Cerity Partners Retirement Plan Advisors

The retirement plan advisory unit is a dedicated division within Cerity Partners, the parent registered investment advisor. It draws on centralized compliance, research, and technology infrastructure while operating as a specialist group focused exclusively on employer-sponsored retirement plans. The parent firm expanded significantly via M&A, integrating regional advisory teams into a national partnership structure.

The division offers both ERISA 3(21) and 3(38) fiduciary services, depending on the plan sponsor's preference and the specific engagement agreement. Under 3(38) arrangements, the advisor assumes full discretionary responsibility for investment selection and monitoring. Most engagements are structured on a fee-for-service or asset-based advisory fee model negotiated at the plan level.

The team works with 401(k) plans, 403(b) plans, defined benefit pension plans, and non-qualified deferred compensation plans. The client base is concentrated among mid-market corporate plan sponsors, professional-service firms, and non-profit institutions. Service scope typically includes investment menu design, recordkeeper benchmarking, fee analysis, fiduciary governance documentation, and participant education programs.

In most standard engagements, the division acts as a non-discretionary fiduciary adviser, providing investment recommendations that the plan sponsor or committee must approve. Discretionary management is available under ERISA 3(38) engagement terms where the sponsor delegates ongoing investment selection and monitoring authority to the adviser.

Cerity Partners grew through acquiring established advisory practices, which means the retirement plan division includes professionals who joined via legacy firms. The parent's centralized investment research, compliance infrastructure, and institutional service model apply uniformly to plan sponsor clients. The acquisition strategy has expanded the division's geographic coverage and deepened its specialist bench without altering the fiduciary service model.