Retirement Plan Services
Rising complexity in plan design, multiple layers of fees and proliferation of investment options—not to mention increasing compliance costs and regulatory oversight—can create confusion for plan sponsors. GRP advisors' focus is to position plan sponsors to deliver high caliber products and services to their participants.
GRP advisors offer a comprehensive suite of services for employers. These services are delivered by knowledgeable advisors nationwide to aid employers in making the best choices for their employees. To learn more, choose from one of the options below.
Click the links below to explore GRP.
Fiduciary Support & Education
With more scrutiny placed on plan sponsors today to meet fiduciary obligations, GRP advisors provide educational resources and solutions aimed at helping mitigate employer liability, including the implementation of plan policies and procedures.
Investment Functions Offered:
- Training and education on plan investment and retirement
- Comprehensive fiduciary oversight reviews
- Assist with the development of policies and procedures
- Creating a culture of compliance through proper documentation
- Regular review of service providers
Investment Due Diligence
GRP advisors work with retirement plan sponsors to assist in the development and maintenance of investment due diligence strategies, procedures and supporting documentation including the sponsor investment policy statement (IPS).
How it works:
- A governing committee is created whose goal is to ensure fiduciary practices are followed. During this time the IPS is drafted and reviewed and costs are determined and regularly benchmarked.
- Investment portfolios are created and routinely analyzed so that the plan sponsor can expect ongoing performance check-ups.
- GRP advisors help monitor a plan to stay on track; each investment is continually evaluated by a variety of metrics that strive to meet the objectives of the sponsor’s IPS and to minimize exposure to fiduciary liability.
Our goal is to help plan sponsors feel confident that their plan is diversified and also consistently and regularly monitored to meet the IPS objectives.
3(21) or 3(38) Co-fiduciary
A retirement plan advisor can serve in either a 3(21) or 3(38) fiduciary capacity, and in some cases, both capacities. The goals of the plan sponsor dictate the specific arrangements, which are typically based on risk mitigation versus risk avoidance. Some plan sponsors want assistance with their fiduciary responsibilities but want to maintain discretion and control of their plan’s investment menus. Others want to shift the fiduciary responsibilities to an experienced third party. GRP advisors can assist a plan sponsor in determining the appropriate choices for their plan.
Plan Design Consultation
No two plans are alike. GRP advisors take the time to understand a plan sponsor’s requirements before assisting them with the design of an objective retirement plan program that seeks to provide both great value to employees as well as alignment with the plan sponsor’s corporate goals and objectives.
Plan Design Functions Offered:
- Strategies that seek to optimize employer contributions
- Assistance with 404(c) investment guidelines and other legislative and regulatory changes
- Assistance with electronic management and transmittal of payroll, loan and other transactions
- Automation support – paperless enrollment and online employee access
- Analysis of auto enrollment, safe harbor, and auto increase provisions
- Evaluation of qualification and eligibility processes and issues
- Support services and educational resources to streamline administration
Provider Analysis & Benchmarking
With growing scrutiny on plan sponsors over potential or perceived ERISA violations, GRP advisors provide plan sponsors with a variety of benchmarking options to help streamline the process of selecting and monitoring plan providers.
Taking into account the plan sponsors’ staff demographics and retirement plan goals and objectives, GRP advisors evaluate an employer’s current investment portfolio and plan provider and offers recommendations for improvements in cost, compliance, technology offerings, service and support.
GRP advisors then assist in the analysis and selection process of a provider that best fits the identified needs of the organization and its employees.
Finally, GRP advisors take a proactive approach to help plan sponsors maintain and enhance provider services through an ongoing benchmarking process that measures participation levels and overall performance.
