Retirement Plan Services
Record keeper and Third-party Administrator Evaluation: Due to our independence, we have the ability to help companies to choose the best record keepers and third-party administrators for their individual needs. We have a broad universe to explore in this regard, and plans should not be viewed as one-size-fits-all.
Investment Policy Statement (IPS) Creation & Review: We help with the creation and implementation of the IPS. We also review it over time and recommend changes as necessary due to changes in the law or regulations.
Investment Committee Creation & Meeting Coordination:We help companies to set up an investment committee and give guidance on decisions that need to be made. We also help committee members to understand their fiduciary responsibility to the plan. We lead the meeting through providing an agenda but also ask committee members to bring up items for discussion if they choose.
Investment Selection Research & Recommendation: We use several tools to help with the screening and recommendation of investment options for the plan.We are able to customize the criteria we use for choosing investment options, and we have access to a significant number of criteria to use as we choose.We generate reports on a quarterly basis that can be used in the investment committee meetings or sent out to committee members for review. If investments are not meeting the criteria, they can be put on a Watch List or removed from the plan.
Ongoing Review of Plan Features, Investment Options, and QDIAs: We review plan provisions, investment options, and the Qualified Default Investment Alternatives (QDIAs) at least annually to make sure they are still appropriate for the plan.
Employee Education:We attend meetings and provide education to the employees about the plan and important items regarding retirement planning and any changes in the law that may be applicable to them.
Individual Employee Consulting & Retirement Projections: We give every employee access to us if they need individual help with the plan investments or any other financial decisions in their lives with which they may need guidance.Since we work with many clients individually, we have the expertise to help plan participants with many of their individual financial questions and needs. We offer employees the opportunity to have a quick retirement projection done for no additional charge. If they should want something more detailed, there may be an additional cost for that.
Fee Benchmarking: We have access to various fee benchmarking programs. We can enter specific criteria to come up with a fee range or use a large universe of plans that may or may not have similar needs and services.
Defined Benefit Plan Implementation: We help companies to set up defined benefit pension plans for their employees in addition to the defined contribution plans that many implement.
Lunch & Learn Programs: We offer lunch & learn programs to the companies on various financial topics that we present to them. This can be done live or via teleconference.