As the deadline to comply with the Department of Labor's (DOL) fee disclosure rules 408(b)2 and 404(a) draws closer, The Principal Financial Group announced Tuesday that it has created an online resource called Assessing Retirement Plan Value to help advisors help clients become educated about plan fees.
"There is more to assessing retirement plan fees than comparing numbers. The better informed plan sponsors are about the services received for those fees, the better equipped they are to make an effective evaluation," said Greg Burrows, senior vice president of retirement and investor services at The Principal, in a statement. "Financial professionals can use our new online resource to help clients evaluate the overall value of the services the plan is receiving and then assess the reasonableness of the fees paid for those services."
The Principal says the online resource offers:
- An explanation of retirement plan costs
- Tips on how to review plan services
- Help navigating cost considerations
- Tips for evaluating fee reasonableness
- Tips for addressing participant questions
The online site also offers a Fee Reasonableness Review Checklist, a sample template financial professionals can share with plan fiduciaries to help guide them through the evaluation process.
