Carlson Quinn

What Carlson Quinn does

Carlson Quinn is a privately held retirement consulting firm founded in 1994, headquartered in Walnut Creek, California, and operating as a subsidiary of Strongpoint Partners since March 2022. The firm specializes in designing, implementing, and administering qualified and non-qualified retirement plans—including 401(k), 403(b), 457, Cash Balance, Defined Benefit, ESOP, Profit Sharing, and SERP plans—for small and medium-sized businesses and sole proprietors, primarily in the Bay Area. With a team of 10+ professionals averaging 15+ years of tenure, Carlson Quinn administers 200+ plans covering $2.5B+ in assets and 18,500+ plan participants, with an average client tenure of 9.5 years.

The firm does not own proprietary plan administration technology; it leverages Strongpoint Partners' national infrastructure for retirement plan administration and offers integrated payroll processing through the Strongpay platform, which combines payroll, HR-on-demand (Mineral), benefits administration, accrual tracking, and compliance checks. Additional services include due diligence, vendor search, and IRS/DOL audit support.

Carlson Quinn operates a professional services revenue model with income from ongoing administration fees, plan design fees, and per-employee payroll processing fees. The go-to-market is dual-channel: direct consultative sales to SMB employers and sole proprietors, supplemented by trusted-advisor referral partnerships with recordkeepers, financial advisors, CPAs, accountants, and attorneys. Marketing is conducted through content, professional association membership (ASPPA, Western Pension & Benefits Conference), and SEO-driven website presence. Pricing is not publicly disclosed and engagements are quote-based.

Name

Carlson Quinn

Legal name

Carlson Quinn

Website

https://carlsonquinn.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1994

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Carlson Quinn is a Bay Area retirement consulting firm that designs, administers, and supports qualified and non-qualified retirement plans for small and medium-sized businesses and sole proprietors, operating as a Strongpoint Partners subsidiary since 2022.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Retirement Plan Consulting & Administration

NAICS

Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (523940), Payroll Services (541214)

SIC

Investment Advice (6282), Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro primary industry

Employer Retirement Plan Advisory (401(k)/Pension) (FSAEABAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Retirement & Pension Planning (401(k)/IRA) (FSAEAAAD), Garnishments, Levies & Wage Withholding Administration (BPAAAHAG)

Keywords

• Retirement plan consulting
• Third party administration
• 401(k) plan design
• Payroll processing services
• Retirement plan compliance

Headquarters

HQ city

Emeryville

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Retirement Plan Administration Services: Third Party Administration (TPA) services for qualified retirement plans including 401(k), 403(b), 457, Cash Balance, Defined Benefit, ESOP, and Non-Qualified plans. Revenue generated through ongoing administration fees, plan design fees, and compliance services.
2. Payroll Services: Payroll processing and integration with retirement plans powered by Strongpay platform. Includes payroll processing, time management, HR services, benefits administration, and accrual tracking. Revenue generated through per-employee or per-transaction payroll processing fees.

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Carlson Quinn is a Bay Area retirement consulting firm that designs, implements, administers, and provides ongoing compliance for qualified and non-qualified retirement plans (including 401(k), 403(b), 457, Cash Balance, Defined Benefit, ESOP, Profit Sharing, NQDC, and SERPs) for small and medium-sized employers and sole proprietors. The firm also delivers payroll processing through the Strongpay platform, with HR services via Mineral HR-OnDemand, leveraging Strongpoint Partners' national administration infrastructure.

