Thought leadership resources for retirement plan sponsors.

Re-Examining the Advisor-Recordkeeper Relationship: What Every Plan Sponsor Needs to Know

The retirement plan provider landscape has shifted. Recordkeepers are no longer just administrators, they're expanding into managed accounts, rollovers, financial wellness, and wealth management services that increasingly overlap with the traditional advisor role. While often framed as "co-opetition," these relationships can quietly erode advisor independence and drive higher participant costs.

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When Finance Eats Function: Private Equity, Fiduciary Advice, and the Risk to 401(k) Outcomes

Private equity's influence on service sectors from emergency response to healthcare has revealed a troubling pattern: quality can suffer when profit extraction takes precedence. Download this guide to learn more about how private equity is reshaping the retirement advisory landscape, the risks to participant outcomes, and the steps prudent sponsors and committees can take to stay vigilant and demand transparency.

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2025 Regulatory Update

Multnomah Group's annual Regulatory Update provides an overview of current legal and legislative events impacting the retirement plan and investment industry.

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Guide - Closing the Gap: How Transparency Can Improve Retirement Outcomes

Closing the Gap: How Transparency Can Improve Public Retirement Outcomes explores the challenges facing governmental defined contribution plans and offers actionable solutions to improve accountability, reduce costs, and enhance participant experiences.

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Guide: Choosing the Right Retirement Plan Consultant: Independence, Transparency & Fiduciary Duty

As a retirement plan sponsor, your fiduciary responsibilities under ERISA are clear: act in the best interests of your participants with care, skill, and diligence. But when it comes to selecting and monitoring fiduciary retirement plan consultants, the process can be anything but clear.

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Guide: Understanding the Risks and Conflicts in the "Retailification" of Retirement Plans

Explore the evolving landscape of retirement plans and the concept of "retailification," where institutional relationships are leveraged to sell retail products and services to participants.

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2024 Regulatory Update

This year's annual Regulatory Update has significantly shifted from regulation to litigation. The last two publications focused largely on SECURE 2.0 provisions and their impact on retirement plans. SECURE 2.0 remains an active topic in our industry, as many mandatory and optional provisions continue to take effect. However, the litigation focused on plan sponsors and governmental agencies has taken the spotlight.

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Navigating Retirement Plan Transitions

Transitioning your retirement plan from one recordkeeper to another can be a complex and significant undertaking. In this guide, we will walk you through how to navigate the challenges of such transitions while offering best practices to ensure a seamless experience for both plan sponsors and participants.

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Guide: Cultivating Retirement Success

This guide seeks to describe, in simplified terms, the practices of effective and efficient retirement plan committees.

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2023 Regulatory Update

Multnomah Group's annual Regulatory Update provides an overview of current legal and legislative events impacting the retirement plan and investment industry.

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Guide: How to Conduct a Successful Retirement Plan Audit

Conducting a retirement plan audit is a requirement for large plan sponsors governed by ERISA. By following the tips outlined in this guide, you can plan your audit effectively, gather all the necessary information, review plan operations thoroughly, and report your findings clearly, concisely, and effectively.

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Guide: Advisor Independence

This Guide explores fiduciary obligations under the ERISA, the role of the investment fiduciary under ERISA Section 404, and how some advisors? actions are now being challenged as unlawful in class action litigation.

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Guide: Conducting a Retirement Plan Recordkeeping Vendor Search

This guide begins with a look at why conducting a 401(k) or 403(b) recording keeping vendor search may be necessary to satisfy several of a plan sponsor's fiduciary duties under ERISA, followed by a discussion of the numerous practical benefits that result from a thorough vendor search.

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SECURE 2.0 Snapshot

A plan sponsor resource breaking down SECURE 2.0 by effective date.

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2022 Regulatory Update

Our annual Regulatory Update provides an overview of current legal and legislative events impacting the retirement plan and investment industry.

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Retirement Plan Committee Best Practices

Download our guide to help understand what the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) (and similar state laws) requires for retirement plans, how committees have typically functioned, and how committees will need to function to be successful and sustaining for years to come.

