focusing on relatively few transactions at a time give it a competitive advantage over bulge-bracket investment banks.

Founded in 1965, Greylock has helped build more than 300 companies, nearly half of which have gone on to initial public offerings. Its current portfolio consists of interests in more than 60 companies, including interests in Digg, Facebook, LinkedIn, Pandora, Red Bend Software, Zend, and Zipcar. Greylock Management believes it holds the key to venture capital investing. Also doing business as Greylock Partners, the firm provides funding development-stage companies involved in such sectors as information technology, software, semiconductors, the Internet, clean technology, and consumer services, with a focus on the San Francisco Bay area and Boston, as well as emerging markets China, India, and Israel.

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