A team of advisors who live here
Local advisors who know the Cape Fear market, meet with your team and answer employees' questions directly.
How the plan works
One retirement plan, with a whole community behind it.
The Cape Fear Collective combines a Pooled Employer Plan with shared HR knowledge, local advisors and education for every employee. The goal is simple: help everyone in the Collective get on track for retirement, while holding the plan to high fiduciary standards.
Why a Pooled Employer Plan
The strengths of a large plan, sized for local businesses
A Pooled Employer Plan (PEP) lets unrelated employers join a single 401(k). Each business keeps its own plan design, while a Pooled Plan Provider runs the plan and takes on much of the fiduciary and administrative work.
Shared responsibility
Less fiduciary weight on you
The Pooled Plan Provider serves as named fiduciary and plan administrator, so many duties shift off your desk.
Less paperwork
One plan, one filing
The plan document, annual Form 5500 and audit are handled at the plan level rather than separately for each business.
Scale
Buying power as a group
Pooling assets across employers can open access to investment options and pricing that are hard to reach alone.
Your design
Your plan, your choices
You still choose eligibility, matching and profit-sharing that fit your business and budget.
The Collective handles PEP
- Named fiduciary and plan administrator duties through the Pooled Plan Provider
- Investment lineup selection and monitoring
- Plan document, annual filing and testing
- Recordkeeping and participant education
Your business decides YOU
- Whether to join, and monitoring the provider over time
- Eligibility, match and profit-sharing design
- Sending payroll contributions on time
- How you introduce the plan to your people
Responsibilities vary by plan. Final allocation of duties is set out in the plan documents and service agreements.
Shared HR resources
You don't have to figure out benefits alone
Every member business joins a network of Cape Fear owners and HR leaders working through the same questions. What one employer learns, the whole Collective can use.
A peer HR network
Connect with HR leaders at other member businesses to compare notes on hiring, retention and benefits that work in our market.
Shared playbooks
Ready-to-use benefits communication, enrollment messaging and policy guidance, refined by members and shared across the Collective.
Regional benchmarks
Member insight from the annual Workforce & Retirement Readiness survey, so you can see how your benefits compare with local peers.
Education resources
Education for owners, HR teams and every employee
A retirement plan only works if people use it well. The Collective gives each member business education resources built for its own team.
Webinars through the year
Short sessions on saving, investing, and planning for retirement, plus fiduciary topics for owners and HR.
Customized onboarding materials
Enrollment guides branded to your company and matched to your plan design, so new hires start saving from day one.
Customized offboarding materials
Clear guidance for departing employees on their account and their options, so no one leaves their savings behind by accident.
The goal
Get every employee on track for retirement
From an employee's first week to their last, the Collective is designed to keep them saving, learning and moving toward retirement.
- OnboardCustomized materials walk new hires through the plan and enrollment.
- Enroll and saveEmployees choose a savings rate and investments with help from a local advisor.
- Keep learningWebinars and advisor meetings build confidence over time.
- Check progressRegular reviews show whether savings are on pace for retirement goals.
- Leave wellOffboarding materials explain every option for their account.
Fiduciary standards
High standards, applied to every employer in the plan
Bringing employers together should raise the bar for everyone. These are the standards we hold the plan to.
A documented, prudent process
Plan decisions follow a written process and are recorded, so every choice can be explained.
Ongoing investment monitoring
The investment lineup is reviewed regularly against clear criteria, and changed when it falls short.
Fee transparency
Members can see what the plan costs and who is paid, in plain language.
Regular plan reviews
Each member business gets periodic reviews of plan health, participation and employee progress.
Ready to see how it fits your business?
Start with a 20-minute conversation with a local advisor.