Pentec Pension Management

What Pentec Pension Management does

Pentec Pension Management is a retirement plan consulting firm that combined forces with the Loren D. Stark Company (LDSCO), a Houston-headquartered boutique third-party administrator (TPA). The combined entity provides pension, profit sharing, cash balance, Employee Stock Ownership (ESOP), and 401(k) plan design and administration services to business owners and employers as plan sponsors, primarily across Texas, Louisiana, and Oklahoma, with sales offices extended to Nevada, California, New York, and the Northeast. Core offerings include custom plan design and document preparation, compliance testing and reporting, annual ERISA compliance statements, participant loan and distribution documentation, signature-ready Form 5500 preparation, actuarial services, and 3(16) fiduciary administration. The firm also operates a participant call center and an electronic document distribution system branded RPD4U (Retirement Plan Documents for You).

The firm's technical stack centers on standard retirement plan administration tooling rather than proprietary platforms — including a plan sponsor login portal at ldsco.net, electronic 401(k) deferral payroll submission, and the RPD4U document distribution system. Back-office operations have been offshored to Vietnam (opened 2007) and the Philippines (opened 2011) by Loren Dayton Stark II to create operational leverage and cost efficiency that supports the firm's multi-city US expansion. The firm employs Actuaries, Attorneys, and Consultants as credentialed in-house staff, emphasizing continuous professional development in evolving ERISA regulations.

Revenue is generated through professional services fees on a quote-based model, with custom illustrations prepared for prospective clients identifying different plan design outcomes. No public pricing tiers or fee schedules are disclosed. The go-to-market is relationship-based, direct consulting sales through regional offices targeting mid-market employers and business owners, supplemented by content marketing via newsletters, whitepapers, and educational resources on defined benefit planning, voluntary correction programs, and regulatory developments. Distribution is anchored by the firm's 85+ year legacy and family-owned positioning emphasizing integrity and professionalism.

Name

Pentec Pension Management

Website

https://pentecpensions.net

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Pentec Pension Management, now combined with the Loren D. Stark Company, is a boutique third-party retirement plan administrator serving business owners and employers with 401(k), pension, cash balance, and ESOP plan design, compliance, and administration services across multiple US regions.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Retirement Plan Consulting

NAICS

Insurance and Employee Benefit Funds (5251)

SIC

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), Pensions & Retirement Benefits Administration (BPAIAKAA)

Keywords

• Retirement plan consulting
• Pension management
• 401(k) administration
• Third party administration
• Defined benefit plans

Headquarters

HQ city

Midland

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices9 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Retirement Plan Consulting and Administration Services: LDSCO generates revenue through professional consulting fees for retirement plan design, administration, and compliance services. Services include plan document preparation, compliance testing, ERISA compliance statements, participant loan and distribution documentation, and Form 5500 preparation. The firm offers specialized plan designs including Safe Harbor provisions, New Comparability, Integrated allocation features, and Defined Benefit plan designs.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Pentec Pension Management provides retirement plan consulting and third-party administration services for employer plan sponsors, designing and administering 401(k), Defined Benefit, Cash Balance, ESOP, Safe Harbor, New Comparability, and Combo DC/DB plans. Services include plan design and document preparation, compliance testing and reporting, annual ERISA compliance statements, participant loan and distribution documentation, Form 5500 preparation, 3(16) fiduciary administration, and actuarial services, supported by an in-house staff of actuaries, attorneys and consultants and participant-facing tools including RPD4U document distribution and a participant call center.

Product overview

Loren D. Stark Company (LDSCO) operates as a boutique retirement plan consulting firm offering a comprehensive suite of pension and benefit plan services. The portfolio includes multiple 401(k) and Defined Benefit plan designs (401(k) Cash Balance, New Comparability, ESOP, Safe Harbor Match, Social Security Integration, Upside Down 401(k), Owner Only plans) as well as combined DC/DB arrangements with and without insurance integration. Core administrative services include 3(16) fiduciary administration, actuarial services, compliance testing, Form 5500 preparation, participant call center support, and electronic document distribution via RPD4U. The firm also offers whitepapers and educational resources on defined benefit planning, voluntary correction programs, and UBTI.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• 401(k) Cash Balance Plan A retirement plan design combining 401(k) deferral features with cash balance pension plan characteristics, providing employer-funded contributions with participant account transparency, offered to employer plan sponsors.
• ADP Tested Plan A 401(k) plan design using Average Deferral Percentage testing to ensure compliance with nondiscrimination requirements, offered to employer plan sponsors.
• Combo DC & DB A combined Defined Contribution and Defined Benefit plan design offering both employer-funded pension guarantees and participant-directed investment options for employer plan sponsors.
• Combo DC & DB with Insurance An integrated retirement plan combining DC and DB elements with insurance products for enhanced retirement security, offered to employer plan sponsors.
• Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP) An Employee Stock Ownership Plan enabling employees to acquire company ownership through qualified retirement plan contributions, offered to employer plan sponsors.
• New Comparability Plan A cross-tested retirement plan design allowing different contribution rates for different employee groups based on age and compensation, offered to employer plan sponsors.
• Owner Only 401(k) & Defined Benefit Plan A combined plan design exclusively for business owners, integrating 401(k) deferrals with defined benefit pension contributions, offered to owner-only employers.
• Owner Only 401(k) Plan A simplified 401(k) plan designed for business owners with streamlined administration, offered to owner-only employers.
• Safe Harbor Match Plan A 401(k) plan design incorporating safe harbor matching contributions to satisfy ADP/ACP testing requirements, offered to employer plan sponsors.
• Social Security Integration Plan A retirement plan design integrating Social Security benefits with employer-sponsored plan contributions for coordinated retirement income, offered to employer plan sponsors.
• Upside Down 401(k) Plan An alternative 401(k) design structure with reverse allocation methodology, offered to employer plan sponsors.
• 3(16) Administration A full fiduciary administration service in which the firm serves as named 3(16) administrator, assuming broader ERISA compliance responsibilities for the plan sponsor.
• Actuarial Services Professional actuarial services for defined benefit and cash balance plan design, valuation, and compliance, offered to employer plan sponsors.
• Plan Design and Document Preparation Custom retirement plan design and required legal document preparation services for employer plan sponsors, including Safe Harbor, New Comparability, Integrated allocation, and Defined Benefit plan designs.
• Compliance Testing and Reporting Annual nondiscrimination testing and regulatory reporting to ensure plan compliance with ERISA requirements for employer plan sponsors.
• Form 5500 Preparation Annual federal tax and information return preparation and filing for retirement plans on behalf of employer plan sponsors.
• Participant Loan and Distribution Documentation Administration of participant loans and distribution requests with complete documentation processing on behalf of employer plan sponsors.

