401GO launches IRA
401GO announced its latest GO-IRA, an offering tailored for advisors, business owners, and employees.
The GO-IRA is an alternative to a work-sponsored plan or supplementary avenue for retirement savings and allows workers to rollover 401(k) investments within the 401GO platform.
The IRA, designed with flexibility in mind, allows investors to choose from several investment options, including individual securities and fractional share trading. The feature also offers automatic portfolio rebalancing, to ensure that asset allocation remains in line with the investor’s financial goals and risk tolerance.
“We’ve found that we have more than double the industry average participation rates amongst younger and lower-wage employees,” said 401GO CEO Dan Beck. “Because we’ve found that we do a far better job than the average 401(k) provider at getting a worker to put their first dollar toward retirement, we want to make sure those employees can continue saving for retirement even after they’ve left that employer.”
EFE acquires PRW
Edelman Financial Engines (EFE) has acquired PRW Wealth Management (PRW), a registered investment advisor that provides a wealth management capabilities with a focus on strategic planning, investment management and the transfer of wealth.
Headquartered in Quincy, Massachusetts, PRW manages over $500 million in assets under management (AUM) for approximately 200 clients, including individuals, families, endowments and foundations, and business owners.
This marks the fifth acquisition by EFE over the past thirteen months and continues the expansion of the firm’s wealth planning capabilities across key regions nationwide.
“We are thrilled to officially welcome the PRW team and their clients to our firm,” said Suzanne van Staveren, executive vice president, chief financial officer and chief operating officer of Edelman Financial Engines. “With this acquisition, we can better serve clients in the greater Boston area, as well as nationwide, who may have more complex wealth management needs that require the right expertise to address their challenges and opportunities while also providing them with a well-defined roadmap to achieve their goals.”
“Edelman Financial Engines has a tremendous reputation, and their continued recognition from industry peers is a testament to their excellence and leadership,” said Bill Payne, co-founder of PRW. “Their overall values, personalized and dedicated approach to wealth management and commitment to their clients closely aligns with how we’ve operated PRW for the last three decades.”
Growth through acquisition remains a key area of focus for EFE, and the firm expects activity will increase in the coming quarters as it continues conversations with strong partners.
This transaction follows EFE’s acquisitions of Align Wealth Management (2023), Erman Retirement Advisory (2022), Herrmann & Cooke (2022), Smart Investor (2022), and Viridian Advisors (2021).
Baker & McKenzie LLP and K&L Gates LLP served as EFE’s counsel in connection with the transaction. Ballard Spahr LLP served as PRW’s counsel.
Savvy brings in wealth manager
Savvy Advisors Inc. (Savvy), a registered investment advisor (RIA) affiliated with Savvy Wealth Inc., announced that Marisa Joelson has joined the firm as a founding principal wealth manager and global investment strategist.
Joelson comes to Savvy after having worked as an advisor at Perigon Wealth Management and Merrill Lynch. In 2017, Joelson founded Meta Point Advisors as her platform to share thought leadership content related to current events and their impacts on the global market. Prior to Merrill Lynch, Joelson was based in London, where she served as a macroeconomic and financial advisor to the CEO and senior leadership at mining company Rio Tinto.
“Since I began my professional career in the 1990s, I have been searching for an employer who gives me freedom to express my differentiated insight and empowers me to utilize my unique global perspectives,” said Joelson. “With Savvy, I can leverage my deep experience in international markets to navigate headwinds that may impact client portfolios.”
Joelson earned a master’s degree in public administration from Harvard Kennedy School, a master’s degree of business administration from Kellogg at Northwestern University and a bachelor’s degree from Wesleyan University.
As an advisor at Savvy, Joelson will have access to data-driven insight, comprehensive retirement planning resources, trust strategies, tax optimization tools, alternative investments and more.
Joelson is the latest addition to the firm, joining its advisory team shortly after Michael Most, Frank Remund, Erich Yost and Ryan Bond.
