Retirement Plan Services
Baird has the expertise, resources and relationships to help companies of any size establish and maintain a retirement program, including 401(k) plans, defined benefit pensions, 403(b) plans, 457 plans, profit sharing plans, and others. Our services are provided on an institutional plan level, working with the plan's investment committee, business owner, organization director, or CFO/C-Suite team. We assist plan Sponsors by taking a consultative approach to plan design, product due diligence, plan sponsor fiduciary assistance, competitive benchmarking, investment monitoring, and participant education.
Consultative Plan Advice
- Information and advice on various plan features and design issues
- Review the marketplace to select an appropriate provider of administrative services
- Recommend investment managers to meet your plan's objectives
- Establish or review an Investment Policy Statement
- Assist during plan set-up or conversion
Fiduciary and Regulatory Support
- Provide regulatory and industry updates
- Investment performance monitoring
- Assist with selection of investment options
- Track investment performance and compare with benchmarks
- Monitor asset class style consistency
- Conduct a periodic review of the Investment Policy Statement to ensure investments meet stated objectives
- Fiduciary education to Investment Committee members
- Fiduciary Audit File Support
Employee Communication and Education
- Leverage the services offered by your plan provider
- Coordinate initial and ongoing employee-friendly enrollment meetings
- Collaborate with your plan provider to offer ongoing investment education
- Offer plan participants easy access to services and prompt response to inquiries
- Coordinate education of participants and retirees on distribution options
- Provide one-on-one participant guidance and asset allocation strategies, if requested
Service Components
- Serve as liaison between your firm and your plan provider
- Benchmark the cost and services of your plan to ensure competitiveness
- Provide updates on trends and survey information on retirement plans nationwide