TRPC Advisory Services, Inc., formed in 2015, is a wholly-owned subsidiary of The
Retirement Plan Company, LLC. On April 5, 2016, U.S. Retirement Partners, Inc.
(“USRP”) acquired 100% of the shares of The Retirement Plan Company, LLC.
TRPC Advisory Services, Inc. does not anticipate any changes in products or services
currently offered to our clients as a result of the change of ownership of The Retirement
Plan Company, LLC. In addition, USRP acquired Ingham Russell Investment Advisors,
Inc. ("Ingham Retirement Group"), an SEC registered investment advisor in December
2020, and PASI Investments, LLC, as of September 1, 2023.
Advisory Services
The Company offers discretionary and non-discretionary investment advisory services
geared primarily for the Sponsors and Trustees of the Retirement Plans (“Managed RPs”)
who wish to have their investment options managed. The majority of the Managed RPs are
401(k) Plans. We primarily provide qualified pension and profit sharing plans with access
to various mutual funds that are included on the trading platforms of Matrix Settlement &
Clearing Services, Mid-Atlantic Capital Corporation, TD Ameritrade and Charles Schwab,
Inc.
TAS provides investment advice only with respect to the limited types of securities. Such
securities are: mutual funds, exchange-traded funds (“ETFs”), bank certificates of deposits
and FDIC-insured interest-bearing demand deposit accounts.
Supporting Portfolio Management Services:
The Company offers Managed RPs through the Supporting Portfolio Management
Services (“SPMS”). In connection with its supporting portfolio management services, TAS
provides plan sponsors with certain compiled investment information to assist the plan
sponsor in making investment decisions. The plan sponsor and/or its representative
(each, a client) engaging TAS to provide non-discretionary investment advisory services
has the sole responsibility for selecting specific investment options to be made available to
the plan’s participants although TAS will recommend specific investments.
To assist the plan sponsor in its efforts to identify potential plan investments and to
monitor plan investments, TAS provides the plan sponsor with compilations of mutual
fund data, including comparative performance data, manager reviews, etc. each as
published by Morningstar. As such we provide the data to a Plan Sponsor in a hardcopy
form, or on a secured web page maintained on the TAS system or otherwise. TAS also
provides a Quarterly Fund Review and commentary to Plan Sponsors who have engaged
TAS to serve as investment adviser investment adviser. TAS will adjust the funds currently
included in each plan’s menu whenever directed by the plan sponsor or, when serving as a
discretionary advisor, when TAS believes that a change will benefit the plan and its
participants.
From time to time, TAS will also meet with plan participants to provide general
investment education, which may include basic information regarding stocks, bonds,
mutual funds, inflation, risk and diversification.
Objective Setting
The general investment education provided by TAS is intended to assist plan participants
in defining appropriate investment objectives considering their unique situation to help
plan participants define appropriate investment objectives considering their unique
situation and tolerance for risk. TAS does not provide investment advisory services for
participants, and specifically does not recommend securities or investment strategies, to
individual participants.
Asset Allocation
Although our clients are the plan sponsors, TAS also provides tools to assist plan
participants in allocating their assets among the different investment options such as
mutual funds, ETFs, bank certificates of deposits and FDIC-insured interest-bearing
demand deposit accounts, considering general investment risk and diversification - by
meeting with plan participants. TAS may also provide a customized enrollment form with
sample investment strategies that are intended to help meet the diversification needs of
plan participants by grouping investments into five categories:
- High Growth
- Moderate Growth
- Balanced Approach
- Conservative Approach
- Capital Preservation
In addition, TAS may make available to the plan participant(s) a custom strategy pursuant
to which a participant may design his/her own allocation using any or all of the available
investment options offered by the plan. This educational information and other tools will
be provided on the explicit understanding that such information does not, in any way,
constitute recommendations as to securities in which the plan participant should invest or
other form of investment advice to the plan participant. TAS does not recommend that a
participant choose any particular strategy or any particular fund offered on the plan’s
platform.
