INTEGRATE FOR SUCCESS
LOWERED PLAN FEES
ENHANCED SERVICE MODEL FOR PARTICIPANTS
We established a deferred compensation plan for this client’s key executives and were asked to review their 401(k) plan for possible integration opportunities. We uncovered that the plan had excessive fees and that there was a significant surrender charge if the plan was moved to another provider. Client executed a change of broker on the plan so we could support the client’s day-to-day operation of the plan. After three years of servicing the plan, we facilitated negotiations with 401(k) providers and found one that was willing to buy out the remaining surrender charge. End results: lower plan fees and a more suitable service model for participants.*
BUILDING A MEP
COORDINATED WITH SERVICE PROVIDERS TO DEVELOP PLAN
DEVELOPED SOLUTIONS IN A VOLATILE MARKET
During the 2008-2009 financial crisis, a board member of one of our plans approached us after seeing our efforts to educate clients about the chaos going on in the markets and asked if we would help him build a MEP (multi-employer plan) for the human resources company he was establishing. We worked with an ERISA attorney and a Third-Party Administrator (TPA) to create the requested plan, which has been in use for four years and now has over 60 sponsors. We also worked with these sponsors to facilitate a change of TPA and plan provider, transitioning all adopters and participants to the new plan platform.*
CASH BALANCE
ESTABLISHED CASH BALANCE PLAN
MAXIMUM HCE CONTRIBUTIONS WITHOUT EXCESSIVE COMPANY CONTRIBUTIONS
The objective here was to craft a plan where Highly Compensated executives (HCEs) could maximize their contributions without overburdening the employer with excessive company contributions. We helped establish a 401(k) defined contribution plan for employees and carved out the executive class into a Cash Balance plan. This allowed the employees to participate at a level they were comfortable with, without restricting the executive class from maximizing their contributions.*
COMPLIANCE SOLUTIONS
ENHANCED ADMINISTRATION AND RECORDKEEPING
INCREASED EMPLOYEE PARTICIPATION
In 2005, we began working with a company that was being acquired by an investment group. During negotiations, the investment group expressed concerns that the company’s 401(k) plan had excessive costs and possible ERISA violations. We helped the client move their plan to a vendor that was able to address the recordkeeping and administration concerns, thus reducing the possible violations. End results: greater participation and lower cost.*
*Case studies may not be representative of the results of all clients and are not indicative of future performance or success.