As a business owner or employee, you owe it to yourself to have the "best"
retirement plan possible. After all, the quality of your retirement years may
largely depend upon the quality of your retirement plan.
Sunrise Advisors can tailor a plan to meet the needs of your participants,
and then adapt the plan as your business needs change. We will also make sure
your plan's investment choices remain viable in any market condition. If your
current plan consists of simply picking from a list of mutual funds or if you
are still using a plan provider from years ago – Sunrise can help. We offer
investment choices for employees with any level of investment sophistication:
- Continuously Managed, Risk-Based Portfolios and/or
- Self-Directed Accounts and/or
- A select group of Mutual Funds or Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs).
Compare your plan:
Click Here** (printable PDF file) to compare Traditional plans vs. Sunrise plans.
As a business owner or plan sponsor, you have certain fiduciary responsibilities and obligations regarding your retirement plan.
It may be possible for you to shift this fiduciary risk to an outside "investment manager".
According to ERISA section 3(38), an "investment manager" is any fiduciary (other than a Trustee or named fiduciary) who:
(A) who has the power to manage, acquire, or dispose of any plan asset; (B) who is (i) a registered investment adviser under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940: (ii) a bank: or (iii) an insurance company; and (C) who has acknowledged in writing that he is a fiduciary with respect to the plan. As a fee-only Registered Investment Advisor, Sunrise Advisors is available to assume the fiduciary role for our managed retirement plans. This may help shift liability away from the plan sponsor.
- Have Increased Investment Options:
- Risk-Based Portfolios - Participants should be able to choose from risk-based portfolios continuously managed by a professional money manager. The portfolio should be allocated to meet the specific risk tolerance of the participant and be actively managed to take advantage of market cycles.
- Self-Directed Accounts - Self-Directed Accounts enable participants to choose the securities they wish to include in their portfolio. These accounts may be ideal for a participant with substantial assets who wants more control over the returns in their retirement account.
- List of High Quality Funds – Your plan may also include a quality list of mutual funds
or exchange traded funds (ETFs) that can fully diversify a portfolio in any market – positive or negative. (Unfortunately, most plans have a list of funds that are only positively correlated to the market and are vulnerable to market swings.)
- Are Flexible – Your plan should be flexible and adaptable to change. Unfortunately, some plan formats change only after a fund 'failure'. The plan should use "no-load" investments to allow for cost-efficient allocation changes.
- Monitor Plan Expenses – We recommend full cost transparency and disclosure. Many employers are unaware of the 'hidden costs' or undisclosed expenses associated with their plan. Some plan providers receive 'kick-backs' from investment companies or engage in revenue sharing. Sunrise does not – we are paid only by our clients.
- Have a System of Checks and Balances – The best plans strive to ensure ERISA compliance (including 404c) and protect the plan and the sponsor from liability. The appropriate checks and balances of an independent, third-party administrator will add integrity to the plan.
- Communicate with Participants – Clear, on-going, communication is necessary for the participants to make informed investment decisions. Participants should be able to speak directly with the money manager (not a salesman) in charge of making investment decisions in the plan. Plan sponsors should help their employees stay aware of the issues affecting their retirement savings plan.
Review Your Plan