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Protecting Participant Data: How to Monitor and Mitigate Recordkeeper Conflicts of Interest

We believe there are six areas where recordkeeping vendors have tried to monetize their relationship with retirement plans. This plan sponsor guide focuses on the fourth way of generating excess revenue ?ÄÂĂÂÄÂĂÂĂÂĂÂÄÂĂÂÄÂĂÂÄÂĂÂĂÂĂÂÄÂĂÂĂÂĂÂÄÂĂÂĂÂĂÂÄÂĂÂÄÂĂÂÄÂĂÂĂÂĂÂÄÂĂÂ???????ÄÂĂÂÄÂĂÂĂÂĂÂÄÂĂÂÄÂĂÂÄÂĂÂĂÂĂÂÄÂĂÂĂÂĂÂÄÂĂÂĂÂĂÂÄÂĂÂÄÂĂÂÄÂĂÂĂÂĂÂÄÂĂÂ??????ÄÂĂÂÄÂĂÂĂÂĂÂÄÂĂÂÄÂĂÂÄÂĂÂĂÂĂÂÄÂĂÂĂÂĂÂÄÂĂÂĂÂĂÂÄÂĂÂÄÂĂÂÄÂĂÂĂÂĂÂÄÂĂÂ???ÄÂĂÂÄÂĂÂĂÂĂÂÄÂĂÂÄÂĂÂÄÂĂÂĂÂĂÂÄÂĂÂĂÂĂÂÄÂĂÂĂÂĂÂÄÂĂÂÄÂĂÂÄÂĂÂĂÂĂÂÄÂĂÂÄÂĂÂÄÂĂÂĂÂĂÂÄÂĂÂÄÂĂÂÄÂĂÂĂÂĂÂÄÂĂÂĂÂĂÂÄÂĂÂĂÂĂÂÄÂĂÂÄÂĂÂÄÂĂÂĂÂĂÂÄÂĂÂ????ÄÂĂÂÄÂĂÂĂÂĂÂÄÂĂÂÄÂĂÂÄÂĂÂĂÂĂÂÄÂĂÂĂÂĂÂÄÂĂÂĂÂĂÂÄÂĂÂÄÂĂÂÄÂĂÂĂÂĂÂÄÂĂÂ??????ÄÂĂÂÄÂĂÂĂÂĂÂÄÂĂÂÄÂĂÂÄÂĂÂĂÂĂÂÄÂĂÂĂÂĂÂÄÂĂÂĂÂĂÂÄÂĂÂÄÂĂÂÄÂĂÂĂÂĂÂÄÂĂÂ??cross-selling retail financial products. For plan sponsors, it is important to understand how recordkeepers cross-sell retail financial products and what the plan sponsor?ÄÂĂÂÄÂĂÂĂÂĂÂÄÂĂÂÄÂĂÂÄÂĂÂĂÂĂÂÄÂĂÂĂÂĂÂÄÂĂÂĂÂĂÂÄÂĂÂÄÂĂÂÄÂĂÂĂÂĂÂÄÂĂÂ???????ÄÂĂÂÄÂĂÂĂÂĂÂÄÂĂÂÄÂĂÂÄÂĂÂĂÂĂÂÄÂĂÂĂÂĂÂÄÂĂÂĂÂĂÂÄÂĂÂÄÂĂÂÄÂĂÂĂÂĂÂÄÂĂÂ??????ÄÂĂÂÄÂĂÂĂÂĂÂÄÂĂÂÄÂĂÂÄÂĂÂĂÂĂÂÄÂĂÂĂÂĂÂÄÂĂÂĂÂĂÂÄÂĂÂÄÂĂÂÄÂĂÂĂÂĂÂÄÂĂÂ???ÄÂĂÂÄÂĂÂĂÂĂÂÄÂĂÂÄÂĂÂÄÂĂÂĂÂĂÂÄÂĂÂĂÂĂÂÄÂĂÂĂÂĂÂÄÂĂÂÄÂĂÂÄÂĂÂĂÂĂÂÄÂĂÂÄÂĂÂÄÂĂÂĂÂĂÂÄÂĂÂÄÂĂÂÄÂĂÂĂÂĂÂÄÂĂÂĂÂĂÂÄÂĂÂĂÂĂÂÄÂĂÂÄÂĂÂÄÂĂÂĂÂĂÂÄÂĂÂ????ÄÂĂÂÄÂĂÂĂÂĂÂÄÂĂÂÄÂĂÂÄÂĂÂĂÂĂÂÄÂĂÂĂÂĂÂÄÂĂÂĂÂĂÂÄÂĂÂÄÂĂÂÄÂĂÂĂÂĂÂÄÂĂÂ??????ÄÂĂÂÄÂĂÂĂÂĂÂÄÂĂÂÄÂĂÂÄÂĂÂĂÂĂÂÄÂĂÂĂÂĂÂÄÂĂÂĂÂĂÂÄÂĂÂÄÂĂÂÄÂĂÂĂÂĂÂÄÂĂÂ?ÄÂĂÂÄÂĂÂĂÂĂÂÄÂĂÂÄÂĂÂÄÂĂÂĂÂĂÂÄÂĂÂĂÂĂÂÄÂĂÂĂÂĂÂÄÂĂÂÄÂĂÂÄÂĂÂĂÂĂÂÄÂĂÂ???????s obligation is to reduce or eliminate such cross-selling.

