October Three
October Three Consulting is a Chicago-based defined benefit pension consultancy that designs market-based cash balance plans and administers actuarial, risk transfer, and plan termination services for U.S. mid-market and enterprise employers, while operating the O3 Edge advisor platform and O3 PRIME hybrid retirement product.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2009
- HeadquartersChicago, United States
- Headcount101–250
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What October Three does
October Three Consulting LLC is a Chicago-based, privately held defined benefit pension consulting firm that designs, administers, and advises on modern cash balance retirement plans for U.S. mid-market and enterprise employers, professional services firms, and high-earning individuals. The firm's core offering is its market-based cash balance plan architecture, in which account balances grow with an actual basket of investments, allowing assets and liabilities to move in lockstep and reducing the volatility associated with traditional defined benefit pensions. October Three operates as a one-stop shop, providing actuarial services, plan administration, employee benefit communications, pension risk transfer, plan termination, and dispute resolution.
Beyond traditional consulting, the firm has expanded into a productized platform: O3 PRIME is a hybrid retirement program combining an employer-funded Security Account with an employee Personal Account to deliver guaranteed lifetime income alongside flexible spending; O3 Edge is a prospecting and data platform for retirement plan advisors, aggregating information on more than 700,000 U.S. retirement plans with ten years of plan history; and Retirement Learning Center is a continuing-education brand that strengthens the firm's distribution through retirement plan advisors. The business model blends fee-based professional services with an emerging SaaS layer (including a freemium O3 Edge tier) and monetizes its advisor relationships through channel partnerships and reseller-style referrals. The firm was founded in 2009, employs 101–250 people, and was named to the Inc. 5000 list of America's fastest-growing private companies; in April 2026 it acquired BEST for an undisclosed amount.
October Three firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- October Three
- Legal name
- October Three Consulting LLC
- Website
- https://octoberthree.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2009
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 101–250 employees
- Short description
- October Three Consulting is a Chicago-based defined benefit pension consultancy that designs market-based cash balance plans and administers actuarial, risk transfer, and plan termination services for U.S. mid-market and enterprise employers, while operating the O3 Edge advisor platform and O3 PRIME hybrid retirement product.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
October Three industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Pension and Retirement Plan Consulting
- NAICS
- Insurance and Employee Benefit Funds (5251)
- SIC
- Services-Management Consulting Services (8742), Services-Computer Programming, Data Processing, Etc. (7370)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Employer Retirement Plan Advisory (401(k)/Pension) (FSAEABAE)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Benefits Administration (BPACAPAC), Employee Benefit & Retirement Plan Trust Services (FSAAANAC)
Keywords
Where October Three is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Chicago
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
October Three business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Retirement Plan Consulting Services: Fee-based consulting services for employers including cash balance plan design, pension risk transfer, plan termination, and actuarial services. Services provided to HR, Finance departments, and plan advisors.
- O3 Edge Subscription: O3 Edge Basic subscription for retirement plan advisors providing prospecting tools, plan data, and meeting materials. Free basic tier with potential premium features.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | Monthly | O3 Edge Basic - Free tier for advisors |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels9 records
October Three product offering
Product offeringCore offering
October Three is a defined benefit pension plan consulting firm that designs, administers, and optimizes cash balance and market-based retirement plans for U.S. employers. It provides a full suite of services including actuarial consulting, plan administration, pension risk transfer, plan termination, and employee benefits communications, supplemented by the O3 PRIME hybrid retirement program and the O3 Edge SaaS prospecting platform for plan advisors.
