Maintaining prudent, transparent, and consistent oversight to reduce risk and improve outcomes for plan participants.
Providing best-in-class employee education using various modalities to ensure plan success.
Regularly reviewing performance and risk and ensuring that the associated fees are reasonable and in the best interest of participants.
Serving as your trusted partner in navigating all the responsibilities of plan sponsorship.
Whether serving as a 3(21) co-fiduciary or a 3(38) discretionary fiduciary, we support clients in meeting their obligations. We help ensure that investment options meet established standards and that all fiduciary decisions are thoroughly documented and aligned with participants’ best interests.
We review or create, if needed, the Investment Policy Statement (IPS), which serves as the governing document for the selection, monitoring, and replacement of plan investments. We conduct an annual review to ensure ongoing compliance with fiduciary best practices and evolving regulatory requirements.
An investment committee is essential as it provides oversight, accountability, and expert guidance to ensure that investment decisions align with the organization’s IPS, regulatory requirements, and the best interests of plan participants. We support your Plan’s Investment Committee by:
Education is one of our core values, and we put it into practice every day. Our education strategy is designed to support positive plan outcomes while enhancing participants’ financial wellness. Proactive participant education—delivered in formats that resonate with your workforce—is among the most effective ways to improve plan results and testing outcomes. By providing information, we help build your employees’ confidence in their decision-making and saving abilities.
The following options are available to you at your discretion:
Periodic in-person and/or virtual seminars help employees feel motivated to contribute and empowered to save for retirement, while also building team morale.
As requested, our team of financial advisors and Certified Financial Planners™ can support plan participants by regular in person meetings at WBE.
We build weekly content that can serve as additional education to your team. It can be delivered via email weekly.
We can conduct an optional Annual Participant Survey to assess satisfaction with plan services, identify educational needs, and improve participant engagement.
Selecting and continuously monitoring appropriate investment options is one of a plan sponsor’s most critical fiduciary responsibilities. Offering a best-in-class, well-diversified, and cost-effective fund lineup not only helps participants achieve their retirement goals but also reduces compliance risk to the plan sponsor.
We support you in the following areas:
We review or create, if needed, the Investment Policy Statement (IPS), which serves as the governing document for the selection, monitoring, and replacement of plan investments. We conduct an annual review to ensure ongoing compliance with fiduciary best practices and evolving regulatory requirements.
We help build and maintain a best-in-class, cost-effective lineup. The selection process includes measuring performance vs. industry benchmarks. If a corporate 3(38) provider is also engaged in the plan, Fermata 401k does not assist in fund selection.
We support the plan sponsors’ fiduciary duty to ensure plan fees are reasonable. This includes:
We provide quarterly monitoring to ensure investments remain aligned with IPS and ERISA fiduciary standards. Underperforming funds are placed on a watch list, and we make documented recommendations for any needed changes.
We continue to serve as your trusted partner in navigating all of the responsibilities of plan sponsorship—during transition, as well as the day-to-day. By streamlining communication, managing change, and proactively addressing compliance, we help you reduce risk, improve efficiency, and deliver better outcomes for your participants on an ongoing basis.
We review or create, if needed, the Investment Policy Statement (IPS), which serves as the governing document for the selection, monitoring, and replacement of plan investments. We conduct an annual review to ensure ongoing compliance with fiduciary best practices and evolving regulatory requirements.
Retirement plans are not one-size-fits-all. We help you evaluate factors such as employee demographics, compensation levels, and business goals to create or refine a plan that maximizes value for both employer and employee.
When you make significant changes to your Plan—such as switching providers or updating your investment lineup—we serve as the project manager and liaison between your team and all vendors to ensure smooth execution and mitigate administrative disruption. This includes:
We act as the central point of contact between the Plan Sponsor and ensure effective communication across all service providers, such as Recordkeepers, TPAs, Custodians, Auditors, Legal/compliance support.
Each year we conduct a thorough review of your Plan, including: