Pontera

Pontera provides technology infrastructure that lets financial advisors directly manage, trade, and report on their clients’ workplace retirement accounts, primarily 401(k)s and 403(b)s. Instead of screen-scraping or manual client coordination, advisors log into a Pontera-connected platform to rebalance assets and monitor performance inside employer-sponsored plans. This turns held-away accounts into managed assets that can be billed on and included in holistic planning.

Dave Goldman is the most visible principal. He was named to the InvestmentNews Hot List in 2025, and Pontera’s public positioning around fiduciary-access disputes appears tied to his leadership. The firm’s website does not list additional executives, and no further leadership detail is publicly verified.

Fidelity, as a dominant recordkeeper, has challenged the legality and security of third-party platforms accessing 401(k) plan data and trading capabilities. Pontera has responded by asserting that its technology supports advisors under ERISA and that there is no gray area in its right to provide that service. The dispute intensified in late 2025 and remains active into 2026, with Pontera featuring prominently in media coverage about fiduciary rules, data aggregation, and plan-recordkeeper gatekeeping.

Pontera is a software company, not an RIA. It provides the infrastructure layer — connectivity, trading interfaces, performance reporting — that RIAs and advisory firms use to manage retirement accounts. The firm does not itself give investment advice or manage client assets.

The firm’s revenue model is not publicly described, but based on its technology-provider profile and Wealthies award category, it likely charges advisory firms a platform or asset-based fee for its 401(k) management and performance-reporting capabilities. No official pricing or financial disclosure is available.