Our firm specializes in design review, implementation and servicing of corporate retirement plans for small to mid-sized privately owned businesses. The essential services we provide are plan design review, investment platform selection and the education of your employees.

Our firm has, what is known as an “open architecture,” which simply means that we are not tied to any particular investment vehicle. The investment platform we help you select will be the one that is appropriate for the needs of your employees and the cost structure relative to your plan size.

Plan Design Review:

A 401(k) retirement plan provided by an employer can accomplish a variety of objectives in addition to those mentioned above. IRS regulations permit plans to be designed to do the following:

• Minimize the employer outlay
• Reward key personnel
• Avoid refunds to the high compensated group (HCE’s)
• Simplify administration
• Permit each owner / partner to determine their allocation
• Maximize the benefit to the owner / partners
• Be weighted in favor of key employees

If your plan is no longer satisfying your objectives or preventing you from reaching your individual and collective goals, perhaps the plan design should be reviewed. Our role is to keep you abreast of the changes in tax laws that impact your plan and proactively recommend ways to keep your plan working effectively.

Building a retirement plan is no different than building a house and should start with a firm foundation in your plan design. Our staff will prepare illustrations for alternative plan designs empowering you to make informed decisions.

Education:

The education and communication to the employees is of paramount importance in the success of a retirement plan. At PFG Advisors our partners recommend at least semi-annual visits to discuss the specifics of the plan, the importance of saving and the investment vehicles offered.

Unfortunately, when saving for retirement too many people underestimate longevity risk and inflation risk relative to how much they need to save during their working years. Our advisor team will assist your participants to identify what level of savings is required to help maintain their standard of living beyond their working years. Once the savings rate is determined, an appropriate risk profile should be selected that is in concert with their savings objectives and overall tolerance for the ebbs and flows in the stock market. Finally, the appropriate funds or tools can then be selected to help meet those criteria.

Investment Platform:

The investment platform chosen should reflect the unique needs of the business, its owners, management and employees. Our analysis will be based on such factors as flexibility of investments, suitability and costs.

Depending on the participants’ investment acumen and comfort level, plans can be structured for complete self-directed portfolios or the addition of a third party investment management group that will actively manage the employees’ accounts. Odds are your employees will represent a mix of the two approaches.

Whatever approach you decide to take in the design of your plan and the education of your employees, our “open architecture” will afford you every opportunity to choose the appropriate investment vehicle that helps meet your needs.