1. What to expect
  2. /As a plan sponsor

As a plan sponsor

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We have a model that we believe in, that we know is right, and that works. But we’re not manufacturers, we’re craftsmen; there’s no assembly line, only custom planning and analysis. Here are the basics of our 6-step process, solid fiduciary practices that we tailor to the particulars of each retirement plan.

  1. We agree to work together:  We agree on the fee structure of our relationship and the fiduciary level we’ll provide to your plan.
  2. We gather documents to gain a basic understanding of your plan:
    • Trust documents and agreements
    • Current Investment Policy Statement (IPS)
    • List of investments and assets
    • Service agreements with providers
    • Bills from current recordkeeper and TPA if applicable
    • Employee education strategy
    • Committee by-laws and procedures
  3. We do a fiduciary compliance audit that includes:
    • A comprehensive risk-adjusted investment analysis. We compare plan investment performance to major indices, peer groups, and established benchmarks.
    • A total analysis of all fees. We compare investment management fees, insurance company wrap or group annuity fees, administrative fees, recordkeeping fees, custodial fees, and any other dollars being charged against the plan to what other recordkeepers who work on plans of your size charge. The audit can lead to a new deal with the same provider or the search for a new provider.
    • Investment Policy Statement review. We make sure it includes and clearly delineates all required elements.
    • 404(c) and Fiduciary Declaration Statements. We examine your 404(c) statements given to participants to ensure adequacy so your plan will allow a fiduciary to successfully shift investment decision making to plan participants.
    • Plan communication, enrollment, and education material review. We include both printed and electronic materials to help plan fiduciaries determine the extent to which employees are receiving adequate investment information and if such information facilitates informed investment decisions.
  4. We create a custom service strategy for your plan, structured around necessary elements:
    • Fiduciary education for your committee
    • Fiduciary best practices and regulations
    • Review pros and cons of revenue sharing vs. flat dollar fee to pay plan expenses
    • Goals and initiatives including a timeline
    • Quantitative and qualitative investment review in compliance with your newly drafted IPS
    • Quantitative investment measures
    • Quantitative participation measures
    • Plan demographic reports
    • Participant success measures including a financial wellness plan
    • Investigate low-cost share classes for mutual funds and collective investment trusts
  5. And with added services and meetings on a schedule we both agree on:
    • Participant notices and documents
    • Fiduciary document checklist
    • Plan testing
    • Terminated participants
    • Forfeiture account
    • Plan document and regulatory issues
    • Industry developments and trends
    • Qualified Default Investment Option (QDIA)
    • Plan health metrics
    • Special projects
    • Employee education group meetings
    • Advice options
    • Educational tools
    • Retirement readiness
    • Enrollment meetings
  6. We implement the strategy.

We’d call it “ongoing” at this point so it’s no longer primarily about strategy. It’s also about service. You should expect that we will foresee issues with your plan, with the markets, and with the economy. That we’ll respond as close to instantly as possible when you have a problem. And that we’ll be good stewards of your money, of your participants’ money, and of the trust you place in us.