FAQs

It takes a smart company to change from business as usual.

Retirement plan management is complex in nature. It includes an astute recordkeeping system, account oversight, transaction processing, and reporting. There are multiple plan types. There are a host of administrative and management stakeholders. There are participants with different needs.

The Challenge

Find a way to link all retirement plan stakeholders for all plan types to thousands of investment options and effectively deliver smart retirement solutions that advocate for the participant and deliver economic value for strategic distribution partners and customers. Thatâ€™s way beyond business as usualâ€”thatâ€™s exceptional. Thatâ€™s what you get with Aspire Financial Services â€”the vision to design unique smart retirement plan services and solutions that make a difference and go beyond status quo.

Our retirement plan services link people, investments and technology through InvestLinkâ„ â€” a proprietary open-architecture platform that simplifies the retirement management process by linking together the right partnerships with the right solutions that meet the varying needs of the marketplaceâ€”offering transparent pricing and the flexibility to make wise, cost-effective investment choices. Aspire Financial Services aims to be the provider of stellar retirement plan services.

Aspire is an industry-leading retirement management solution provider for all plan types.

Our proprietary technology platform delivers choices, flexible retirement plans and open architecture to meet retirement plan needs and stakeholder goalsâ€”customer by customer. Aspire offers the most extensive capabilities nationwide for all plan types independent of average account balance or plan size: [401(k), 403(b), 457, IRA, and Defined Benefit]. Our best-in-class technology-enabled portfolio delivers pre-defined or highly customizable smart retirement solutionsâ€”with private-label branding options.

Flexible Retirement Plans with Aspire Financial Services

News

Linking strategic distribution partners and participants.

Get the information and educational tools you need to make the right decisions for retirement planning programs, address your unique needs and master industry challenges.

Aspire is making news.

Aspire leads the industry in delivering smart retirement solutions. Often quoted in the press, featured on videos and in byline articles, Aspire sets the standard for the retirement management industry.

Click Aspire Events to get our full schedule of webinar training for TPAs, advisors and plan sponsors.

To check out our smart retirement solutions in person, make sure to sign up for a conference where we will be showcasing how we create economic value. In many cases, you can also catch an Aspire thought leader at a speaking engagement or participating on an industry panel.

Building Relationships that Make a Difference

Aspire is 100% dedicated to the success of all of our strategic distribution partnersâ€”TPAs, advisors, plan sponsors, broker dealers, strategists, investment managers, and custodians. We put our partners front and center in a position of controlâ€”with the ability to let you make the choices that can grow your business the way you wantâ€¦the way that works best for you and your clients. Our business model provides you with a choice of investment options and retirement management solutions. Aspire is the premier open-architecture provider who has the scale and resources to offer the perfect smart retirement management solutions that you can count on for years to come.

We believe that our partners have a right to choice when it comes to choosing the right partners and solutions for retirement record keeping. Our collective service offering builds results-driven solutions and products. Aspire has the flexible technology and operational infrastructure that adapts to our partners' and clients' business strategies, while honoring the integrity of our customers. We build partnerships that are designed to work long term and experience sustainable growth through our smart retirement solutions, effectively allowing endless possibilities of creating a retirement service team.

We align with strategic partners to bring best-of-breed capabilities to market. Our goal is to engage our customers, offer administrative efficiencies, deliver greater profits, and market results-driven productsâ€”all through our strategic partners, value-driven comprehensive recordkeeping system, plan processing model and smart retirement solutions.

Read more about who we serve, here.

Contact Us

Aspire is committed to support customers and participants quickly and thoroughly, providing guidance to deliver best-in-class smart retirement solutions, education, training and communications.

To contact Client Services for questions or additional information, please complete the Contact form. For immediate assistance we welcome you to contact us directly by phone.

Phone
866.634.5873
813.874.0671

Corporate Headquarters
4010 Boy Scout Blvd., Suite 450
Tampa, FL 33607
Fax: 813.856.4543

Advisors & TPAs

For more information on smart retirement solutions for all plan types, visit our InvestDesign Center for a proposal or private-label branding.

Register for the InvestDesignâ„ Center

Office Closures

January 01, 2016
January 18, 2016
February 15, 2016
March 25, 2016
May 30, 2016
July 4, 2016
September: 5, 2016
November: 24, 2016
December 26, 2016 (Observed)

866.634.5873
813.874.0671

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From four founders with a dream to a leading national retirement solutions service provider.

It started with a sketch on a restaurant tablecloth. Four industry veterans who believed they could make a difference in the retirement industry by taking business way beyond usual to exceptional. How? By providing retirement recordkeeping services that advocated for the participant through enabling technology delivering choice and transparency. Over 12 years later, they still believe itâ€”they are still making it happen and now they are once again leading the way by providing value-add smart retirement solutionsâ€”going way beyond recordkeeping, which is business as usual.

They knew their vision would change the retirement industry landscape. Offering transparency and full fee disclosure from day one, Aspire has led the way to ensure that participants are on the right path to a profitable retirementâ€”while at the same time delivering a robust set of capabilities that can be uniquely designed customer by customer.

Our Vision

To be the most trusted and reliable service provider of smart retirement solutions for all plan types that drive competitive advantage and greater outcomes through enabling technology and superior customer service.

Our Mission

To revolutionize the industry with new ways of managing retirement plans through technology and business process outsourcing solutions that serve the needs of all stakeholders with conflict-free investment choices, cost-effective pricing and customization.

Our Values

We started in business as an advocate for the participant. It is this underlying value that has driven the growth of Aspire. And it is a value that is rooted in our culture. We support. We enable. We care. Our strong values serve as a guide for how we conduct our businessâ€”fair, transparent, and open. These values reflect how we should interact with our co-workers, customers and participants. We rely on these values to focus us each day in how we approach our work, our teams, and inspire the behavior that collectively creates our high-performing culture. We employ the best and the brightest in the industry to deliver our smart retirement solutions.

Aspire Delivers Value.

Our value proposition defines what differentiates us in the marketplaceâ€”what we offer, how we deliver it differently than our competitors, and the way we provide value. It establishes why a company wants to do business with us. Aspire is positioned as the service provider of choice for smart retirement solutions delivered through the unique blend of these nine market differentiators that attract and influence decision makers to convert to Aspire customers. This is how Aspire drives competitive advantage and enables greater outcomes. No other company goes to market like Aspire.

Our executive leadership team is comprised of experts in information technology, marketing, operations, retirement plan administration and management, product development and the servicing of retirement products. Our Board of Managers includes some of the retirement industryâ€™s top leaders.

WE SERVE

all retirement plan stakeholders with the same high level of commitmentâ€”implementing the smartest retirement solutions to achieve goals across the board.

WE SERVE

as an advocate for retirement plan participants ensuring access to all information, cost-effective transparent pricing, conflict-free investments and ongoing education.

WE SERVE

our strategic distribution partnersâ€”TPAs, advisors, plan sponsors, broker dealers, investment managers, custodians, and strategistsâ€”by automating processes, delivering the latest technology, providing branded solutions, communicating on all levels and offering flexibility to make wise, cost-effective investment choices.

Single-Threaded Service Model

We start on day one. Thatâ€™s when youâ€™re assigned a dedicated, fully trained team of resources to your account. Day-to-day multi-dimensional management will be handled through your Relationship or Account Manager, who will be your single point of contact. The contact is supported by an executive team that will be linked to the team that provides executive-level guidance and strategic directionâ€”ensuring corporate resources are aligned with your needs. All our clients are served by our quality-driven, multi-disciplinary team of industry-experienced retirement management professionalsâ€”receiving accurate, timely and efficient services. Itâ€™s an innovative approach to customer careâ€”we call it our single-threaded service model.

Smart Retirement Solutions for All Plan Types

Aspire goes beyond the basic recordkeeping service model by offering end-to-end technology-enabled retirement management. Powered by choice and real-time 24-hour access through our proprietary open-architecture platform, InvestLinkSM, retirement plan stakeholders can design custom-built smart retirement solutions with private-label branding options. Aspire smart retirement solutions drive competitive advantage and greater outcomes through enabling technology that delivers customization, conflict-free choices and cost-effective transparent pricing. Aspire supports all plan types [401(k), 403(b), 457, IRA, and Defined Benefit] independent of average account balance or plan size. We implement best-in-class industry standards to protect confidential client information, including data encryption and network monitoring. All records are backed up daily and archived, and all servers are located in a hosting facility with state-of-the-art, 24-hour systems to prevent unauthorized access.

401(k)

Aspire delivers simple and effective smart retirement solutions for employers to help meet employee retirement needs through flexibility, choice, and cost-effective transparent pricing.

403(b)

Aspire delivers a full range of smart retirement solutions for all 403(b) plan types. We offer solutions for K-12, Higher Education, Faith Based, Non-Profit, Healthcare, and ERISA 403(b) plans with a deep understanding of the different participants, occupations and their needs. Aspireâ€™s complete suite of 403(b) solutions are designed to deliver flexibility in making choices for our strategic distribution partners and plan participants.

457

Aspire delivers smart retirement solutions for all 457 plan types, including Government and Non-Profit plans. Our smart retirement solutions are targeted to the needs of these participants. Aspireâ€™s 457 solutions deliver flexible plan design and investment choices.

IRA

Aspire delivers a full suite of smart retirement solutions for Individual Retirement Accounts (IRAs), including Traditional, Roth, SIMPLE, SEP, Rollover, Auto Rollover, and our newest addition to the IRA retirement solutions family: Payroll Deduction, a cost-effective, simple way to help employees set up an IRA to save for retirement. All are designed to deliver flexibility in making choices for our strategic distribution partners and plan participants. Aspireâ€™s IRA smart retirement solutions are customer centric, cost effective and user friendly.

Defined Benefit

Aspire delivers a retirement management system with the flexibility to easily handle the records of Cash Balance Plans and other Defined Benefit Plans using more than 25,000 investment options and five different custodians with several different recordkeeping methodologies. Aspire charges a flat fee for Defined Benefit Plan recordkeeping, so the planâ€™s costs donâ€™t increase as the plan grows.

Our corporate identity is built on Aspire's legacy.

Taking the ASP acronym for application service provider, the brand was conceived to go to market as 401k ASP and six years later introduced 403b ASP. In 2010, the company was rebranded as ASPire Financial Services to reflect the full scope of the business. Today, the brand is known as Aspireâ€”the link that solidifies collaboration between all plan stakeholders. Aspire links the retirement planning community together to deliver smart retirement solutions for any plan type independent of average account balance or plan sizeâ€”enabling our customers with competitive advantage through a cost-effective transparent pricing structure increasing economic value and advocating for participants. Aspireâ€™s business model decreases the administrative burden, while enhancing the customer experience.

