Pension Financial Services

What Pension Financial Services does

Pension Financial Services (PFS) is a privately held third-party administrator (TPA) founded in 1982 by Earle Garvin and headquartered in Duluth, Georgia, serving small and medium-sized employers plus individual sole proprietors (including dentists, lawyers, and doctors) across Greater Atlanta. The firm administers 401(k) plans (Traditional, Roth, and Safe Harbor), Cash Balance and Defined Benefit plans, and Profit Sharing plans, with services spanning plan design, compliance testing, government reporting (e.g., 5500 filings), and Fiduciary 3(16) services. As of the most recent disclosures, the firm operates with a team of 16 professionals, including Pension Consultants, Administrators, and Actuaries, and is led by Founder Earle Garvin and President Don Flower (joined 1989), with Cheryl Bowness serving as VP of New Business & Compliance.

PFS does not develop proprietary technology. It delivers its services on the Strongpoint Partners national platform, which provides the Strongpay payroll processing product, Mineral HR-OnDemand for benefits administration, and time/workforce management tools. Since becoming a Strongpoint Partner in July 2023, PFS has integrated these national resources into its local administration workflow while retaining its PFS brand and Atlanta-centric identity. The firm holds the ASPPA Administration Services Certification (held by fewer than 50 US TPA firms) and undergoes voluntary annual CEFEX audits, which together serve as core trust and credibility signals.

Commercially, PFS generates revenue through professional service fees for retirement plan administration and consulting. It acquires customers through a direct sales motion targeting Greater Atlanta SMBs and sole proprietors, supplemented by a partner channel in which Financial Advisors, CPAs, Accountants, and Recordkeepers refer employer clients. Marketing is relationship-driven and credential-led, with limited investment in broad digital campaigns; the website (pfs401k.com) functions as the primary lead-generation and partner-intake surface. Pricing is not publicly disclosed and is handled through direct quotes.

Name

Pension Financial Services

Legal name

Pension Financial Services

Website

https://pfs401k.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1982

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Pension Financial Services is a privately held third-party administrator founded in 1982 and based in Duluth, Georgia, providing 401(k), Cash Balance, Defined Benefit, and Profit Sharing plan administration to small and medium-sized employers and sole proprietors across Greater Atlanta. The firm operates on the Strongpoint Partners national platform.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Retirement Plan 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

Pensions & Retirement Benefits Administration (BPAIAKAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Employee Benefit & Retirement Plan Trust Services (FSAAANAC)

Keywords

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

Headquarters

HQ city

Duluth

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

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 Services: PFS generates revenue through fees for retirement plan administration and consulting services, including 401(k), Defined Benefit, Cash Balance, and Profit Sharing plan administration. Services encompass plan design, compliance testing, government reporting and filings, and ongoing plan support. Revenue is derived from professional service fees charged to employers and plan sponsors.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Pension Financial Services is a third-party administrator (TPA) providing retirement plan design, administration, compliance testing, and government reporting for 401(k), Cash Balance, Defined Benefit, and Profit Sharing plans. Services are delivered to small and medium-sized employers and sole proprietors in Greater Atlanta, with fiduciary 3(16) services and an integrated Strongpay payroll offering. The firm combines local consulting expertise with the national resources of the Strongpoint Partners platform.

Product overview

Pension Financial Services is a retirement consulting firm that operates as a unified platform offering multiple interconnected retirement and payroll solutions. The core offering consists of 401(k) Plans (traditional, Roth, and Safe Harbor variants), Cash Balance and Defined Benefit Plans, and Profit Sharing Plans, all supported by Fiduciary 3(16) Services for administrative fiduciary responsibilities. The firm augments its retirement services with Strongpay Payroll, an integrated payroll processing platform that connects payroll operations with retirement plan administration. The products work together to provide plan design, compliance administration, government reporting, and ongoing consulting services for small and medium-sized businesses and sole proprietors in the Greater Atlanta area.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• 401(k) Plans Traditional, Roth, and Safe Harbor 401(k) retirement plans with full administration, compliance testing, and government reporting services designed for small and medium-sized businesses and their employees.
• Cash Balance & Defined Benefit Plans Pension-style retirement plans with guaranteed benefits that combine features of defined benefit and defined contribution plans, including traditional cash balance, tiered or age-based plans, and combo 401(k) plus Cash Balance options.
• Profit Sharing Plans Employer-funded retirement plans where contributions are discretionary and based on company profits, administered by PFS for SMB employers.
• Fiduciary 3(16) Services Administrative fiduciary services under ERISA Section 3(16) that shift selected plan administration fiduciary responsibilities from the employer to PFS in order to reduce client liability and administrative workload.
• Strongpay Payroll Integrated payroll processing platform delivered through the Strongpoint Partners partnership that pairs payroll operations with retirement plan administration, featuring concierge service, payroll and HR customization, and proactive compliance checks.

