Corporate Retirement Plans
Corporate Retirement Plans
We are more than fiduciary advisors; we are Retirement Advocates.
Our hands-on approach to corporate retirement planning aims to help you build a plan that meets the highest fiduciary standard, relieve administrative burden, and maximize retirement outcomes. We believe that you will feel better knowing that Beacon is always looking out for you.
As an employer, your employees look to you for direction and guidance – especially when it comes to saving for the future. Eight out of ten Americans don’t know how much money they’ll need in retirement1, so it’s important for you to set a strong example and build benefit plans that can help your employees start saving.
1 Age Wave/Merrill Lynch, "Finances in Retirement: New Challenges, New Solutions," 15 Feb. 2017.
Why Work with a CEFEX Advisor
We are committed to providing elite level guidance and service to our clients. Our CEFEX Certified advisors aim to meet company goals and empowering employees to confidently save. We strive to surpass all of our client’s expectations.
Our passion for fiduciary excellence and dedication to doing what is best for our clients prompted us to obtain advanced credentials. These are not required but are important for developing trusted processes and instilling confidence.
We work with retirement plan decision makers to provide assistance with:
Fiduciary Support + Relief
Many fiduciaries are in the dark: 49% of plan sponsors are unaware of their fiduciary status and duties1. This is cause for concern. Failing to uphold fiduciary responsibilities, even by accident, could result in penalties and fines, or worse yet, sponsors can be held personally liable.
Under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA), the law that governs private workplace retirement plans, a plan fiduciary’s legal responsibilities include:
- Acting solely in the interest of plan participants and beneficiaries, with the exclusive purpose of providing benefits to them;
- Carrying out duties with skill, prudence and diligence;
- Following the plan documents (unless inconsistent with ERISA);
- Diversifying plan investments;
- Paying only reasonable expenses of administering the plan and investing its assets; and
- Avoiding conflicts of interest.
As your retirement plan advocate, we sit on the same side of the table and take on responsibilities as an investment co-fiduciary. We provide fiduciary training and help you implement a prudent process for managing your responsibilities as a plan fiduciary.
1 AllianceBernstein L.P. “Inside the Minds of Plan Sponsors” A/B Research. Dec 2017.
Investment Management
With 25 years portfolio management experience under our belts, we can help you build academically-sound, evidence-based investment strategy. We utilize robust investment tools and implement a process built on industry best practices. Our goal is to create a strategy that fits the unique objectives of your company and your employees. There are three distinct elements your strategy must include:
Process: Our CEFEX certified process helps guide investment decisions and strives to protect the investment committee. This includes the development of an Investment Policy Statement (IPS) which will serve as a road map for selecting and monitoring plan investments.
Selection: We assist you in selecting a competitive list of investments that align with the needs of your employees. These investments may include index funds, mutual funds, collective investment trusts, managed accounts, target date funds, and other options.
Monitor: As we periodically review your fund offerings, we will benchmark investment performance and expenses. Monitoring with the goal of ensuring investments remain consistent with plan objectives and IPS criteria is a critical part of the process.
Administrative Support + Guidance
It takes more than a traditional approach to inspire meaningful retirement outcomes. We’re willing and able to dedicate the time, energy, and resources needed to help your employees save for retirement and meet your company goals.
We offer elite level services that go above and beyond our client’s expectations:
- Dedicated Beacon Service Team to act as a liaison with the Provider
- Fiduciary Document Vault
- Operational Guidance and Transition Support
Platform + Plan Design Assistance
There’s no one-size-fits-all solution for retirement plans: platforms and plan design should be tailored to your company’s individual situation. Whether you need a plan designed with the goal to maximize contributions, increase participation, or satisfy testing requirements, you need to understand the basics of plan design and be able to evaluate your plan based on your company's specific goals.
Vendor Analysis / Platform Design Assistance
- Independent Vendor Analysis
- Record keeper, TPA, and Investment Provider review
- Experienced Guidance and Enhanced Transparency
- Non-Revenue Sharing platforms only
On-staff Retirement Plan Design Assistance
- Alternative design options
- Seek Out Safe Harbor
- Enhance Employee Provisions / Drive Positive Employee Outcomes
Assistance with Plan Design Options
- Matching formulas / Profit Sharing formulas
- Safe harbor
- Auto enroll / escalate
- Roth
Employee Engagement
We care deeply about every participant in your plan, and we take a hands-on approach to encourage financial well-being and empower your employees with dynamic education.
Financial Well-Being
Helping your employees take control of their financial lives is a win-win. When employees are financially stressed, they tend to be less productive: 46% of employees under financial stress say they spend three or more hours of company time distracted by personal finances every week1. Financial stress can also have insidious effects throughout your company, ranging from reduced morale to delayed retirement.
We believe that you can encourage and inspire your employees with compelling financial wellness initiatives. 3 out of 4 plan participants say they could use a helping hand from their employers to get their savings on track for retirement2.
Employee Education
We strive to provide financial education that helps your employees feel confident about their savings goals and, ultimately, their retirement futures.
Beacon University is a comprehensive employee education solution that offers a variety of resources to raise your employees’ financial education and wealth-building options to a higher level. A one-of-a-kind education curriculum that strives to teach “financial wellness” by offering a wide range of topics to customize your Participant Education Experience.
1 PriceWaterHouseCoopers LLP. “2018 Employee Financial Wellness Survey.” May 2018.
2 American Century Investments. “6th Annual National Survey of DC Plan Participants.” Nov 2018.