My Retirement Account at Work

A: StraightLine provides 401(k), 403(b) and 457 investment management for participants who prefer having an absolutely independent third-party research team manage their account investments within their existing employer-sponsored retirement plan. We don’t just give advice – we act as a fiduciary and actually manage all kinds of accounts – making changes to investments as needed throughout the year.

A: Most people lack the time, experience and – where money is concerned – the ability to keep emotion out of their decision making. Our process allows us to create a customized portfolio for you that is consistently monitored and adjusted based on our review of market conditions, world events, mutual fund activity and your evolving financial situation.

A: In virtually all cases, no, they do not. The plan providers and their representatives are often financially connected to some or all of the investment options within the plan. This produces an inherent bias that limits the scope of account management they can provide.

StraightLine has none of the biases or potential conflicts of interest these connections create as we are independent of all fees and investment revenue generated within a plan. All of StraightLine’s investment decisions are solely in your best interest and not for the benefit of ourselves, any plan provider or mutual fund.

A: Yes. StraightLine has embraced the role of a fiduciary since our inception – we always do what’s right and what’s best for each client. We simply see no other way to operate. It has been our experience, however, that most firms go to great lengths to avoid the title of “fiduciary” in virtually all aspects of their operations. They do this by limiting their services to providing basic advice and generic guidance to account holders.

A: No. We actively manage your investments within your existing 401(k), 403(b) or 457 plan.

A: Yes. The cost structure and approach are exactly the same for retirees and current employees.

A: When electing to use our management service, you share account access with us for the limited and secure purpose of repositioning the account. Increasingly, this can be accomplished without obtaining your login credentials.

A: Our clients’ security and confidentiality is our highest priority. We employ strict internal and external controls and procedures to secure all information. For more details, please review our Privacy Policy.

A: Our research team continually reviews market conditions, world events, mutual fund activity and other factors that affect the value of investment accounts. Based on that information, we typically make two to three proactive changes to each portfolio per year as determined by the research team.

We are not market timers. In fact, we feel that frequent trading in an account can sometimes be detrimental. Sometimes market trends need to evolve over longer periods of time than many programs allow, thus minimizing the positive impacts in an investor’s portfolio.

A: We use a combination of e-mail, phone calls, newsletters and postal mail to communicate with you. Every time a change is made to you account allocations we will notify you.

A: Yes. You retain the same access to your account you would normally – your account remains exactly the same, it is just expertly managed by our team of investment professionals.

A: Performance is affected by many factors, most notably the widely varied levels of risk in accounts. It cannot be viewed strictly as one neatly wrapped ‘percentage’, as the behavior of an account in all market conditions – especially during down times – is a multi-faceted concept. The overall performance of an investment professional must include service, communication and planning among many other factors and should yield peace of mind.

A: The annual fee is 0.5% of your account value, up to a maximum annual fee of $1200 (for an account over $240,000). There are no other fees or commissions paid to StraightLine by anyone in connection with this service.

A: There are three ways you can sign up – in person, have the papers sent to you and we’ll follow up with a call, or on the web. Click here to signup via the web.

A: No. While we anticipate that you will be very pleased, we realize the need to address this issue for your peace of mind. Our clients only pay for the period of time in which they use the service. There is no penalty or surrender charge to discontinue.

A: Yes. Please click here to learn more.