Benefit Services Group
Benefit Services Group (Hunter Benefits Consulting Group, HBCG) is a retirement plan administration and consulting firm founded in 1999 that administers over 1,000 employee benefits plans for SMB plan sponsors and financial advisors across Illinois, Colorado, and Washington, offering 401(k) administration, ERISA compliance, and Form 5500 services.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1999
- HeadquartersChicago, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Benefit Services Group does
Benefit Services Group (operating as Hunter Benefits Consulting Group, Inc., DBA HBCG) is a privately-held retirement plan administration and consulting firm founded in July 1999 by Christopher Tipper. The firm administers more than 1,000 employee benefits plans for small and mid-sized business plan sponsors and financial advisors across offices in Illinois (Palatine headquarters), Colorado, and Washington. Its core service is full-service retirement plan administration covering 401(k) plan management, ERISA compliance testing, annual Form 5500 preparation, and ongoing participant services, delivered on a professional services, quote-based pricing model with multi-year contracts.
The firm's product surface extends beyond administration into regulatory advisory tools and digital self-service. Notable products include the SECURE 2.0 Tax Credit Calculator (an online lead-generation tool for financial advisors), a Compliance Questionnaire and Census Data management platform, and two secure portals — a client portal for plan sponsors and an advisor portal for financial professionals — both powered by Stax AI as the underlying technology partner. Supporting infrastructure includes an online Retirement Plan Proposal Questionnaire (HubSpot-based) and a multi-channel content marketing program (blog, YouTube "On The Couch" video series, monthly newsletter, whitepapers, social media).
The go-to-market is sales-led and direct, combining phone-based outreach, online proposal capture, and inbound content marketing to attract both plan sponsors and financial professionals as primary customer segments. Leadership is concentrated in a founder-led management team: Christopher Tipper as Founder and CEO (30+ years in retirement benefits) and Katherine Tipper as President and CFO (joined 2004, ex-Starbucks). The firm is independently owned with no disclosed institutional investors, funding rounds, or M&A activity, and operates with a lean 1–10 employee footprint, leveraging the Stax AI portal platform to scale plan administration beyond its internal headcount.
Benefit Services Group firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Benefit Services Group
- Legal name
- Hunter Benefits Consulting Group, Inc.
- Website
- https://bsgi401k.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1999
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Benefit Services Group (Hunter Benefits Consulting Group, HBCG) is a retirement plan administration and consulting firm founded in 1999 that administers over 1,000 employee benefits plans for SMB plan sponsors and financial advisors across Illinois, Colorado, and Washington, offering 401(k) administration, ERISA compliance, and Form 5500 services.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Benefit Services Group industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Retirement Plan Administration
- NAICS
- Pharmacy Benefit Management and Other Third Party Administration of Insurance and Pension Funds (524292), Insurance and Employee Benefit Funds (5251), Pension Funds (525110)
- SIC
- Insurance Agents, Brokers & Service (6411), Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Employee Benefit & Retirement Plan Trust Services (FSAAANAC)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Benefits Administration & Total Rewards Outsourcing (BPACAKAE), Benefits Administration (BPACAPAC), Employee Benefits Brokerage & Consulting (FSAEADAC)
Keywords
Where Benefit Services Group is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Chicago
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices3 records
Markets served
Benefit Services Group business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Retirement Plan Administration and Consulting Services: HBCG generates revenue through administering employee benefits plans (over 1,000 plans) for client companies. The firm provides retirement plan consulting, compliance services (Form 5500 preparation, ERISA compliance), and ongoing plan administration.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Multi-year contract | Custom retirement plan consulting and administration services |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels6 records
Benefit Services Group product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Benefit Services Group administers employee retirement benefit plans, primarily 401(k) plans, for small and mid-sized business plan sponsors. Core services include plan design and implementation, ongoing administration, compliance testing, Form 5500 preparation, and ERISA compliance support, supplemented by SECURE 2.0 Act advisory expertise. The firm administers over 1,000 employee benefits plans across offices in Illinois, Colorado, and Washington.
