Always have a plan. Multi-Fund Open Architecture Platform/Daily Valuation and Recordkeeping. ascensusconsulting.net

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1 Always have a plan Multi-Fund Open Architecture Platform/Daily Valuation and Recordkeeping

2 Multi-Fund Open Architecture Platform/ Daily Valuation and Recordkeeping Introduction Ascensus Consulting is an independent third party administrator of tax qualified retirement plans serving clients across the United States. Ascensus Consulting is not associated with any particular investment and does not manage assets; its costs are straightforward and based on administration services provided. Ascensus Consulting works as a team with financial advisors, chosen by the employer (plan sponsor), to help design and implement plans that best serve the plan sponsor s goals. Organization Ascensus Consulting is apart of Ascensus. Ascensus is a national independent recordkeeper, administrator and a leading provider of regulatory expertise, plan document services and participant enrollment support. Account Management Ascensus Consulting uses a state-of-the-industry recordkeeping and compliance software system, along with various trading platforms, to provide plan sponsors with daily valuation services. This arrangement enables a plan sponsor to diversify their investment choices among a multitude of fund families. Plan sponsors and plan participants can access their information through the www. website or the toll-free telephone account access system. An instructional pamphlet on how to use these account management tools is provided for new plan participants. Participant Website The participant website allows plan participants to access their accounts to perform functions quickly and easily via the Internet.The following functions are available on the participant website: View account balances by fund and money source View individual rates of return per fund or overall Link to Morningstar, a leading fund analysis source Download administrative forms View vested and total account balance, including and outstanding loan balance View pending trades View and sort all posted activity by date range and activity type Conform balance in all sources to match new investment election percentage Rebalance investments based on new investment election percentages Re-align existing account balances to match current investment elections Re-align existing account balances to a target mix or percentage different than current investment election Initiate fund-to-fund transfers Initiate investment election changes for future contributions Change a password All of the listed functions can be turned on/off on a plan-by-plan basis. Transfer between investments

3 Plan Sponsor Website The plan sponsor website automates processes for plan sponsors and investment advisors. There is no limit to the number of authorized users per plan, but only one user at a time may access the plan. Security can be set for each authorized user to allow view only or full access. Plan sponsors and financial advisors have the ability to: Link to Morningstar, a leading fund analysis source Submit payroll data files online Submit new enrollment data View plan financial totals by investment and source View plan financial totals by individual account (source and fund); includes information on number of participants with an account balance View employee count by participant category Download, view or print reports or other administrative forms posted for the plan sponsor and financial advisor Make changes on behalf of a participant Request that Ascensus Consulting post the plan sponsor s logo and the financial advisor s contact information on the plan sponsor and plan ` participant websites Brokerage Accounts Ascensus Consulting can accommodate individual brokerage accounts as part of an employer s retirement plan. Participant Statements Each participant receives a quarterly statement of his/her account activity with fee disclosure. The statement provides explanations in both text and graphical formats. Educational Investment Newsletter Ascensus Consulting provides a brief educational newsletter, On Track. This newsletter provides general investment guidelines to help participants make more informed decisions about their investment strategy. OnTrack is available to plan sponsors and plan participants after logging in at For an additional fee, copies can be provided for distribution with paychecks or participant statements. Benefits of a Multi-Fund Open Architecture Platform Low Expenses Platform allows for direct access to the mutual funds, eliminating potentially costly wrap or asset charges Ascensus Consulting charges an annual custodial fee of 3 to 7 basis points More Options Platform allows investment advisors to choose from thousands of fund choices when building a plan portfolio Allocation models can be created by the investment advisor Payment Flexibility Platform allows for custodial and/or administrative fees to be paid 1. By plan assets 2. By the plan sponsor, or 3. Any combination of 1 and 2 options Customization Plan sponsor logo and financial advisor contact information can be added to: 1. Plan sponsor and plan participant websites 2. Participant statements

4 Plan Implementations: Multi-fund Open Architecture Platform/Daily Valuation and Recordkeeping Roles and Responsibilities Plan Sponsor Ascensus Consulting Financial Advisor Phase I Schedule welcome call with plan sponsor and financial advisor Participate in welcome call Return all signed forms to Ascensus Consulting* For a conversion plan, contact prior recordkeeper Schedule and conduct enrollment Provide black out notice to plan sponsor Provide black out notice to plan participants Submit final fund list to Ascensus Consulting* *Launch date will be delayed without receipt of all properly executed forms and the final fund list. Phase II Provide welcome call minutes to applicable parties Confirm launch date For a plan converting from another service provider(s): - Review conversion data with prior TPA - Confirm wire instructions with prior recordkeeper Phase III Establish website and voice response unit (VRU) access for plan sponsor Enter enrollment data via the website or an Excel file Coordinate first payroll deposit with plan sponsor Coordinate first payroll deposit with Ascensus Consulting Phase IV For a plan converting from another service provider(s): - Receive, load and review indicative data, allocations, and loans from the prior recordkeeper - Receive file of plan assets - Invest wire transfer into funds - Reconcile participant account balances Lift blackout Send to plan sponsor and financial advisor to confirm completion of plan installation

5 Multi-Fund Open Architecture/Daily Valuation Website Demonstration: www. Plan Participant Sample Plan Demonstration URL: www. Participant login: User Id: Password: P Security Prompt: P (type in this number regardless of the security prompt question) Some features available to participants: Account Balance Shows account balance both by Investment and by Source. Click on Investments/Account Balance. Investment Elections Shows current investment elections and allows election changes for future contributions. Click on Investments/Investment Elections. Transfer Funds Allows transfers between investments. Click on Transactions/Transfer Funds. Rebalance Portfolio Reallocates existing assets in accordance with current investment elections. Click on Transactions/Transfer Funds, then use the Transfer Type drop down list to select Rebalance Investments. All Transactions Shows detailed account transactions for the current year. Click on Transactions/Transaction History. Web/VRU Requests Shows transactions initiated on the Web or VRU only. Click on Transactions/Web VRU Requests. Retirement Planning Calculators Allows plan participants to quantify results for various savings accumulation methods. Plan Sponsor Sample Plan Demonstration URL: www. Plan sponsor login: User Id: Password: Security Prompt: Employer E E (type in this number regardless of the security prompt question) The features listed above for plan participants are also available to plan sponsors, plus additional reports and the ability to view activities for the whole plan and by individual participant. Please logout prior to exiting the website. Ed Davis Retirement Sales & Design Solutions phone: mobile: Bob Congdon Retirement Sales & Design Solutions phone: mobile: Ascensus and the Ascensus logo are registered trademarks of Ascensus, Inc. All other product names and marks are the property of their respective owners. Copyright 2014 Ascensus. All Rights Reserved. ASCS-BRC (05/14)