The Full Service Option

Pension Systems Corporation provides affordable plans

Our affiliate Pension Systems Corporation (PSC) specializes in full-service 401ks for companies of all sizes

Quality + flexibility + affordability = PSC's 401k Solution (and that's not the typical full-service equation!)

PSC full service 401k vs. 401k Easy Online self-service: similarities and differences

PSC full-service 401k plan pricing

Converting existing 401k plans is quick and affordable

PSC handles all types of retirement plans, including 403b plans and IRAs

Why your 401k investment choice affects the price of your full-service 401k Solution plan

For more information...

[topic 1]

Pension Systems Corporation (PSC) has been a trailblazer in the 401k industry for decades, concentrating on the largely-ignored 401k needs of small and mid-sized companies. PSC has created an affordable line of full-service plans called the 401k Solution that rank among the most popular plans in the nation among participants.

-- PSC's 401k Solution is adaptable to companies of any size, and smaller-company plans are NOT truncated versions of big company plans.

-- Part of PSC's 401k "solution" is affordability without reduced service. By offering of variety of investment mix-plan pricing approaches, companies can choose whether to absorb all the costs of the plan, split the costs with their plan's participants, or have their plan's participants absorb the costs.

-- PSC's 401k plans see participation rates that are often nearly TWICE the national average. Investment choice, prompt service and plan flexibility play a major role in the popularity of 401k Solution plans.

-- 401k Easy Online is the next evolution of PSC's forward-thinking approach to 401k plans. Designing plans that meet today's businesses' needs within realms adaptable to tomorrow's keep both PSC's 401k Solution and Pension Systems Corporation's 401k Easy Online always under our 401k experts' eyes; they continually evaluate additional features and services that might better serve our full-service and self-service clients.

back to page topics

[topic 2]

Quality Administration
Of course PSC processes each month's 401k contributions for you, but PSC administration also means quick response times to your plan administrator's and plan participants' requests.

Flexible Plan
The 401k Solution, like 401k Easy Online, lets your company decide its plan's parameters within those approved by the IRS. You have the freedom to customize the IRS-approved prototype plan to suit your company's 401k needs.

-- You choose your plan's participation eligibility requirements.

-- You choose your plan's employer matching contribution formula -- or choose not to make matching contributions.

-- You choose the vesting formula to be applied to any matching contributions being made to your plan.

-- You choose your plan's investments from a huge array: self-directed brokerage accounts, any of hundreds of no-load mutual fund families, any of hundreds of load mutual fund families or brokerage accounts plus one or more no-load mutual fund families.

-- There's no limitation on the number or foundry of investments you can offer, so you can make sure your plan has the investment flexibility needed to meet present and future needs.

-- You write your plan's loan policy; PSC can help you formulate that policy -- at no extra charge.

-- You decide if you want to use automatic enrollment for your plan, and if so, you choose the default investment choice and contribution level.

-- Your plan is never limited by minimum participation numbers (it does, of course, have to pass federally-mandated annual compliance testing)

Affordable Service
No 401k is as affordable as a 401k Easy Online self-service 401k, but in the full-service arena PSC plans are about as affordable as you can get -- and you don't have to scrimp on quality, either!

-- PSC plans include services and options other vendors charge extra for, such as offering a virtually limitless array of mutual funds in your plan, or providing employees with online, downloadable year-to-date account statements and your plan with MONTHLY compliance testing.

-- Any PSC plan distribution, loan or other per-transaction administration fees are well below standard industry cost.

back to page topics

[topic 3]

There are many similarities between 401k Easy Online self-service 401k plans and PSC 401k Solution full-service plans. In fact, 401k Easy Online was largely developed from the "what works and what works best" successes of the 401k Solution. The main differences between the two administrative arrangements are who does the work, and, of course, price.

Both types of plans come with multiple pricing-investment approach configurations. Both types of plans offer discounts for using load mutual fund investments (see 401k Easy Online's pricing section for details).

	Web 401k Online self-service plans		PSC 401k Solution full-service plans
Labor:	You do the monthly data processing and interaction with the investment house yourself -- but you've got 401k Easy Online to handle most of the work for you!	NOT the same	PSC does all the monthly data processing and interaction with the mutual fund companies.
Cost:	You save 50% or more off PSC's already low prices when you handle the administration in-house.	NOT the same	Costs about 50% to 60% more than the self-service approach for PSC to handle your plan's administration -- but less than half of what you'd typically pay for a full-service plan!
Plan Design:	You decide on the options and parameters you want for your plan. There's never an extra charge for including or excluding any (matching contributions, loans, etc.)	same	You decide on the options and parameters you want for your plan. There's never an extra charge for including or excluding any (matching contributions, loans, etc.)
Employer Contributions:	Optional. No extra charge for including or excluding employer contributions. All popular matching contribution formulas and vesting formulas allowed.	same	Optional. No extra charge for including or excluding employer contributions. All popular matching contribution formulas and vesting formulas allowed.
Minimum Plan Size:	No minimum plan size.	same	No minimum plan size.
Investments (type):	Self-directed brokerage accounts and/or no-load mutual funds are available.	NOT the same	Self-directed brokerage accounts and/or no-load or Class A, Class B and Class C mutual funds are available.
Participant Statements:	Plan participants receive independent MONTHLY 401k account statements from 401k Easy Online AND the mutual fund holding each participant's individual account. Statements are mailed to home addresses upon request.	same	Plan participants receive independent MONTHLY 401k account statements from PSC AND the mutual fund holding each participant's individual account. Statements are mailed to home addresses upon request.
Compliance Testing:	MONTHLY ADP, ACP, and top-heavy testing based upon actual or projected wages and contributions, as appropriate.	same	MONTHLY ADP, ACP, and top-heavy testing based upon actual or projected wages and contributions, as appropriate.
Trustee Fees:	NO TRUSTEE FEES. 401k Easy Online plans are employer-trusteed.	same	NO TRUSTEE FEES. 401k Solution plans are employer-trusteed.
Asset Security:	You retain full asset control at all times. No third party ever takes constructive receipt your plan's Trust account to the designated mutual funds.	same	You retain full asset control at all times. No third party ever takes constructive receipt of your participants' accounts. PSC does all the processing, then instructs you as to the amount to forward DIRECTLY from your plan's Trust account to the designated mutual funds.
Automatic Enrollment:	Optional. No extra charge for including or excluding. You choose default investment choice and contribution rate.	same	Optional. No extra charge for including or excluding. You choose default investment choice and contribution rate.

