Behavioral finance tells us that most people follow the path of least resistance. Therefore, we believe that the default path for a participant should be the one that most likely leads to success. We call this philosophy the Unified Success Pathway^®. These intelligent defaults include:

• Instead of choosing to join, participants are automatically enrolled and must opt out if they choose not to participate.
• The Unified Progressive Savings Program^®enables plan participants to automatically save a little bit more each year.
• The default investment is a diversified model portfolio, prudently managed by investment professionals.
• Periodic rebalancing is handled automatically for participants.

The Success Pathway lays the foundation. For plans looking to build on that foundation and deliver personalized solutions for each employee, there is the UnifiedPlan^® Managed Account Solution³. The UnifiedPlan^® is retirement made easy.

• A Defined Goal: It starts with defining a goal for each participant: to replace 70% of pre-retirement income, adjusted for inflation and targeting as close to the normal Social Security retirement age as possible. We then default into the least amount of risk needed to succeed, making adjustments as needed along the way.
• The Personalized Plan: We create a personalized plan to improve the likelihood that the participant will reach his or her goal. The plan is highly individualized – we look at many possible solutions to find the one that’s best. Each participant gets a plan that’s unique to his or her situation, current savings and assets, and projected years until retirement.
• Actively Monitored and Managed: We review each participant’s situation every quarter to make sure they have a prudent asset allocation and their funded ratio is on track to meet their retirement goal. If investment changes are needed, we make them automatically.

Unified Trust is not just a 401(k) provider. We offer a full array of ERISA services including those for ERISA §403(b) plans; 457(b), Cash Balance plans and traditional Defined Benefit Plans.

DEFINED BENEFIT AND CASH BALANCE PLANS

A Defined Benefit or Cash Balance Plan can provide plan sponsors and their participants with an additional means of saving more toward retirement in a qualified, tax deferred manner. They also provide another source of retirement income by increasing retirement security through income diversification.

As a discretionary trustee we are held to the highest standards of accountability for our record-keeping and administrative services. We have detailed, documented processes that are independently audited and consistently followed. We offer a flexible approach:

• The Fully Bundled Model provides a personalized, full service option for Plan Sponsors looking for a comprehensive retirement plan solution. In the Fully Bundled Model, Unified Trust – along with the plan’s Advisor – will provide investment management, record-keeping, administration, and compliance and education services consistent with the plan’s services agreement.
• Our Unbundled or Record-keeping Model allows Plan Sponsors to work with local third party administrators, in concert with Unified Trust and the plan’s Advisor on the design and administration of the plan.
• The Trustee Only Model combines features from both the Bundled and Unbundled Models. The third party generally provides record-keeping, administration, and education services, while Unified Trust serves as the trustee of the plan.

Managing your plan’s administrative requirements can be cumbersome and can slow sponsors down from focusing on running their business, so we developed Admin Assist to provide sponsors with help in fulfilling the daily demands of the retirement plan. Our Admin Assist fulfillment service allows sponsors to outsource delivery of certain plan participant notices.

While participants may feel a job change warrants an investment change, the reality is that for many it may be in their best interest to stay in the plan both in regards to fees and investment options such as stable value.  Regardless of which direction they choose, we understand that asset retention is likely an important aspect of your business model.

The Rollover Wizard makes it easy for participants to learn about their options.  With just a few simple questions, the wizard will help a participant review their rollover options, outline the features and benefits of each model and immediately deliver a personalized outlook.

Ready to see a demo? Click here to see the Rollover Wizard in action!

From investment management to retirement income solutions our team of experts are here to assist you, the advisor, in delivering customized financial solutions to your individual investors. Our role as a fiduciary and discretionary trustee carries over to our Wealth Management services as well, so you can rest assured that we are always acting in your client’s best interest. Learn more

Our proprietary Unified Fiduciary Monitoring Index^® gives us a balanced, long-term evaluation of each investment, relative to its peers.

Open Architecture – unlimited access to investment fund managers at the plan level – allows us to consider virtually any investment alternative, providing it is prudent and meets the plan’s Investment Policy guidelines.

Stable Value is an investment option that focuses on capital preservation with a goal of bond-like returns without the bond-like volatility. For more information on our DCIO MetLife Unified Trust Stable Value Fund, click here.

We understand the importance of having an investment solution that accounts for changing market conditions, allowing for growth in good markets and defending against losses during major downturns. The Wealth Preservation Portfolio is a series of risk-based asset allocation funds that we offer exclusively for defined contribution and defined benefit plans.

As a discretionary trustee, Unified Trust has a duty to be loyal and to always act in the best interest of the participants. For this reason, we’re fee-based and take a no-conflict-of-interest approach.