401k Plans

Leaders of small and mid-sized businesses have multiple roles and competing priorities. You want a best-in-class retirement plan but may be unsure about all the complexities and requirements. You may be uncertain about the costs and fees involved. You need a provider focused solely on retirement and aligned with your needs and goals—and fully committed to you, your participants, and the ongoing improvement of retirement investing.

Let us simplify your retirement plan so you'll have more time to run your business. Whether you're self-employed or employ others, we have a plan to fit your needs and small-business specialists to provide you with exceptional service.

We partner with leading retirement plan companies including; Vanguard, Ascensus, T. Rowe Price, Fidelity which strive to provide a cost-effective solution that’s designed for small businesses.

You receive an All-in Fee Report that shows the total cost of your plan.
You have access to low-cost index funds, plus the opportunity to choose from among more than 12,000 mutual funds.
Your annual recordkeeping price is based on a per-participant fee—a fee that doesn't jump as your assets grow, as with many small to mid-sized retirement plans.
You have flexibility in how you cover your plan costs—including a recordkeeping credit depending on the share class selected.

Our consultants will assist in all aspects of your retirement Plan including; selecting and monitoring investment funds, serving as an investment fiduciary, assisting with plan design, creating investment policy statements, providing participant education and acting as a liaison between you and your Plan administrator.

Investment Advisory Services

*Fiduciary services under ERISA (to the extent the plan is subject to ERISA)

Investment Policy Statement. IAR will assist the Plan in the preparation or review of an investment policy statement (“IPS”) for the Plan based upon consultation with Client.

*Ongoing Investment Recommendations. IAR will recommend, for consideration and selection by Client, specific investments to be held by the Plan or, in the case of a participant-directed defined contribution plan, to be made available as investment options under the Plan. IAR will recommend, for consideration and selection by Client, investment replacements if an existing investment is determined by the Client to no longer be suitable as an investment option.

*Ongoing Investment Monitoring. IAR will perform ongoing monitoring of investments options in relation to the criteria provided by the Client to the IAR.

*Qualified Default Investment Alternative Assistance. IAR may assist Client in identifying an investment product or model portfolio in connection with the definition of a “Qualified Default Investment Alternative” (“QDIA”) under ERISA (for Plans subject to ERISA).

*Non-Discretionary Model Portfolios. IAR will recommend, for consideration and approval by Client, (i) asset allocation target-date or risk-based model portfolios for the Plan to make available to Plan participants, and (ii) funds from the line-up of investment options chosen by the Client to include in such model portfolios.

Performance Reports. IAR will prepare periodic reports reviewing the performance of all Plan investment options, as well as comparing the performance thereof to benchmarks with Client. The information used to generate the reports will be derived directly from information such as statements provided by Client, investment providers and/or third parties.

Consulting Services

Service Provider Liaison. IAR shall assist the Plan by acting as a liaison between the Plan and service providers, product sponsors and/or vendors. In such cases, IAR shall act only in accordance with instructions from the Client on investment or Plan administration matters and shall not exercise judgment or discretion.

Education Services to Plan Committee. IAR will provide education, training, and/or guidance for the members of the Plan Committee with regard to plan features, retirement readiness matters, or duties and responsibilities of the Committee, including education with respect to fiduciary responsibilities.

Participant Enrollment. IAR will assist Client in enrolling Plan participants in the Plan, including conducting an agreed upon number of enrollment meetings. As part of such meetings, IAR will provide participants with information about the Plan, which may include information on the benefits of Plan participation, the benefits of increasing Plan contributions, the impact of preretirement withdrawals on retirement income, the terms of the Plan and the operation of the Plan.

Participant Education. IAR will assist with participant education, which may include preparation of education materials and/or conducting investment education seminars and meetings for Plan participants. Such meetings may be on a group or individual basis, and may include information about the investment options under the Plan (e.g., investment objectives, risk/return characteristics, and historical performance), investment concepts (e.g., diversification, asset classes, and risk and return), and how to determine investment time horizons and assess risk tolerance. Such meeting shall not include specific investment advice about investment options under the Plan as being appropriate for a particular participant, but may include use of educational investment models.

Plan Search Support/Vendor Analysis. IAR will assist with the preparation, distribution and evaluation of Request for Proposals, finalist interviews, and conversion support.

Benchmarking Services. IAR will provide Client with comparisons of Plan data (e.g., regarding fees, services, participant enrollment and contributions) to data from the Plan's prior years and/or a benchmark group of similar plans.

Assistance Identifying Plan Fees. IAR will assist client in identifying the fees and other costs borne by the Plan for, as specified by client, investment management, recordkeeping, participant education, participant communication and/or other services provided with respect to the Plan.