Retirement Planners & Administrators

What Retirement Planners & Administrators does

Retirement Planners & Administrators (RPA) is a Virginia-based third-party administrator (TPA) founded in 1969 that delivers tax-qualified retirement plan design, compliance administration, and government filing services to small and medium-sized employers, primarily across the Mid-Atlantic region with nationwide reach. The firm administers 1,300+ plans with $2.75B+ in assets under management, supporting 401(k), Profit Sharing, 457, 403(b), Defined Benefit/Cash Balance, and ESOP structures. Its service stack includes daily recordkeeping, Form 5500 preparation, 3(16) fiduciary services added in 2020, and plan correction remediation, executed by a team of 24 Plan Compliance Analysts averaging 20+ years of design tenure and holding 22+ industry credentials (QKA, QPA, APA, ERPA).

The business runs on a contact-based, per-plan pricing model with annual billing, generating recurring revenue from subscription-style administration fees plus managed-service revenue from 3(16) fiduciary work. Distribution is sales-led, executed by Senior Transition Specialists during onboarding and Plan Compliance Analysts during ongoing service, supplemented by partnerships with financial advisors, CPAs, attorneys, and recordkeepers (Fidelity, Vanguard, John Hancock, Mass Mutual, Principal, Voya, Lincoln, American Funds). In 2023 RPA became the fourth TPA to join Strongpoint Partners, a tech-enabled financial services platform with $54B+ AUM and 32,000+ administered plans, which provides national infrastructure, referral channels, and the Strongpay integrated payroll-and-retirement technology stack.

RPA's go-to-market is anchored on high-touch, credentialed expertise and compliance-driven thought leadership (SECURE 2.0, Roth catch-up content) rather than technology differentiation. The company is privately held under Strongpoint Partners' strategic operating company structure with no public revenue disclosure; key leadership includes President Michael Morin (joined 2014) and VP of Operations Mark Witkowski (with the firm since 1993).

Name

Retirement Planners & Administrators

Legal name

Retirement Planners & Administrators

Website

https://retirementplanners.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1969

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Retirement Planners & Administrators is a Virginia-based third-party administrator founded in 1969 that designs, administers, and provides fiduciary services for retirement plans (401(k), Cash Balance, 403(b), 457, ESOP) serving 1,300+ small and medium-sized employer plans with $2.75B+ AUM, now operating under the Strongpoint Partners national platform.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Retirement Plan Administration (Third-Party Administration Services)

NAICS

Pharmacy Benefit Management and Other Third Party Administration of Insurance and Pension Funds (524292)

SIC

Insurance Agents, Brokers & Service (6411)

akta.pro primary industry

Eligibility, Enrollment & Benefits Administration (HLAEALAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Compliance, Reporting & Regulatory Administration (ERISA/ACA/No Surprises) (HLAEALAJ), Retirement Plan Participant Advice & Managed Accounts (FSAEABAF)

Keywords

• Retirement plan administration
• Third-party administration
• 401(k) plan services
• Cash balance plans
• Defined benefit plans

Headquarters

HQ city

Falls Church

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Retirement Plan Administration (TPA Services): Third-party administration of retirement plans including 401(k), profit sharing, defined benefit, cash balance, 403(b), and 457 plans. Services include compliance testing, plan design, government reporting and filings, recordkeeping, and ongoing plan support and consulting.
2. Payroll Services: Integrated payroll processing with retirement plan integration through Strongpay platform. Includes payroll contribution solutions, time system integration, workforce management, benefits administration, and accrual tracking.
3. 3(16) Fiduciary Services: Plan sponsor fiduciary services including 5500 filing and signing as Named Fiduciary

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Retirement Planners & Administrators is a third-party administrator (TPA) that designs, implements, and administers tax-qualified retirement plans for small and medium-sized employers, including 401(k), Profit Sharing, 403(b), 457, Defined Benefit, Cash Balance, and ESOP plans. Services span compliance testing, daily valuation recordkeeping, Form 5500 preparation and filing, plan correction, and 3(16) fiduciary signing, complemented by Strongpay integrated payroll processing that automates contribution deductions and compliance checks.

Product overview

Retirement Planners & Administrators offers a comprehensive portfolio of retirement plan administration services and integrated payroll solutions. The core offering centers on tax-qualified retirement plan administration including 401(k) (Traditional, Roth, and Safe Harbor variants), Profit Sharing, 457 Plans, 403(b), Defined Benefit/Cash Balance Plans, and ESOPs. These are supported by ancillary services including daily recordkeeping, plan compliance monitoring, government filings (Form 5500), and 3(16) signing authority. The portfolio is complemented by Strongpay Payroll, a proprietary payroll processing platform that integrates directly with retirement plan administration to provide seamless payroll and retirement services through a unified system.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Strongpay: Integrated payroll and retirement plan platform that combines payroll processing with 401(k) administration, part of the Strongpoint Partners ecosystem that RPA offers to clients.