Waverly Advisors acquires Prosper
Waverly Advisors, LLC (Waverly), a registered investment advisor that specializes in investment management, financial planning and wealth management solutions for high-net-worth individuals, corporate retirement plans and institutional clients, has acquired Prosper Financial Advisers (Prosper) based in St. Petersburg, Florida.
This transaction is the sixth RIA acquisition by Waverly in 2023 and expands the firm’s existing presence in Florida.
Prosper was founded in 2008 by Rhonda Holifield, who will join the firm, along with her entire team.
“We love the energy Rhonda and her colleagues bring to this partnership,” said Josh Reidinger, CEO of Waverly. “Their mission and values align seamlessly with Waverly’s, and we look forward to welcoming their team to the Waverly family.”
“As a team of hard-working professionals, we wear many hats running the daily operations of the firm,” said Holifield. “Partnering with Waverly offers us additional resources, stronger infrastructure and the opportunity to focus on what our business does best – providing prudent and comprehensive financial advice to our clients, while helping them navigate life’s challenges and work towards achieving their personal goals.”
The acquisition of Prosper marks the tenth since Waverly accepted an equity investment in December 2021 from Wealth Partners Capital Group (WPCG) and HGGC’s Aspire Holdings platform. The transaction closed on November 10, and will increase assets under management (AUM) by $146 million, bringing Waverly’s total AUM to approximately $7.7 billion.
Financial and legal terms of the deal will not be disclosed.
Conning highlights annuities in latest insights
Conning recently released its focus report on annuity 401(k) guaranteed income products, finding that the demand for the solutions is rapidly growing as increasing numbers of Baby Boomers retire.
This focus report explores what is required to provide in-plan guaranteed income solutions and highlights examples of firms already moving forward with their innovations. It also identifies and analyzes non-guaranteed retirement income products and trends and guaranteed retirement income products and trends.
“Insurers are actively developing and launching innovative products that generate guaranteed income for retirees while also providing the ability to manage assets,” said Manu Mazumdar, vice president and lead retirement industry analyst at Conning’s Insurance Research group. “Plan sponsors and the retirement industry are beginning to develop new guaranteed retirement income solutions. Are there current trends that could indicate where that development might head? Our analysis suggests there are.”
“Annuity 401(k) Guaranteed Income Products: Innovation at Work” is available for purchase from Conning by calling (888) 707-1177 or by visiting https://go.conning.com/2023-Focus-Series- Annuity 401(k) Guaranteed Income Products: Innovation at Work.html.
BenchMine publishes benchmarking report
BenchMine has released its second year of fully searchable performance insights for U.S. retirement plans.
The firm included 58,912401(k) plans in its insights, using the first major data release on CY 2022 from the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL).
BenchMine includes performance insights for 401(k) plans with less than $1 million in assets that filed a financial Schedule H and allows users to examine each plan’s yield.
The newly-released CY 2022 engines can be accessed from the same BenchMine webpage as the pre-existing engines for CY 2021 and 2020.
Raul Valdes-Perez, co-founder and CEO of OnlyBoth Inc., remarked, “With the newest data, an expanded scope, and UI improvements, we offer all current or soon-to-be stakeholders of employer 401(k) plans an easy way to intelligently assess the dynamic 401(k) landscape and make informed decisions.”
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- Corporate Roundup: CAPTRUST Acquires $1.3B Firm, IRI Board of Directors
- Corporate Roundup: NAGDCA, Savvy Advisors Hires, JULY Earns Certification
Amanda Umpierrez is the Managing Editor of 401(k) Specialist magazine. She is a financial services reporter with over six years of experience and a passion for telling stories and reporting news. Amanda received her degree in journalism and government and politics at St. John’s University. She is originally from Queens, New York, but now resides in Denver, Colorado with her partner. In her free time, Amanda enjoys running, cooking, and watching the latest drama show.