Our Brand Position

Aspire is committed to delivering smart solutions that deliver results, operating ethically, advocating choices and strategically developing partnerships.

Our Brand Essence

Our brand essence is the core characteristic of what defines Aspire in the marketplace. Aspire = Smart.

Our Brand Attributes

Visionary â€“ anticipating what the industry needsâ€”and delivering
Dedicated â€“ working smart and thoughtfully through a single point of contact
Entrepreneurial â€“ harnessing the know-how to make a difference
Experienced â€“ providing decades of retirement industry expertise
Technology Focused â€“ implementing proprietary smart retirement solutions
Ethical â€“ delivering advocacy and transparency
Reliable â€“ demonstrating consistent work and building trusting relationships
Service Oriented â€“ putting our clientsâ€™ needs first

Our Tagline

Our tagline specifically identifies the high-quality services we provide and positions us as the industry leader who understands what our customers and participants need for greater outcomes in retirement management solutions. Everything Aspire does is with the customer and participant in mind.

Aspire Tagline: Smart Retirement Solutions

Smart retirement solutions are streamlined and empowering.

Aspire is a leading service provider of retirement management solutions for all plan types independent of average account balance or plan sizeâ€”offering the most extensive capabilities of customizable choices and transparent pricing through a proprietary, conflict-free open-architecture platform. Link with Aspire as a TPA, advisor, plan sponsor, strategic partner or participant. Link to the InvestDesign Center to request a proposal, access sales materials and operational forms, link to sales and service teams, customize retirement management services and seamlessly integrate private-label branded solutions. Link with us through our social media sites. Aspire empowers industry professionals by linking them with smart, results-driven tools that provide value and grow business. Aspire empowers participants by linking open choices and transparent access to all plan details and educational materials. Aspire empowers customers when managing vendors by providing a single link to all customers, which links to all other stakeholders, who are linked to Aspire. Aspire links all stakeholders through a central communications hub. It links to over 25,000 investment options. It links to private-label branding options. Each smart retirement solution simplifies the process and is tailored to the needs of our customers, participants and plan types. Get smart retirement solutionsâ€”link with Aspire today!

Join the industry leader that makes a difference.

Aspire is rapidly growing across all aspects of our business. We seek career-minded professionals that are driven to be employed with an innovative, fast-paced, technology and operational-driven organization. We take pride in employing knowledgeable and experienced professionalsâ€”people with the industry credentials and experience that understand retirement plan management and the financial services industry. Our experts offer decades of proven experience and knowledge in retirement plan administration and management, customer service, product development, and information technologyâ€”backed by our CEFEX Certification for Recordkeepers for adherence to industry best practices, annual SSAE 16 â€“ SOC 1 Type II successful audit, and memberships in ASPPA, NAPA, NIPA, NTSAA, and NAGDA.

Aspire is a great place to work.

We deliver next-generation smart retirement solutions through our Information Technology team.
We have a dedicated focus on providing world-class customer service.
We operate in a stable, fast-paced team environment.
We are committed to the current and future success and well-being of our employees.
We have an in-house Professional Development department that is solely committed to the personal and professional growth of our employees.
We were named #18 on the Tampa Bay Business Journal Fastest 50 Growing Companies list in 2011.

We started in business as an advocate for the participant in 2002. It is this underlying value that has driven the growth of Aspire for the last 12 years. And it is a value that is rooted in our culture. We support. We enable. We care. We are a dynamic, fast-growing organization with two office locationsâ€”with headquarters in Tampa, Florida, where the majority of our services are executed and managed and internal sales, support and technology teams based in our Denver office. Today, Aspire is the most trusted and reliable service provider of smart retirement solutions.

Our Values

Our values serve as the framework for how we conduct our businessâ€”fair, transparent, and open. These values guide us in our interactions with our co-workers, customers and participants. We focus on our values each day to deliver customer-centric service and respect for our team members. Our values are the foundation of our high-performing culture. Aspire is a community of dedicated professionals who care about our customers and their clients.

Platform of Sustainable Growth

Customer Service-Centric Approach
Ownership and Accountability
Identify Solutions vs. Report Problems
Management by Fact
Communicate. Communicate. Communicate.

Employee Benefits

Aspire has built a robust benefits plan to recruit and retain the best and the brightest in the industry. Benefits include:

Medical â€“ no waiting period
Dental â€“ no waiting period
Vision â€“ no waiting period
Supplemental Accident and Cancer Insurance
401(k) Program
Life Insurance â€“ employer paid
Long-Term Disability â€“ employer paid
AD&D Coverage and Supplemental Life Insurance
Short-Term Disability
Paid Time Off (PTO)

Linking People, Investments and Technology

Only Aspire offers InvestLinkâ€”formerly known as RKS. It's a new name and same reliable service for our conflict-free open-investment platform designed to link people, investments and technology. The platform links all stakeholders through a central communications hub, links to thousands of investments and links to private-label branding options. Each smart retirement solution is tailored to the needs of our customers, participants and plan types. We keep all stakeholders connected by providing a single link to our customers, which links to all other stakeholders who are linked to Aspire.

InvestLink links to over 25,000 investment options including ETFs, collective trusts, stable value funds and mutual funds. The entry point into the InvestLink system is through one of five user portals:

TPA User Portal delivers total online access to plan management
Advisor User Portal allows online access for all account management functions
Broker Dealer User Portal provides oversight of advisors and their accounts
Plan Sponsor User Portal affords the flexibility to streamline administrative processes
Participant User Portal gives powerful access for individuals to manage their retirement accounts

The user portals are customized according to customer brand identity, linking users to manage plan-specific information, communicate with all stakeholders, and view and print reports. Access is based on function, security level and administrative profile, delivering a unique, secure online experience.

