Employee Fiduciary
Employee Fiduciary is a privately held Mobile, Alabama-based 401(k) recordkeeper and third-party administrator serving 5,000+ small businesses, solopreneurs, non-profits, and advisors via transparent per-participant pricing and payroll integrations.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2004
- HeadquartersMobile, United States
- Headcount101–250
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Employee Fiduciary does
Employee Fiduciary, LLC is a privately held retirement plan services firm founded in 2004 by Greg Carpenter and headquartered in Mobile, Alabama. The company provides 401(k) recordkeeping and third-party administration (TPA) services for small businesses, solopreneurs, non-profits, and financial advisors across the United States. Its core product portfolio comprises four retirement plan types — Traditional 401(k), Safe Harbor 401(k), Solo 401(k), and 403(b) — supported by participant support, advisor enablement tools, fee benchmarking resources, and SECURE 2.0 tax credit tooling.
The company's technical foundation centers on a third-party-administered service platform rather than proprietary software. Plan administration is operationalized through Finch-mediated integrations with 12+ payroll providers (QuickBooks, Paylocity, Paychex, Justworks, TriNet, Rippling, Paycor, Paycom, Sequoia One, UKG Ready, ADP Run, and Workday), enabling automated contribution processing. No proprietary AI/ML systems, patents, or software products are described; competitive advantage derives from process depth, regulatory expertise (QKA/QPA-credentialed staff, a dedicated VP of ERISA & Regulatory Strategy), and content-driven thought leadership.
Employee Fiduciary operates a sales-led, recurring-revenue model with quote-based per-participant pricing rather than asset-based fees. Approximately 80% of clients pay administration fees directly from business accounts, and management cites a 0.46% all-in fee versus a 2.22% industry average for similar plans. The company is founder-influenced and bootstrapped, with no identified external funding rounds or institutional investors, and maintains a wholly-owned operating subsidiary, Frugal Financial Retirement Plan Services, LLC.
Employee Fiduciary firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Employee Fiduciary
- Legal name
- Employee Fiduciary, LLC
- Website
- https://employeefiduciary.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2004
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 101–250 employees
- Short description
- Employee Fiduciary is a privately held Mobile, Alabama-based 401(k) recordkeeper and third-party administrator serving 5,000+ small businesses, solopreneurs, non-profits, and advisors via transparent per-participant pricing and payroll integrations.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Employee Fiduciary industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Retirement Plan Administration
- NAICS
- Pharmacy Benefit Management and Other Third Party Administration of Insurance and Pension Funds (524292)
- SIC
- Services-Help Supply Services (7363)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Family Office Trust & Fiduciary Services (FSAEAKAF)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Dental & Vision Third-Party Administration (TPA) (FSAIAHAL), Self-Funded Employer Plan TPA (ASO Administration) (HLAEALAA)
Keywords
Where Employee Fiduciary is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Mobile
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Employee Fiduciary business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- 401(k) Plan Administration Services: Employee Fiduciary generates revenue through recurring administration fees charged for 401(k) recordkeeping, third-party administration (TPA), and compliance services. The company emphasizes transparent, direct fees paid from business accounts rather than hidden asset-based fees. Their pricing model is based on per-participant fees rather than percentage of assets, with approximately 80% of clients paying 100% of administration fees from business accounts.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Annual | Custom 401(k) plan pricing based on per-participant model |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels11 records
Employee Fiduciary product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Employee Fiduciary is a third-party administrator (TPA) that provides low-cost 401(k) recordkeeping, plan administration, and ERISA compliance services to small businesses, solopreneurs, non-profits, and financial advisors. The company operates on transparent per-participant pricing with no revenue sharing, wrap fees, or hidden fees, and integrates with 12+ major payroll providers to automate contribution processing.
Product overview
Employee Fiduciary is a full-service 401(k) provider offering a unified retirement plan platform for small businesses, solopreneurs, non-profits, and advisors. The core product portfolio centers on four distinct retirement plan types: Traditional 401(k) Plan, Safe Harbor 401(k) Plan, Solo 401(k) Plan, and 403(b) Plan. These plans are supported by a suite of value-added tools including the SECURE 2.0 Tax Credits Calculator and Future Value of 401(k) Fees Calculator, a free fee comparison service for benchmarking against competitors, participant support services, an advisor directory, and payroll integrations with 12 major payroll providers via Finch. The company emphasizes low-cost, transparent pricing with no revenue sharing, wrap fees, or hidden fees.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Traditional 401(k) Plan Standard 401(k) retirement plan for small businesses offering flexible contribution options, subject to annual nondiscrimination testing to ensure fairness among participants.
