Independent 401(k) & Cash Balance Plan Consulting

You Already Wear Enough Hats

If you run a business, you are already wearing too many hats.

Adding “401(k) expert” to the list probably sounds like a terrible idea.

Most growing companies already have a payroll provider, recordkeeper, administrator, investment lineup and several people touching the retirement plan.

What they often do not have is someone who actually owns the problem when something goes wrong.

HR thinks it is payroll.

Payroll says it is the recordkeeper.

The recordkeeper sends you to the TPA.

The TPA needs something from payroll.

Meanwhile, you just want the thing fixed.

Hardship request. Loan issue. Payroll problem. Audit preparation. Participant confusion. Vendor finger-pointing. A compliance notice nobody quite knows how to handle.

You call me.

I figure out who needs to be involved, coordinate the right people, help resolve the issue and keep it moving.

Because having several providers is not the same as having someone take ownership.

A Retirement Plan Is Not “Set It and Forget It”

Your retirement plan is an ongoing business responsibility.

Your company changes.

Your goals change.

Your employees change.

Tax laws and plan rules change.

Your retirement plan should evolve with them.

That means reviewing the design, fees, participation, vendors and overall structure over time instead of assuming the decisions made five years ago still make sense today.

My job is to help identify problems before they become headaches, find opportunities before they are missed and make sure the plan continues to work for the business and the people using it.

Questions I Hear All the Time

“What is this going to cost?”

That depends on the size and complexity of the plan.

Fees may be flat, per participant, asset-based or some combination of the three.

You will know what you are paying before you commit.

Whenever practical, I prefer clear, direct pricing rather than costs buried inside investments where they are harder to see.

“I already have a plan, and it’s a mess.”

That is often where I can add the most value.

The answer might be better plan design, cleaner administration, stronger oversight, different investments, new vendors or simply someone taking ownership of the process.

Sometimes the plan needs major changes.

Sometimes it mostly needs someone willing to dig in and clean up the loose ends.

I meet you where the plan is today and help determine what actually needs to change.

“I’ve been through a conversion before. It was a nightmare.”

I hear that a lot.

The good news is that changing providers is not always necessary.

Sometimes a conversion is the right answer. Other times, meaningful improvements can be made without replacing the entire system.

The goal is not to blow everything up.

It is to fix what is not working.

“Changing advisors sounds like a lot of work.”

Usually, it is not.

Many plans already include advisory compensation in the existing arrangement.

In those cases, changing advisors may require little more than a new agreement and a form.

Your recordkeeper, TPA, payroll company and investments may all be able to stay exactly where they are.

The providers stay the same.

The service can change dramatically.

The Right Answer Is Not Always a 401(k)

Not every business needs the same solution.

Sometimes the right answer is a 401(k).

Sometimes it is a cash balance plan, SIMPLE IRA or another retirement arrangement.

Sometimes it is improving the plan you already have.

Sometimes it is staying exactly where you are.

And sometimes it is shutting down a plan that no longer makes sense.

I am not here to sell you a predetermined answer.

I am here to figure out what makes sense, do the work required to get there and be the person you call when something inevitably gets weird.