Products and services

• 401(k) Plan Solutions Traditional, Roth, and Safe Harbor 401(k) plan design, full administration, compliance testing, and reporting for employer plan sponsors.
• Profit Sharing Plans Employer-funded retirement plans with discretionary contributions, fully administered by RPA.
• 457 Plans Tax-advantaged retirement plans for government and certain non-profit employees, designed and administered by RPA.
• Defined Benefit and Cash Balance Plans Pension-style retirement plans with guaranteed benefits that combine features of defined benefit and defined contribution designs, including tiered, age-based, and combo 401(k) options.
• 403(b) Plans Tax-advantaged retirement savings plans designed for employees of public schools, non-profits, and certain religious organizations.
• Employee Stock Ownership Plans (ESOP) Qualified retirement plans that allow employees to gain company ownership through employer stock as a retirement benefit.
• 3(16) 5500 Signing Service Plan sponsor Named Fiduciary service that takes on signing authority for Form 5500 filings and associated fiduciary responsibilities.
• Daily Recordkeeping Open-architecture daily valuation and recordkeeping services for retirement plans.
• Plan Compliance and Administration Ongoing plan compliance monitoring, government reporting and filings, and administrative support across all retirement plan types administered by RPA.
• Plan Correction Services Recovery and remediation services to restore compliance for troubled retirement plans.
• Strongpay Payroll Integrated payroll and retirement plan management platform that automates contribution deductions, tax calculations, HR compliance with hundreds of daily sanity checks, and syncs data with recordkeepers to reduce administrative burden.

Quantifiable outcome

• Minimized tax liability through strategic plan design
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• John HancockcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRecordkeeper partnership; Randy Lackey's prior experience as Retirement Plan Wholesaler at John Hancock enables service delivery for retirement solutions
• Mass MutualcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRecordkeeper partnership for retirement plan administration and solutions
• Principal FinancialcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRecordkeeper partnership for retirement plan administration
• Voya FinancialcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRecordkeeper partnership for retirement plan administration
• Lincoln Financial GroupcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRecordkeeper partnership for retirement plan administration
• American FundscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRecordkeeper partnership for retirement plan administration
• FidelitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRecordkeeper partnership for retirement plan administration
• VanguardcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRecordkeeper partnership for retirement plan administration
• StrongpaycoreTechnology or IntegrationIntegrated payroll platform that RPA leverages for seamless payroll and retirement plan experience, simplifying plan management, ensuring compliance, and reducing administrative burdens

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Ascensus: Largest independent TPA in the U.S., providing recordkeeping, administration, and compliance services for retirement, education, and health savings plans—directly comparable to RPA across 401(k)/403(b)/457 and defined benefit administration.
• ADP Retirement Services: Provides bundled payroll + 401(k) plan administration to small and mid-sized employers—a direct comparable to RPA's Strongpay-integrated offering on both product and target customer.
• Paychex Retirement Services: Bundles payroll with 401(k) recordkeeping and administration for SMBs via Paychex's Retirement Services unit, mirroring RPA's payroll + retirement positioning in the same SMB segment.
• T. Rowe Price Retirement Plan Services: Provides full-service retirement plan administration, recordkeeping, and compliance for 401(k), 403(b), and defined benefit plans—directly overlapping with RPA's SMB-targeted TPA offering.

Broad incumbents

• Empower Retirement: Large recordkeeper and third-party administrator that emerged from the retirement plan services businesses of Great-West and Putnam; competes with RPA across the full 401(k)/403(b) spectrum with significant scale advantages.
• Principal Financial Group: Provides retirement plan recordkeeping, administration, and investment solutions to SMB employers—overlaps with RPA's plan administration services while also operating as one of RPA's recordkeeper partners.
• Fidelity Workplace Investing: Operates one of the largest recordkeeping and administration platforms for employer-sponsored retirement plans; competes with RPA both as an internal provider and as a recordkeeper partner in RPA's advisor channel.
• Voya Financial: Retirement-focused recordkeeper and plan administrator serving employer-sponsored plans; functions as both a peer and a recordkeeper partner in RPA's distribution network.
• Schwab Retirement Plan Services: Recordkeeper and administration provider for employer-sponsored retirement plans, competes with RPA on advisor-led distribution and increasingly on bundled digital onboarding for SMB plans.

Others

• Strongpoint Partners: Parent tech-enabled retirement administration and HR/payroll platform with $54B+ AUM and 32,000+ plans; provides RPA with shared technology, payroll (Strongpay), and national infrastructure.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/RPAMatters
• Facebookfacebook.com/rpamatters

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Subsidiaries3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Retirement Planners & Administrators