Pooled Employer Plans (PEPs) are finally here

And we are more than ready!

While PEPs are new, they are effectively multiple employer plans for the rest of us. Traditional MEPs required a commonality among the participating employers – not so PEPs.  With PEPs, all the advantages of a MEP are now available to all employers (See the Legislative Timeline). That means that when shopping for your new PEP provider, you want a company like BlueStar that already has tons of MEP experience.

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When it comes to your PEP Experience Matters

BlueStar has been a leader in the multiple employer plan space for almost 20 years. We know the compliance side of MEPs and we have built the systems to ensure your MEP runs flawlessly. With the SECURE Act and new opportunities for Pooled Employer Plans, there are going to be a lot of johnny-come-lately providers, trying to convince you that their general 401(k) experience will serve them well in this new world. Don’t buy it - this is definitely one of those instances where they don’t know what they don’t know. With your PEP, experience definitely matters. 

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  • Service Always Comes First
    Our amazing team of retirement plan experts will provide the support you need with a service-first attitude.
  • The Right Technology
    Making a PEP work at the plan and company level takes specialized technology - and we've been perfecting it for almost 20 years.
  • Flexible Plan Design
    With a provider like BlueStar, joining a PEP doesn't mean losing out on custom plan features. You can design a plan that works for you.

Pooling Plans Together Makes Great Business Sense

Plans that pool together multiple employers into one plan are complicated to administer. Of course, the challenges are worth it! Plans that combine multiple employers allow companies to pool their resources and access better services at better prices. MEPs and PEPs also help to offload liability from business owners unfamiliar with their fiduciary responsibilities to professional organizations that understand the job requirements and can take the necessary steps to reduce risk and protect plan participants. But to get those benefits, you need a provider that has the knowledge and technology to handle the unique administrative and recordkeeping challenges that MEPs create. 

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A group of diverse people seeking multipler employer plans from BlueStar Retirement

Built for PEPs

Flexibility for a Custom Plan Experience

With almost 20 years of experience in the MEP space, we’ve seen it all. We’ve worked with association MEPs where each adopter has a different payroll provider to PEOs where the payroll is consolidated with the PEO. We’ve worked with plans where there is one plan design for all adopters to plans where each adopter can fully customize their plan design to best meet their objectives. 

With BlueStar, your participating employers don’t have to compromise. They can have all the advantages that come with being part of a multiple employer plan without sacrificing their ability to design their plan to meet their unique needs.

The Right Technology

We also have built the technology and infrastructure to meet the PEP challenge. Traditional recordkeeping systems are not built to handle plans with multiple employers in one plan where each employer can have different plan designs. Because of this, they have to use workarounds, manual processes, glue, and a little bit of duct tape to make their systems function. Not so with BlueStar. Over the past two decades, we’ve built and perfected our own systems to take on the unique reporting, administration, and challenges posed by MEPs.

In BlueStar’s world, PEP sponsors access portals that seamlessly shift between a total plan view and a specific adopter view. Reporting is available all wrapped up for the true plan level but also by adopter so each company retains an individual plan experience even while realizing all the benefits of being part of a PEP. 

Stand Out from the crowd

You have a great story to tell. And we'll help you tell it.  From a marketing portal built just for your PEP to a dedicated conversions department, we'll help your PEP grow and thrive.  With our flexible technology, you'll also be able to white label your PEP so that your services shine.  

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BlueStar PEP Solutions BlueStar knows that one size doesn’t fit all

That’s why we offer different pieces for your PEP puzzle. We intend to deliver a BlueStar PEP where various advisors and their clients can participate under one large umbrella. We will also create exclusive PEPs in certain situations to handle the unique needs of a partner provider or specific geographic or industry requirements. But we are also happy to help support your PEP by providing our recordkeeping and/or administrative expertise.

Bluestar pooled employer plan benefits graphic

Pooled Employer Plans

Frequently Asked Questions

 

What is a Pooled Employer Plan? 

A pooled employer plan (PEP) is a special type of 401(k) plan that allows businesses to pool their purchasing power together to access better benefits, service and rates with less in-house administrative overhead.

 

How Does Joining a PEP Benefit Me? 

In the past, plans with multiple employers were only available to companies that participated in an association or part of a PEO. These multiple employer plans (MEPs) provided HUGE advantages to these companies. But now thanks to the SECURE Act, the benefits of an MEP are available to everyone. PEPs offer companies more services, less work, better pricing, and less liability. Unlike many providers, a pooled employer plan from BlueStar offers the plan flexibility you’re looking for. Our experienced consultants tailor PEP plans to your specific objectives and needs.

 

How Quickly Can We Get Started? 

If you are starting a 401(k) plan for the first time, BlueStar can have your startup running in ~45 days from the execution of an adoption agreement. For existing plans, mergers can be completed on average in 60-90 days.

 

Why should we trust BlueStar with our PEP? 

BlueStar has been a leader in the multiple employer plan space for almost 20 years. We have the experience required to manage multiple employer plans that require specialized knowledge and custom-built systems to service them appropriately. Recordkeeping and administering plans with multiple employers are definitely not the same thing as running a big 401k plan. Put your future into the hands of someone you can trust. When it comes to your PEP, experience counts.