A PARTNER IN YOUR RETIREMENT

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401(k) Plan Advisor

From establishing a new 401(k) to providing an independent, third-party review of an existing plan, Norwood Economics provides business owners with the support, advice, and education they need to ensure top retirement plan performance. We are fiduciaries held to a high standard of care with respect to plan design, investment management, and employee education.

REVIEW AN EXISTING 401(K)

FREE, INDEPENDENT, THIRD-PARTY REVIEW

The Department of Labor strongly encourages 401(k) plan sponsors to conduct an independent, third-party review of their plan at least every three years. This should be done by someone not currently affiliated with the plan in any way and is not the same as your plan advisor's annual participant review.


The DOL wants business owners to be good fiduciaries, putting 401(k) plan participants’ best interests first. They want plan sponsors to know: whether their plan’s expenses are reasonable, whether the plan design is appropriate, and whether there are compliance issues that need to be addressed.

Businesswoman Holding Her Cellphone — Fishers, IN — Norwood Economics

Plans are often twice as costly to owners and participants with tens of thousands of dollars annually in available expense savings. As well, plan designs are too often sub-optimal, failing to take advantage of all of the tax breaks allowed by ERISA (The Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974). 

WHY WE'RE DIFFERENT

  • We conduct an independent, third-party review of your plan for free, with no obligation.
  • We provide employers with plan designs that capture the maximum tax breaks allowed by ERISA.
  • We customize 401(k) plans to your workforce to best achieve your goals as a business owner.
  • We provide comprehensive workplace education to help your employees achieve their financial goals.

401(K) PLAN SETUP

A GOOD 401(K) CAN HELP YOU TO

  • Attract talented people in today’s challenging job market
  • Retain valuable employees who want retirement options in their benefits package.
  • Enjoy tax advantages available to you as the employer offering the plan

SUPPORT AND GUIDANCE

We offer extensive communication and education programs to help drive retirement readiness. 

  • Semi-Annual 401(k) presentations
  • Employee one-on-ones 
  • Video conferencing sessions with participants and employers 
  • Educational emails to participants and employers

recent blog posts

The Fed Cut the Funds Rate Last Week, but Why?

By Christopher Norwood • November 3, 2025
Executive Summary The S&P 500 rose 0.7% last week to finish at 6,840.20 The S&P is up 16.3% year-to-date A stock represents ownership in a business The S&P 500 is rising at an increasing rate, and that can't go on forever Profit margins have been stable over the long run The Federal Reserve cut the Fed funds rate by one quarter point last Wednesday, but why? Inflation appears nowhere near declining to the Fed’s 2% target The annualized headline CPI September number was the second-highest since January Inflation is hurting the lowest 50% of income earners in the U.S.

The Fed Will Cut Rates Wednesday

By Christopher Norwood • October 27, 2025
Executive Summary The S&P 500 rose 1.9% last week The Fed will cut the Fed funds rate by 0.25% this week. The funds rate is currently 4.00% to 4.25%. Financial conditions are already easy The stock market is setting new highs Gold typically does best when liquidity is abundant Gold is up 54% YTD Bond investors seem to be signaling a recession ahead Stock investors see blue skies instead The Stock Market

Credit Cracks and Falling Liquidity

By Christopher Norwood • October 20, 2025
Executive Summary The S&P 500 rose 1.7% last week to finish at 6664.01 The Nasdaq & the Dow Jones rose as well last week We had an inside day last Monday, then an inside week Earnings season is here The four credit events might snowball into something more serious Credit spreads have started to react, widening over the last two weeks Bond yields fell (yields down, price up) last week The dollar index is also falling The Federal Reserve has been draining excess reserves from the system since 2022 It appears as if the Fed has no choice but to end its Quantitative Tightening (QT) program The Stock Market The S&P 500 rose 1.7% last week to finish at 6664.01. The Nasdaq 100 was up 2.4% and the Dow was up around 1.5%.