401k America

What 401k America does

401k America, Inc. is a privately held Third Party Administrator (TPA) founded in 2005 and headquartered in Chino Hills, California. The firm provides retirement plan administration and consulting services — including plan design, recordkeeping, actuarial services, compliance testing, IRS Form 5500 preparation, and government reporting — for 401(k), 403(b), profit-sharing, new comparability, age-weighted, defined benefit, and cash balance plans. It serves businesses ranging from 1 to over 100 employees, positioning the firm primarily in the SMB and lower mid-market segment with no disclosed geographic expansion beyond California.

The company's core technology is conventional: it operates as a traditional TPA using standard actuarial and administrative software for recordkeeping and compliance. There is no proprietary platform disclosed; the firm's website is operated by Benefit Insights, a PensionPro subsidiary, and no AI/ML capabilities, API surface, or integrations are documented. The competitive positioning is built on in-house actuarial expertise, personalized service delivered through dedicated plan administrators, and a nearly 20-year operating history.

The revenue model is professional services fees, with quote-based pricing structured around plan size, complexity, and service scope under multi-year contracts. GTM is sales-led and consultative, with lead generation primarily through SEO-optimized website content, bi-monthly newsletters, and a "Request Proposal" web form. The firm has established standard ecosystem relationships with investment fund platforms including American Funds, Voya Financial, John Hancock, Vanguard, and Empower. The leadership team is small (three named executives: President Lee McGroarty, VP Sales & Operations Valerie Bangma, Lead Actuary Michael P. Burkow), and there is no evidence of external investment, funding rounds, or institutional ownership.

Name

401k America

Legal name

401K America, Inc.

Website

https://401kamerica.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2005

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

401k America is a privately held Third Party Administrator founded in 2005, providing retirement plan design, recordkeeping, actuarial, and compliance services to SMB and mid-market employers in California across 401(k), defined benefit, and cash balance plans.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Retirement Plan Administration

NAICS

Pharmacy Benefit Management and Other Third Party Administration of Insurance and Pension Funds (524292), Pension Funds (525110)

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

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

akta.pro secondary industry

Retirement & Pension Planning (401(k)/IRA) (FSAEAAAD)

Keywords

• Retirement plan administration
• Third party administration
• Actuarial consulting services
• 401(k) plan services
• Compliance testing services

Headquarters

HQ city

Chino Hills

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. TPA and Actuarial Services: 401k America generates revenue through professional services fees for Third Party Administration (TPA) services, including retirement plan recordkeeping, administration, and actuarial services. As a service-based firm, they likely charge fees based on plan size, complexity, and the scope of services provided.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

401k America, Inc. provides Third Party Administration (TPA) and actuarial services for qualified retirement plans, including plan design and implementation, defined contribution and defined benefit plan recordkeeping and administration, annual compliance testing, IRS Form 5500 and PBGC reporting, and ongoing consulting for plan sponsors and advisors. The firm serves companies ranging from 1 to over 100 employees across plan types including 401(k), 401(k) Safe Harbor, profit-sharing, new comparability, age-weighted, defined benefit, and cash balance plans.

Product overview

401k America provides Third Party Administration (TPA) services for retirement plans, functioning as a full-service consulting and administration firm. The company offers a comprehensive suite of plan design, implementation, and ongoing administration services across multiple retirement plan types including 401(k), 401(k) Safe Harbor, Profit-Sharing, New Comparability, Age-Weighted Profit-Sharing, Defined Benefit, and Cash Balance Plans. Core service modules include Plan Design and Implementation, Defined Contribution Plan Recordkeeping and Administration, Defined Benefit Plan Actuarial Services and Administration, Annual Compliance Testing and Government Reporting, and Consulting Services. Since 2005, the firm has served clients ranging from 1 to over 100 employees with customized plan designs and compliance services.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Plan Design and Implementation Professional consulting service guiding clients through plan selection, customization, and implementation including controlled group review, plan document preparation, IRS determination letter requests, and participant materials, offered to plan sponsors and their advisors.
• Defined Contribution Plan Recordkeeping and Administration Comprehensive administration service covering eligibility calculations, contribution allocations, loan processing, hardship withdrawals, distribution processing, trust account reconciliation, and participant statements for defined contribution plans such as 401(k) and profit-sharing.
• Defined Benefit Plan Actuarial Services and Administration Actuarial and administrative services for defined benefit plans including eligibility determination, annual actuarial reports, contribution calculations, individual benefit statements, and distribution processing.
• Annual Compliance Testing and Government Reporting Compliance and reporting services including contribution deductibility calculations, annual additions testing, top heavy testing, coverage testing, ADP/ACP testing, and preparation of IRS Form 5500 and PBGC forms.
• Consulting Services Advisory services including plan amendments, terminations, mergers, IRS and DOL audit assistance, plan design changes, and special benefit studies or projections for plan sponsors and advisors.

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• American FundsminorOthersInvestment fund company that 401k America works with to ensure employer and employee investment needs are met for retirement plans.
• Voya FinancialminorOthersFinancial services company providing retirement and investment products that 401k America utilizes in serving their clients' retirement plan needs.
• John HancockminorOthersPension and retirement services provider that 401k America works with to provide comprehensive retirement plan solutions.
• VanguardminorOthersInvestment management company providing low-cost index funds and retirement investment options that 401k America incorporates into client plan designs.
• EmpowerminorOthersDigital retirement account management platform provider that 401k America works with to deliver retirement plan services to employers and employees.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves3 records

Expansion highlights2 records

Direct peers

• Ascensus: One of the largest independent retirement plan TPAs in the U.S., serving 401(k), 403(b), and defined benefit plans across employer segments. Directly comparable in core service mix (plan design, recordkeeping, compliance testing, government reporting).
• Plansight: Retirement plan TPA offering 401(k) and 403(b) administration, compliance testing, and Form 5500 preparation for smaller employers. Mirrors 401k America's service portfolio and target market.
• Sentinel Benefits & Financial Group: Mid-market TPA and employee benefits administrator offering retirement plan design, recordkeeping, and consulting. Comparable in client size and integrated consulting-plus-administration model.
• BlueStar Retirement: Independent TPA specializing in 401(k), 403(b), and defined benefit plans for small/mid-sized employers, with in-house actuarial services. Closely matches 401k America's SMB focus and product breadth.

Emerging players

• Vestwell: Technology-enabled 401(k) and SEP/SIMPLE IRA administration platform for advisors and small businesses. Represents the digital-first, lower-fee competitive threat against traditional TPAs like 401k America.

Broad incumbents

• Empower Retirement: The largest U.S. retirement plan recordkeeper and a partner of 401k America. Competes in the same retirement plan administration space but at vastly greater scale and with proprietary technology.
• ADP Retirement Services: Bundled payroll + 401(k) administration suite heavily used by small and mid-sized businesses. Represents a one-stop-shop competitive threat to the firm's target SMB customer.
• Fidelity Workplace Investing: Largest U.S. workplace retirement provider, competing directly with TPAs across all defined contribution and defined benefit plan types. Used by many plan sponsors who otherwise might use independent TPAs.
• Vanguard Retirement Plan Access: Major low-cost retirement plan recordkeeper for employers, partnered with 401k America. Competes in the same SMB/mid-market 401(k) space with significant scale and brand advantages.

Others

• PensionPro: Practice management and document workflow software built for retirement plan TPAs (and the actual technology platform behind 401kamerica.com per the website footer). An ecosystem enabler rather than a competitor, but indicative of how TPAs adopt workflow tools.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

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 401k America