NON-FIDUCIARY SERVICES

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Most retirement plan participants we have met over the years have said that they feel ill-equipped to manage their investments by themselves. The most common saying we hear is “I don't do this for a living so how should I know what to do?” Even with all of the technological and online educational resources provided by the large retirement plan platform providers, people are simply unsure how to invest for retirement.

Our experience with plan participants is not unique. The 2015 Deloitte 401(k) Benchmarking Survey found that 40% of employees feel that they are not experienced or comfortable with choosing and managing an investment portfolio. “Where to invest and what funds to use” was the top concern. In addition, lack of awareness or understanding was the primary reason employees do not participate in their company's retirement plan, followed by the uncertain economy, and concerns about the job market.

People need help. It's that simple. Providing educational resources via technology is a necessity, but we have found that participants want to be able to meet with an adviser face-to-face. Participants want and need to speak to someone who is qualified to provide advice and make sense of their financial world. The 2015 Deloitte 401(k) Benchmarking Survey found that the most effective ways for advisers to communicate with plan participants are one-on-one meetings (23%), group meetings (21%), and targeted communications (21%).

For your employees to meet their financial goals, quality education and service are pivotal. We support them in a multiplicity of ways:

• Group enrollment meetings: on-site and/or virtual
• Financial education seminars: on-site and/or virtual
• One-on-one participant meetings: on-site and/or virtual

While many of our competitors treat plan participants like a number, we see them—and serve them—like our private clients. We measure our success by their success.

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