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

By Christopher Norwood June 30, 2025
Executive Summary The S&P 500 rose 3.4% last week, climbing to 6,173.07 The Magnificent 7 are outperforming the S&P 493 by over 18% since April The Cboe Volatility Index (VIX) fell as low as 16.11 last week Investors seem unconcerned about tariffs and war Treasury interest rates are starting to fall The Fed has little reason to cut if unemployment isn't moving higher The stock market is at record highs Corporate bond spreads are tight, meaning credit is abundant The dollar has fallen by around 10% in 2025 Inflation is expected to move higher because of tariff The Stock Market The S&P 500 rose 3.4% last week. The Israeli-Iranian ceasefire was credited with the surge to the upside. The index had lost 0.7% over the prior two weeks.
By Christopher Norwood June 23, 2025
Executive Summary The S&P 500 gained 0.3% last week, climbing to 5,967.84 The index is having trouble staying above 6,000 Technical indicators are turning somewhat negative The Federal Reserve kept the overnight rate at 4.25% - 4.50% The updated “dot plot” shows a divided Fed Seven members indicate no rate cuts in 2025 Eight members forecast two rate cuts in 2025 The Fed is forecasting a slower economy in 2025 and 2026 The hard data is starting to point to a slowing economy Inflation is still well above the Fed’s 2% target
By Christopher Norwood June 16, 2025
Executive Summary The S&P 500 fell 0.4% last week to finish at 5,976.97 Friday's sell-off due to Israel's attack on Iran The Volatility Index (VIX) is rising due to the war in the Middle East Higher volatility is usually associated with a down move in the market There is no chance of a Fed Funds Rate cut at this week’s meeting according to the CME FedWatch Tool The unemployment rate has been rising slowly The dollar continues to weaken The U.S. needs to reduce its spending to avoid a currency crisis  The Stock Market