- Safe Harbor 401(k) Plan 401(k) plan designed to eliminate nondiscrimination testing by ensuring compliance through mandatory employer contributions while simplifying plan administration for small business sponsors.
- Solo 401(k) Plan Self-directed 401(k) plan exclusively for businesses with no employees other than owners and their spouses, offering flexibility and higher contribution limits than typical plans.
- 403(b) Plan Tax-sheltered retirement plan intended for non-profits and certain public schools, exempt from certain nondiscrimination tests due to universal availability requirements.
- Free 401(k) Fee Comparison Service No-cost service providing detailed fee comparisons between Employee Fiduciary and competing 401(k) providers, including analysis of hidden fees using DOL-mandated 408(b)(2) fee disclosures for small business plan sponsors.
- Payroll Integration Service Automated connection between 401(k) plans and 12+ payroll providers (QuickBooks, Paylocity, Paychex, Justworks, TriNet, Rippling, Paycor, Paycom, Sequoia One, UKG Ready, ADP Run, Workday) via the Finch platform, enabling seamless contribution processing and reducing manual data entry.
- Participant Support Service US-based customer support team providing assistance with account access, fund transfers, distributions, beneficiary updates, and general 401(k) inquiries to plan participants via phone, email, and online form.
Quantifiable outcome
- Saves participants tens of thousands of dollars over retirement horizon compared to higher-fee competitors
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use Employee Fiduciary
Customer profileNamed customers3 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Employee Fiduciary technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration12 records
Employee Fiduciary partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
13 partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- QuickBooks Online PayrollcorePayroll integration partnership enabling automated 401(k) contribution processing. Small businesses using QuickBooks can seamlessly connect their payroll account to Employee Fiduciary's 401(k) plan through Finch integration inside the client portal, eliminating manual data entry and reducing errors.
- PaylocitycorePayroll integration partnership enabling automated 401(k) contribution processing and seamless data synchronization between Paylocity payroll platform and Employee Fiduciary's 401(k) administration system.
- Paychex FlexcorePayroll integration partnership enabling automated 401(k) contribution processing for Paychex payroll customers transitioning to Employee Fiduciary for retirement plan services.
- JustworkscorePayroll integration partnership enabling automated 401(k) contribution processing for Justworks HR platform customers seeking low-cost retirement plan administration.
- TriNetcorePayroll integration partnership enabling automated 401(k) contribution processing for TriNet professional employer organization (PEO) clients seeking retirement plan services.
- RipplingcorePayroll integration partnership enabling automated 401(k) contribution processing. Dedicated relationship manager coordinates with Rippling to ensure seamless integration and hassle-free setup.
- PaycorcorePayroll integration partnership enabling automated 401(k) contribution processing for Paycor HCM platform customers. Connection established via Finch integration inside the client portal.
- PaycomcorePayroll integration partnership enabling automated 401(k) contribution processing for Paycom payroll platform customers.
- Sequoia OnecorePayroll integration partnership enabling automated 401(k) contribution processing for Sequoia One HR platform clients.
- UKG ReadycorePayroll integration partnership enabling automated 401(k) contribution processing for UKG Ready workforce management customers.
- Run Powered by ADPcorePayroll integration partnership enabling automated 401(k) contribution processing for ADP Run payroll platform customers.
- WorkdaycorePayroll integration partnership enabling automated 401(k) contribution processing for Workday HCM platform customers.
- FinchcoreTechnology integration platform used to connect payroll provider accounts to Employee Fiduciary's client portal. Enables automated contribution processing without manual data entry.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Employee Fiduciary competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Betterment for Business: Betterment for Business offers a 401(k) product targeting small businesses with transparent, flat-fee pricing and a digital participant experience. It is a direct competitor in the low-fee, tech-enabled SMB 401(k) segment where Employee Fiduciary competes.
