401(k) / ERISA CONSULTING

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Employers who provide a 401(k) or other type of qualified retirement plan have a complex operating structure to accommodate and a fiduciary level of responsibility that is outside their normal employee relationship. They must select and monitor the key plan vendors, compare investment results against prudent man rules and keep expenses down to a fiduciary level of reasonableness for plan participants.  To complicate matters, new laws and new interpretations of old laws coupled with advances in plan operating systems and evolving investment choices constantly create opportunities and challenges.

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The members of a Plan Committee can be held personally responsible for getting all of that right, a daunting proposition for company officers with other full time duties.

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We serve an unbiased industry expert to help plan officials fulfill their duties both to the company and to plan participants.  A partial list of the services we provide includes:

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• Establishing a written investment policy to clarify the goals and review procedures used when selecting and monitoring plan investment options.
• Reviewing plan design, documentation and operating procedures.
• Monitoring vendor performance and costs relative to industry standards. 
• Preparing investment reviews and monitoring performance versus policy standards.
• Staying abreast of new plan features such as Qualified Default Investment Options and Automatic Contribution Arrangements.
• Assisting with participant communications efforts through group seminars.
• Evaluating failed nondiscrimination tests and addressing ad hoc issues.
• Providing the agenda for Committee meetings and documenting fiduciary diligence with draft minutes.