Fee Analysis and Benchmarking
MRPA Consultants know where the fees are buried.
To Evaluate Your Plan Fees You Must First Identify Them
We believe that fees alone should not drive plan decisions, but fee levels can have a major impact on asset accumulation over the long term. ERISA fiduciary standards require that employers pay only “reasonable fees”. But how do you evaluate fees when it is so difficult to even identify them?
The MRPA consultants know where the fees are buried. We have a long and documented track record of clearly identifying fees, benchmarking them objectively against similar plans, and renegotiating significant cost reductions that are fair to both our client and their recordkeeper.
The Total Cost Analysis Process
Initial Contract Analysis.
When a new client engages MRPA, our first order of business is to gather key data and tell you in clear language exactly where you stand in terms of actual fees, potential penalties, and undisclosed revenue sources.
Total Cost Analysis Doesn’t Have to Be Complicated.
In two simple pages we identify both explicit and hidden fees, track how the fees are credited back to your plan, and illustrate what portion of the fees is paid to each involved service provider. No more hiding fees in plain sight.
Fee Benchmarking.
We regularly benchmark your plan against industry fee data for plans your size. At least every three years we benchmark your plan using live proposals from competing recordkeepers. This benchmarking provides the basis for assessing fee reasonableness.
Fee Tips for Plan Fiduciaries
Lock in your fees.
Recordkeeper revenue should not depend on which funds are selected. MRPA has negotiated scores of contracts that establish a contractually fixed revenue requirement which applies regardless of your fund selection. Any excess revenues earned are returned to the plan.
Every Participant Pays Only Their Fair Share
It is common practice for various plan costs to be paid from participant investments. This is fine, but quite often those fees vary widely from fund to fund, resulting in some employees unknowingly being charged much more than others. MRPA will work with you and your recordkeeper to “levelized” fees across investments so that employees pay only their fair share.
Beware of “Zero Cost” Investments.
Many guaranteed interest accounts are not required to disclose fees and revenue, which can lead to understated plan fees. Your MRPA consultant will shed light on hidden costs.