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DC Plan Recordkeeping Services Review

This discussion guide is intended to help facilitate a retirement plan committee's review of the primary services offered by their recordkeeper(s).

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Investment Manager Due Diligence Outlines

When it comes to conducting manager selection, it is the things unseen that are the key to having confidence in the manager's ability to outperform in the future. This short resource guide provides a look into how we conduct our investment manager due diligence.

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Fiduciary Education for Your Retirement or Investment Committee

Our Fiduciary Education for Your Retirement or Investment Committee resource walks through the importance of continued fiduciary education for current and new committee members.

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Best Practices for Managing a Retirement Plan Committee

Our "Best Practices for Managing a Retirement Plan Committee" plan sponsor resource walks though the most important items to address and follow in items in running and managing a retirement plan committee.

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Resources to Help Identify, Monitor, and Avoid Retirement Plan Vendor Conflicts

Our retirement plan vendor conflicts resources help you identify, monitor, and avoid any conflicts with your plan's service providers + a worksheet to assist in asking the right questions about potential conflicts.

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The Importance of Reporting to the Board

Download our reporting to the board plan sponsor resource for a deep dive into what information needs to be reported to the Board + much more.

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Meeting Minutes: The Importance of Documenting Your Process

Meeting minutes capture the discussion and decisions of the investment committee. Several sets of meeting minutes help weave together the story of the actions the committee has taken related to their retirement plan. Our resource walk through what plan sponsors should know about this documentation.

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Understanding Default Investments: A Focus on Target Date Funds

A toolkit for plan sponsors to help understand what default investment options are available and why target date funds are the most popular.

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Recordkeeping RFPs: How to Prepare, Review and Evaluate Vendors

A toolkit for plan sponsors to better understand how to conduct a successful recordkeeping RFP.

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8 Guidelines from the DOL on Target Date Funds

A review of the DOL's 8 guidelines for target date funds.

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Breaking Down QDIA Solutions

A dive into the history of QDIA and which type of QDIA might work best for your retirement plan.

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Understanding Target Date Fund Glidepath Ranges

Read our in-depth look at target date fund glidepath ranges.

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How to Create a Vendor Search Timeline

Planning to conduct a recordkeeping vendor search? Here are the steps to follow for a best practice search.

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Scoring Criteria for a Recordkeeping RFP

Eight review categories for plan sponsors to consider when conducting a recordkeeping RFP.

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Investment Policy Statement Review Guide

When properly drafted and followed, an Investment Policy Statement (IPS) can be a valuable tool to assist plan fiduciaries in managing and mitigating investment-related risk. Read our quick review guide to learn what material you should and should not include in your IPS.

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A Guide to Creating and Maintaining your Investment Policy Statement

While there is no specific format or technical language that an Investment Policy Statement (IPS) is required to include, there are some categories of content a plan sponsor might considering incorporating into a best practice IPS.

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Fiduciary File: What is it and What do you Keep In It?

Read our resource on the five categories of materials a plan sponsor should include in their fiduciary file.

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Fact Sheet: The SECURE Act Lifetime Income Provisions

The Setting Every Community Up for Retirement Enhancement (SECURE) Act was signed into law in December 2019 and contains provisions that seek to expand access to lifetime income within retirement plans. Review those provisions in our fact sheet.

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2019 Regulatory Update

Plan sponsors should review the initiatives outlined within and consider how each initiative may/may not impact their plan(s).

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Fee Compression: Five Ways Providers Monetize Recordkeeping

Generally, we believe there are five areas where recordkeeping vendors have tried to monetize their relationship with retirement plans: proprietary investment management, managed accounts, IRA rollovers, cross-selling retail financial products, and annuitization. In this paper, we take a closer look at each of these five approaches.

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Investment Manager Selection for Actively-managed Funds

In this paper, our investment analysts delve into how Multnomah Group conducts the investment manager due diligence that underlies our actively-managed fund recommendations. We cover how we construct actively-managed investment menus and evaluate investment management teams, philosophy and process, and portfolio construction and risk controls.

ERISA 3(21) & 3(38) Investment Advisors/Managers

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Resources

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