Our Services - Businesses

Retirement Plans

For years, the retirement plan was seen as a "throw-in" to a benefit package by many employers - one among many benefits, but nothing special.  Today, this benefit is seen by employees as a critical part of their overall compensation and benefit package.  According to a recent national survey of employers and employees regarding their benefit programs, a company sponsored retirement program ranked second only to health insurance, with 74% of responding employees indicating that it was "very significant" in its importance.

Unfortunately, the packaged retirement programs offered by insurance companies and many financial product vendors, and implemented by many employers, have failed to meet the needs of both the employers and employees, due primarily to poor overall support, poor investment management, and high costs. 

The impact of these failings can be significant.  For employees, it can mean that their retirement savings don't grow as they should and in many cases are subject to inappropriate risks that can leave them short of funds as they approach retirement.  For employers, it can mean increased risk to both the company and the personal assets of the plan's fiduciaries, increased plan administration burdens, and a missed opportunity to create a truly superior and unique program that benefits the company in terms of improved employee morale, confidence, and peace of mind, and provides a real differentiator  when it comes to placing and retaining key staff members.

At Excel, we offer three primary retirement programs:

  • 401(k) - the most common and arguably premier retirement savings vehicle in the U.S. with approximately $2 trillion in plan assets invested by more than 42 million workers. The 401(k) is employed by organizations of nearly all sizes as the primary or supplemental retirement savings program. 
  • SIMPLE - the Savings Incentive Match Plan for Employees (or SIMPLE) is an alternative to the 401(k) plan for small employers that desire the benefits of a qualified plan for their business and employees, but wish to limit their contributions and minimize the administrative tasks required to establish and maintain the plan.  There are two types of SIMPLEs:  the SIMPLE IRA and SIMPLE 401(k).
  • SEP - The Simplified Employee Pension (or SEP) is another alternative plan for small businesses. 

In delivering and supporting our plans, we focus on the factors that truly make a difference for the employer and employees:

  • Enhancing investment performance
  • Eliminating unnecessary cost
  • Managing liability
  • Providing excellent participant and sponsor support
  • Simplifying plan administration

Our approach is focused on delivering the finest plan at the lowest cost, resulting in a superior value for the sponsor and a true benefit for participants. 

If you have questions about retirement plans, give us a call. If you have a packaged plan today,  ask yourself, "Are we getting the most from our retirement program?"  If the answer is "no" or " I am not sure," give us a call and let us show you a better program.