Quantifiable outcome

• 32K+ total plans administered
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Strongpoint PartnerscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 July 2023Since July 2023, Pension Financial Services has been a proud Strongpoint Partner, gaining access to the most trusted, knowledgeable, and customer-centric retirement platform for small and medium-sized businesses. This partnership provides PFS with national resources, the Strongpay payroll platform, HR tools, and a network of 375+ retirement consultants, while allowing PFS to maintain its local Atlanta identity and expertise.
• RecordkeeperscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPFS partners closely with Recordkeepers to deliver accurate plan reporting and ensure effective administration for employer clients. These partnerships are foundational to PFS's ability to serve employers with comprehensive retirement plan solutions.
• Financial Advisors, CPAs, and AccountantscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorFinancial Advisors, CPAs, and Accountants represent key trusted partners who refer employer clients to PFS for retirement plan administration. PFS positions itself as a reliable and accurate TPA partner that helps these professionals deliver superior outcomes to their employer clients.
• ASPPA (American Society of Pension Professionals & Actuaries)minorOthersPFS is an active member of ASPPA and has earned the ASPPA Administration Services Certification. ASPPA is a national organization of more than 7,000 retirement professionals who provide consulting and administrative services for qualified retirement plans covering millions of American workers.
• CEFEX (Centre for Fiduciary Excellence)minorOthersCEFEX is an independent organization that assesses and certifies investment advisory firms on their adherence to a global fiduciary standard of excellence. PFS undergoes annual CEFEX audits to maintain certification of its business practices and policies.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Pinnacle Plan Design: Third-party administrator providing retirement plan design, compliance testing, and administration for closely held and mid-market employers, overlapping directly with PFS's core 401(k) and defined benefit service lines.
• Strategic Retirement Partners: National retirement plan consulting firm serving small and mid-sized plan sponsors with design, administration, and fiduciary services, mirroring PFS's full-service TPA model.
• DWC - The 401(k) Experts: Independent third-party administrator specializing in 401(k) and qualified plan design and administration for small and mid-sized businesses, with a comparable SMB-focused consulting model and design-led approach.
• TAG Resources: Third-party administrator providing 401(k) plan design, administration, and compliance services to small businesses, with a similar credentialed-TPA positioning and direct-to-employer sales motion.
• American Pension Advisors: Retirement plan TPA focused on 401(k) and 403(b) administration for SMB employers and nonprofits, comparable in scale, customer profile, and reliance on partner referrals.
• Sentinel Benefits & Financial Group: Mid-sized retirement plan TPA offering 401(k), defined benefit, and cash balance plan administration with a comparable SMB-employer focus and partner-channel GTM.

Others

• Strongpoint Partners: The parent partnership platform of PFS, consisting of a network of retirement-focused partner firms; relevant because its other member firms are the closest functional analogs and PFS's growth is tightly linked to this network.

Emerging players

• ForUsAll: Technology-driven 401(k) and retirement platform targeting small and mid-sized businesses, representing the digital-first competitive threat to traditional TPAs like PFS.

Broad incumbents

• NFP Retirement: Large insurance and benefits broker with a substantial retirement plan administration and consulting practice serving employers across the U.S., representing the scaled incumbent alternative to specialist TPAs like PFS.
• OneDigital Retirement + Wealth: National benefits and retirement advisory firm with significant 401(k) and defined contribution plan administration capabilities, providing the kind of integrated payroll/HR/retirement offering that competes with the Strongpoint Partners platform.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@StrongpointPartners
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/pension-financial-services-inc-

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 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 Pension Financial Services