Product overview

Carlson Quinn is a retirement consulting firm offering a comprehensive portfolio of retirement plan design, administration, and compliance services. The core offering consists of qualified and non-qualified retirement plans including 401(k), Cash Balance, Defined Benefit, ESOP, Profit Sharing, 403(b), 457, and Non-Qualified Deferred Compensation plans. Supporting services include plan administration, due diligence, vendor search, and compliance/correction projects. The firm also offers payroll services through Strongpay, integrating payroll processing with retirement plan administration, along with HR services via Mineral HR-OnDemand. As a Strongpoint Partner since March 2022, Carlson Quinn leverages national infrastructure while maintaining local Bay Area expertise.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Qualified Retirement Plans Evaluation, setup, and modification services for qualified retirement plans serving small and medium-sized businesses and sole proprietors including dentists, lawyers, and doctors.
• 401(k) Plan Solutions Traditional employer-sponsored 401(k) plans including Safe Harbor 401(k) options, government filings preparation, and complex plan options with custom eligibility, vesting, contribution, and enrollment strategies.
• Cash Balance & Defined Benefit Plans Traditional Cash Balance or Defined Benefit plans, including combined 401(k) and Cash Balance options to maximize tax-deferred savings, and Variable Annuity Plans.
• Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP) Employee stock ownership plan that allows employees to become partial owners of the company through stock allocations.
• Profit Sharing Plan Solutions Employer-funded retirement plans where contributions are discretionary.
• 403(b) Plans Tax-advantaged retirement savings plan for employees of public schools, non-profits, and certain religious organizations, allowing pre-tax income investment for retirement.
• 457 Plans Tax-deferred plans for government and certain nonprofit employees with flexible contributions and penalty-free withdrawals upon separation from service.
• Non-Qualified Deferred Compensation (NQDC) Allows select employees to defer a portion of income to a future date, offering tax advantages and flexible retirement savings beyond qualified plan limits.
• Supplemental Executive Retirement Plans (SERPs) Employer-funded, non-qualified plans providing additional retirement benefits to key executives beyond standard retirement plan limits.
• Plan Administration Administrative services for retirement programs including streamlining administrative processes, total outsourcing services, reconciliation procedures with recordkeepers, and government reporting and filings.
• Payroll Services Comprehensive payroll processing and HR management services including Time System and Integrated Workforce Management, Mineral HR-OnDemand for HR services, Benefits Administration, and Accrual Tracking. Designed to integrate with retirement plan administration for enhanced efficiency and compliance.
• Due Diligence Services Compliance verification services for retirement plans to ensure adherence to law and plan terms, including pre-acquisition due diligence for companies considering acquisitions.
• Vendor Search Services Facilitation and guidance services for selecting new service providers for retirement, 401(k), 403(b), or 457 plans, including pricing evaluation and competitive analysis.
• Compliance & Correction Project Services IRS and DOL audit support services including guidance through the audit process and corrective measures.

Quantifiable outcome

• $2.5B+ in assets under management across 200+ plans
• +3 more outcomes

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Strongpoint PartnersflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 March 2022Carlson Quinn has been a proud Strongpoint Partner since March 2022. This partnership provides national infrastructure backing while maintaining local Bay Area expertise. Strongpoint Partners is described as the most trusted, knowledgeable, and customer-centric retirement platform for small and medium-sized businesses. Carlson Quinn leverages Strongpoint's national resources including $54B+ in plan assets under administration, while providing local personalized service.

Scale indicators13 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Ascensus: Largest independent retirement plan services provider in the U.S. serving small to enterprise plans; competes with Carlson Quinn on administration and plan design but at vastly greater scale across all plan types.
• ADP Retirement Services: Broad payroll-and-retirement provider serving small and mid-sized employers with bundled HR, payroll, and 401(k) services — comparable to Carlson Quinn's combined retirement + Strongpay payroll offering but at massive scale.
• Paychex: Major SMB-focused payroll and HR services provider with retirement plan administration capabilities via Paychex Retirement Services, directly comparable to Carlson Quinn's integrated retirement-plus-payroll positioning.
• Empower Retirement: One of the largest U.S. retirement plan recordkeepers serving plans of all sizes, including SMBs that overlap with Carlson Quinn's customer base — competing as a national incumbent recordkeeper.

Emerging players

• Vestwell: Recordkeeping and administration platform for small- and mid-sized plan advisors, competing in the TPA/administration technology layer that Carlson Quinn's services sit on top of.
• ForUsAll: 401(k) and retirement platform serving SMBs with modern plan administration and participant tools — overlapping the same small-business employer segment with a more technology-led approach.
• Human Interest: Tech-enabled 401(k) and SEP-IRA platform purpose-built for small businesses; competes for the same SMB and sole-proprietor segment Carlson Quinn targets, though with automated (rather than high-touch) delivery.
• Guideline: Digital 401(k) provider targeting small businesses and sole proprietors with streamlined plan setup and administration — overlaps Carlson Quinn's SMB retirement customer base with a lower-fee tech model.

Direct peers

• Employee Fiduciary: Independent 401(k) TPA serving small businesses with low-cost plan administration and compliance services, directly comparable in target customer (SMB employers) and core service mix.
• Ubiquity Retirement + Savings: Bay Area-headquartered 401(k) and retirement plan provider serving small businesses with similar plan design, administration, and compliance offerings to Carlson Quinn, and the most direct geographic and product-overlap peer.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 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 Carlson Quinn