Services for Corporations

(401(k), 403(b), 457)
No two companies are the same, so no retirement plan should be either. We design retirement strategies that work for both your business and your employees, so that everyone can grow together.

Good for Employees. Good for Your Business.

Our aim as fiduciaries is to make sure your retirement plan works for both your company and your employees.

Here are some of the ways a strong corporate retirement plan makes a difference:

Defines Long-Term Goals

A good retirement plan serves as the primary tool for setting and measuring long-term financial goals, helping employees connect today’s savings to tomorrow’s future.

Encourages Smarter Choices

Your company’s plan makes saving easy by giving employees a simple way to set money aside before they ever see it in their paycheck. Most people know they should be saving—an effective plan helps them do it.

Develops Financial Skills

Retirement planning tools, along with the guidance we provide, help employees better understand their finances. From creating budgets to managing cash flow, our resources give participants the foundation they need to make smarter financial decisions.

Promotes Fee Transparency

Hidden costs can erode both savings and trust. That’s why we make fees clear and easy to understand. When employees know exactly what they’re paying, they’re more likely to value the plan and feel confident about saving for the future.

Improves Operational Efficiency

A retirement plan affects more than just savings—it connects to payroll, healthcare, and workers’ compensation. By helping companies see the full picture, we seek to make sure the plan supports both employees’ futures and the organization’s bottom line.

Measures success

We regularly benchmark plan performance to assess progress and provide insights to help participants work toward retirement readiness.

Corporate Retirement Plan Graphic

For illustrative purposes only, actual steps may vary.

Corporate Retirement Plan Services

Our services cover every stage of corporate retirement planning, from plan design to ongoing education and fiduciary oversight.

Fiduciary Vault

Strong plans start with strong governance. We can establish a retirement committee to help meet regulatory standards and that aims to protect your organization by drafting bylaws, conflict of interest disclosures, fiduciary acknowledgements, and officer assignments.

Investment Monitoring and IPS Support

We can partner with a third-party provider to independently analyze all plan investments. The results are measured against the standards outlined in your Investment Policy Statement (IPS). If a fund underperforms, we place it on a formal watch list and, when necessary, recommend a replacement to keep your plan aligned with fiduciary best practices.

Participant Education and Advocacy

We believe in going beyond the basics of retirement planning to help support employees in every area of their financial lives. From managing student debt and improving credit to building emergency funds and planning for college savings or Social Security, we provide hands-on guidance. Our complimentary consultations and dedicated resources reflect our commitment to helping people build a strong financial foundation.

Plan Design Assistance

Getting the plan design right from the start is critical. We draw on our experience with a wide range of plans to guide you through the options and tailor a design that aligns with your goals and helps support your employees.

Key Man, Buy-Sell and Deferred Compensation Planning

Retirement isn’t just for employees—it’s for business owners too. Whether you’re planning for succession, seeking to protect your business with key person coverage, or exploring deferred compensation strategies, we help guide those “what’s next” conversations. Whatever form your transition takes, our aim is to ensure that it’s strategic, secure, and aligned with your long-term goals.

Provider Selection Assistance

We don’t have ties to any one provider, so our recommendations are based on your needs, not outside interests. We review your current plan, your goals, and the available options to help your committee identify a provider that aligns with your needs. Whether it’s fine-tuning your existing arrangement or making a switch, we seek to ensure the decision supports your long-term goals.

Empower Your Employees with Financial Literacy

Whether you’re a business owner, CFO, HR director, or nonprofit leader, you’re investing in more than your organization’s success—you’re also investing in the people who make that success possible. We believe when employees feel secure about their financial future; they can bring greater focus and energy to the workplace.

That’s why Strategic Path provides financial literacy programs for retirement planning and strategies for your team. These programs aim to help employers and employees alike feel more confident about the retirement planning process.

Our Financial Literacy Topics Include:

  • Understanding 401(k)s, IRAs, and pensions
  • Budgeting essentials
  • Building and repairing credit
  • Financial literacy basics
  • First-time home buying
  • Credit reports and scores
  • Transitioning into retirement
  • Optimizing Social Security
  • A non-financial look at retirement (how to spend your time)

Capped Advisory Fees

As fiduciaries, we believe fees should always be clear, capped, and tied to the services provided—not to the size of your plan. We cap our compensation at an agreed-upon hourly rate and review costs regularly with your committee. You can be confident that our focus is on serving your plan, not collecting a percentage of assets.

Programs are typically scheduled as one-hour, lunch-and-learn workshops to maximize participation.

Services

Strategic Path Retirement is powered by Mariner, allowing us to leverage the expertise of seasoned professionals in tax, trust, estate planning, investments, retirement planning, and insurance. Additionally, Mariner’s support in technology, compliance, and operations allows us to focus more on what truly matters—building strong, lasting relationships with you.

Retirement Plan Services
Helping employers create and maintain an effective corporate sponsored retirement plan is vital for employee retention as well as maintaining the wealth relationship with the business owner. We have access to a CEFEX-certified team* that can help you by creating, managing and expanding your employer-sponsored plan to fully meet the needs of your employees.

  • Plan design
  • Investment selection
  • Asset allocation
  • ERISA compliance and fiduciary services
  • IPS preparation and maintenance
  • Benchmarking and analysis
  • Employee education and financial wellness


*Mariner is certified by The Center for Fiduciary Excellence (CEFEX) as meeting the standards described in the handbook “Prudent Practices for Investment Advisors.” The standard describes how an investment adviser assumes the responsibility for managing a client’s overall investment management process, which includes the selection, monitoring, and de-selection of investment managers, as well as developing processes to implement investment strategies and fiduciary practices on an ongoing basis. These practices also include maintaining a fiduciary checklist for each client to ensure proper fiduciary governance and compliance with ERISA and implementing best practices as described by the Department of Labor.

Risk Management/Insurance Analysis

Having income protection strategies in place can help you protect your family now and in the future. To build a sound financial plan, it’s a good idea to include insurance solutions such as life and property and casualty insurance. We can help you evaluate solutions and recommend options to fit your family’s needs.

  • Asset and income protection strategies
  • Analysis of major insurance companies and product recommendations
  • Life insurance audits and long-term care expense mitigation
  • Estate tax elimination strategies
M&A Advisory

We have access to a team of professionals who provide business owners with sell-side and buy-side M&A advisory services. Whether you are seeking to realize your strategic and financial objectives through the sale of your company, or are interested in expanding your business via acquisition, we can help guide you through the process from start to finish.

Business Valuation

Many business owners do not know how much their companies are worth, making it difficult to establish a clear financial plan. Obtaining a business valuation can aid in the development of a comprehensive wealth plan. Business valuations may be required for a variety of purposes, including:

  • Transactions (financial planning, mergers & acquisitions, buy-sell agreements, financing and ESOPs)
  • Tax reporting (gift & estate tax, charitable contributions, IRC section 409A and discount studies)
  • Financial reporting (purchase price allocations and goodwill impairment)
  • Litigation (marital dissolution and shareholder disputes)

Investment advisory services are offered through Mariner Platform Solutions (MPS); affiliates of MPS may provide other services listed and they may be subject to additional fees. Some advisors are licensed insurance agents and may be compensated for selling insurance-related products through an affiliated or unaffiliated insurance agency.

Asset allocation, diversification and other investment strategies cannot ensure a profit or protect against loss in a declining market. Investing involves risk, including the potential loss of principal. There is no guarantee that any investment or planning strategy will be successful.