InvestLink is an innovative technology-enabled platform that links the retirement planning community together to deliver smart solutions for any plan type independent of average account balance or plan sizeâ€”enabling our partners and customers with strong economic value and competitive advantage through a cost-effective transparent pricing structure and fully built operational model.

System Architecture

Aspire's open-investment platform was designed for the Internetâ€”not adapted to it. Built using the most advanced technologies, the platform weaves the best attributes of industry technology into the fabric of its system, creating a next-generation retirement plan platform that blends reliability, simplicity, and integrity.

Data Security

We apply the highest industry standards in protecting the confidentiality of your clients' information. For site security, the system utilizes SSL with 128-bit encryption for all data transmitted through redundant Fortinet 110D on Data Center A and redundant Checkpoint Nokia IP290 on Data Center B with software programs that monitor network traffic. Our servers are located within a secure, caged environment at a premier hosting facility. This facility maintains state-of-the-art 24-hour defense, power and communication systems to prevent unauthorized access (physically and electronically). All data records and files are backed up on a daily basis and archived for historic retrieval.

Only Aspire Delivers Smart Retirement Solutions

Aspire is a leading service provider of smart retirement solutions. Serving the industry for over 12 years with a conflict-free, open-architecture retirement planning management system, Aspire offers the most extensive capabilities nationwide for all plan types and all retirement plan stakeholders. We provide a best-in-class technology-enabled portfolio of pre-defined or highly customizable smart retirement solutions with private-label branding options through our proprietary technology platform, business process outsourcing, and strategic partnerships. Linking the retirement planning community together to deliver smart solutions for any plan type independent of average account balance or plan size, we enable our partners and customers with strong economic value and competitive advantage through a cost-effective transparent pricing structure and fully built operational model.

We value our strategic partner relationships.

First and foremost, Aspire supports our strategic distribution partners by automating processes, delivering the latest technology, providing branded solutions, communicating on all levels and offering flexibility to make wise, cost-effective investment choices. We serve all stakeholders with the same high level of commitmentâ€”implementing the smartest retirement solutions to achieve goals across the board. Aspire is a retirement management solutions company that focuses on enabling our strategic partners. If you are successful, then we are successful. With this motto in mind we have helped countless strategic partners build out robust offerings to achieve maximum success.

Aspire works with a variety of strategic partners to develop custom solutions and marketing partnerships, including:

TPAs
Regional and national RIAs and broker dealers
Local advisory firms
Money managers and strategists
Custodians
Payroll companies
Employee benefits companies
Investment tool and participant education firms

Delivering best-in-class operations.

Aspireâ€™s operational model is built on best practices and continuous process improvements. The operating team has the industry knowledge and experience to manage a multi-dimensional operation that is capable of responding to changing customer and regulatory needs, as well as shifting financial trends. Aspire continues to invest across people, process and technology to sustain relevancy and readiness for the next-generation enterprise. Aspireâ€™s proprietary conflict-free open-architecture platform enables operational changes as businesses reinvent and define new requirements in the way they go to market. Aspire offers both efficiency and growth for companies that are seeking an operating model that is not one size fits all.

Customers are provided the freedom and flexibility to make system and process changes when necessary to meet their needs. We are committed to providing technology and service that makes it easier for our strategic partners and customers to attract and retain business.

Best Practices and Governance Procedures

Aspire can deliver a trusted and reliable system and processes designed for the future. As businesses evolve, Aspire helps our customers seek, embrace and adapt to changes. It takes a well-defined system and processes and it also requires quality controls through a precise governance model. Aspire consistently receives the Center for Fiduciary Excellence (CEFEX) Certification for Recordkeepers for adherence to industry best practices. This certification is an independent recognition for the excellent service that Aspire delivers to its customers, which is compliant with the ASPPA Standard of Practice. Additionally, Aspire is subject to an annual SSAE 16 â€“ SOC 1 Type II audit, which we successfully pass each year. These audit requirements are standards for compliance that service providers need to follow to ensure efficient, transparent and cost-effective processes are implemented end to end. Our experts offer decades of proven experience and knowledge in retirement plan administration and management staying current with industry trends and linking with industry professionals with memberships in ASPPA, NAPA, NIPA, NTSAA, and NAGDA.

Performance Metrics and Process Improvement

Aspire recognizes that to achieve superior customer service, performance metrics are key to measure program performance as defined in our client engagements. Aspireâ€™s Performance Scorecard (PSC) captures and evaluates key performance metrics across our client programs. In concert with the development of a PSC, Aspire evaluates our Service Level Agreements and Warranties, and makes any necessary modifications. This includes, but is not limited to, conducting regular performance surveys with our partners.

Education, Training and Communications

Our comprehensive education, training and communications program ensures that all retirement plan stakeholders have all the information needed to make an informed decision. We have instructor-led and online courses through our Education Center that provide access to printed and digital materials, including enrollment guides, personalized Rate of Return reports, multiple gap analysis statements, articles and tutorials on a variety of retirement topics, calculators, access to market research and commentary, FAQs and a glossary, benefiting both plan sponsors and participants. Participant education is segmented into three life cyclesâ€”Getting Started, Managing Retirement Investments, and Nearing Retirement. Additionally, we regularly conduct onsite visits for advisor training and hold webinars.

