As a business owner, you know that a comprehensive retirement program can differentiate your company and be invaluable in attracting and retaining talent. But managing a retirement plan can be complex and time-consuming. That’s where we step in, offering qualified plan services, designed to take the pressure off you and deliver a seamless, beneficial experience for both you and your employees.
Whether your goal is to support your team’s financial future or optimize your own retirement savings, our qualified plan services are customized to help meet your specific needs while simplifying the administrative burden.
Comprehensive Solutions for Every Aspect of Your Financial Life
With over 30+ years of experience, we have gained a deep understanding of what small- and mid-sized business owners, executives, and employees expect from their retirement plans. Each client has one advisor who is keenly familiar with their individual circumstances.
With many service providers, you get only part of the picture. We provide a fully integrated, five-part service model that covers all key areas of qualified plan management. This approach is designed to relieve you of the burden of handling multiple vendors and complexities, so you can focus on running your business.
The five pillars of our bundled plan service model include:
Education
Initial and ongoing group employee enrollment and education (both 1:1 meetings and group presentations), high-touch access to accounts and targeted employee communications, financial planning software, plus resources including calculators, worksheets, articles, blogs, videos, and foreign language interpretation.
Supporting Your Employees Through Stewardship
When you’re focused on taking care of your employees, offering a comprehensive retirement plan isn’t just a perk — it can be a powerful way to demonstrate that commitment. With 57% of workers citing finances as a main cause of stress*, your team needs more than just a retirement plan — they need guidance and education.
WHY FINANCIAL WELLNESS MATTERS
Imagine a workplace where your employees are less financially stressed, more engaged, and focused on the future. Offering a retirement plan that includes ongoing financial education and wellness programs can have a profound impact on your business. Financial anxiety* impacts nearly half of all employees, affecting their health, productivity, and even retention. By providing a comprehensive retirement program that supports financial literacy and well-being, you’re helping to improve your workplace culture and create a healthier, more motivated team.
ENGAGING FINANCIAL EDUCATION AND SUPPORT
We don’t just set up your plan — we help your employees understand it. Your plan’s participants will appreciate the hands-on financial education and personalized support we offer. From in-person workshops to one-on-one consultations, these services empower your team with the tools and knowledge they need to confidently manage their retirement savings and plan for the future. This approach doesn’t just help your employees reduce financial anxiety — it creates a stronger, more loyal workforce.
Through us, you’ll provide a clear path toward financial well-being, helping to reduce stress and foster a positive workplace culture.
* 2023 Employee Financial Wellness Survey: PwC (https://www.pwc.com/us/en/services/consulting/business-transformation/library/employee-financial-wellness-survey.html)
+ Workers’ financial stress at critical levels, new poll finds - InvestmentNews (https://www.investmentnews.com/retirement-planning/workers-financial-stress-at-critical-levels-new-poll-finds/249011)
Retirement Plans Tailored to Your Needs
Your plan should work for you. We design diverse plans — 401(k) plans, profit sharing plans, defined benefit plans, cash balance DB plans, SEP IRAs, non-qualified plans, and more — that help business owners save more while balancing employee needs. This flexibility allows you to create a retirement plan that makes sense for your business, while optimizing savings for you and your senior employees.
Your partnership begins with a goals-based exercise, including questions such as:
What goals do you have for employee retirement (age, income, etc.)?
Is there a specific audience whose contributions should be maximized?
Should employee contributions be encouraged through education-based programming?
Is there an opportunity to redesign the current retirement plan to reduce costs?
For Partners and Owners
Well-designed retirement plans can enable business owners and senior employees to make relatively high contributions on a pre-tax and/or Roth basis (up to $70–$300k/year) and reap the benefits. We employ a variety of strategies to design qualified plans that are appealing to both your business and your employees such as profit-sharing contributions, typically in addition to 401(k) contributions. A cross-tested method, for example, allows owners to increase their total contributions up to $70k ($77,500 if over age 50) per partner that helps minimize employee contributions. This approach is ideal when owners are older than most employees.
Our focus is to help our clients implement plans that promote the goals of all parties, ultimately fostering a positive corporate culture.
Tailored Solutions for Your Goals
To provide the utmost level of fiduciary protection and enhanced employee options, we offer a variety of investment platforms based on the level of client engagement. Operating as an ERISA investment manager for defined benefit plans and employer-directed profit-sharing plans, we also generally include three levels of investment offerings for participant-directed defined contribution plans:
Do-It-Yourself: Roster of Mutual Funds
Ideal for employees who prefer managing their own portfolios, we provide a well-rounded selection of carefully monitored mutual funds.
Professionally Managed: Guided Portfolios
For employees who understand their level of risk, but prefer professional oversight by experienced professionals, we offer four risk-based, globally diversified, asset allocation portfolios.
Professionally Managed: Target Date Funds
Appropriate for employees who are unsure of their appropriate risk level, these age-based funds’ risk automatically decreases risk levels as they near retirement.
Seamless Installation: Simple Transition, Immediate Benefits
Switching to a new retirement plan provider can feel daunting. That’s why we make the transition as easy as possible. With your dedicated Transition Specialist managing every step of the process (from coordinating with your prior recordkeeper to setting up participant enrollment and contributions) you’ll experience a seamless implementation that minimizes disruption and enhances your employees’ experience. We handle the complexities, so you don’t have to.
Ongoing Support, Long-Term Success
Your partnership and support don’t end once your plan is in place. We provide continuous plan management, oversight, education, and updates, adapting to changes in your business or employee needs. With us, your plan evolves with you, helping keep you and your team on track for long-term financial success.
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Services provided by Hightower Trust Company. Trust and agency services are provided by Hightower Trust Company, National Association (“Hightower Trust Company, NA”). Retirement Plan Services are offered by Hightower Trust Company of Illinois, LLC, charted by the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation. Hightower Trust Company, NA is a wholly owned subsidiary of Hightower Holding, LLC, and an affiliate of Hightower Securities, LLC, Member FINRA/SIPC, and Hightower Advisors, LLC (“Adviser”), an SEC registered investment adviser. Registration as an investment adviser does not imply a certain level of skill or training. Hightower Trust Company, NA delegates investment management authority to the Adviser. The Adviser receives an investment management fee that is part of the overall trustee fee that is charged by HighTower Trust Company, NA. All securities transactions are processed through registered brokers that are monitored by Hightower Trust Company, NA. Although not a material consideration, the Adviser may consider certain support services or products it receives from custodians (e.g. at a reduced or no additional cost) which assist Adviser in monitoring and/or servicing client accounts, in recommending a custodial platform to clients. Hightower Trust Company, NA, relies on Adviser for several administrative services and Adviser is reimbursed for actual costs and for services. This material is not intended or written to provide and should not be relied upon or used as a substitute for tax or legal advice. The information contained herein does not consider an individual’s or entity’s specific circumstances or applicable governing law, which may vary from jurisdiction to jurisdiction and be subject to change. Clients are urged to consult their tax or legal adviser for related questions.