Barrons reviews some of the startups attacking the 401(k) space, noting portfolio company Vestwell's unique approach of arming (rather than disintermediating) the advisor.
As they did with individual advice, the robos want to disrupt the 401(k) industry by selling fiduciary advice, professional account management, fund selection and plan compliance and administration at commodity prices. ForUsAll, for instance, touts all-in plan fees between .4% and .7% for 401(k) plans that are typically no larger than $20 million. Right now, by comparison, plans with between $1 million and $10 million of assets cost 1.24% on average, according to a 2016 survey. Taking a page from their individual-investor efforts, though, some robos are configuring their products to be used by human 401(k) advisors. “Where do you best service your client — plan design, product selection, education services? We become the rest of that equation around the adviser,” Vestwell and CEO Aaron Schumm tells InvestmentNews.