Karel Gordon & Associates

What Karel Gordon & Associates does

Karel Gordon & Associates (KGA) is a privately held boutique pension consulting, actuarial, and third-party administration (TPA) firm founded in 1974 and headquartered at 304 Saunders Road, Riverwoods, Illinois, with a Chicago-area presence. The firm operates as a partner within the Strongpoint Partners national network while preserving its boutique service positioning. KGA delivers retirement plan design, administration, actuarial services, and integrated payroll services to small business owners and sole proprietors, with particular depth in professional practices such as dentists, lawyers, and doctors who use 401(k) and Cash Balance Plans for tax liability minimization and retirement savings maximization.

The firm's core product surface consists of Retirement Services (plan design, compliance testing, census management, 5500 filing, fiduciary support for DOL/IRS adherence), Payroll Services integrated with retirement plan contributions, and a Plan Design Examples resource library offering pre-configured templates. The technology stack is traditional professional services rather than a software platform: no proprietary SaaS, mobile app, API, or integrations are disclosed. Competitive advantages emphasized are talent credentials (19 Enrolled Actuaries, 8 Cash Balance Specialists, 4 Certified Pension Consultants per ASPPA breakdown; 20+ year average design specialist tenure), 50 years of brand history, and access to Strongpoint's national infrastructure (375+ consultants, $54B+ in plan assets, 32K+ administered plans).

The business model is professional services on a quote-based, multi-year contract structure. KGA runs a sales-led direct motion supplemented by a Trusted Partner channel of recordkeepers, financial advisors, accountants, CPAs, and attorneys who refer and co-serve clients. KGA administers 1,200+ plans with $1.5B+ in assets and designs 150+ new plans per year, served by 26 professionals including Consultants, Actuaries, and Administrators. The firm is led by Partner Holly Danziger. Revenue is not publicly disclosed.

Name

Karel Gordon & Associates

Legal name

Karel Gordon & Associates

Website

https://karelgordon.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1974

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Karel Gordon & Associates is a Chicago-area boutique third-party retirement plan administrator providing plan design, actuarial, compliance, and payroll services for 401(k) and Cash Balance plans to small businesses and sole proprietors nationwide, operating as a Strongpoint Partner.

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), Insurance and Employee Benefit Funds (5251)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742), Insurance Agents, Brokers & Service (6411)

akta.pro primary industry

Compliance, Reporting & Regulatory Administration (ERISA/ACA/No Surprises) (HLAEALAJ)

Keywords

• Retirement plan administration
• Actuarial consulting services
• 401(k) plan design
• Cash balance plans
• Pension consulting

Headquarters

HQ city

Northbrook

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, Others

Revenue model

1. Retirement Plan Administration Services: Third-party administration (TPA) fees for managing retirement plans including 401(k) plans, Cash Balance Plans, and SEP/SIMPLE IRA plans. Services include plan design, compliance testing, census file collection, data verification, and 5500 filing.
2. Actuarial Consulting Services: Actuarial services for retirement plan design and compliance, including Defined Benefit and Cash Balance Plan calculations
3. Payroll Services: Payroll processing services supporting retirement plan contributions and compliance

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Karel Gordon & Associates is a Third-Party Administrator (TPA) providing retirement plan design, administration, and actuarial services for small businesses and sole proprietors. Its offerings include 401(k), Cash Balance, SEP, and SIMPLE IRA plan design and administration, ACP/ADP compliance testing, 5500 filing, fiduciary support, and integrated payroll services. The firm tailors solutions for dentists, lawyers, doctors, and small employers seeking to minimize tax liability and maximize retirement savings.

Product overview

Karel Gordon & Associates is a retirement consulting firm offering a unified suite of retirement plan services. Their core offerings include Retirement Services (plan design, administration, and actuarial services) and Payroll Services, with supplementary Plan Design Examples that provide templates for 401(k), Cash Balance, and combination retirement plans tailored for small businesses, sole proprietors, and employers.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• 1,200+ retirement plans administered
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers5 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

One partnership is on record.

• Strongpoint PartnerscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStrongpoint Partners is the parent company providing Karel Gordon & Associates with national infrastructure support. KGA is positioned as 'A Strongpoint Partner' with access to their national network of 375+ retirement consultants, $54B+ in plan assets under administration, and 32K+ total plans administered. This partnership enables KGA to offer boutique service backed by big-firm resources.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• Ascensus: One of the largest independent TPAs in the U.S., serving retirement plans, 529s, and ABLE accounts. Directly comparable to KGA as a third-party administrator for employer-sponsored retirement plans, including small business and tax-exempt segments.
• PenChecks: Independent TPA specializing in retirement plan distribution and uncashed check processing, with extensive small plan servicing. Comparable to KGA as a focused third-party administrator serving smaller employer plans.
• MSI Automated Solutions: Specialist TPA focused on small to mid-sized retirement plans, including 401(k), defined benefit, and cash balance plans. Highly comparable to KGA's product mix and SMB customer profile.
• Pentegra Retirement Services: TPA and investment management firm providing retirement plan administration, including Cash Balance Plans, to small and mid-sized employers. Comparable to KGA in niche plan design and actuarial consulting.

Broad incumbents

• ADP Retirement Services: Payroll-and-retirement bundled provider serving millions of small business employers. Comparable to KGA's combined retirement plan + payroll offering, though at substantially greater scale and with heavier technology investment.
• Empower (formerly Empower Retirement): Major retirement plan recordkeeper and TPA serving small, mid, and large-market plans. Comparable to KGA in the small business retirement plan administration segment, but with vastly larger scale and broader service breadth.
• Strongpoint Partners: Parent platform and direct owner of KGA; national retirement plan consulting aggregator with 375+ consultants, 32K+ plans administered, and $54B+ in plan assets. It is the most relevant peer because KGA operates as a regional node within Strongpoint's broader TPA infrastructure.

Emerging players

• Vestwell: Fintech retirement platform offering recordkeeping, plan design, and administration for small business plans. Comparable to KGA in the SMB retirement plan segment but competes via a digitized, lower-cost delivery model.
• Guideline: Automated 401(k) provider for small businesses, with embedded setup and low flat pricing. Relevant emerging competitor to KGA in the small business 401(k) market, particularly appealing cost-sensitive SMBs.

Regional players

• Paychex Retirement Services: Payroll provider with 401(k) recordkeeping and TPA services targeting small and mid-sized U.S. businesses. Comparable to KGA's payroll-plus-retirement-suite model and SMB customer mix.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 Karel Gordon & Associates