SMS Retirement

What SMS Retirement does

SMS Retirement is an independent, privately-held Third-Party Administrator (TPA) and actuarial firm that designs and administers qualified retirement plans on behalf of employers, professional service firms, and self-employed individuals across the United States. The firm operates from Miamitown, Ohio (a Cincinnati suburb) with a staff of approximately 30, including two Enrolled Actuaries and five ASPPA credentialed members averaging more than 20 years of industry experience. Its core service lines span Defined Benefit, Defined Contribution, and combined DB/DC Combo plan design and administration, with specializations in age-weighted/cross-tested plan designs and cash balance plans, plus supporting compliance testing, government filings (Form 5500 series, 1099-R, 1096, 945), Required Minimum Distribution calculations, and IRS/DOL audit representation.

The firm currently administers more than 1,000 retirement plans ranging from single-individual plans to several-thousand-participant plans, serving a client mix that emphasizes professional service firms (physicians, dentists, attorneys, CPAs, professors, corporate directors) alongside small business owners. Underlying technology consists of standard retirement plan administration and actuarial software systems supporting daily valuation, compliance testing, and plan document generation, with no disclosed proprietary platforms or AI capabilities.

Revenue is generated through professional-services fees for ongoing plan administration, actuarial consulting, and plan document services, priced on a quote basis per plan with annual billing cadence and tied to plan size, type, and complexity. The go-to-market model is sales-led, combining direct client acquisition via website quote requests with a newly announced channel partnership with Strongpoint Partners (October 2025) intended to expand Midwest distribution. The firm has no disclosed external funding, no parent company, and no subsidiaries, operating entirely on organic cash flow.

Name

SMS Retirement

Legal name

SMS Retirement

Website

https://smsretirement.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1989

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Retirement Plan Administration and Actuarial Services

NAICS

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

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro primary industry

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

akta.pro secondary industries

Benefits Administration & Enrollment Support (BPAAAIAB), Workforce Benefits Administration (Enrollment & Deductions) (BPACAIAF)

Keywords

• Retirement plan administration
• Actuarial consulting services
• Defined benefit plans
• 401(k) plan design
• Qualified retirement plans

Headquarters

HQ city

Miamitown

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, Others

Revenue model

1. Retirement Plan Administration Services: Fees for ongoing retirement plan administration services including annual compliance testing, government filings (5500 series, 1099-R, 1096, 945), participant statement preparation, and Required Minimum Distribution calculations.
2. Actuarial Consulting Services: Actuarial services for plan design, funding calculations, annual valuations, and pension benefit guaranty corporation filings.
3. Plan Document Services: Full plan document services including restatement, amendment, plan termination, and filings with appropriate government agencies.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

SMS Retirement is an independent retirement plan administration and actuarial firm that designs and administers qualified retirement plans for employers of all sizes, professional service firms, and small business owners. It administers more than 1,000 plans nationwide, providing plan design (including age-weighted/cross-tested and DB/DC Combo plans), annual compliance testing, government filings, participant statements, Required Minimum Distribution calculations, and IRS/DOL audit representation.

