Services
A fiduciary is someone who is legally and ethically required to act in your best interest in all financial matters, not just when it is convenient, and not just when it aligns with their own compensation. That distinction matters more than most people realize.
The financial services industry operates under two different standards. Many advisors are held only to a suitability standard, meaning their recommendations simply need to be appropriate for your general situation. A fiduciary standard is significantly higher. It requires that every recommendation be made in your best interest, with full transparency around fees, conflicts of interest, and alternatives considered. At Strategic Capital, we operate as fiduciaries in everything we do.
The fiduciary obligation extends beyond individual financial planning. Companies that sponsor group retirement plans such as 401ks are also required by law to act as fiduciaries on behalf of their plan participants. That responsibility is heavily regulated under ERISA, and the consequences of failing to meet it can include fines, audits, and personal liability for plan sponsors. Choosing the right partner to design, manage, and oversee your retirement plan is one of the most important fiduciary decisions a business owner or plan sponsor can make.
Sponsoring a retirement plan for your employees is one of the most valuable benefits you can offer. It is also one of your most significant legal responsibilities. As a plan sponsor you are a fiduciary, and the obligations that come with that designation are real, ongoing, and heavily regulated under ERISA, IRS, and DOL standards.
We work with employers, plan sponsors, and trustees across the country to manage every dimension of that responsibility. Fiduciary risk, plan compliance, investment monitoring, fee benchmarking, participant outcomes, and documentation workflows are all areas where a proactive partner makes the difference between a plan that runs smoothly and one that creates liability.
Our fiduciary consulting services cover the full spectrum of employer sponsored retirement plans including 401ks, 403bs, pensions, SEP IRAs, SIMPLE IRAs, and other specialized structures. Every engagement is built around your specific organization, your goals for your employees, and your obligations as a plan sponsor.
What sets our approach apart is that fiduciary oversight does not exist in isolation. It is integrated with your broader financial, tax, and business planning strategy so that your retirement plan is working as hard for your organization as it is for your employees. We serve growth stage companies, professional practices, nonprofits, and established businesses across Austin and nationwide, bringing the same credentialed fiduciary team and customized process to every client relationship.
What is fiduciary oversight in a retirement plan?
Fiduciary oversight is the ongoing legal and ethical responsibility that plan sponsors and trustees carry on behalf of their employees. It is not a one time designation. It is an active obligation that requires plan sponsors to continuously monitor plan investments, ensure fees are reasonable and transparent, avoid conflicts of interest, and maintain thorough documentation of every plan related decision.
The stakes are significant. A plan sponsor who fails to meet their fiduciary obligations can face personal liability, DOL and IRS audits, participant lawsuits, and substantial financial penalties. Many business owners who offer a 401k or other employer sponsored plan do not fully understand the depth of that responsibility until something goes wrong.
Proper fiduciary oversight means having a documented process, a qualified team reviewing plan performance regularly, and a clear record that every decision was made in the best interest of plan participants. That is exactly what we provide.
What happens if I don’t follow fiduciary rules?
The consequences of failing to meet your fiduciary obligations as a plan sponsor are serious and in many cases personal. The Department of Labor and IRS actively audit retirement plans and when violations are found the penalties can include significant fines, mandatory plan corrections, and in some cases personal liability for the individuals responsible for plan oversight. Plan participants also have the right to sue fiduciaries directly for losses resulting from a breach of duty, and those cases can be costly regardless of how they are resolved.
What makes this risk particularly significant is that many plan sponsors are not aware of the full scope of their obligations until they are already in violation. Offering a 401k through a payroll provider or a large financial institution does not transfer your fiduciary responsibility. It remains with you as the employer.
Working with a dedicated fiduciary consulting team means you have a proactive partner monitoring compliance, maintaining defensible documentation, and keeping your plan aligned with current ERISA, IRS, and DOL standards before problems arise rather than after.
Do I need a fiduciary consultant if I already offer a 401(k)?
Yes, and this is one of the most important things a business owner can understand about their retirement plan. Offering a 401k through a payroll company, a large financial institution, or a bundled provider does not mean you have fiduciary support. Most 401k providers are not fiduciaries. They are service providers. The fiduciary responsibility remains entirely with you as the plan sponsor regardless of who administers the plan.
A fiduciary consultant fills that gap. We review your plan investments for performance and fee reasonableness, ensure your plan documents and processes are compliant with current ERISA standards, benchmark your fees against comparable plans, and maintain the documentation trail that protects you in the event of an audit or participant complaint.
Beyond compliance, a fiduciary consultant improves the quality of the plan itself. Better investment options, lower fees, and stronger participant education lead to better retirement outcomes for your employees, which is ultimately the purpose the plan was designed to serve.
Can these services be customized for nonprofits or municipal plans?
Yes. Nonprofit organizations, schools, municipalities, and public entities operate under a different set of rules than private employers, and their retirement plans reflect that complexity. We have extensive experience working with 403b and 457 plans and understand the unique legal, structural, and compliance requirements that govern them.
Our fiduciary consulting services are fully customizable regardless of your organization type. Whether you are a nonprofit managing a 403b for a team of dedicated employees, a municipality overseeing a 457 deferred compensation plan, or a school or healthcare organization navigating the specific compliance landscape of your sector, we tailor our approach to your obligations, your participant population, and your organizational goals.
The fiduciary standard does not change based on the type of plan or the type of organization. The responsibility to act in the best interest of your participants is the same across every structure, and our commitment to helping you meet that standard is equally consistent.