Training is provided at the time of implementation and when a new solution or tool is introduced. Phone support is available from trained specialists in the Call Center Monday â€“ Friday, 8 a.m. â€“ 8 p.m. ET at 866.634.5873. Our retirement management system provides communication for all stakeholders through a central hub on the technology platform with quick and easy access to information and tools through the Forms & Documents Library. For assistance with the website, administrative or investment-related questions, participants can access the online Help Desk feature.

Methodology and Approach

Aspire has developed an implementation methodology for transitioning and assimilating clients based on a best-practice framework. The methodology focuses on four primary goals designed to deliver a predictable and successful outcome that creates economic value.

Business Process Outsourcing for All Plan Types

Aspire supports all retirement plan types independent of average account balance and plan size. As a Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) service provider, our purpose is to assist our partners with retirement management administration through real-time, on-demand technology-enabled solutions. We eliminate the responsibilities that take time away from where time should be focused: driving revenue.

Plan Processing

Aspireâ€™s operations include the processing of contributions, distributions, transfers, enrollments, trading, and process fulfillment. Our system allows authorized users either at the plan sponsor or TPA level to process regular and special contributions. Payroll information can be uploaded directly into the system, or users can key in data via the contribution processing grid. The system will perform automatic validation checking and report any errors or rule violations encountered in the data.

The participant user portal allows participants to request loans and distributions from their account based on allowable plan provisions. The system dynamically generates customized signature-ready PDF documents, if the plan allows, for the participant to print, sign and submit for processing. The processing panel displays a list of pending loan and distribution requests submitted by plan participants who are authorized users at either the TPA or the plan sponsor level, allowing the TPA to design the most efficient process for the TPA business modelâ€”not the recordkeeping provider.

Activities & Reports

Aspire offers comprehensive reporting available instantly in multiple formats including PDF, Excel, Text, TIFF and HTML. All formats can be printed or archived.

Report types include:
Plan Statement
Plan Investments
Contribution Summary
Deferral Changes Report
Summary Participant Statements
Participant Balances by Source/Fund

Plan Census
Active Loans
Delinquent Loans
Required Minimum
Distributions Fee Summary

Export types include:
Participant Census Data
Source Data
Participant Statement Extract
Plan Investment Balances
Trade & Fee History

Smart Retirement Solutions for 401(k) Plans

Design and build solutions with the best fit and greatest value for plan sponsors and participants.
Operate within an open-architecture management system that goes beyond recordkeeping.
Work with a choice of leading custodial partners and fiduciary advisors.

Aspire delivers a full suite of smart retirement solutions for 401(k) retirement plans. Employers appreciate Aspireâ€™s simple and effective way to help meet employee retirement needs with flexible and cost-effective solutions.

Being a leader in the industry means monitoring issues and trendsâ€”and knowing how to respond and deliver smart retirement solutions that address what the market needs and operate as business climates change. Aspire understands and knows how to:

Work with advisors who are seeking flexibility to leverage competitive advantage
Battle commoditization of advisors and TPAs by embracing new ways of doing business
Deliver solutions that help TPAs, advisors and plan sponsors deal with increased government regulation that pressures them to run a better plan
Address margin pressure for all players by delivering a reasonable flat-dollar fee for our recordkeeping services
Benefit from the use of lower-cost investments like institutional shares and ETFs
Gain market share as a highly specialized retirement advisor

Linking people, investments and technology

Itâ€™s an innovative technology-enabled platform that links the retirement planning community together to deliver smart solutions for any plan type independent of average account balance or plan sizeâ€”enabling our partners and customers with strong economic value and competitive advantage through a cost-effective transparent pricing structure and fully built operational model.

Aspireâ€™s open-investment proprietary platformâ€”InvestLinkâ€”links to over 25,000 investment options including ETFs, collective trusts, stable value funds and any share class of mutual funds. We work with five different custodians allowing us to offer virtually unlimited choice in investments. This means no compromises when building the very best investment offering for a plan, enabling the ultimate in flexibility and customization for our TPAs, advisors, sponsors and participants.

This open-investment platform is available to all plans of all sizes including start-up plans and Solo K plans with solutions available for Multiple Employer Plans (MEPs).

Cost-Effective Transparent Pricing

Our cost structure has no hidden fees and charges the same low fee for each participant. Aspire offers flat-dollar pricing. The flat-dollar-fee model ensures that the plan recordkeeping costs remain fair and predictable. Visit our InvestDesign Center to try our Flat-Fee Calculator.

Revenue Recapture Flexibility

Aspire is committed to deliver a conflict-free solution. All available revenue sharing from a plan's investments are returned to the plan. The plan sponsor can select to use the revenue sharing to:
Fund an ERISA spending account to pay plan expenses, or
Issue a credit back to the participants at the individual investment level in which each participant receives the revenue share from the investments he or she is actually invested in and not a percentage of the total revenue share returned.

Model Portfolio Building

Aspire works with industry-leading strategists across the country that provide either ERISA 3(21) or 3(38) services. Our highly scalable and customizable platform enables Package-to-Fit options, allowing advisors or TPAs to implement a packaged solution or work with any strategic partner to develop a customized packaged solution.

Private-Label Branding

Aspire offers a flexible Private-Label Branding program featuring customization options that allow outsourced retirement management services to be seamlessly integrated into a company-branded solution.