back to page topics

[topic 4]

PSC's full-service plans are very reasonably priced -- they're pricing is well below the national average for full-service plans (not to be confused with 401k Easy Online self-service plans, which cost of fraction of ANY full-service plan). For instance:

-- PSC full-service plan (please do not confuse this with a 401k Easy Online "self-service" plan) serving 25 eligible employees costs roughly $2,245 to $3,745 a year, depending on the type of investments chosen (discounts are given for using Class A, B or C load mutual funds).

-- The national average for a 401k serving 25 eligible employees is $6,750 to $20,000 a year (and these competitors' plans often lack the quality service and flexible options standard in PSC 401k Solution full-service plans)

-- Call (800) 595-4015 for more information or for a free quote on a PSC full-service 401k plan. If you prefer, e-mail us here at 401k Easy Online (at questions@401k-network.com) and we'll forward your inquiry to Pension Systems Corporation.

back to page topics

[topic 5]

PSC can convert your existing 401k plan into an affordable, flexible 401k Solution full-service plan in a matter of days.

-- There's a one-time, first-year-only plan setup fee of $1000, which covers all the conversion and full-service plan setup expenses.

-- You can often keep your plan's current investments -- or choose to use any from an extensive array of self-directed brokerage accounts, no-load mutual funds, or Class A, Class B, or Class C (see our 401k Glossary) load mutual funds.

-- You can amend your existing plan during the plan conversion (for instance, to add in loans or matching contributions), generally at no extra charge.

back to page topics

[topic 6]

403b plans for non-profit organizations. one-person 401(k) plans and SEPs for self-employed people. The federal government has created several tax-deferred retirement savings vehicles, and PSC offers all the most popular ones.

-- PSC can provide a quality, affordable plan for almost every IRS-sanctioned retirement savings plan employers can sponsor.

-- Please contact PSC for details about non-401k plans by calling (800) 595-4015 or sending an e-mail to questions@401k-network.com.

back to page topics

[topic 7]

Class A, Class B and Class C mutual funds are "load mutual funds." Load mutual funds charge investors a fee either upon purchase or liquidation of shares; in turn, the NASD Broker/Dealer providing the investments is paid a commission by the mutual fund company. When you let us designate the NASD-licensed Broker/Dealer for your plan, these commissions subsidize the cost of your 401k Solution plan.

-- The relative size of the load on load mutual funds varies with Class; the subsidy to your plan costs, therefore, varies with the Class of load mutual funds you select for your plan.

-- By using load mutual funds, your company can either split the cost of the 401k plan with your plan's participants (by using Class A or Class C funds) or have the plan's participants absorb most of the cost of the plan (by using Class B funds).

Why 401k Solution plans that use self-directed brokerage account plans and/or no-load mutual funds cost more.
No-load mutual fund investments do not charge investors purchase or liquidation fees. Neither do investments obtained through self-directed brokerage accounts. No Broker/Dealer commissions are paid out in either case, thus, none help subsidize the cost of your 401k Solution plan.

-- A 401k Solution plan using self-directed brokerage accounts and/or no-load mutual funds still costs a fraction of what's being charged nationwide -- and most other "low-cost" plans offer far fewer options and less flexibility than the 401k Solution!

-- Remember...
ALL MUTUAL FUNDS, whether no-load or load and whether obtained through self-directed brokerage accounts or otherwise, involve management and/or other fees charged to shareholders' accounts. Reading investment prospectuses is the only way to determine the exact fees that pertain to any particular investment.

back to page topics

[topic 8]

Contact PSC by calling (800) 595-4015 or sending an e-mail to questions@401k-network.com with a note requesting that we have a 401k Solution representative contact you.

back to page topics

401k Self-Directed Brokerage Account Listings | 401k No Load Mutual Fund Families Listings
How to Select Plan Investments | Plan Design Options | Tech Support | Free IRS Reporting Help

Legal Notes | Privacy | Standard Pre-Tax�401(k) Vs. Roth 401(k)