Sponsoring a retirement plan without proper fiduciary oversight is one of the most overlooked risks in business ownership. We provide governance strategies designed to protect plan sponsors at every level, from building a defensible documentation process to conducting investment committee reviews and ensuring your plan remains fully aligned with ERISA standards. Our goal is to make sure that every decision made on behalf of your plan participants is intentional, documented, and compliant, so that you are protected regardless of what a future audit or participant inquiry might surface.
A well designed 401k plan does more than check a compliance box. It attracts and retains talent, improves employee financial wellness, and reflects the values of the organization offering it. We work with employers to design custom group retirement plans built around their specific workforce, budget, and business goals, and we manage the ongoing administration that keeps the plan running correctly.
That includes compliance testing, participant onboarding, investment menu design, fee benchmarking, and audit ready recordkeeping. Every element of your plan is documented, monitored, and managed with the same fiduciary discipline we bring to every client relationship. When your plan is reviewed by the DOL or IRS, you will be ready.
Not every organization needs a 401k and not every 401k is the right fit for every business. The retirement plan landscape includes a wide range of structures, each with its own contribution limits, administrative requirements, tax implications, and suitability for different types of organizations and workforces.
We help employers evaluate, implement, and manage the full spectrum of employer sponsored retirement plans including SEP IRAs, SIMPLE IRAs, 403bs, profit sharing plans, and defined benefit plans. The right plan depends on the size of your organization, your goals for employee participation, your budget for employer contributions, and your appetite for administrative complexity.
Our role is to cut through that complexity, match you with the structure that genuinely serves your organization and your employees, and manage the ongoing responsibilities that come with sponsoring a plan so that you can focus on running your business.
A retirement plan is only as valuable as the employees who participate in it. Too many well designed plans fall short of their potential because employees do not understand how they work, what they are entitled to, or why participating matters for their long term financial security. That gap between offering a plan and employees actually benefiting from it is one of the most common and most solvable problems in employer sponsored retirement planning.
We provide clear, accessible retirement education for plan participants at every level of financial sophistication. That includes one on one consultations for employees who want personalized guidance, group webinars that cover the fundamentals of plan participation and investment selection, and structured onboarding for new employees that sets the right financial habits from day one.
When employees understand their plan and feel confident using it, participation rates improve, retirement outcomes improve, and the organization fulfills the true purpose of offering the benefit in the first place.
The regulatory environment surrounding employer sponsored retirement plans is complex, constantly evolving, and unforgiving of oversights. DOL and IRS audits can surface at any time and when they do the organizations that fare best are the ones that were already operating with a documented, defensible process rather than scrambling to reconstruct one after the fact.
We perform comprehensive compliance reviews to identify gaps before they become liabilities, maintain the documentation workflows that protect plan sponsors in the event of an audit or participant dispute, and benchmark your plan fees against comparable plans to ensure they meet the reasonableness standard that ERISA requires.
Regulatory compliance is not a one time project. It is an ongoing discipline that requires consistent attention as rules change, your workforce evolves, and your plan grows. We stay ahead of those changes so you do not have to, and we keep your plan positioned to withstand scrutiny at any point in time.
Who We Serve with Fiduciary Services & Strategic Planning for Retirement
Our fiduciary consulting and employer retirement plan services are built for organizations of all sizes and structures. From solo practitioners establishing their first retirement plan to established businesses managing multi-million dollar 401k plans, we bring the same fiduciary discipline and personalized attention to every engagement.
We work with Austin based professional firms, physicians and dental practices, tech and service companies, schools, nonprofits, and employers across the country who need a credentialed fiduciary partner they can trust to manage their plan responsibilities with integrity and expertise.
If your organization sponsors a retirement plan or is considering establishing one, we are ready to help you do it right.
Client Experience
I have been with Strategic Capital since 2024. I've had multiple video conferences and emails with Chris and Bobby. I feel very comfortable with their advice, part of which is because they explains the benefits and risks in simple English. I am certain my account is being handled carefully, with a strong sense of responsibility, and there has never been a sense of them trying to rush through things. I know that I am in good hands here.
We’ve been working with Chris, Bobby, and Adam at Strategic Management, and we couldn’t be happier. They respond to every question quickly — and always with thoughtful, useful information that helps us make smart decisions with confidence. What really stands out is how genuinely they focus on our interests and goals as we move into this new chapter of retirement.
They’ve taken the time to understand our priorities and have built a comprehensive plan that aligns perfectly with our future needs. Every step feels well thought out, and that gives us immense peace of mind knowing that the guys at Strat Cap have truly “got this.” It’s a great feeling to know your financial future is in such capable, caring hands.
Chris and Isabella have been very helpful. They have been very attentive to considering my individual circumstances and needs in generating an investment plan I trust.
Highly recommend Bobby Russell at Strategic Capital. His depth of knowledge in financial planning is incredibly impressive, and the level of service he provides is top-tier. He genuinely cares about his clients' success.
I have had a great experience with Chris and Bobby. They were knowledgeable and patient as they helped us navigate the best options for our finances. I would recommend them to any of my friends and family who were looking to do the same.
The folks at Strategic Capital are super knowledgeable and go out of their way to provide personal service. Great service, great people
Incredible service!
When it comes Strategic cap. they just don't manage wealth, they create Meaningful relationship with my self. I love them and I love pet dogs too. 100%
Selected client reviews from Google.
Read all reviews on GooglePlease note that the testimonials presented are from those individuals, some of which may be firm clients, who submitted a testimonial through Google, and do not represent the views of all firm clients. Testimonials relate solely to the individuals’ experience making such testimonial and there can be no assurance that others will have similar experiences. No direct compensation was paid for any of the testimonials presented on this website.
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