A 401(k) plan your team can understand.
A retirement plan should serve your employees and make sense for your business. We help plan sponsors examine fees, investments, plan design, fiduciary roles, and employee support so decisions are easier to make and document.
Fee-only fiduciary guidance. Based in Lebanon, Ohio. Serving employers in Dayton, Cincinnati, and beyond.Is your current retirement plan doing its job?
We look at the whole plan before recommending a provider change or a new investment lineup. The review focuses on what you pay, what employees experience, and how decisions get made.
All-in fees
Compare advisory, recordkeeping, administration, and investment costs, including who pays each one.
Investment lineup
Review options, expense ratios, diversification, default investments, and the process for monitoring them.
Plan design
Examine eligibility, matching, profit sharing, and automatic features alongside your business goals.
Fiduciary process
Clarify decision makers, investment policy, review records, and how service providers are evaluated.
Employee experience
Look at participation, communication, education, and whether employees know how to use the plan.
Provider fit
Decide whether the current recordkeeper and other providers still fit the plan's needs and costs.
Where do plan decisions get complicated?
The details depend on your plan. Open a question to see what we would examine with you and the appropriate plan professionals.
Our plan fees have grown. Are they reasonable?
We would collect the current fee disclosures, identify direct and indirect costs, compare services and proposals, and document why the total cost is or is not reasonable for your plan.
Could a match or profit-sharing change help?
We would discuss your business goals, budget, employee demographics, and the tradeoffs of different features. Your third-party administrator and tax advisers would help evaluate the plan rules and implementation.
Should we add a cash balance plan?
We can explore how it could fit the owners' and employees' goals, then coordinate detailed design, funding, actuarial, and legal questions with specialists in those areas.
What is the difference between 3(21) and 3(38)?
The written agreement sets the role and its boundaries. We explain who makes investment decisions and what remains with the plan sponsor.
We recommend. You decide.
KLD provides fiduciary investment recommendations within the agreed scope. Your plan committee or other responsible fiduciary retains final authority over the investment decisions.
We decide within a delegated scope.
If appointed as a 3(38) investment manager under a written agreement, KLD has discretion over the specified investment decisions. The sponsor still selects and monitors the manager and retains its other plan responsibilities.
Neither arrangement replaces prudent sponsor oversight or a plan administrator, recordkeeper, attorney, or third-party administrator. Read the U.S. Department of Labor's fiduciary guide →
What does 401(k) consulting cost?
KLD's advisor fee is a flat amount based on plan complexity, with a published maximum of $25,000. We confirm the exact amount, services, and payment arrangement in a written proposal.
| Cost category | What to ask |
|---|---|
| Recordkeeping | What is charged per participant or from assets? |
| Administration | What do the TPA and other specialists charge? |
| Investments | What expenses are built into each fund or option? |
| Setup or transition | Are conversion or termination charges involved? |
KLD's flat advisor fee is one part of the plan's total cost. Investment, recordkeeping, administration, audit, and other provider expenses may apply. The employer, plan, or participants may bear different costs depending on the plan arrangement.
What happens after a plan review?
If we work together, the service can connect investment oversight with the sponsor's governance process and employee education. The final scope is set in the agreement.
Monitor the lineup
Review options against the agreed criteria and document recommendations or decisions.
Revisit total cost
Examine provider compensation and whether services and expenses still fit the plan.
Support the committee
Keep investment policy, review materials, and decision records useful and current.
Educate employees
Offer group education and individual guidance where included in the engagement.
We coordinate with the plan's administrator, recordkeeper, and other specialists. Their work and KLD's responsibilities are identified separately.
What does a first review involve?
We begin with a conversation, then identify what information is needed for a useful review. We agree on the scope and timeline before work begins.
Talk through the plan
Tell us what is working, what is frustrating, and what decisions are ahead.
Gather the facts
Review plan documents, fee disclosures, investment options, and participation data as relevant.
Identify tradeoffs
Compare costs, lineup, service providers, plan design, and fiduciary responsibilities.
Discuss recommendations
We explain the findings, options, proposed role, and written fee quote.
Decide on next steps
If you engage KLD, we coordinate implementation with the appropriate providers.
A partner for the decisions on your desk.
KLD Wealth was founded by David Wiedmeyer, CFP®, in Lebanon, Ohio. We work with plan sponsors and their existing providers to make investment and fee decisions understandable and documented.
Our team explains its role and the responsibilities of other plan professionals in the engagement. You will know who handles your plan and where to bring questions.
Questions plan sponsors ask us
Do we have to change our recordkeeper or investments?
No. We review your current plan first. A change should follow a documented comparison of costs, services, investments, and the impact on employees.
Does hiring a 3(38) manager eliminate our fiduciary duties?
No. A properly appointed investment manager takes responsibility for the investment decisions delegated to it, but the sponsor must prudently select and monitor that manager and carry out its other responsibilities.
Who pays KLD's fee and the other plan costs?
Depending on the arrangement and plan documents, costs may be paid by the employer, the plan, or participants. We show who pays each category before you decide.
Can you help us evaluate a cash balance plan?
Yes, as part of a broader discussion of owner and employee goals. Actuarial design, funding, tax, and legal details require coordination with the appropriate specialists.
Do you handle Form 5500 and annual testing?
Those tasks are typically performed by the plan administrator or third-party administrator. We clarify the responsibilities of each provider; investment consulting alone does not replace plan administration.
Will employees be able to meet with someone?
Employee education can include group sessions and individual guidance when included in the agreed service. We define the format and scope in the proposal.
What information should we bring to the first call?
Bring your main questions, approximate plan size, employee count, and current provider names if you have them. We will identify any documents needed after the conversation and arrange a secure way to share them.
How long does a first plan review take?
The initial conversation helps us understand your plan and define a useful review. We will explain its scope, timeline, and any fee before work begins.
Know what your plan is doing for your people.
Bring us the questions you cannot answer confidently today. We will discuss your plan, the responsibilities involved, and whether KLD is the right partner.