Product overview

SMS Retirement offers a comprehensive suite of retirement plan administration and actuarial services for employers of all sizes, professional service firms, and small business owners. The core offering centers on administration and actuarial services for more than 1,000 retirement plans. The product portfolio includes distinct plan types—Defined Benefit Pension, Cash Balance, 401(k) (including Safe Harbor), 403(b), Profit Sharing, Money Purchase, and SEP/SIMPLE—alongside specialized DB/DC Combo Plans and age-weighted/cross-tested plan designs. Supporting services include plan design consulting, compliance testing, government filings (Form 5500, 1099-R, etc.), and IRS/DOL audit representation. The firm employs two Enrolled Actuaries and five ASPPA credentialed members with over 20 years average industry experience.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Retirement Plan Administration Services Full-service administration of qualified retirement plans including annual valuations, participant statements, required minimum distributions, plan document services (restatement, amendment, termination), and compliance filings for employers of all sizes.
• Actuarial Services Actuarial consulting for defined benefit, cash balance, and DB/DC combo plans, including plan design, funding calculations, annual valuations, PBGC filings, and pension benefit calculations delivered by credentialed Enrolled Actuaries.
• Defined Benefit Pension Plans Design and administration of traditional defined benefit pension plans for employers, including funding calculations and IRS compliance.
• Cash Balance Plans Design and administration of cash balance retirement plans providing hypothetical account balances with interest credits.
• 401(k) Plans 401(k) plan administration, including Safe Harbor provisions, non-discrimination testing, and compliance services.
• 403(b) Plans 403(b) tax-sheltered annuity plan administration for non-profit organizations and public schools.
• Profit Sharing Plans Discretionary profit sharing plan design and administration with flexible contribution arrangements.
• Money Purchase Plans Defined contribution money purchase pension plans with fixed annual contribution requirements.
• SEP/SIMPLE Plans Simplified Employee Pension (SEP) and SIMPLE IRA plan administration for small businesses.
• DB/DC Combo Plans Combined defined benefit/defined contribution plan designs that leverage benefits for business owners while providing desired employee benefits.
• Age-Weighted/Cross-Tested Plan Design Specialized plan designs allowing larger benefits to be contributed to owners based on plan demographics and age-weighting formulas.
• Government Filing Services Preparation and submission of annual IRS and DOL Form 5500 series returns, 1099-R, 1096, 945 reporting, Summary Annual Report, and Annual Funding Notice for plan sponsors.
• Plan Audit Representation IRS and DOL audit representation services for qualified retirement plan sponsors facing agency examinations.

Quantifiable outcome

• Administering more than 1,000 retirement plans nationwide

Named customers6 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 PartnerscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 30 October 2025Strongpoint Partners announced partnership with SMS Retirement to expand its coast-to-coast network in the Midwest. SMS Retirement brings expertise in retirement plan design and client service, serving clients nationwide. This partnership strengthens Strongpoint's network with SMS Retirement's actuarial and administration capabilities.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Emerging players

• Vestwell: Modern retirement-as-a-service platform offering recordkeeping and digital experience for employer plans. Doesn't replicate SMS Retirement's age-weighted/DB-DC specialty, but competes for the same plan sponsor wallet with a more tech-forward stack.
• Rembolt Ludtke LLC: Mid-sized retirement plan design and administration practice serving closely-held and professional corporations across the Midwest. Competes with SMS Retirement for the same owner-focused, age-weighted/cross-tested design mandates.

Broad incumbents

• Ascensus: Largest independent retirement-plan TPA in the U.S., offering government forms prep, compliance testing, and plan-design services similar to SMS Retirement's core stack, but at vastly greater scale and with recordkeeping, education, and IRA capabilities layered on top.
• Empower Retirement: One of the largest U.S. recordkeepers and TPAs, serving defined contribution, defined benefit, and combination plans. Represents the bundled, scaled alternative to SMS Retirement's independent advisory model.
• OneAmerica / McCready & Keene: Retirement services division of OneAmerica providing plan administration and actuarial services. Larger incumbent in the same TPA/actuarial services category with national scale and bundled offering.

Direct peers

• Pension Investors Corp (PICO): Boutique retirement plan administration firm concentrating on defined benefit, cash balance, and combo DB/DC plans. Comparable to SMS Retirement in scale, specialization, and reliance on technical actuarial staff.
• Plan Administrators Inc. (PAi): National third-party administrator of retirement plans providing daily valuation, compliance testing, and government filing services — a substantially overlapping service portfolio with SMS Retirement's plan administration practice.
• ERISA Consulting Group / Pension Plan Solutions (American Retirement Plan Services): Boutique TPA focused on qualified plan design, compliance, and administration for small and mid-sized employer plans — closely comparable offering to SMS Retirement's core services.
• Strongpoint Partners: National retirement plan services firm and now a channel partner of SMS Retirement. Operates a coast-to-coast network of retirement plan administration and consulting affiliates with similar TPA/actuarial service offerings, serving the same employer and professional-corporation segments.
• BPAS (Benefit Plan Administrative Services): National TPA providing plan administration, actuarial consulting, and compliance services for defined benefit and defined contribution plans. Competes directly with SMS Retirement for mid-market and professional employer plan work.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/SMSRetirement
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/schneider-&-brown-co-e-a-/about

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 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 SMS Retirement