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Pricing and Price Comparisons 401(k) Easy run-it-yourself 401ks save you money
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[topic 1] 401k Plan Fee Schedule 401(k) Easy pricing is simple: You pay a one-time $495 plan setup fee upon starting your 401k plan, then pay the applicable annual fee listed below each year you want to use our plan-specific 401k software to run your 401k plan. That's it. All 401k options, services and companion materials are covered, including annual software updates, technical support, 401k plan conversions, and IRS reporting help.
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[topic 2] The 401(k) Easy Setup Fee Is a One-Time Charge One of the great things about 401(k) Easy is its adaptability. Our IRS-approved prototype 401k plan includes a host of customization choices (see below), and our 401k plan administration software includes additional customizable administrative features.
401(k) Easy customizable 401k plan items include
See our 401k Order Form for the options currently available under each of these 401k customization items, or go to our Plan Options page to view a chart listing the 401k options currently allowed by the IRS and the options we typically recommend for most 401(k) Easy small business 401k plans. Future Changes
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[topic 3] 401k Comparisons and the True Impact of Hidden 401k Fees Many 401k plans contain significant hidden fees. This is especially true of 401k plans offered to small companies, where it is easier to hide fees from small business owners, who are busy running their businesses and do not have the time or staff to review all the legal mumbo-jumbo of setting up a new plan or reviewing plan documents. These hidden fees are being lifted from the back pockets of 401k plan participants. The US Department of Labor is trying to force 401k plan providers (banks, mutual fund companies, insurance companies, brokerages, etc.) to come clean about these hidden fees. But there is significant lobbying power at play to stymie the government's effort to force comprehensive 401k fee disclosure. Here are the facts:According to a recent study by the ICI (Investment Company Institute) and Deloitte titled, "Defined Contribution / 401(k) Fee Study". the average 401k plan has hidden fees of 0.72% per year. That may not seem like much, but it costs the average participant about $11,000 in hidden fees for the lifetime of his or her 401k. These fees are extracted directly from the 401k participant's account. In their study, ICI and Deloitte call these hidden fees "all-in" fees. The average hidden "all-in" fee of 0.72% equates to $350 per year, extracted from participants' accounts. For small 401k plans that cover less than 20 employees and less than $1 million in total assets, the hidden "all-in" fee situation is much worse. For small 401k plan participants, hidden "all-in" fees can jump from 0.79% to a whopping 1.89%, or up to $920 per plan participant per year! For small plan participants, this can mean paying an astounding $28,000 in hidden fees for the lifetime of his or her 401k. See pages 6, 16, 19 and 20 of ICI/ Deloitte report by clicking the report cover. If you are selecting a 401k for your employees, did you know they could be unknowingly losing $350 to $920 a year in hidden fees? In most 401k plans, large and small, the employer pays the 401k plan's annual record keeping fees. These fees vary; below is a representative sample of annual record keeping fees:
So it's not rocket science to understand why many plan providers in the 401k industry are blowing smoke to make any discussion about hidden or "all in" 401k fees confusing and bewildering. There is a great deal of money at stake, and all this smoke clouds the fact that many small employers are unknowingly offering their employees 401k plans laden with hidden fees. Hidden and "all-in" 401k fees are getting noticed by the news media and the legal profession via class-action law suits, and some 401k plan providers that made fortunes mining hidden fees are now scrambling to cover their tracks. They are generating the kind of PR confusion many of us remember from years past, when major tobacco companies tried to explain to Americans that smoking was not hazardous their health. Many in the 401k industry are launching the same kind of PR assault, confusing and clouding the issue, but what is really at stake is the end of their 401k hidden fee gravy train, pure and simple. |
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[topic 4] Everything is Included with 401(k) Easy 401(k) Easy includes EVERYTHING you need to provide your company with a great 401k plan right from your basic PC computer in about 10 to 15 minutes a month (for most small business 401k plans). 401(k) Easy includes An IRS-approved prototype 401k plan 401k software 401k help 401k investments Plan-specific 401k forms and materials IRS reporting help |
[topic 5] Click the US Department of Labor 401(k) Cost Comparison Worksheet below for a printable PDF version.
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[topic 6] 60-day Money-Back Guarantee 401(k) Easy comes with a 60-day money-back guarantee on everything but the $495 one-time plan and software customization fee. Because this setup fee is non-refundable, we created a fully functioning demo version of our 401k software for people to try out before they order their actual 401(k) Easy plan and 401k plan administration system.
Our goal at 401(k) Easy is to ensure that all our clients and their employees have 401k plans they feel good about. If your company purchases 401(k) Easy and then down the road decides the run-it-yourself approach is on the right approach for you, give us a call: We can convert your 401(k) Easy plan into a traditional, full-service plan at any time. With 401(k) Easy, you're never locked into anything. |
[topic 8] Free Technical Support 401(k) Easy includes an easy-to-read yet comprehensive 401k User's Guide set that tells you how to run your company 401k plan using 401(k) Easy.
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[topic 9] Free 401k Plan Conversions 401(k) Easy can accommodate new or already existing 401k plans of any size, and there's no charge for us to convert an already-existing 401k plan for use with 401(k) Easy.
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[topic 10] Free IRS Reporting Help 401(k) Easy includes free help with your 401k-related federal reporting.
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[topic 13] Our Policy Regarding All Asset-Based Fees We at 401(k) Pro, distributor of 401k Easy and 401k Easy Online, have always worked hard to keep 401(k) plans as affordable as possible for our clients, many being small and very small companies. We do not accept any rebates or revenue sharing of fees deducted from our clients' plan assets. Entities that provide and support 401(k) plan investments, include mutual funds managers, fund distributors, asset custodians, asset trustees, investment brokers and advisors, and plan administrators and record-keepers. These entities typically earn at least a portion of their compensation from asset-based fees deducted from plan assets. 401k Easy is an exception to the norm in that we do not earn any compensation, either directly or indirectly, from our clients 401(k) plan assets. If rebates are offered, we instead have the rebates applied to reducing our clients' asset costs. Our published prices, available online for all to see, are the only compensation we collect. Asset-based fees are an unavoidable fact of life if your company is using mutual funds or self-directed brokerage accounts for the 401(k). The cost of these asset-based fees must be included when determining the true, overall cost of a company's 401(k), By not collecting a portion of asset-based fees, and instead requiring that the fund companies and/or custodians apply these fees to keep overall costs down, 401(k) Pro is doing its part to keep 401(k) plans as affordable as possible. For more information on asset-based fees we recommend reading "Revenue Sharing in the 401K) Marketplace--Whose Money Is It?" by The McHenry Consulting Group http://www.mchenryconsulting.com/ and Study of 401(k) Plan Fees and Expenses by the US Department of Pension Welfare and Benefits. |
[topic 14] Taxes, Shipping and Handling Included All 401(k) Easy prices include taxes, shipping and handling. When we say "everything is included," we mean everything! |