Resources on Demand

Aspireâ€™s online Resource Center provides participants, plan sponsors and advisors with forms, FAQs and learning tools to assist in planning and saving for retirement. The educational information provided includes articles, calculators and tutorials that may be used by individuals or adapted as part of a financial learning curriculum for online or on-site training.

Single-Threaded Service Model

Aspireâ€™s number one priority is the service we provide our clients, which means the client comes first, and we are committed to consistently delivering a superior client experienceâ€”thatâ€™s our single-minded customer service focus. Our single-threaded account management begins on day one of our partnershipâ€”when we assign a dedicated team of resources to the planâ€”fully trained to handle your unique needs and committed to making the partnership a success. We are committed to delivering the industryâ€™s highest-quality service levels.
Professionally trained Retirement Call Center Specialists are available Monday â€“ Friday, 8 a.m. â€“ 8 p.m. ET
Highly experienced implementation, trading, transfer, distribution, enrollment and relationship management professionals handle all aspects of your plans and your clientsâ€™ needs

Simplified Participant Fee Disclosure Reporting

With Aspire, it's always been about participants. We're even known in the industry as an advocate for participants. Since the company opened its doors, Aspire has delivered fee transparency. Our focus has also been on increasing awareness among plan sponsors and plan participants regarding retirement plan fee charges. Aspire introduced fee disclosure 10 years prior to it being government mandated. And in 2012, Aspire introduced Definitive DisclosureSMâ€”our industry-leading full fee disclosure program that identifies all fees, categorizes them and assigns them to each covered service provider to enable compliance with disclosure regulations. Definitive Disclosure provides:
Complete transparency organized in an informative presentation for plan sponsors
TPA and advisor partner support to maintain Covered Service Provider (CSP) profiles
System automation with business rule processing for accuracy

Smart Retirement Solutions for 403(b) Plans

Build investment portfolios using over 10,000 investment options
Access to the investment portfolio expertise of leading money managers and investment strategists
Get open investment choice for any size plan

Aspire's complete suite of 403(b) smart retirement solutions provides easy, real-time access to all plan details through its proprietary conflict-free open-architecture platformâ€”providing flexibility for advisors and participants; transparent, competitive pricing; and the option to implement private-label branding. Aspire has deep experience in working with educators, school district officials, religious leaders, non-profit professionals and healthcare workersâ€”Aspire knows what these different employer groups are looking for in a retirement plan and offers configurable investment menus based on group type and needs. Aspire delivers smart retirement solutions for all Non-ERISA and ERISA 403(b) plan types.

Smart retirement solutions respond to market needs

Being a leader in the industry means monitoring issues and trendsâ€”and knowing how to respond and deliver smart retirement solutions that address market needs and how to grow business within the changing landscape.
Aspire understands how to:

Deliver vendor consolidation
Address the fiduciary issue of subject standards for broker dealer reps and RIAs
Provide effective participant education
Drive competitive advantage through cost-effective transparent pricing

Linking people, investments and technology

Itâ€™s all done online and on demand. Itâ€™s an innovative technology-enabled platform that links the retirement planning community together to deliver smart solutions for any plan type independent of average account balance or plan sizeâ€”enabling our partners and customers with strong economic value and competitive advantage through a cost-effective transparent pricing structure and fully built operational model.

Itâ€™s all done through InvestLinkâ€”Aspireâ€™s conflict-free open-investment platform that links to more than 25,000 investment options enabling the ultimate in flexibility and customization for plan design for our TPAs, advisors, plan sponsors and participants for both 403(b) ERISA and Non-ERISA retirement plans. The choice is yours.

Flexible Fund Design

With advisor guidance, participants have the freedom to select any available investment offered, from thousands of investment options including mutual funds, collective trusts and stable value funds. Through Aspireâ€™s Fund Search tool investments can be selected by ticker symbol or fund family. Investment Lookup offers direct access to the latest MorningstarÂ® fund information and the fund prospectus.

Flexible Payment Design

Advisors can work with participants to determine the pay rate and payment method. Compensation can be received as commissions or fee based.

TPA and Advisor Resources

InvestDesign Center

The InvestDesign Center is the premier online destination for TPAs and advisors to:

Request a proposal
Access sales materials and forms
Link to sales and service teams
Customize choices
Access private-label branded materials

Private-Label Branding

Aspire offers flexible private-label branding featuring customization options that allow outsourced retirement management services to be seamlessly integrated into a company-branded solution.

Resources On Demand

Aspireâ€™s online Resource Center provides participants, plan sponsors and advisors with learning tools to assist in planning and saving for retirement. The information provided is for individual use and may also be adapted as part of a financial learning curriculum for online or on-site training.

Smart Retirement Solutions for 457 Plans

Work with a company thatâ€™s easy to do business with.
Increase value with cost-effective transparent pricing.
Link with all retirement plan stakeholders.

Smart retirement solutions respond to market needs

Being a leader in the industry means monitoring issues and trendsâ€”and knowing how to respond and deliver smart retirement solutions that address what the market needs and how to grow business within the changing retirement landscape.

Aspire understands and knows how to:

Focus on any plan size
Mirror a 403(b) plan for investment strategy
Customize to the specifics of the plan design
Offer private-label branding
Understand the requirements for the plan
Build investment options with a socially responsible investment policy
Drive competitive advantage through cost-effective transparent pricing

Linking people, investments and technology

Itâ€™s all done through InvestLinkâ€”Aspireâ€™s conflict-free open-architecture investment platform that links to more than 25,000 investment options enabling the ultimate in flexibility and customization for plan design for our TPAs, advisors, sponsors and participants for 457 retirement plans. The choice is yours.

