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Overview of Retirement Plan Services
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Independent and Objective Advice:
Our advisors average over 17 years of experience in the investment and retirement plan industry. We believe in complete transparency of all plan-related expenses including our own fees and we will not work with service providers who do not abide by these principles. Our advisors have worked in both investment advisory roles as well as in plan design roles for administrators. This gives us a unique perspective on plan design options as well as prudent investment options for your plan.
Unbiased Investment Selection and a Rigorous Monitoring Process:
We work with the Plan Trustees to select a group of investments which are appropriate for your plan. We are not affiliated with nor do we receive any revenue sharing derived from the plan's investments. This allows us to remain completely objective in our selection criteria. In addition, we are only paid based on our fee-based services agreement. No matter what fund is offered in your plan, our compensation is the same. This arrangement allows us complete freedom in fund selection. For example, a particular fund of interest might be available in a share class that includes a 12b-1 fee and some form of revenue sharing. These monies would be paid to the plan and could then be used to pay for any number of plan expenses including investment advisory fees. All fees would be disclosed and documented.
Our due diligence process streamlines the investment selection process. We place a strong emphasis on a number of qualitative and quantitative criteria including net investment expenses. We have no proprietary investment products so you are free to choose from the entire universe of funds. We will advise you on an appropriate number of funds given your particular situation. Finally, we can work with your organization to consider special types of investing such as Socially Responsible Investments.
Targeted Employee Communications and Investment Advice:
We believe that the worst benefit dollar an employer can spend is one that is neither understood nor appreciated. We strive to raise employee awareness of their plan and to give them the tools they need to confidently enjoy their journey to retirement. We provide paper and web-based materials designed to boost enrollment. We also provide regular and ongoing on-site group meetings on enrollment basics and additional topics as requested by the plan sponsor. In addition, we provide one-on-one advice sessions for personal and confidential service. We are also reachable via telephone and email.
We can develop and monitor Model Portfolios within your retirement plan. Participants will be given the opportunity to fill out an Asset Allocation and Risk Tolerance Questionnaire. This will produce an Investor Profile which corresponds with one of the Model Portfolios. We will manage each Model and keep it on track with its objectives. All the employee has to do is select the Model Portfolio as their investment option.
Best in Class Service Providers:
We only work with recordkeepers and administrators who work in a full fee disclosure environment. We believe in full-disclosure and we only want to operate in an environment of fee transparency. This is the only environment in which a plan fiduciary can fulfill his duties to the plan participants.
Retirement Plan Services Listing
Comprehensive 401(k) Plan Consulting Resource
Recordkeeping Issues
Compliance Issues
Plan Design
Plan Effectiveness
Legislative and Trend Updates
Recordkeeper Account Management
Investment Advisory and Fiduciary Services
Investment Policy Statement and Standard Procedures for monitoring plan investments
Investment Options are evaluated Quarterly
Short and long-term performance versus index and peer group (Quantitative)
Passive vs. Active Investments
Asset Class screening & Style Drift
Alpha (Quantitative)
Sharpe Ratio (Quantitative)
Beta (Quantitative)
Consistency of Performance (Quantitative)
R2 Correlation (Quantitative)
Fees (Qualitative)
Growth in Assets (Qualitative)
Fund Size relative to Morningstar Category (Qualitative)
Firm reputation / Assets under management (Qualitative)
Portfolio Manager Tenure (Qualitative)
Firm research/Analysts (Qualitative)
Investment Committee Education
Ongoing monitoring of funds
“Watch-list” and fund replacement procedures
We act as a co-fiduciary to your plan and help you manage your fiduciary duties
Employee Education and Investment Services
Participant Advice
Ongoing enrollment and educational campaigns
Palisade Investments offers investment advice beyond 401(k) for interested participants
Group meetings as well as one-on-one
Participants can call recordkeeper for plan-related inquiries
Model Portfolio construction and maintenance
Online educational tools and investment research
Revenue-neutral advisory services eliminates conflicts of interest
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