Product overview
Hunter Benefits Consulting Group offers a unified retirement plan administration and consulting service managing over 1,000 employee benefits plans. The core offering is Retirement Plan Administration encompassing 401(k) plan management, compliance testing, and Form 5500 reporting. Supporting tools include the SECURE 2.0 Tax Credit Calculator for advisor lead generation, the Secure Client Portal for plan sponsor document management and questionnaire completion, and the Secure Advisor Portal for consultant access to client plan data. The service is delivered through offices in Illinois, Colorado, and Washington.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Retirement Plan Administration Full-service administration of employee retirement benefit plans, primarily 401(k) plans, for plan sponsor clients including plan design, implementation, recordkeeping, participant services, and ongoing administration for over 1,000 employee benefits plans.
- Compliance and Form 5500 Services
- Retirement Plan Proposals
- Secure Client Portal
- Secure Advisor Portal
- SECURE 2.0 Tax Credit Calculator
Companies that use Benefit Services Group
Customer profileSegments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Benefit Services Group technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature4 records
Benefit Services Group partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- Stax AIcoreStax AI provides the technology platform powering Hunter Benefits' secure client and advisor portals for document management and plan administration.
Scale indicators2 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Benefit Services Group competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Paychex Retirement: Offers 401(k) recordkeeping and administration to SMBs as part of its payroll and HR outsourcing suite, competing for the same plan-sponsor buyer.
- Empower Retirement: One of the largest U.S. retirement plan recordkeepers and TPAs, serving plans of all sizes including small/mid-market segments where HBCG operates.
- John Hancock Retirement Plan Services: National retirement plan TPA offering group annuity and recordkeeping services to small and mid-sized plan sponsors across the U.S.
- Schwab Retirement Plan Services: Provides 401(k) and other qualified plan recordkeeping/administration for small to large plan sponsors — a scaled competitor in retirement administration.
- Vanguard Retirement Plan Services: Major 401(k) recordkeeper serving plans of all sizes, including small/mid-market employers via advisor relationships — competes with HBCG's advisor channel.
- Fidelity Investments: Major retirement plan provider offering workplace 401(k) administration, compliance, and recordkeeping across the full SMB-to-enterprise spectrum.
- ADP Retirement Services: Provides bundled retirement plan administration alongside payroll/HR services to small and mid-sized employers — directly adjacent to HBCG's core market.
Emerging players
- ForUsAll: Modern 401(k) provider focused on small and mid-sized businesses with technology-led administration and SECURE 2.0-friendly features, competing for the same plan-sponsor segment as HBCG.
- Guideline: Tech-forward 401(k) platform targeting small businesses with streamlined onboarding and administration — an emerging alternative to traditional TPAs like HBCG.
Direct peers
- Ubiquity Retirement + Savings: Provides retirement plan administration and recordkeeping for small and mid-sized businesses with a focus on 401(k) and SEP-IRA plans, closely aligned with HBCG's SMB-focused service model.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights5 records
Customer concentration
Benefit Services Group social profiles
Digital presenceBenefit Services Group financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Benefit Services Group leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
Benefit Services Group funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Benefit Services Group M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Benefit Services Group
What does Benefit Services Group do?
Benefit Services Group administers employee retirement benefit plans, primarily 401(k) plans, for small and mid-sized business plan sponsors. Core services include plan design and implementation, ongoing administration, compliance testing, Form 5500 preparation, and ERISA compliance support, supplemented by SECURE 2.0 Act advisory expertise. The firm administers over 1,000 employee benefits plans across offices in Illinois, Colorado, and Washington.
Is Benefit Services Group a public or private company?
Benefit Services Group is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Benefit Services Group founded?
Benefit Services Group was founded in 1999. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Benefit Services Group based?
Benefit Services Group is headquartered in Chicago, United States, in the North America region.
How does Benefit Services Group make money?
One revenue line is on record: retirement Plan Administration and Consulting Services.
Who are Benefit Services Group's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Paychex Retirement, Empower Retirement, John Hancock Retirement Plan Services, Schwab Retirement Plan Services, Vanguard Retirement Plan Services, Fidelity Investments and ADP Retirement Services. Emerging players are ForUsAll and Guideline. Ubiquity Retirement + Savings is listed as a direct peer.
Does Benefit Services Group have an API?
No public API is recorded for Benefit Services Group.
What industry is Benefit Services Group in?
Benefit Services Group's product category is Retirement Plan Administration. Its primary akta.pro industry code is FSAAANAC, Employee Benefit & Retirement Plan Trust Services, with a secondary code of BPACAKAE, Benefits Administration & Total Rewards Outsourcing. Its NAICS code is 524292 and its SIC code is 6411.