Customizable by Choice

Aspire's 457 smart retirement solutions are designed to deliver flexibility in making choices for our strategic distribution partners and plan participants. Our conflict-free open-architecture retirement management system is uniquely positioned to deliver the ultimate in flexibility and transparency at a competitive cost structure. All fees are disclosed.

Thousands of open-architecture investment options
Capability to invest in exchange traded funds (ETFs)
Third-party managed money options available through our strategic partners
Flexible contribution handling: online, ACH and by checkâ€”plan determines the frequency
Roth contribution administration option
Rollover IRA available for continuation of same participant account
Collaboration between advisor and participant to determine pay rate and payment methodâ€”compensation can be received as commissions or fee based

Flexible Fund Design

With advisor guidance, participants have the freedom to select any available investment offered, from over 25,000 investment options including mutual funds, ETFs, collective trusts and stable value funds. Invest in exchange traded funds (ETFs) or design a plan with both ETF and mutual fund options in the same account. Through Aspireâ€™s Fund Search investments can be selected by ticker symbol or fund family. Investment Lookup offers direct access to the latest MorningstarÂ® fund information and the fund prospectus.

Flexible Payment Design

Advisors can work with the participant to determine the pay rate and payment method. Compensation can be received as commissions or fee based.

Plan Search for School Districts

For school district plan managers, Aspireâ€™s Plan Search functionality is as easy as it gets. Select the state. Select the school district. And youâ€™re in. From there, itâ€™s just a click to getting plan details, accessing enrollment forms, finding who the TPA is, and reviewing investment options.

Private-Label Branding

InvestDesign Center

The InvestDesign Center is the premier online destination for TPAs and advisors to:

Request a proposal
Access sales materials and forms
Link to sales and service teams
Customize choices
Access private-label branded materials

Resources on Demand

Smart Retirement Solutions for IRA Plans

Build smart plan designs for every IRA type.
Lead customers and participants to make the right investment choices.
Streamline automated processes to save time and focus on tasks that turn into dollars.

Aspire delivers a full suite of smart retirement solutions for Individual Retirement Accounts (IRAs) including:

Traditional IRA â€“ Allows individuals to direct pre-tax income, up to specific annual limits, toward investments that can grow tax-deferred. Distributions are taxed.
Roth IRA â€“ Contributions are not tax deductible and qualified distributions are tax free. Non-qualified distributions may be subject to penalty.
SIMPLE IRA â€“ Savings Incentive Match Plan for Employees of Small Employers offers advantages to businesses with 100 or fewer employees earning at least $5.000 the prior year who do not have another retirement program.
SEP IRAâ€“ Simplified Employee Pension plan allows employers to make a tax-deductible contribution on behalf of eligible employees. Employees do not pay taxes on SEP contributions. Distributions are subject to tax-withholding rules.
Payroll Deduction IRA â€“ Employee-only contribution program available to businesses of any size.
Rollover IRAâ€“ A transfer of funds from a qualified retirement account into a Traditional IRA or Roth IRA. Most rollovers occur at the time of a job change in order to move 401(k) or 403(b) assets into an IRA.
Auto Rollover IRAâ€“ Designed to be used for forced distributions to IRAs from qualified plans. The IRA must meet the Department of Laborâ€™s safe harbor requirements.

Respond to government regulations
Address the fiduciary issues of subjected standards for broker dealer reps and RIAs
Provide effective participant education
Deal with the trends of auto enroll and auto escalate
Drive competitive advantage through cost-effective transparent pricing

Linking people, investments and technology

Itâ€™s all done through InvestLinkâ€”Aspireâ€™s conflict-free open-investment platform that links to more than 25,000 investment options enabling the ultimate in flexibility and customization for plan design for our TPAs, advisors, sponsors and participants for IRA plans. The choice is yours.

Enable flexible choices

Aspire's IRA plans are designed to deliver flexibility in making choices for our strategic distribution partners and plan participants. Our conflict-free open investment retirement management system is uniquely positioned to deliver the ultimate in flexibility and transparency at a competitive cost structure. All fees are disclosed.

Aspire tailors smart retirement solutions to partner and participant needsâ€”anticipatingâ€”and delivering what the market demands.

Aspire Is Customer Centric

Delivers a choice of thousands of open-investment options including mutual funds, ETFs, collective trusts and stable value funds with no restrictions on account balance or plan size
Provides the ability to invest in exchange traded funds (ETFs)
Allows participants to work with an advisor or self-direct

Aspire Is Cost Effective

Increases economic value with fair, transparent pricing
Operates with an awareness of expenses incurred in managing retirement accounts that translates into advocating for participants

Aspire Is User Friendly

Access to real-time on-demand plan information 365 days
Change investments, rebalance accounts, and obtain statements online

Private-Label Branding

Aspire's Private-Label Branding is a flexible program featuring customization options that allow outsourced retirement management services to be seamlessly integrated into a company-branded solution.

InvestDesign Center

The InvestDesign Center is the premier online destination for TPAs and advisors to:

Request a proposal
Access sales materials and forms
Link to sales and service teams
Customize choices
Access private-label branded materials

Resources on Demand

Smart Retirement Solutions for Defined Benefit Plans

Get end-to-end technology-enabled retirement plan management.
Handle the records of Defined Benefit plans easily.
Build plans from a wide range of investment options and selection by leading custodial partners.

