WHY CHAMBERS & ASSOCIATIONS PARTNER WITH VPA
LARGE-COMPANY BENEFITS AT COST FOR SMALL TO MEDIUM SIZE BUSINESSES
Chambers of Commerce and business associations offer networking opportunities and a wide range of benefits to their members, who are often small to medium size businesses.
In today’s competitive world, it’s challenging for businesses of all sizes to attract and retain top quality employees. By partnering with Value Point Associates (VPA), you can give your members access to high value benefits that are typically only offered by larger corporations—at cost.
By leveraging the size of our collective membership, VPA can negotiate large-employer benefits at rates that are affordable for small to medium size employers, including:
• 401(k) Plans
• Group Life Insurance
• Health Insurance
• Dental Coverage
• Vision Coverage
• Disability Insurance
These are benefits that most job seekers believe can only be found in a large corporate environment. By partnering with VPA, you’ll be helping your members attract and retain the best and brightest employees in today’s competitive job market.
LOW-COST 401(k) PLANS
Value Point Associates sponsors a closed Multiple Employer Plan (MEP), which enables us to offer members a competitive 401(k) plan at a significantly lower cost. Closed MEPs are made up of two or more unrelated employers—with employee participants—and a sponsor group, association, or organization.
Typically, when employers offer a 401(k) plan to their employees, they take on the plan administration responsibilities and costs. But as the plan sponsor, they’re also exposed to personal ERISA fiduciary liability that can put not only their business but also their personal finances at risk.
As the MEP sponsor, Value Point Associates assumes much of that risk and responsibility. Plus, VPA shared services help streamline operations and save employers the time and trouble of handling administrative responsibilities.
FAQ
WHY VPA?
Multiple Employer Plans (MEPs) were created to give more small businesses the opportunity to offer their employees a tax-advantaged retirement savings plan. Companies that don’t have the resources or the infrastructure to handle retirement plan costs and administration independently can pool together to share the burden.
Each MEP is organized and run by an entity like Value Point Associates, which is known as the MEP sponsor. The MEP sponsor is responsible for administrative duties and, in most cases, has fiduciary liability for the plan. A closed MEP is made up of more than one unrelated employer (with employees) and a sponsor that is a bona fide group, association, or organization—such as VPA. Only member employers of the bona fide group can participate in the plan, and member employers must also be able to make plan-related decisions.
Closed MEP member employers can save their plan participants substantial money, because the individual member companies aren’t required to assume the expenses of filing an individual 5500 report, undergoing an annual plan audit, or acquiring appropriate ERISA bond protection.
The closed MEP takes care of these requirements on behalf of all the member employers as a single plan, sharing the expense of one plan among multiple companies.
View our infographic to see how 401(k) plan costs add up for both employers and employees.
By participating in the Employer Member Association, an employer’s Fiduciary Liability is substantially reduced. Fiduciary Liability as a participating employer is largely limited to transferring participant contributions on a timely basis.
Yes, the plan is audited annually.
Participating employers will have the opportunity to choose a plan design (safe harbor, matching or no matching plan), vesting schedule, and matching formula. These provisions are incorporated in the participating agreement for each employer.
As plan sponsor, VPA chooses the investment lineup. We work with a trusted investment advisor to select the investment lineup that will be available to the participants.
Yes. This process is done individually, and the transfer is made from trust to trust to avoid tax consequences to the participants.
The annual association membership fee is very affordable and is based on the number of eligible participants and the benefit options selected. The membership fee can be paid monthly, quarterly or annually.