Can you benefit from a 401k Third Party Administrator?

This is an exciting time to be alive. The total knowledge in the world is growing at an exponential rate. Technology is making incredible leaps forward, and vast new frontiers of exploration are opening. We have trains that float on magnets, computer chips printed on wafers of sand, and cures to a myriad of diseases.

Yet, this is also an age of overwhelming information. How do you filter what is important, and what is not. How do you make the correct decisions when everything seems to be getting ever-more complex, and requires an expert just to navigate? The realm of finances is not immune to this growth in complexity. It does not lessen the burden now that individuals have important decisions to make, with their 401k and retirement future's. You may be wondering what impact fees have on your retirement contributions. Or perhaps you're a business owner or human resources manager looking for a way to lower costs and free up man -hours.

This new world of needing intricate knowledge to be effective has given rise to third party administrators for company's 401k plans (also known as a 401k tpa). These consultants in effect are an outsource for a company's retirement plan. So what should a good tpa provide you?

First, and foremost, they should lower the fees associated with your retirement plan. While of course they will charge a fee, most commonly a percentage of the total assets in the plan, the hope is that this fee will be offset by the savings in wages paid to the human resources department.

Additionally, the third party administrator is an expert in the field, while a human resource department may only have a more general knowledge of the in's and out's of retirement plan rules and structure. Thus, a tpa can operate more efficiently, taking less time to accomplish more.

Also, a solid tpa will have contacts in the industry, and should be able to negotiate lower fees from the mutual fund or financial institution that actually manages the funds (for example, Vanguard or Fidelity would be the platform that a tpa works with).

A third party administrator should start out by meeting with company representatives and laying out the company's goals, and creating a plan from there. A tpa will be able to enlighten your company about tax implications of various savings structures as well.