Aspire delivers a full suite of smart retirement solutions for all Defined Benefit plan types. Our conflict-free open-architecture platform is designed to work with the varied payout requirements for all Defined Benefit retirement plans.

Smart retirement solutions respond to market needs

Deliver significant tax savings through defined benefit plans combined with 401(k) plans
Serve virtually any defined benefit plan configuration
Facilitate the process of freezing defined benefit plans and converting to a 401(k) plan

Linking people, investments and technology

Itâ€™s all done through InvestLink Aspireâ€™s conflict-free open-architecture investment platform that links to more than 25,000 investment options enabling the ultimate in flexibility and customization for plan design for our TPAs, advisors, plan sponsors and participants for Defined Benefit retirement plans.

Customized Solution Design

Aspire can build cost-effective, customized smart retirement solutions that allow advisors and TPAs to build the configuration that is just right for each plan design. Options range from passive to active management strategies and from big to boutique fund managersâ€”all at the lowest possible cost.

Private-Label Branding

Aspire's Private-Label Branding is a flexible program featuring customization options that allow outsourced retirement management services to be seamlessly integrated into a company-branded solution.

InvestDesign Center

The InvestDesign Center is the premier online destination for TPAs and advisors to:

Request a proposal
Access sales materials and forms
Link to sales and service teams
Customize choices
Access private-label branded materials

Resources on Demand

TPAs	Advisors	Strategic Partners	Participants/Employees	Plan Sponsors/Employers

Smart solutions delivered nationally.

Aspire offers the most extensive capabilities for retirement plan management nationwide.Click on the state where you live and find an experienced, knowledgeable sales rep to help you reach your retirement business goals.

To easily locate forms and documents, please select the type of user that will be using the form then select the plan type. Once these selections are made, the advanced search options will enable you to further narrow your search or search the library by keyword.

Prudential and GIA documents may be accessed through the 403(b) Enrollment Portal

Educational Articles

We provide everything you need to plan forâ€”and achieveâ€”the retirement you want, including practical education, easy-to-use tools and useful information that can help you easily manage your retirement savings over time.

When should retirement planning start?

How much money do you need to retire?

The answers are â€œnowâ€ and â€œit depends.â€

Planning for retirement isnâ€™t magic. Itâ€™s a clear understanding of the money that a person earns, saves, and invests plus the understanding of what needs to be done to reach individual retirement goals. As an advocate for the participant, Aspire offers investment tools and calculators to help make these decisions easy and points strategic distribution partners and participants in the right direction to maximize returns.

Smart retirement investing.

Understanding how investments work now is the key to successful outcomes for retirement later. Aspire's video library provides educational insights on investment concepts and retirement strategies in simple terms to help participants, plan sponsors, advisors and TPAs manage plans effectively to achieve retirement goals at every level.


Your strategy for taking distributions (withdrawals) from your retirement plan can be as important as how much you deposit and how it's invested This video explains the factors to consider as you develop your plan.	This video describes the reasons an employer should consider offering the Roth 401(k) options, including its attractiveness as an employee benefit and its value to high-income and younger employees.

One time-honored way of defraying some of the risk inherent in investing is diversification. By not keeping all your eggs in one basket, you can often achieve a measure of protection from losing all your money on a single investment asset category.	Saving just a small bit more for retirement for as long as possible can make a significant difference in the size of your retirement nest eggâ€”just adding 1% over the long term can mean thousands of extra dollars. View the tutorial to see how it works.

A major aspect of investment risk is volatilityâ€”how much and how often the value of an investment changes. This tutorial explore the role of volatility and time in portfolio to understand their impact.	Asset allocation is a powerful investment concept, but it's not a "one and done" task. Your goals or risk tolerance may change due to your personal circumstances or your portfolio investments may perform better or worse than expected. This tutorial explains the need to rebalance your portfolio on a regular basis.

Our objective is to make life easy for all retirement plan stakeholders. We do our best to thoroughly explain the features and benefits of our smart retirement solutions. Sometimes, you may still have a question. Click on these Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) to get the information you need to understand why smart retirement solutions are best in class.

Retirement industry news sources

Advisor-specific retirement news sources

Participant-level retirement news sources

Industry Associations

Government Agencies

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SVP\|Managing Director of 403(b)/457/IRA Markets Mark Luckinbill 919.279.0514 mark.luckinbill@aspireonline.com	Internal Sean Smith 813.874.0671 x 2303 sean.smith@aspireonline.com	IRA Consultant: Janice Lane-Artille 813.517.0586 janice.lane-artille@aspireonline.com
National Sales Manager: Dan Sargent 813.874.0671 x2339 daniel.sargent@aspireonline.com	Internal: Takira Jackson 813.517.0579 takira.jackson@aspireonline.com	Account Executive 403(b) and 457 Markets Laura Blackwell 813.874.0671 x 2287 laura.blackwell@aspireonline.com
	Internal: David Marsh 813.517.0553 david.marsh@aspireonline.com

4010 Boy Scout Blvd
Suite 450
Tampa, FL 33607
Phone: 866.634.5873
813.874.0671
Fax: 813.856.4543

Executive Leadership
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What is a mutual fund?

A mutual fund is an investment company created under the Investment Company Act of 1940 that pools the resources of investors to buy a variety of securities, depending on the fund's stated objectives and management style. The investments typically are chosen by a professional manager. Mutual funds offer diversification and convenience even to small investors, and the thousands of mutual funds available today cater to every conceivable investment need and taste.

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