Commitment to service
Strengthen retirement plan management with clear investment strategies, active participant engagement and robust fiduciary practices. These key areas support compliance, enhance satisfaction and promote effective plan outcomes.
Build lasting relationships
Understanding your clients’ unique needs, defining clear investment strategies and maintaining fiduciary standards are fundamental in today’s retirement landscape. By focusing on these key areas, you can support compliance, enhance participant engagement and build strong client relationships.
Define clear investment strategies
Establish comprehensive policies and structures to guide investment decisions and ensure compliance.
Enhance participant engagement
Understand and address participant needs to boost satisfaction and retirement preparedness.
Lead with fiduciary excellence
Elevate your fiduciary role by mastering compliance, innovating risk management and driving exceptional governance practices.
Step 1
Laying the groundwork
Building your IPS investment policy
Define your plan's aims and guidelines. This formal IPS shapes criteria for investments, fostering a strategy that supports fiduciary duties and ensures compliance.
Creating a plan committee for success
Establish a committee to share fiduciary tasks. Clear roles, regular reviews and structured processes help reduce risk, improve decision-making and enhance plan outcomes overall.
Measuring plan effectiveness
Going beyond participation rates, track how well the plan aids true retirement readiness. Aligning sponsor aims with real outcomes can elevate participants’ financial independence.
Step 2
Engaging participants
Guide participants on their financial journey
Discover our digital library filled with financial planning strategies, market insights and investment concepts to empower participants at every stage of life.
Defining your participant service steps
Identify how best to serve employees and improve retirement readiness. Outlining participant support ensures consistent engagement and aligns with plan sponsor objectives.
Feedback with employee survey
Gather honest input from employees to see if the 401(k) meets their needs. Address gaps, refine offerings and gauge the value they place on available retirement benefits.
Beyond retirement plans: Optimize benefits
Business owners invest heavily in benefits yet may see limited appreciation. Bridge that gap by ensuring offerings align with workforce needs, maximizing perceived and real value.
Step 3
Maintaining fiduciary excellence
Understanding 404(c) checklist essentials
ERISA’s 404(c) can protect fiduciaries from participant-driven investment losses. Confirm disclosure, investment options and processes to uphold compliance and manage liability.
Sponsor fiduciary compliance checklist
Keep track of essential ERISA duties with this sponsor-focused list. Proactively measure adherence, spot potential gaps and refine processes for stronger plan governance.
Access the compliance checklist >
Sponsor knowing 3(21) and 3(38) fiduciary choices
Learn how 3(21) and 3(38) roles differ for ERISA plans. Properly delegate duties, reduce sponsor workload and safeguard participant interests through prudent fiduciary management.
Step 4
Reviewing and evolving
Year-end checklist for plan enhancements
Track annual services to confirm all obligations were met. Identify gaps, plan improvements and prepare for the year ahead, ensuring consistent value for sponsors and participants.
Complete your year-end checklist >
Annual review agenda & discussion points
Structure annual reviews for deeper insights. Examine plan performance, participant engagement and sponsor goals to confirm alignment and guide any needed adjustments.
Service summary worksheet for sponsors
Summarize key plan services delivered and highlight ongoing priorities. A collaborative review fosters continuous improvements for fiduciaries, HR teams and participant outcomes.
Our award-winning program equips advisors with innovative strategies and proven resources to excel in the ever-evolving retirement plan marketplace, enabling them to deliver greater value to their clients.
Important Information
All investments involve risks, including possible loss of principal. The information contained herein is general in nature and provided for informational and educational purposes only and should not be construed as individual investment advice or a recommendation or solicitation to buy, sell or hold any security or to adopt any investment strategy.
The information provided in this material is not intended as a complete analysis of every material fact regarding the subject. Before adopting any plan, sponsors should carefully consider all of the benefits, risks, and costs associated with a plan. Information regarding retirement plans is general and is not intended as legal or tax advice. Retirement plans are complex, and the federal and state laws or regulations on which they are based vary for each type of plan and are subject to change. In addition, some products, investment vehicles, and services may not be available or appropriate in all workplace retirement plans. Plan sponsors and plan administrators may wish to seek the advice of legal counsel or a tax professional to address their specific situations.
Franklin Templeton, its affiliates, and its employees are not in the business of providing tax or legal advice to taxpayers. These materials and any tax related statements are not intended or written to be used, and cannot be used or relied upon, by any such taxpayer for the purpose of avoiding tax penalties or complying with any applicable tax laws or regulations. Tax-related statements, if any, may have been written in connection with the “promotion or marketing” of the transaction(s) or matter(s) addressed by these materials, to the extent allowed by applicable law. Any such taxpayer should seek advice based on the taxpayer’s particular circumstances from an independent tax advisor.