Retirement Planology, Inc. (“Retirement Planology”) is an independent, investment
advisory firm serving the employer-sponsored retirement plan marketplace. The firm has
been serving clients since 2014. Courtenay Shipley and Adam Jefferis are the firm’s
principal owners.
Retirement Planology provides a broad range of services to employers sponsoring self-
directed retirement plans, defined contribution plans, defined benefit plans, non-qualified
plans and/or deferred compensation plans. While each engagement is specific to that
client, and the services to be provided are designated by the plan sponsors or fiduciaries,
Retirement Planology remains ready to assist pension clients by providing Investment
Advisory and/or Retirement Plan Consulting Services.
INVESTMENT ADVISORY SERVICES
Retirement Planology provides investment advisory services to institutional ERISA (see
detailed explanatory note below) and non-ERISA retirement plans, including health savings
accounts. Retirement Planology will assist plan fiduciaries in creating processes
documentation that allows them to meet their fiduciary obligations. Retirement Planology
works with these highly specific clients to create an investment policy statement which in
turn directs the portfolio design and investments in the plan as well as the education
strategy, which direct the methods by which plan participants in self-directed plans are
informed of the options available to them. Retirement Planology will also assist plans in
modeling asset allocations, screening and selecting investment managers for plan assets,
and monitoring investment options in order to continually ensure that the investment
options are a representative sampling within predetermined quantitative and qualitative
criteria. Retirement Planology may use third-party software for investment analysis and
reporting.
Retirement Planology’s client-centered service philosophy dictates that plan fiduciaries
are an integral part of our process. Retirement Planology listens to plan fiduciaries,
gathering information that is crucial to fostering the ability to assist the plan now and
problem-solve in the future. We will research the options available to meet the plan’s
needs and assist the fiduciaries in determining which is the best course of action, and then
provide documentation of these steps to assist the fiduciary in recording the plan’s
process. We will then continue to monitor facts and circumstances to assist in determining
if changes need to be made based on the client’s tolerance for risk, any reasonable
restrictions the client imposes, change in circumstances, investment objectives, changing
market and economic data, and performance.
Depending on the client’s unique circumstances, Retirement Planology serves as a
fiduciary to the plan in a discretionary or non-discretionary capacity.
RETIREMENT PLAN CONSULTING SERVICES
General Fiduciary Assistance
Retirement Planology educates plan fiduciaries regarding their responsibilities in a
position of trust. Retirement Planology provides general fiduciary assistance including: a
fiduciary assessment/self-audit of the Plan, providing formal training to the Client and/or
retirement plan committee, assistance in establishing a retirement plan committee,
assistance with development and maintenance of corporate and plan governance
processes, and creation of a fiduciary file.
Plan Consulting
Retirement Planology
assists the client in holistically evaluating their employee retirement
plan(s) and/or Health Savings Accounts to make sure the program offered is current for
today’s marketplace, the plan is the best-fit design for the Client’s objectives, culture, and
employees, procedures are consistent with the documents, and service providers are
appropriate and cost effective.
Benchmarking
Retirement Planology provides analyses to assist plan sponsors and other fiduciaries to
compare the plan against those of organizations in the same industry and against national
normative data. Factors that Retirement Planology often evaluates may include the
following:
• Participation, deferral percentage, and asset allocation
• Investment menu construction
• Plan design
• Total plan costs
• Participant education and communication
• Recordkeeping and administration
• Service provider capabilities and profiles
Service Vendor Selection and Monitoring
Retirement Planology can assist its retirement plan clients in selecting trustees,
accountants, actuaries, and other service providers. This process involves:
• Generating criteria to identify appropriate service providers
• Developing requests for proposals
• Objectively rating service providers
• Evaluating highly rated service provider candidates
Retirement Planology’s role in the selection of service providers may be limited to service
providers approved by the plan’s record-keeper. Once a service provider is selected,
Retirement Planology will assist a client in implementing the client’s retirement plan
program. In implementing the program, Retirement Planology will, among other things,
review the plan design, develop performance standards, and review the service provider’s
contract.
Employee Education
Retirement Planology provides assistance with strategic employee education and
communications in connection with client retirement plan programs. Retirement Planology
will assist the client in identifying their education objectives, designing, and executing a
multifaceted plan to meet those objectives, and documenting activities. Retirement
Planology will meet with employees in a group or one-on-one setting or will partner with
another vendor to address the client’s needs and objectives.
Exit Planning for Business Owners
Using the Value Acceleration Methodology, Retirement Planology works with business
owners to maximize business value, strategically plan for their exit, and plan for their life
after their business exit. We educate business owners on how to build and preserve their
wealth while simultaneously implementing the top business practices into their day-to-day
operations. Services may include Visioning Workshop, Value Planning Workshop, Value
Growth Action Plan Development, Executive Team Offsite Workshops, and ongoing
support for the Executive Team as they implement their action plan.
Miscellaneous
A wrap fee program is an investment program where the investor pays one stated fee that
includes management fees, transaction costs, fund expenses, and any other
administrative fees. Retirement Planology does not participate in any wrap fee programs.
As of December 31, 2023, Retirement Planology had 63 accounts, totaling $191,643,207
of regulatory assets under management. Of that total, $58,093,186 is managed on a
discretionary basis in thirty-eight accounts.