Product overview
October Three is a defined benefit consulting firm offering a comprehensive portfolio of retirement plan products and services. The core offerings include O3 PRIME (a hybrid retirement program combining employer Security Accounts with employee Personal Accounts for guaranteed lifetime income) and O3 Edge (a retirement plan prospecting platform for advisors with access to 700K+ U.S. retirement plans). The company provides specialized services including Cash Balance Plans, Pension Risk Transfer, Plan Termination, Actuarial Services, Plan Administration, Employee Benefits Communications, Dispute Resolution, and Retirement Learning Center. The portfolio also includes tools like the Cash Balance Calculator. These offerings work together as an integrated suite—consulting and actuarial services underpin plan design and administration, while O3 PRIME and O3 Edge serve as distinct platforms targeting employers and advisors respectively.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- O3 Edge: Intuitive retirement plan prospecting solution for retirement plan advisors, providing plan data, meeting-ready materials, and educational resources
- O3 PRIME
- Retirement Learning Center (RLC)
Products and services
- Cash Balance Plans
Quantifiable outcome
- 60% of workers say employer-sponsored retirement plan incentivizes them to remain loyal to that company
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use October Three
Customer profileNamed customers4 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
October Three technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
October Three partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators4 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
October Three competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Segal: Independent consulting firm specializing in retirement, health, and benefits — competing directly for cash balance plan administration, actuarial services, and pension risk transfer engagements.
- Aon: Aon (including Aon Hewitt) operates a large retirement consulting and actuarial practice directly competing for cash balance plan design, pension risk transfer, and plan termination mandates.
- Milliman: Actuarial and consulting firm with deep DB and cash balance plan expertise, serving the same employer and advisor ecosystem with retirement plan design, valuation, and risk transfer services.
- Willis Towers Watson: WTW's retirement practice provides actuarial, DB plan design, pension de-risking, and investment consulting — overlapping directly with October Three's core service portfolio for mid-market and enterprise employers.
- Buck (Conduent): Specialty retirement and benefits consulting firm (now part of Conduent) offering actuarial, administration, and pension risk transfer services to the same employer market as October Three.
- Mercer: Global consulting leader (Marsh McLennan) providing retirement, actuarial, and pension risk transfer services to the same employer HR/Finance buyers October Three serves, including market-based DB design work.
Broad incumbents
- Empower Retirement: Large retirement plan recordkeeper and administrator providing plan design support and administration for employers, competing on the administration and recordkeeping side of October Three's offering.
- Deloitte: Big 4 firm with a large Human Capital and actuarial retirement practice that competes for enterprise DB plan design, compliance, and de-risking mandates alongside broader HR and benefits work.
- Fidelity Investments: Major retirement plan provider with workplace retirement, planning tools, and increasingly DB-related capabilities that overlap with October Three's employer-facing retirement services.
Emerging players
- NewRetirement: Retirement planning software/fintech platform that addresses a portion of the same retirement outcome problem for high earners and plan sponsors, representing an emerging digital alternative to traditional DB consulting.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat6 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
October Three social profiles
Digital presenceOctober Three financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
October Three leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles3 records
October Three subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries3 records
October Three funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
October Three M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A1 record
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about October Three
What does October Three do?
October Three is a defined benefit pension plan consulting firm that designs, administers, and optimizes cash balance and market-based retirement plans for U.S. employers. It provides a full suite of services including actuarial consulting, plan administration, pension risk transfer, plan termination, and employee benefits communications, supplemented by the O3 PRIME hybrid retirement program and the O3 Edge SaaS prospecting platform for plan advisors.
Is October Three a public or private company?
October Three is a private company. It is classified as unknown and is currently operating.
When was October Three founded?
October Three was founded in 2009. It employs 101 to 250 people.
Where is October Three based?
October Three is headquartered in Chicago, United States, in the North America region.
How does October Three make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Retirement Plan Consulting Services are the primary driver. The others are O3 Edge Subscription.
Who are October Three's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Segal, Aon, Milliman, Willis Towers Watson, Buck (Conduent) and Mercer. Broad incumbents are Empower Retirement, Deloitte and Fidelity Investments. NewRetirement is listed as an emerging player.
Does October Three have an API?
No public API is recorded for October Three.
What industry is October Three in?
October Three's product category is Pension and Retirement Plan Consulting. Its primary akta.pro industry code is FSAEABAE, Employer Retirement Plan Advisory (401(k)/Pension), with a secondary code of BPACAPAC, Benefits Administration. Its NAICS code is 5251 and its SIC code is 8742.