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• PenteccoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNewsletter announcement 'Stark and Pentec Combine Forces' indicates a significant strategic combination/partnership between LDSCO and Pentec organizations, suggesting aligned service offerings in the retirement plan consulting space.
• PathwayminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNewsletter announcement 'Pathway and Stark Team Up' indicates a collaborative partnership for retirement plan services.
• SBC Benefit ConsultantsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNewsletter announcement 'SBC Benefit Consultants and Stark Combine Forces' indicates a strategic combination/partnership in the employee benefits consulting space.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• OneDigital: OneDigital is a large U.S. employee-benefits and retirement-plan consulting firm offering advisory, TPA, and 3(16) administration across the full employer spectrum. It is broadly comparable to LDSCO/Pentec because both serve plan sponsors with retirement-plan design, compliance, and ongoing administration, but OneDigital is a significantly larger multi-line benefits incumbent.
• Empower Retirement: Empower is a major retirement-plan recordkeeper and administrator serving plans of all sizes across the U.S. While not boutique, it competes for the same mid-market 401(k) administration mandates that LDSCO targets, often as a bundled recordkeeping alternative to unbundled consulting engagements.
• Milliman: Milliman is an actuarial and consulting firm with deep expertise in pension and retirement plan design, valuation, and administration. LDSCO's in-house actuarial team and DB/cash balance focus make Milliman a relevant broader incumbent peer for higher-end actuarial work.
• Mercer (Oliver Wyman): Mercer is a global consulting firm with a large U.S. retirement practice offering actuarial, plan design, and administration services to corporate and public plans. It is relevant as a broad incumbent competing with LDSCO for larger defined benefit and cash balance engagements.

Direct peers

• SageView Advisory Group: SageView is a retirement-plan consulting firm serving mid-market and small/mid-cap employers with fiduciary 3(21)/3(38) advisory, plan design, and participant support. Like LDSCO it concentrates on retirement-plan consulting rather than recordkeeping, making it the closest pure-play competitor to Pentec/LDSCO.
• Cammack Retirement Group: Cammack Retirement Group is an independent retirement-plan consulting firm providing plan design, investment advisory, and administration for corporate and non-profit plans. Its boutique, employer-focused model and emphasis on custom plan features (including defined benefit, cash balance, and 401(k)) align directly with LDSCO's service menu.
• Global Retirement Partners: Global Retirement Partners is a retirement-plan specialist focused on plan design, fiduciary advisory, and 3(16) administration for small/mid-market employers. Its boutique, advisory-led model is highly comparable to LDSCO/Pentec's position in the market.
• ABG Advisory / Strategic Retirement Partners: Strategic Retirement Partners (now part of Hilb Group) is an independent retirement plan consulting firm focused on mid-market 401(k) and DB plan advisory. Its boutique employer-focused model and 3(21)/3(38) fiduciary services are highly comparable to LDSCO/Pentec's value proposition.
• Prime Pensions: Prime Pensions is a third-party administrator specializing in 401(k), defined benefit, cash balance, ESOP, and 403(b) plan design and administration. Its product menu and TPA positioning closely mirror LDSCO/Pentec's plan designs and compliance services.
• Berwyn Group / Sentinel Pension Group: Sentinel Pension Group is a boutique retirement-plan consulting and administration firm serving closely held and mid-market employers with 401(k), DB, cash balance, and ESOP services. It overlaps directly with LDSCO's boutique, design-led TPA model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/Pentec-Pension-Management-Group-
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/pentec-pension-management-group-inc

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 Pentec Pension Management