- Vestwell: Vestwell is a retirement and savings platform serving small businesses, advisors, and fintechs with recordkeeping, TPA, and program-management services. It overlaps with Employee Fiduciary on third-party administration for SMB retirement plans and competes for advisor and payroll-provider channel partners.
- ForUsAll: ForUsAll is a 401(k) provider for small and mid-sized businesses that emphasizes transparent pricing and modern plan design including crypto and ESG options. It directly competes with Employee Fiduciary in transparent, low-fee SMB 401(k).
- Guideline: Guideline is a venture-backed 401(k) recordkeeper for small businesses with transparent, flat pricing and automated onboarding. It is the closest direct competitor to Employee Fiduciary in the SMB 401(k) segment, targeting the same price-sensitive plan sponsors with a more tech-led experience.
- Ubiquity Retirement + Savings: Ubiquity is a retirement plan recordkeeping and TPA serving small to mid-sized plans, including 401(k), 403(b), and pooled employer plans. It is a comparable service-led TPA serving a similar SMB and advisor-driven customer base.
Emerging players
- ShareFile 401(k) by Capitalize: Capitalize is a digital retirement account aggregator and small-business 401(k) platform with transparent fee tools. While narrower than Employee Fiduciary, it overlaps on serving SMB plan sponsors who prioritize fee transparency and digital onboarding.
Broad incumbents
- ADP Retirement Services: ADP bundles 401(k) recordkeeping into its payroll and HCM platforms and is one of the largest SMB 401(k) providers by plan count. It competes with Employee Fiduciary both as a bundled incumbent and through its Run Powered by ADP payroll integration.
- Empower Retirement: Empower (formerly Empower Retirement/Prudential Retirement) is a top-five U.S. retirement plan recordkeeper with deep scale in small and mid-market plans. It competes with Employee Fiduciary on recordkeeping and TPA services across the small-business segment.
- Fidelity Workplace Investing: Fidelity is one of the largest U.S. retirement recordkeepers with a significant small-business 401(k) book. Its scale, brand, and ability to bundle custody, advice, and investments make it a benchmark low-cost incumbent that Employee Fiduciary's fee comparisons reference.
- Ascensus: Ascensus is one of the largest independent retirement and education-savings TPAs and recordkeepers, serving small to large plans across IRA, 401(k), 403(b), and pooled plan arrangements. It is a broad incumbent competing for the same small-business and advisor-distributed plans that Employee Fiduciary targets.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Employee Fiduciary social profiles
Digital presenceEmployee Fiduciary financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Employee Fiduciary leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles8 records
Employee Fiduciary subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries1 record
Employee Fiduciary funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Employee Fiduciary M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Employee Fiduciary
What does Employee Fiduciary do?
Employee Fiduciary is a third-party administrator (TPA) that provides low-cost 401(k) recordkeeping, plan administration, and ERISA compliance services to small businesses, solopreneurs, non-profits, and financial advisors. The company operates on transparent per-participant pricing with no revenue sharing, wrap fees, or hidden fees, and integrates with 12+ major payroll providers to automate contribution processing.
Is Employee Fiduciary a public or private company?
Employee Fiduciary is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Employee Fiduciary founded?
Employee Fiduciary was founded in 2004. It employs 101 to 250 people.
Where is Employee Fiduciary based?
Employee Fiduciary is headquartered in Mobile, United States, in the North America region.
How does Employee Fiduciary make money?
One revenue line is on record: 401(k) Plan Administration Services.
Who are Employee Fiduciary's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Betterment for Business, Vestwell, ForUsAll, Guideline and Ubiquity Retirement + Savings. ShareFile 401(k) by Capitalize is listed as an emerging player. Broad incumbents are ADP Retirement Services, Empower Retirement, Fidelity Workplace Investing and Ascensus.
Does Employee Fiduciary have an API?
No public API is recorded for Employee Fiduciary.
What industry is Employee Fiduciary in?
Employee Fiduciary's product category is Retirement Plan Administration. Its primary akta.pro industry code is FSAEAKAF, Family Office Trust & Fiduciary Services, with a secondary code of FSAIAHAL, Dental & Vision Third-Party Administration (TPA). Its NAICS code is 524292 and its SIC code is 7363.