Nada Retirement Trust

What Nada Retirement Trust does

Nada Retirement Trust operates the NADA Retirement Program, a 401(k) retirement plan designed exclusively for automotive dealerships that are members of the National Automobile Dealers Association (NADA). The program is delivered from McLean, Virginia and is structured around a multi-partner fiduciary model in which CAPTRUST serves as the 3(38) investment manager selecting and monitoring the portfolio, Northeast Retirement Services serves as the 3(16) third-party plan administrator handling IRS and Department of Labor compliance and Form 5500 execution, Empower Trust Company acts as directed trustee holding program assets for participants, and Empower provides recordkeeping and the participant technology platform. Two dedicated representatives, Todd Adrian and Jeff Liwacz, provide direct enterprise field sales coverage and hands-on plan setup, transition, and ongoing administration support to dealer principals.

The program addresses four dealership pain points: high 401(k) participant fees, administrative burden on dealership staff, employer fiduciary liability, and IRS/DOL compliance complexity. Functional benefits include group pricing leveraged against the collective NADA membership base, seamless transition of existing plans, professional 3(38) investment oversight, fiduciary liability protection, and access to an Empower-powered Financial Wellness Center for participant education. The revenue model is built on managed services — a combination of asset-based fees and administrative service charges — sold through association-affiliated enterprise field sales rather than self-serve channels.

The firm is a private, US-domiciled entity with a reported headcount band of 251-500 employees. No standalone technology stack, app, API, or proprietary AI capability is disclosed; the underlying recordkeeping and participant-facing technology is provisioned by Empower, with securities distribution handled by Empower Financial Services, Inc. (EFSI, Member FINRA/SIPC).

Name

Nada Retirement Trust

Legal name

NADA Retirement Program

Website

https://nadaretirement.com

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Nada Retirement Trust operates the NADA Retirement Program, a multi-partner 401(k) plan offered exclusively to members of the National Automobile Dealers Association, delivering fiduciary-managed retirement benefits to US automotive dealerships through Empower, CAPTRUST, and Northeast Retirement Services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Retirement Plan Administration (401(k) Services)

NAICS

Pension Funds (525110), Pension Funds (52511), Funds, Trusts, and Other Financial Vehicles (525)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Corporate Retirement Plan Advisory RIAs (ERISA 401(k)/403(b)) (FSAAACAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Retirement Plan Participant Advice & Managed Accounts (FSAEABAF), Retirement & Pension Planning (401(k)/IRA) (FSAEAAAD), Retirement & Pension Wealth (401(k)/IRA/SIPP/Superannuation Retail) (FSAAAAAJ)

Keywords

• 401(k) plan administration
• Retirement plan services
• Fiduciary plan management
• Automotive dealership benefits
• Group retirement plans

Headquarters

HQ city

Mc Lean

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. 401(k) Plan Administration Services: The program generates revenue through fees associated with administering 401(k) retirement plans for automotive dealerships. Revenue appears to come from a combination of asset-based fees and administrative service charges, with group pricing leveraging the collective NADA membership.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

NADA Retirement Trust operates the NADA Retirement Program, a 401(k) retirement plan designed for automotive dealerships affiliated with the National Automobile Dealers Association. The program delivers group-priced 401(k) plan administration, fiduciary liability protection, seamless transitions from existing plans, and dedicated service representatives, executed through a partnership stack comprising Empower (recordkeeper), CAPTRUST (3(38) investment manager), Northeast Retirement Services (3(16) plan administrator), and Empower Trust Company / Great-West Trust Company (directed trustee).

