Retirement Planning

Courier Capital: The best partner for your retirement plan

Offering a retirement plan is a significant undertaking for any employer, large or small. It demonstrates your sincere regard for your employees, your concern about their future. It reflects your generosity — even if you don't match their contributions, you commit considerable time, effort and resources to establish and manage the plan. And because the laws governing your retirement plan are complicated, it also imposes substantial responsibility.

Courier Capital will act as your trusted partner in executing your responsibility and providing this valuable benefit.  We will draw on our experience and expertise to help you fulfill your obligations and curtail your risk while helping your employees achieve excellent investment growth at minimal cost.

Why choose Courier Capital?

Established in 1967, Courier Capital is a registered investment advisor with more than $1.5 billion under management. The principals who will be your retirement managers and advisors average more than 20 years of experience. We understand the complexities of retirement plans, and will strive to assure that you meet every requirement.

Employee benefits are not a sideline for us with more than $700 million in our clients' retirement plans, this is an important focus of our business. We are fully and enthusiastically committed to assuring the customized, comprehensive service you need to achieve the best results for you and your employees.

Independent advice

Next to our expertise, the most important benefit we offer is our independence. We have no compensation agreements or affiliations with companies offering mutual funds, insurance or any other investment products. So we have no conflicts of interest or predetermined preferences for one investment option over another. The advice we provide is objective and unbiased, based on our in-depth research and proprietary evaluation process.

Shared responsibility, shared goals

As co-fiduciary, Courier Capital will be your partner in managing the risks and responsibilities ERISA requires of retirement plans and their sponsors. Our goal, like yours, is to identify the best investments at the lowest cost. Moreover, it's our legal responsibility to put your interests first. This level of commitment is simply not attainable from brokers, insurance agents or any other plan managers who are not co-fiduciaries.

Transparent, reasonable fees

Because they rarely pay out of pocket, few employers realize how much their retirement plans really cost. Fees are often deducted from investment returns, and it's not uncommon for a plan to carry total expenses of more than 2% a year. Costs this high seriously limit the growth of your employees' retirement accounts. Courier Capital's fees are all-inclusive and probably less than you're paying now. With $1.5 billion under management, we can use economies of scale to deliver world-class investments at a very competitive price. Our charges — typically a percentage of the assets we manage for you — cover all of the services we provide, including the liability we assume as co-fiduciary. You can choose whether to pay directly — creating an additional benefit to your employees and a deductible expense for you — or out of plan assets.

Quality investments

We balance several factors when selecting your plan's menu of investment options. The plan must provide enough choice to suit a range of investor profiles, but not so many that your employees are overwhelmed. To meet ERISA requirements, the plan must offer at least three options with different risk and return characteristics, and employees must be provided with the information they need to make wise choices.

Clearly, with retirement savings at stake, investment quality is paramount. No one can guarantee performance, but Courier Capital's proprietary screening process, using our own in-depth research and analysis, enables us to identify and monitor the best performing funds. With access to top performing institutional fund managers, we also generate model portfolios that make it easier for participants to allocate their assets. Our selections are always driven by what's best for you and your employees.

Employee education

Courier Capital takes great pains with education. Our program provides your employees with the knowledge and tools to plan their investments carefully and manage their retirement savings successfully. In small group meetings, we'll help your employees understand how much money they may need at retirement and how much they should save to meet their goals. They'll learn about the growth potential and tax advantages of 401[k] plans, how to assess their tolerance for risk, and how to choose among the investment options available. Our goal is to instill not only confidence, but also an appreciation for the valuable benefit you are offering.

Quarterly reviews

Once a plan is established, few employers monitor their returns or regularly review their options. In accordance with ERISA requirements, Courier Capital will examine your plan's investments every quarter, evaluating performance against appropriate benchmarks and peer groups. We'll report our findings to you and recommend adjustments if warranted, again helping you to fulfill your fiduciary responsibility.

Exceptional service

As a Courier Capital client, you will enjoy attentive service from an experienced team of investment and employee benefit professionals. We'll design a customized 401[k] plan to reflect the specific needs of your company and your employees. In addition to education, investment management and quarterly reviews, we'll supply relevant documentation and assure that you meet your fiduciary responsibilities and comply with ERISA requirements.

Your goal is simple ... now your choice is, too

Naturally you want to offer your employees the best plan possible. As a partner and co-fiduciary with Courier Capital, you can achieve that goal. You'll benefit greatly from our complete independence, our experience and our outstanding service. With access to premier investment opportunities at lower cost, you may also achieve better investment results.

Can other firms match our advantages? Perhaps some of them can. What they can't equal, though, is our depth of comprehension and concern. At Courier Capital, you'll deal directly with the principals of the firm. You'll enjoy the confidence that comes only from working with people who know you very, very well.