Insights and Perspectives

Becoming FuturePlan: A Personal Story from One TPA’s Journey

Announcement Day and Beyond

Almost three years ago, our RSI leadership team embarked on a new adventure: selling the firm we built from scratch. We wanted to ensure the future of our partnerships, clients, and talented associates was bright – filled with growth and opportunity. So, with conflicting emotions and nerves, we made the announcement on November 1, 2017, with our new FuturePlan teammates by our side. Most of our associates reacted positively, while a few recollected rough acquisitions under previous organizations. Yet, looking back, we’re confident we made a prudent decision and an exhilarating step for our future.

Culture: A Common Connection

Company culture played a major role in the decision. Our associates, partners, and plan sponsors all felt like family, and we wanted to join a family with the same mission. We built a firm hungry for more: more learning opportunities, more client interactions, more chances to do good and share our values every day. FuturePlan has definitely kept our yearning for more alive and well. We now have more tools and resources to share with our advisors and plan sponsors, opening more doors to work closely with more partners and create new solutions we did not have the capacity for as a smaller firm. In short, we found a familiar home in a new and unique place.

We joined Ascensus Consulting, rebranded as TPA Solutions, which then evolved into FuturePlan. The brand change provides a metaphor to our approach to business. FuturePlan adapts like a start-up, true to the spirit of the entrepreneurs who lead the organization. However, we anchor ourselves firmly, meaningfully, and purposefully. People Matter, Quality First, and Integrity Always are the core values that form the three-dimensional cornerstone of our mission; we welcome change and trial as long as we do not compromise our values and mission to help people save for what matters.

Looking Ahead: How We’re Growing with FuturePlan

Since joining FuturePlan in 2017, we have welcomed 22 new organizations with open arms. Each announcement finds us clambering to open the new gift; we unwrap the glimmering talents and specialties with anticipation. We are built to collaborate. Our team offers skills and talents to the whole, and we gain remarkable abilities from the FuturePlan universe in return. As former respected competitors, we have joined the same team and combined our talents to provide the absolute best experience for our clients and partners.

What’s in Our Secret Sauce?

One of our valued wholesalers pitches us as the “secret sauce.” We strive to provide unmatched service in the industry, with that extra something you can’t get anywhere else. We thrive in finding solutions to both simple and complex problems. Our team of dedicated Retirement Plan Consultants is committed to building relationships with plan sponsors, so they feel supported and better able to focus on their businesses. We act as a true extension of a plan sponsor’s company, focused on prudent retirement plan management. When a plan sponsor seeks greater savings and benefits, we focus on solutions that help them retain top talent, reward key stakeholders, and prepare the company for a healthy associate lifecycle.

Taking Flight: The FuturePlan Experience

When you join a larger company, there’s always a fear of the unknown. Am I buckling into coach on someone else’s flight? Not with FuturePlan. Our experience has been one of partnership and integration. FuturePlan leverages the strengths of firms like ours, providing additional resources so we can be even more successful together. And there’s no limit to the opportunity ahead—our associates have more options and growth prospects now than we ever hoped to offer them before.  

While we’re excited about what lies ahead, our financial advisors, recordkeeping partners, and clients remain our primary focus. As FuturePlan continues to grow and expand, the needs of our partners and clients are always at the forefront of our decisions. We hold the same priorities today as FuturePlan that we did as Retirement Strategies: an unwavering commitment to delivering the best client and partner experience. Instead of buckling into coach, we have joined the crew, ready to offer you the first-class flight you deserve.

If you’re interested in learning more about the different plans we offer and services we provide, fill out this form and one of our dedicated Retirement Plan Consultants will reach out to you.

Regulatory and Legislative

IRS Provides 403(b) Amendment Cycle Updates

IRS Provides 403(b) Amendment Cycle Updates

The Internal Revenue Service has announced that it intends to begin issuing opinion letters regarding Cycle 2 pre-approved 403(b) plans, including the 2022 cumulative list of changes in those requirements.