TAS offers an option for employers called My Personalized Retirement. My Personalized
Retirement is a diversified (stocks and bonds) approach to investing using
the participant’s
specific individual factors (age, wage, account value, deferral contribution and employer
contribution), leaning more on capital appreciation during the early part of the participant’s
working career and gradually leaning more towards capital preservation as he or she
approaches retirement age. Quarterly, individual factors are refreshed, and the portfolio is
rebalanced.
TAS may create and maintain investment models when serving as investment adviser. The
models function very much like the asset allocation strategies except that TAS may re-
weigh the investments in the model to attempt to obtain market returns while controlling
risk. The Plan Representative will approve the reweighting, except in those arrangements
where TAS serves as a discretionary investment adviser. TAS typically rebalances the
models each quarter.
Defined Benefit
The Retirement Plan Company provides plan and actuarial services. Primarily the plans
are for small firms with a cash balance plan. Investment Management will work with
Trustees and provide recommendations regarding portfolio structure. The
recommendations are provided to the affiliated third party administrator (“TPA”) for
execution services.
*Special Considerations when Rolling Over Assets from Defined Benefit Plans
These types of plans are becoming rare, but you may have participated in this type of plan.
Distribution options available in defined benefit plans are different than those commonly
available in defined contribution plans. Defined benefit plans offer payments in the form
of life annuities that are guaranteed for life. Unlike defined contributions plans, which
base the distribution amount on the amount contributed to the plan (plus earnings), a
defined benefit plan calculates the amount of the payments based on a formula that takes
into account certain factors such as the employee’s years of service with the employer,
compensation, and age at retirement. These payments are not eligible to be rolled over to
an IRA or another employer’s plan. Some defined benefit plans also allow individuals to
take a lump sum amount. This lump sum may be eligible to be rolled over to an IRA or
another eligible plan. While the impact of rolling a lump sum to an IRA or a new
employer’s defined contribution plan would be the same as outlined above, leaving assets
in the former employer’s defined benefit plan and taking distributions from the plan have
some unique characteristics that should be taken into consideration. Unique features of
these types of plans are that payments are locked in for the life of the participant (in some
plans for the joint life of the participant and spouse) once they begin and cannot be
changed.
*It is important that you understand the differences between these types of
accounts and decide whether a rollover is best for you.
Plan Administration and Recordkeeping
TAS’s parent company, The Retirement Plan Company, LLC, provides qualified retirement
plan recordkeeping and consulting services. TAS maintains a record of trades effected by
the plan participants and allows plan participants the ongoing ability to modify their
investment selection via the Internet or a toll-free number maintained by TAS. In
connection with this service, TAS does not provide any investment advice to the plan
sponsors or the plan participants, nor does it retain any discretionary authority or
discretionary control respecting the management of the plan except when serving as a
discretionary investment adviser. Investments are selected by each plan participant from
a menu of choices made available by the plan sponsor.
Pursuant to the service agreement between TAS and the plan sponsors, TAS may, from
time to time, compile and submit for the plan sponsor’s use, certain information regarding
the plan’s investments. Serving as investment adviser, TAS will recommend that the plan
sponsor include or exclude a particular investment from its menu of available investment
options in the plan.
Client-Imposed Restrictions
All clients have the opportunity to impose reasonable restrictions on the securities
purchased or the way the account is managed. Any restrictions may adversely affect the
risk-reward level of a portfolio. We will honor the restrictions absent extraordinary
circumstances. Clients who impose restrictions with respect to certain assets in a managed
account may cause a portion of the portfolio to be placed outside the manager's discretion,
expertise and judgment as to the wisdom of purchasing, holding or selling particular
securities. The decision by a client to retain certain assets may have an adverse impact on
the amount of risk assumed by the client and may hinder the investment manager's ability
to manage the portfolio properly according to the stated objectives of the client.
Assets under Management
As of December 31, 2023, TAS had assets of approximately $ 515,484,387 managed on a
discretionary basis and approximately $186,374,934 dollars on a non-discretionary basis.