Plan Sponsors

INTEREST

Entrepreneurship, taking an idea and growing it into a viable business, is a rare gift. Associated Pension Services, Inc. is interested in your story; your biggest challenges and your greatest successes. Getting to know you and developing a strong long-term working relationship is how we are able to customize a comprehensive retirement plan design that will give you more options than a bundled retirement plan. Your business is unique; your retirement plan should be too. We let you maintain control with open, customized plan designs.

We give you a level of control in designing a plan that closely aligns with your business objectives. Our retirement plan designs benefit the company and its employees. Our designs include research into how your plan will impact your corporate finances and tax planning as well as an owner’s personal wealth, finances and taxes.

INNOVATION

Associated Pension Services, Inc. (APS) is an independent consulting firm specializing in the design, implementation, and administration of defined contribution and defined benefit plans. APS can help you determine the most advantageous design features whether you are establishing a new plan or reviewing your existing retirement program. With our unique skill set we are able to assist you in designing a plan to maximize benefits for both you and your employees.

Our staff members are experienced in plan design, annual administration, annual tax filings, plan audits, and all other areas of ERISA, DOL, and IRS compliance and testing. We can review your current plan and offer assistance in correcting any plan errors including submission to the IRS and DOL if necessary. We can also help you redesign your plan to improve its efficiency including plan document services, employee communication and engagement, and assist you in choosing an investment strategy from a wide range of investment options. Our experts will work with you to review and select the investment avenues that best suit the needs of all plan participants.

IMPLEMENTATION

Our responsibility and involvement with your corporate retirement plan is total; we counsel and support you at every step.

Services from APS professionals are truly comprehensive; we handle all the documentation, from initial plan preparation and annual administration, to plan management and ensuring legal and fiduciary compliance. Associated Pension Services, Inc. provides ongoing employee education and enrollment, and offers individual consultations for employees. Administrative Operational Compliance includes:

• Ongoing annual plan administration
  
• Determining employee eligibility and plan entry
• Calculation of service and compensation credits for contributions and benefits
• Annual plan year-end reports
• All required IRS compliance testing
• Signature ready preparation of all annual tax forms
• Merger/Acquisition and Plan termination services
• ERISA 316 Functional Fiduciary Status available

As an APS client you get a host of options for how your retirement funds will be invested – from conservative guaranteed fixed rate accounts to aggressively positioned equity funds. APS clients have access to:

A selection of direct mutual funds and insurance company programs
Brokerage accounts through Cambridge Investment Research, Inc., a Broker/Dealer, Member FINRA/SIPC
Traditional brokerage accounts
Investment advisory services through Cambridge Investment Research Advisors, Inc., a Registered Investment Advisor.
ERISA 321 & 338 Functional Fiduciary Services through Cambridge Investment Research Advisors. (CIRA)

INFORMATION

What good is a plan if it doesn’t carefully address the investing needs of the participants? Employees who are properly introduced to their plan – and kept up to date on plan changes and enhancements, have a better understanding of their retirement benefits. Associated Pension Services, Inc. maintains a professional staff to conduct employee enrollment and education meetings one or more times per year as the client chooses. These securities professionals explain plan investments and how the plan impacts your employees’ total financial situation.

Our staff focuses on increasing overall plan participation rates as well as increasing individual plan participant contribution levels through education and insight.
Their clarification of the Department of Labor’s replacement goals as well as the explanation of “gap” analysis encourage participants to better plan for retirement.

APS also provides each plan participant with:

• Updated plan summaries that include customized investment reports
  
• Access to online and onsite enrollment
  
• Individual education and asset allocation guidance
  
• State of the art technology which gives participants online access to their accounts.