Advisor of record support for existing plans. Setup and coordination for new plans. Employee education that changes participation, not just attendance.
I work primarily with South Carolina companies sponsoring 401(k) plans in the range where advisor attention actually matters: enough scale to justify fiduciary process and real service, small enough that the current advisor might be showing up once a year and calling it a review.
Typical fit:
Most plan sponsors haven't benchmarked their plan in years. A review answers the questions the current advisor probably isn't asking:
Starting a first 401(k) is more consequential than most owners expect. Provider selection, plan design, employer match structure, vesting schedule, auto-enrollment, Roth versus pretax, and payroll integration all shape both employee outcomes and employer economics.
The SECURE Act 2.0 tax credits available to eligible small employers can be substantial. The math is real, but the credits should not be the reason to start a plan — they should be the tailwind.
Tax credits are subject to eligibility rules and may change. Consult your tax advisor.
Investment menu construction and monitoring, target-date fund selection, QDIA review, Investment Policy Statement drafting, and documented committee process — the things that show up in an audit and, more importantly, the things that protect the plan sponsor.
Recordkeeper, TPA, and payroll are three separate relationships that must work together. When they don't, the employer feels it in corrections, missed contributions, and audit findings. Provider coordination is unglamorous work that keeps plans healthy.
Provider RFPs and benchmarking exercises are available when a change is warranted — but not on every review. Sometimes the current provider is fine and the service model is the problem.
The most common source of plan errors. Deferral changes that don't flow through, mistimed contributions, loan repayments that skip periods, terminated employees who don't get their final contribution. Payroll integration reviews catch these before they become qualified plan failures.
Enrollment meetings are not education. Real employee education is ongoing, plain-language, and speaks to what employees actually care about: whether they're going to be okay in retirement, what to do with the old 401(k) from their last job, how much they can afford to defer.
Individual employee questions are answered in the education context, not as individualized investment advice. Where an employee needs personalized planning, that is a separate conversation.
Predictable rhythms so the plan sponsor knows what to expect:
No. In most cases, changing advisors is a form filing that keeps the current recordkeeper, TPA, and payroll integration in place. There is no disruption to participants.
Compensation varies by engagement and is disclosed in advance. Written fee disclosures are provided to the plan sponsor before any relationship begins.
Yes, Austin serves as a 3(21) co-fiduciary on 401(k) plan engagements — sharing fiduciary responsibility with the plan sponsor for investment selection and monitoring.
Yes, in states where Austin is registered. South Carolina is the primary market, and in-person meetings are available across the Charleston, Mount Pleasant, and Lowcountry region.
Thirty minutes, no obligation. We look at what you're currently paying, what service you're receiving, and whether a review makes sense. An introductory meeting does not create an advisory relationship.