FIDUCIARY STEWARDSHIP
What Does a Retirement Plan Fiduciary Advisor Do?
A retirement plan fiduciary advisor serves the interests of your plan participants, not the recordkeeper or the fund company. The named fiduciary on your plan takes on legal responsibility for the investment oversight process and is held accountable to the highest standard of care.
As a CEFEX-certified fiduciary, Balefire’s investment processes are documented, disciplined, and independently audited against 21 defined standards every year to ensure your organization and your committee members are protected.
Our retirement plan advisory services cover defined contribution plans, non-qualified plan management, pooled employer plans, tax-exempt retirement plan consulting, defined benefit plans, and employee stock ownership plans.
Why Most Retirement Plans Underperform
Three patterns drive poor retirement plan outcomes for employees and unnecessary risk for employers:
No Independent
Investment Oversight
Many plans are managed by advisors tied to the recordkeeper, which creates conflicts of interest in fund selection and fee negotiation.
Committees Operating Without Governance Structure
Plan committees carry personal fiduciary liability that requires a formal process, documented reviews, and clear benchmarks.
Participants Left to
Figure it out Alone
Low engagement and poor financial literacy lead to under-saving, suboptimal elections, and delayed retirements.
DEPTH OVER SCALE
The Balefire Approach to Plan Stewardship
We design and manage retirement plans with the same institutional discipline we apply to complex wealth. Every element of our service model reflects a commitment to depth over scale.
Investment Stewardship
We design a curated, goals-driven investment menu aligned with your participant demographics, accessing institutional share classes where available, monitoring managers proactively, and delivering clear committee reporting free from recordkeeper pressure.
Participant Education
Confident employees make better decisions. We deliver age-based workshops, first-time saver guidance, near-retirement income planning, and 1:1 financial coaching in English and Spanish. Participants can also access a personalized digital experience that includes plan overview videos, enrollment tools, and a direct link to their Balefire financial coach.
Committee Governance
Our five-part committee certification program builds fiduciary confidence and establishes the documentation trail your committee needs. We handle new member onboarding, HR administration training, and documentation templates.
Audit
Support
We manage the audit process end to end, from preparation calls with auditors to document retrieval, recordkeeper coordination, and access management.
Common Questions About 401(k) Fiduciary Advisors
A fiduciary advisor is legally obligated to act in the best interests of plan participants. Unlike broker-dealers, who operate under a suitability standard, a fiduciary advisor must recommend what is genuinely best for your employees and document that process.
The CEFEX certification is an independent annual audit of an advisor’s fiduciary practices against 21 established standards. It verifies that Balefire’s process is rigorous and documented, providing additional protection for your plan committee.
We provide a five-part committee certification program, governance documentation, quarterly investment reviews, and ongoing training for new members. Our goal is to make your committee confident and your process defensible.
We advise on defined contribution plans, defined benefit plans, non-qualified executive benefit plans, pooled employer plans, tax-exempt retirement plans, and ESOPs.
Schedule a Plan Review
Your plan could be working harder for your people and your organization.
Let’s start with a conversation about how we can help.