Via Actuarial Solutions

What Via Actuarial Solutions does

VIA Actuarial Solutions, operating under its legal entity Northern Consulting Actuaries, Inc., is a privately-held actuarial consulting firm headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota, with a second office in Los Angeles, California. Founded in 1991 by Jim van Iwaarden as Van Iwaarden Associates, the firm delivers pension, OPEB, and retirement plan advisory services to public sector employers (municipalities, school districts, public agencies), private sector organizations (including professional firms such as law and medical groups), and tax-exempt organizations (church plans, charitable organizations, private universities, tribal plans, and senior living facilities). Leadership transitioned to Mark Schulte in the early 2020s while the firm maintains continuity of service under a flexible-workplace operating model.

The firm's service portfolio spans actuarial valuations, pension risk transfer strategies (lump sum payouts and annuity purchases), GASB 67/68/74/75 OPEB reporting, ERISA and FASB accounting valuations, funding policy studies, plan redesign and risk assessments, independent actuarial audits and assumption reviews, stakeholder education (e.g., "Pension 101"), and custom actuarial modeling including capital market projection and individual retirement income scenario tools. Underlying delivery rests on a credentialed actuarial bench (FSAs, ASAs, EA, MAAA), positioning the firm as a domain-specialized advisory rather than a software-led platform.

VIA Actuarial Solutions operates a quote-based professional services revenue model under a sales-led, direct client engagement motion across phone, email, and in-person consultations. Geographic coverage combines the Minneapolis and Los Angeles offices with remote staff distributed nationally, supported by a content marketing engine via an active blog covering retirement plan limits, GASB updates, pension funding relief, and cash balance plan topics. The firm cites a 99%+ client retention rate and over 30 years of continuous operations as evidence of relationship durability in a regulated, trust-driven niche.

Name

Via Actuarial Solutions

Legal name

Northern Consulting Actuaries, Inc.

Website

https://viaactuarial.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1991

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

VIA Actuarial Solutions is a Minneapolis-based actuarial consulting firm (legal entity Northern Consulting Actuaries, Inc.) delivering pension, OPEB, and retirement plan advisory services to public, private, and tax-exempt organizations through a credentialed actuarial bench and direct client engagement.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Actuarial Consulting Services

NAICS

Management Consulting Services (54161)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYFSAEABAE

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

Financial & Insurance/Financial Advisory, Brokerage & Intermediation/Wealth & Retirement Advisory

Keywords

• Actuarial consulting services
• Pension plan valuation
• OPEB actuarial services
• Retirement plan consulting
• Government benefits actuarial

Headquarters

HQ city

Minneapolis

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Actuarial Consulting Services: Professional actuarial consulting services for pension and healthcare financial risk management, including valuations, compliance, and strategic advisory

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels1 record

Core offering

Via Actuarial Solutions provides actuarial consulting services to plan sponsors across the public, private, and tax-exempt sectors, focused on pension, OPEB, and retirement plan valuations, funding studies, plan design, and ongoing administration. The firm supports both governmental plans subject to GASB reporting requirements and multiemployer or private plans subject to MSPB and related standards. Engagements are delivered as customized professional services engagements led by senior actuarial staff.

Product overview

Via Actuarial Solutions is an actuarial consulting firm offering a unified portfolio of advisory services across three market segments: Public Sector (government employers, public pensions), Private Sector (corporate employers, professional firms), and Tax Exempt organizations (churches, universities, nonprofits). The firm also provides custom actuarial modeling under 'Other Solutions.' Core service offerings include actuarial valuations, pension risk transfer strategies, actuarial audits, funding policy studies, stakeholder education, plan re-design studies, and ERISA/FASB accounting valuations. The company was originally founded as Van Iwaarden Associates in 1991 and operates from offices in Minneapolis, MN and Los Angeles, CA.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Public Sector Actuarial Services Actuarial valuation, funding, and reporting services for governmental pension and OPEB plans, including GASB-compliant disclosures and related advisory work, delivered to state, local, and other public-sector plan sponsors.
• Private Sector Actuarial Services Actuarial consulting for private-sector employers and plan sponsors covering pension, defined contribution, and hybrid retirement plan valuations, plan design, and ongoing advisory support.
• Tax-Exempt Actuarial Services Actuarial services for nonprofit organizations and tax-exempt entities sponsoring retirement or OPEB plans, including valuation, funding analysis, and compliance reporting tailored to the needs of mission-driven organizations.
• Pension Plan Valuation and Funding Services Actuarial valuations and funding studies for defined benefit pension plans across public, private, and tax-exempt sectors, including liability measurement, contribution recommendations, and plan-design consultation.
• OPEB Valuation and Advisory Services Actuarial valuations, funding analyses, and advisory services for Other Post-Employment Benefits (OPEB) programs, including retiree health and welfare plans for governmental, private, and nonprofit sponsors.
• Retirement Plan Design and Administration Support Consulting support for plan sponsors on retirement plan design, amendments, employee communication, and ongoing administration governance across multiple plan types and sectors.

Quantifiable outcome

• 99%+ client retention rate reflects dedication to client service
• +2 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Cheiron: Specialty actuarial consulting firm providing pension and OPEB services to public and private sector clients. Closely aligned with VIA's actuarial valuations, GASB compliance, and PRT advisory offerings.
• Nyhart: Actuarial and employee benefits consulting firm focused on public sector, multiemployer, and corporate retirement plans. Comparable in scale and specialty focus to VIA.
• Foster & Foster: Actuarial consulting firm focused on public sector pension and OPEB valuations, GASB reporting, and plan design. Comparable to VIA's public sector practice.
• Buck (a Xerox company): Actuarial, benefits, and HR consulting firm serving public, corporate, and nonprofit clients with pension, OPEB, and healthcare actuarial services. Comparable in service model and client mix to VIA.
• Gabriel, Roeder, Smith & Company (now GRS Retirement Consulting): Actuarial and retirement plan consulting firm serving public sector and corporate clients. Directly comparable specialty actuarial firm with similar service offerings to VIA.
• Segal Group: Independent consulting firm offering actuarial, benefits, and HR consulting to public sector, multiemployer, and corporate clients. Closely comparable to VIA in service mix and segment focus, but at a much larger size.

Broad incumbents

• Willis Towers Watson: Global professional services firm with a large actuarial consulting practice across pensions, benefits, and risk. Overlaps with VIA but at vastly larger scale and broader portfolio.
• Aon (Retirement & Pension Consulting practice): Global professional services firm with a significant retirement and pension actuarial consulting practice. Comparable in service category but operates at much larger scale across many adjacencies.
• Mercer (Marsh McLennan): Global HR and benefits consultancy with a major actuarial consulting practice serving pension, OPEB, and retirement clients. Overlaps with VIA's offerings but as part of a much broader portfolio.
• Milliman: Global consulting firm with a large actuarial practice serving pension, healthcare, and insurance clients. Directly comparable as an actuarial consulting provider, but operates at significantly larger scale and broader scope than VIA.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/via-actuarial-solutions

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 Via Actuarial Solutions