Our Fiduciary Process
Managing a corporate retirement plan has become increasingly complex, with greater regulatory requirements and fiduciary responsibilities placed on plan sponsors. Our goal is to partner with you to help manage the fiduciary process and reduce the burden and liability that comes with sponsoring a retirement plan. We take the time to understand your company, your workforce, and the challenges facing both you and your employees.
From there, we provide practical recommendations designed to help you offer a competitive retirement plan that works for your organization and your people. Most importantly, we serve as a co-fiduciary to the plan, providing ongoing guidance and support so you are not managing these responsibilities alone. Curious on how your retirement plan measures up? Take our five minute plan scorecard.
FOUR STEPS BUILT AROUND YOUR PRIORITIES
Plan Design & Recordkeeping Consulting
Working with existing recordkeeper or selecting a new one
The recordkeeper is the most visible and interactive party to a corporate retirement plan. Your employees engage with the recordkeeper for web access, statements and account transactions. It is critical to partner with a recordkeeper that delivers the most value to you and your employees. We work with you to develop a plan design that is advantageous to you and your employees and then we recommend a recordkeeper that aligns with those objectives.
The process begins with us taking the time to learn about the needs of your organization as it relates to the corporate retirement plan. It is a highly consultative approach that allows us to share our experience with you to determine a feasible plan design. As an independent organization, we can work with any recordkeeper available. We start with your current recordkeeper to determine whether or not they are the best fit for your needs. We field proposals from other recordkeepers to compare pricing and services offered. After we review the proposals, we bring our recommendations to you for review. We then work with you to implement our recommendations either with your current recordkeeper or a new one.
Our professionals spend a significant amount of time keeping up on industry trends and strategies. Our goal is to bring our knowledge and expertise to you in the plan design process in order to deliver more positive outcomes for your employees. We are very committed to managing this process in a way that takes the burden and time spent away from you and puts you in a position to maximize the effectiveness of your plan.
Investment Management
Comprehensive process for investment selection and monitoring
While your employees may interact most with the recordkeeper, the fund lineup is equally as important because the funds are where their money is invested. As a fiduciary, you are tasked with selecting the investment options that are available to your employees. We work with you to develop a process for the selection and monitoring of the fund lineup. We construct an Investment Policy Statement that outlines our process for fund selection. We then utilize the process to monitor funds and replace funds as necessary.
As an independent investment advisor, we have no allegiance to any particular funds. Moreover, we do not accept compensation from any fund families. We strive to ensure that there are no conflicts of interest in the fund selection process. Our fund lineups generally offer a mix of both active and passive funds so your participants are able determine whether or not an active manager is beneficial to them. Finally, we work diligently to manage the expenses of the underlying funds to ensure that we are offering the most cost-effective share classes available to your plan.
The selection of funds is a significant responsibility that requires diligence and expertise. We take great pride in helping you manage the process to ensure that your participants have access to high quality options with competitive pricing.
Employee Education
Working with your employees to manage outcomes
We believe that ongoing employee education and engagement results in significantly better outcomes. If employees are stressed about their finances, it can have a negative impact on their productivity. We enjoy working with employees and helping them manage anything from their retirement plan to their household finances. We have access to a variety of educational tools including newsletters, videos and online programs that we make available to employees. On top of that, our team of professionals thoroughly enjoys meeting and working with employees individually.
We understand that every workforce is different, and every employee has different needs. We work with you to determine the most effective education delivery methods for your employees. Our approaches to delivering employee education include:
- Group Meetings via webex or face to face
- Individual consultations in a one on one setting
- Online tools and videos
- Print communications
Our team has experience in working with employees at all levels. We believe that our commitment to educating employees and offering responsive service to them is a differentiating factor of our firm.
Get Started
Your retirement plan is one of the most important benefits you offer, and one of the easiest to overlook.
Unlike other employee benefits, there is no annual renewal forcing you to review your plan. Yet it represents a significant investment for your company and plays an important role in your employees’ financial future.
The retirement plan partners you choose can make all the difference. Let’s take a closer look at your plan, identify opportunities for improvement, and build a clear path forward. Schedule a complimentary plan review below to get started.
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