Product overview

The NADA Retirement Program is a unified 401(k) retirement solution specifically designed for automotive dealerships, delivered through a strategic partnership with Empower as the recordkeeper. The core offering is the NADA Retirement 401(k), which provides group pricing and fiduciary protection. The program comprises several integrated service components: CAPTRUST acts as the 3(38) investment manager selecting and monitoring the portfolio; Northeast Retirement Services serves as the 3(16) plan administrator handling compliance and Form 5500; Empower Trust Company provides directed trustee services; and Empower handles recordkeeping. Additional support includes a dedicated representative team (Todd Adrian and Jeff Liwacz) and access to a Financial Wellness Center for participant retirement planning resources.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• NADA Retirement 401(k) A 401(k) retirement plan for automotive dealerships offering group pricing based on NADA membership strength, seamless transition from existing plans, hands-on support from dedicated service representatives, and fiduciary liability protection for the sponsoring employer. Administered through a partnership stack with Empower as recordkeeper, CAPTRUST as 3(38) investment manager, Northeast Retirement Services as 3(16) plan administrator, and Empower Trust Company (Great-West Trust Company) as directed trustee.
• Dedicated Representative Service Hands-on dedicated representative coverage (Todd Adrian and Jeff Liwacz) provided to NADA-member dealerships for 401(k) plan setup, transitions from prior providers, and ongoing administration support.
• Financial Wellness Center A participant wellness and financial education resource that helps automotive dealership employees understand and navigate various stages of retirement planning, delivered through the Empower-powered financial wellness center.

Quantifiable outcome

• Lower fees for plan participants
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

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

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• CAPTRUSTcoreTechnology or IntegrationCAPTRUST serves as the 3(38) Investment Manager for the NADA Retirement 401(k) program. They select and monitor the investment portfolio and monitor investment fees to ensure they are reasonable. This fiduciary role provides professional investment management oversight.
• Northeast Retirement Services, Inc.coreTechnology or IntegrationNortheast Retirement Services, Inc. serves as the 3(16) third-party plan administrator. They interpret and enforce the plan document, ensure IRS and Department of Labor compliance, and complete and sign Form 5500.
• Empower Trust Company, LLCcoreTechnology or IntegrationEmpower Trust Company, LLC serves as the Directed Trustee (Great-West Trust Company), holding program assets in its name for the benefit of the program. They provide trust services and custodial functions for plan assets.
• EmpowercoreTechnology or IntegrationEmpower serves as the recordkeeper for the NADA Retirement 401(k) program, providing the technology platform for participant accounts, transactions, and ongoing plan administration. The program is branded as the NADA Retirement Program from Empower.

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Broad incumbents

• Nationwide Retirement Solutions: Offers group 401(k) and association-style retirement plans through trade association partnerships — same distribution-template as NADA.
• Principal Financial Group: Full-service retirement provider with deep small/mid-market 401(k) practice, group-pricing products, and dedicated relationship management — closely mirrors the NADA program's GTM model.
• ADP Retirement Services: Incumbent payroll + 401(k) bundle provider widely used by mid-market dealerships; strong switching costs via integrated payroll and HRIS data.
• John Hancock Retirement: Mid-market retirement plan provider with group-pricing programs and 3(38)/3(21) fiduciary offerings — directly comparable product architecture to NADA.
• Schwab Retirement Plan Services: Major 401(k) recordkeeper with strong brand among independent and franchise business owners; frequently bid against for automotive dealer 401(k) plans.
• Fidelity Investments (Workplace Investing): Largest US 401(k) recordkeeper by participant count. Competes for dealership 401(k) mandates through direct sales and association relationships; offers similar scale-driven fee economics for large dealer groups.
• Vanguard Retirement Plan Services: Low-cost 401(k) recordkeeper; aggressive in large dealer groups where low-fee positioning outweighs dedicated service.

Direct peers

• Paychex Retirement: Direct SMB/mid-market competitor with combined payroll + 401(k) offering; competes head-to-head for smaller dealer groups where integrated payroll is the deciding factor.
• CAPTRUST: 3(38) investment manager inside the NADA program, but also operates as an independent RIA serving mid-market and large corporate plans. A direct fiduciary-services peer with overlap in the dealership vertical.
• Empower Retirement: Core recordkeeping and trust partner for the NADA program, but also the largest direct competitor offering its own association-style 401(k) plans. Head-to-head overlap in mid-market 401(k) administration and recordkeeping.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/nada-retirement-trust

Compliance2 records

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 Nada Retirement Trust