Client Engagement

As organizations scale through acquisition, hiring, or expansion, retirement plan administration often becomes more demanding. What once felt routine can quickly require more coordination, more oversight, and more internal time than expected.

For many, the question isn’t whether to provide a retirement plan—it’s whether their current approach can keep pace with the demands of a growing business because as organizations expand, retirement administration often becomes increasingly complex and resource intensive. In these moments, Pooled Employer Plans (PEPs) are emerging more as viable options, offering a more coordinated way to manage complexity, streamline admin, and better position retirement programs for further expansion.

The scenarios below illustrate real-world PEP adoption examples and the moments that prompted employers to consider an alternative. While growth and organizational change are common catalysts, advisors are also seeing employers evaluate PEPs in response to administrative strain, fiduciary concerns, cost pressures, workforce objectives, and limited internal resources. Understanding these broader PEP adoption scenarios can help advisors recognize when a pooled plan conversation may be appropriate.

Pooled employer plans (PEP) are becoming harder to ignore.

What began as an alternative plan design is now drawing broader consideration, particularly among advisors working with future-focused organizations that face resource constraints. For these employers, PEPs can offer a different approach to plan administration and growth. This pooled employer plan trend also reflects changing expectations around efficiency, governance, and the role advisors play in helping clients evaluate plan structures.

At Ascensus, we’re harnessing the pooled plan momentum and started the PEP Rally to help advisors turn PEP adoption trends into high-energy and effective client conversations. Here, we’ll focus on how pooled employer plans are changing things—and what advisors should do with it. 

In retirement planning, timing is everything—but generic messaging rarely delivers. And while early AI usage in the industry focused on operational efficiency, it’s now shifting from output to outcomes by using participant behavior to power more personalized participant communications that determine what to say, when to say it, and who needs to hear it. The result: a tailored approach where advisors and plan sponsors deliver timely, targeted, and AI assisted messaging that drives more meaningful engagement and better reflects the individuals their plans serve.

Participants want an easier way to stay connected to their retirement savings—but often lack clear visibility into the tools available to them. This client-ready flyer helps advisors introduce the READYSAVE® participant engagement app and show how savers can monitor progress and take action from their mobile device.

Use this resource to support participant conversations, reinforce plan value, and encourage mobile adoption—without having to explain the technology in detail.

Download the READYSAVE Flyer

For financial advisors, practice growth often comes down to building the right relationships. One of the most valuable can be with a certified public accountant (CPA). Understanding the benefits of a CPA and financial advisor partnership  can help advisors expand their reach, strengthen client relationships, and support more connected financial conversations—without changing the role either professional plays.

Below are six reasons many advisors choose to work with CPAs.

Pooled Employer Plans (PEPs) are not a new concept in the retirement industry—but they are entering a new phase of relevance.

What began to help employers reduce administrative burden is now a PEP rally. Advisors are increasingly looking at PEPs not just as a solution for clients, but also as a way to rethink how they deliver value, scale their practice, and engage in meaningful conversations.

The shift is subtle, but important. 

At some point, every advisor runs into a situation that crosses into tax territory. A business sale. A big liquidity event. A client income picture that keeps changing year to year. You can clearly see the investment strategy. But the tax side is layered and nuanced. That’s where a strong CPA relationship can make a real difference.

You don’t need to be a tax expert. In fact, trying to be a “jack of all trades” can introduce risk and dilute your value. Clients don’t expect you to do everything, but they do expect you to build the right team around them.

A CPA advisory collaboration brings investment strategy and tax planning together in a way that feels more complete, more thoughtful, and more aligned to the client’s full financial picture.

Improve the tax season experience for your clients by aligning planning and tax preparation through a stronger collaboration with a CPA.

Filing Form 5500 accurately is one of the most critical compliance responsibilities plan sponsors face each year. Even small mistakes can trigger scrutiny, lead to costly penalties, or delay processing. The good news is that most Form 5500 filing errors are preventable, with the right preparation, tools, and advisor support.

Starting the Form 5500 process ahead of the deadline gives you and your clients time to catch discrepancies early and address them before they become bigger issues. Keeping thorough, up‑to‑date records—such as participant counts, financial reconciliations, and internal review procedures—strengthen fiduciary oversight and make the process more manageable. It also helps to understand where retirement plan compliance errors most often occur, and the steps that make the filing season smoother and more predictable for your clients.

Insights from Ascensus Executive Chairman David Musto

Artificial intelligence is reshaping retirement plan administration by improving data accuracy, streamlining operations, and delivering better outcomes for savers. In this video, Ascensus Executive Chairman David Musto shares how predictive analytics and intelligent automation are changing how retirement plans are designed, managed, and delivered.