QUESTIONS YOUR 401(k) PROVIDER IS AFRAID YOU WILL ASK
To view answer, simply click on the question
1.
Is your firm registered with the SEC as an investment adviser? If so, provide all disclosures
required under those laws (including Part II of Form ADV). c)
-
Freedom One Investment Advisors ("FOIA") has been registered with the SEC since December, 1995. View our Advisory Disclosure Brochure here
2.
Will your firm become our plan's Registered Investment Advisor?
- FOIA will enter a contractual agreement to become your plan's Registered Investment Advisor.
3.
If you are hired, will your firm acknowledge, in writing, that you have a fiduciary obligation
as an investment adviser to our plan, and that you will specifically provide investment
advice in selecting, monitoring, and replacing money managers in our investment menu?
If yes, provide a copy of the agreement that documents the fiduciary responsibilities your
firm is accepting on our behalf. a)
- Yes. FOIA includes this acknowledgement in the Investment Advisory Agreement that would be implemented for your plan.
4.
Can your firm provide a trading platform that has extensive access to no-load and load
waived mutual funds? If yes, provide a listing of the funds currently available including
their ticker/symbol and the necessary information to review your proposed trading platform.
- Yes. All funds offered through FOIA are available at NAV.
5.
What organization holds custody of the assets and what are their fees?
- Fidelity Investments Institutional Brokerage, one of the world's largest platforms.
6.
Will your firm commit to provide an investment menu that is “revenue neutral” with respect
any compensation your firm receives? Are all 12b1, sub-transfer agent, and shareholder
servicing fees credited to the plan? b)
-
Yes. As a co-fiduciary to your plan, FOIA cannot accept any payments from any mutual funds offered to your plan. One hundred percent of FOIA's fees are disclosed and any revenues received from mutual funds are used to pay custodial fees and
the remainder is deposited to your plan.
7.
Do you or a related company receive any payments from money managers you recommend,
consider for recommendation, or otherwise mention to the plan for our consideration? If so,
what are these payments and what is the extent of these payments in relation to your other
income? a)
- Yes. As mentioned in Question #6, any payments received by FOIA are applied to your plan's fees. This approach allows FOIA to remain completely unbiased in its fund selection process.
8.
Will you prepare a customized Investment Policy Statement (IPS), manage, and document our
investment review process to ensure that the criteria in this IPS are met? If yes, please provide
a copy of a specific client’s IPS that you have prepared and provide evidence of how you have
managed your client’s adherence to this IPS.
- Yes. FOIA provides a customized IPS and has a process in place to keep content current. The fact that FOIA recommends and monitors the investment options available in your plan ensures you are complying with your plan's IPS.
9.
Will your firm recommend diversified, asset-allocated portfolios? If yes, does your firm have a
five-year track record for managing these allocations? Provide specific client examples in use today.
10.
Describe, in detail, any processes you utilize to initially deliver and maintain a high rate of
employee participation, average deferral and utilization of asset-allocated portfolios by our
employees?
- Freedom One Retirement Services employs well-trained retirement consultants who provide group and individual enrollment meetings to plan participants. Retirement Consultants use state-of-the-art technology to assist plan participants in determining what they need to do in order to meet their individual retirement goals.
| 
