TrinityPoint Wealth was born from deep knowledge and experience providing retirement plan consulting services to businesses and institutions.
Plan Design Consulting
Whether it be assistance with 401(k) plans or more complex issues, we understand that designing and managing the optimum retirement plan benefit is important to your organization’s success and paramount to your participants’ ability to properly prepare for retirement.
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As true consultants, we work to gain a full understanding of your objectives and present detailed solutions to meet those goals. We also serve as a co-fiduciary, assuming the same responsibilities as the Plan Sponsor. Our documented fiduciary process serves to mitigate the risk associated with offering this type of benefit.
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In addition, we provide participant guidance, helping them understand how the plan works, what deferral and investment options are appropriate based upon their individual circumstance, and most importantly, how their actions will translate to a meaningful retirement. By giving participants the tools and knowledge to take ownership of their retirement, we help put them in a position to achieve a successful outcome.
3(38) Investment Manager
A 3(38) Investment Manager is an investment fiduciary on a retirement plan as defined by ERISA (Employee Retirement Income Security Act) section 3(38). The role of a 3(38) is to oversee the prudent selection, monitoring and replacement of the investment choices within a Defined Contribution plan such as a 401(k). Our services include authoring an Investment Policy statement, regular meetings with the plan sponsor to review the investment performance and documenting all relevant data. As a 3(38) we mitigate the risk of the plan sponsor by assuming responsibility for the investment menu.
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3(21) Fiduciary
Similar to a 3(38), a 3(21) Fiduciary assists the plan sponsor with a variety of functions including the selection and monitoring of the investment menu. The main difference is that the ultimate decisions and liability still rest with the plan sponsor.
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Participant Education Programs
TPW works with plan sponsors to help employee understand and utilize their retirement plan. We can implement strategies for driving participation and savings rates, as well as meeting with individual participants to discuss retirement readiness using gap analysis tools.
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Benchmarking of Plan Fees
As part of any documented fiduciary process, Defined Contribution plan sponsors are required to confirm that plan fees are reasonable. TPW can assist plan sponsors with periodic benchmarking of plan fees.
Pooled Employer Plan (PEP)
Established under the SECURE Act of 2019, a Pooled Employer Plan (PEP) allows groups of employers to pool their assets into a single 401(k) plan. A PEP can offer distinct advantages to employers such as significantly reduced plan administration, lower costs and reduced fiduciary risk and liability.
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401(k) Plans
Is your 401(k) plan meeting ERISA’s (Employee Retirement Income Security Act) standards in terms of your documented process, the performance of investments and the reasonableness of your fees? Would you benefit from some additional perspective on your plan?
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The most typical option for corporate retirement plans, 401(k) plans involve very specific rules and responsibilities under ERISA. At TrinityPoint Wealth, we help mitigate the risk by partnering with you as a co-fiduciary. We also help you realize the importance and value of an effective retirement plan in the recruitment and retention of your employees. And we assist in making sure that your plan meets the needs of your workforce.
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These plans offer a variety of design features to accommodate your specific requirements and goals. Our team will help you understand your plan options for participant eligibility, vesting, employer contribution or match (Safe Harbor), pre-tax versus Roth deferrals and profit sharing. An appropriate plan design based upon your goals and company demographics is key to an effective plan.
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Despite the best intentions of plan sponsors, many employees do not fully understand or properly utilize their 401(k) plan. We assist employers in driving participation and deferral rates through innovative plan design (auto-enrollment, auto deferral increases, etc.) and regularly scheduled participant education. Our ultimate goal is to ensure that employees understand the implications of their participation and take ownership of their retirement.
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Profit Sharing
A profit sharing plan feature is typically included with 401k plans. This allows the employer to decide on a discretionary basis (within limits and subject to ERISA rules) whether to contribute to participants. Employer contributions to the plan can be subject to a vesting schedule. Annual testing is typically required to ensure that contributions for rank-and-file employees are proportional to contributions for owners and highly compensated employees.
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Safe Harbor
A Safe Harbor 401(k) plan allows a plan sponsor to automatically pass certain annual compliance with IRS regulations as long as specific contributions and participant notifications are met. This plan permits a high level of salary deferrals with an Employer matching contribution.
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Roth
The Roth 401(k) is another option that can be added to a traditional 401(k) plan. Whereas the traditional 401(k) provides salary deferral on a pre-tax basis, the Roth feature allows participants to defer compensation on an after-tax basis. So although these deferrals do not reduce your taxable income, the contributions and earnings on those contributions will be tax-free when withdrawn in retirement.
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Owner-Only
The Owner-Only 401(k), sometimes referred to as a Solo 401(k) or Uni-k, is available to business owners with no other employees, other than a spouse or 5% (or greater) owner. This plan allows the owner to maximize his or her contributions by allowing both employer contributions and employee salary deferrals. Other benefits include contribution flexibility, lower costs than traditional 401(k)s and less administrative duties, as well as a wide range of investment options.
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SEP IRA Plans
A SEP (Simplified Employee Pension) IRA is a type of retirement savings plan available to self-employed individuals or small business owners. This plan allows business owners to contribute up to 25% of employee compensation (subject to certain caps and limitations) for themselves and their employees. Contributions are tax deductible for the business and are fully vested when made. In addition, contributions do not need to be made each plan year and amounts can vary from year to year.
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SIMPLE IRA Plans
The SIMPLE IRA plan (Savings Incentive Match Plan for Employees) is another type of tax-deferred employer-provided retirement plan available to businesses with 100 or fewer employees. Unlike the SEP, this plan allows for employee salary deferrals in addition to a mandatory employer matching contribution (not to exceed 3% of compensation). With minimal administration and associated costs, this type of plan provides a nice benefit for both the employer and the employees.
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Cash Balance Plans
A hybrid between a defined benefit plan and a defined contribution plan, a cash balance plan targets key employees, allowing them to contribute larger sums of money into the plan. If you’re a business owner, a cash balance plan gives you an opportunity to maximize your retirement savings because of the generous contribution limits that increase with age. It also reduces your taxable income.
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We can help you explore the pros and cons of offering this type of benefit, determine the most advantageous plan and execute it for your organization.
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457 Plans
457 plans are a type of qualified, tax advantaged deferred compensation plan, typically used by governmental employers. Many municipalities offer 457 plans, as well as a pension, in order to offer participants an additional means of saving for retirement. Often, however, Plan Sponsors don’t fully understand or scrutinize their plan offerings.
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As 457 plan consultants, we work with a number of municipalities and can help you deliver an optimum plan design and plan offering to your employees.
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403(b) Plans
While 403(b) plans have been the traditional vehicle for non-profit entities, many of these plans are now subject to ERISA regulations. You may be able to offer a 401k plan that you can elect to offer a 401(k) plan instead — which could provide features that better serve your organization.
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As consultants, we can help you sort through your options, determine the best solution and optimize a retirement plan for your organization. We’ll also partner with you as a co-fiduciary, instituting a documented fiduciary process to mitigate risk.
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Choose The Perfect Retirement Plan With TrinityPoint Wealth
No matter the size of your business and scope of your needs, you can count on our team to point you in the right direction every step of the way. We know how important retirement plans are to the business and employees and tailor our services to reflect that. To get started on choosing your business’s retirement plan, give us a call or contact us via email to schedule a consultation.