EPS

What EPS does

Executive Pension Services, Ltd. (EPS) is a privately held, fee-based retirement plan consulting and administration firm founded in 1993 by Chip Ward and headquartered at 3205 Devine St., Columbia, SC. The firm provides full-service third-party administration for employer-sponsored qualified retirement plans, spanning plan design and implementation, ongoing recordkeeping and participant administration, annual compliance testing (including ADP/ACP, top heavy, and coverage testing), IRS Form 5500 preparation, and consulting services covering plan amendments, terminations, mergers, and DOL/IRS audit support. EPS administers 401(k), Profit Sharing, Defined Benefit, Cash Balance, and New Comparability Plans, serving clients ranging from sole proprietors to companies with over 400 employees on a horizontal SMB segmentation basis.

The firm's underlying technology consists of internal computer systems and applications supporting administrative procedures, a secure online file exchange portal (plansponsorlink.com/eps401k/login) for document exchange with plan sponsors, and an affiliated integration with John Hancock providing web portal access to plan participants and plan sponsors. Distribution is direct, via phone, mail, and RFP contact. Marketing channels include the corporate website (eps401k.com), a bi-monthly newsletter (Benefit Insights©) maintained as an online content library, and industry association memberships (NIPA, ASPPA). Revenue is generated through recurring fee-based professional service engagements; pricing is not publicly disclosed and is quote-based.

EPS operates as a bootstrapped, founder-owned firm with 11-50 employees and no external funding, parent company, or M&A history. Service is concentrated in the Southeast US region. Industry recognition includes the founder's Accredited Pension Administrator (APA) designation, twelve years of NIPA annual conference committee service, and the 2009 NIPA Outstanding Volunteer Award.

Name

EPS

Legal name

Executive Pension Services, Ltd.

Website

https://eps401k.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1993

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

EPS is a privately held, fee-based third-party administrator founded in 1993 and headquartered in Columbia, SC, providing retirement plan design, recordkeeping, compliance testing, and consulting for 401(k), Profit Sharing, Defined Benefit, and Cash Balance plans of small-to-mid-sized employers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Retirement Plan Administration

NAICS

Pension Funds (525110)

SIC

Investment Advice (6282), Services-Engineering, Accounting, Research, Management (8700)

akta.pro primary industry

Fee-Only Advisory (FSAEAAAL)

akta.pro secondary industry

Fee-Based Advisory (FSAEAAAM)

Keywords

• Retirement plan administration
• 401(k) consulting services
• Pension plan compliance testing
• Qualified plan design
• Recordkeeping and reporting

Headquarters

HQ city

Columbia

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

Revenue model

1. Retirement Plan Administration and Consulting Services: Fee-based professional services model providing recordkeeping, administration and consulting services for employer-sponsored retirement plans. Services include plan design, implementation, compliance testing, and government reporting.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

EPS is a fee-based full-service consulting and administration firm that provides recordkeeping, administration, and consulting services for employer-sponsored qualified retirement plans. The firm guides clients through plan design and implementation, performs ongoing recordkeeping, conducts annual compliance testing and government reporting (including Form 5500), and provides consulting for plan amendments, terminations, mergers, and audit assistance across 401(k), Profit Sharing, Defined Benefit, Cash Balance, and New Comparability plan types.

Product overview

EPS is a fee-based full-service consulting and administration firm that has provided retirement plan services since 1993. The company offers a unified suite of services centered on retirement plan administration and consulting, including Plan Design and Implementation, 401(k)/Profit Sharing Plan Recordkeeping and Administration, Annual Compliance Testing and Government Reporting, and Consulting Services. These core service offerings are complemented by a newsletter resource called Benefit Insights. The company administers various qualified retirement plan types including 401(k) Plans, Profit Sharing Plans, Defined Benefit Plans, Cash Balance Plans, and New Comparability Plans, serving clients ranging from sole proprietors to companies with over 400 employees.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Plan Design and Implementation

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

One partnership is on record.

• John HancockcoreTechnology or IntegrationJohn Hancock is affiliated with EPS as a plan participant and plan sponsor web portal provider. EPS links to John Hancock pension websites for plan participants and plan sponsors to access their accounts.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves3 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• CAPTRUST: CAPTRUST is one of the largest independent retirement and investment advisory firms serving plan sponsors with consulting, administration, and fiduciary services—closely aligned to EPS's fee-based retirement plan consulting model.
• SageView Advisory Group: SageView provides retirement plan advisory, consulting, and investment management services to plan sponsors, comparable to EPS's fee-based retirement plan consulting and administration offering, though at greater scale.
• DWC – The 401(k) Experts: DWC is a third-party administrator focused on 401(k) and retirement plan design, compliance testing, and administration for small and mid-sized employers—directly overlapping with EPS's core service mix and customer profile.

Emerging players

• Guideline: Guideline is a technology-driven 401(k) platform targeting small businesses with automated administration and low fees—disrupting the traditional TPA space where EPS operates.
• Vestwell: Vestwell offers a digital retirement plan administration platform for small and mid-sized employers, emerging as a technology-forward competitor in the same customer segment EPS serves.

Broad incumbents

• Principal Financial Group: Principal is a broad financial services incumbent offering retirement plan administration, recordkeeping, and investment products for employer-sponsored plans across all market segments.
• Empower Retirement: Empower is a major recordkeeper and plan administrator serving small to large employer plans with full-service administration and investment offerings, competing with EPS in the broader TPA market.
• Fidelity Institutional Retirement: Fidelity provides recordkeeping and administration services for employer-sponsored retirement plans across market segments, including the small/mid-market space where EPS competes.
• Vanguard Institutional Retirement: Vanguard provides low-cost retirement plan recordkeeping and administration for small and mid-sized plan sponsors, putting pricing pressure on independent TPAs like EPS.
• Charles Schwab Retirement Plan Services: Schwab offers 401(k) recordkeeping and plan administration services for small to mid-sized plan sponsors, competing with EPS on fees and integrated participant experience.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 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 EPS