2025 Top Retirement Plan Adviser: Brian Allen

Thoughts from Brian Allen, with Pension Consultants, Inc.

This year, PLANADVISER followed up with advisers on the 2025 Top Retirement Plan Advisers listing to get to know them better. These are the responses from Brian Allen of Pension Consultants, Inc. in Springfield, Missouri.

PLANADVISER: What does it take to be a successful retirement plan adviser in 2025?

Allen: In 2025, being a successful retirement plan adviser takes more than handshakes and glossy reports. It means being accountable for real results—and being willing to stand behind them.

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The way 401(k) plans have traditionally been managed just hasn’t been cutting it. Too many employees are falling behind when it comes to saving for retirement. That’s a serious problem—and it’s one I believe we can help solve.

A good adviser today understands the weight of that responsibility. We’re here to help fiduciaries carry out their duty to act in the best interest of their employees. And that starts by returning to the core purpose of the 401(k): helping people retire with dignity.

At Pension Consultants, Inc., that mission shapes everything we do. We’re independent, fee-only and focused on outcomes. We believe true objectivity isn’t just about good intentions—it’s about eliminating hidden incentives and minimizing conflicts so we can stay focused on what really matters: improving the financial futures of the people we serve.

To do that, we take responsibility for the three drivers that determine whether someone is on track for retirement: how much they’re saving, how well their investments are performing and how much they’re paying in fees.

To us, success isn’t just about checking boxes or meeting expectations—it’s about making a meaningful, measurable difference in people’s lives. When we stay focused on that, we not only support plan fiduciaries and participants—we help raise the bar for our whole profession.

PLANADVISER: Has the focus or character of your practice shifted meaningfully over time to respond to evolving client demands, market pressures or the emergence of new technologies?

Allen: Yes, the focus of our firm has absolutely evolved—and rightly so. When we started out, our work centered around compliance, because that’s what the market needed at the time. The rules were still taking shape, and just staying in line with them was a full-time job. But as the industry matured, compliance became better understood by clients. That has allowed us to pivot to focus on participant outcomes.

In 2015, we returned to first principles. For me, that meant getting employees on track for retirement. That reshaped everything. We shifted our focus from just keeping plans compliant to helping make them effective at delivering real retirement outcomes.

While others chased new bells and whistles or added layers of complexity, I made a conscious decision to simplify and sharpen our approach. We moved beyond traditional consulting to a model rooted in accountability. Today, we manage retirement plans to measurable standards across the three areas that drive participant retirement readiness: contributions, investment performance and fees.

We’ve embraced technology, but not for flash. We use it to bring clarity and transparency, so our clients can see, in no uncertain terms, whether their plan is truly working for their employees. And we’ve stayed proudly fee-only and independent. That’s not just a talking point—it means our only loyalty is to the people we serve.

Through every shift in the market and every change in the industry, our purpose has remained the same: to help people retire with confidence and dignity. I believe we’re doing that better today than ever before.

PLANADVISER: How do you foresee the retirement plan industry evolving in the coming decade? Will your practice look much the same in 10 years, or do you see significant evolution coming?

Allen: I believe the plan adviser industry is at a critical juncture. We can’t keep going the way we have—too many employees are reaching retirement age unprepared, and that has real consequences. That’s not sustainable for the employees who’ve worked hard their whole lives, for the employers who rely on a healthy workforce transition or for advisers like us who are supposed to be helping make it all work.

For too long, 401(k)s have been treated as a side benefit—something nice to offer, but not something employees could really count on to build a secure future. That kind of thinking has consequences: people working longer than they want to, financial stress in the workplace and a growing gap between what plans are supposed to deliver and what participants actually experience.

That’s going to have to change, nd I believe it will. Over the next decade, I expect to see a shift away from chasing engagement metrics, offering feel-good wellness add-ons and relying on education campaigns to check the box. Instead, the plan adviser industry will emphasize real, measurable progress. Fiduciary committees will demand outcome-based accountability, and advisers like us won’t just talk about readiness—we’ll have to prove we’re moving the needle.

I also think we’ll see a renewed appreciation for the adviser’s core responsibility: delivering sound investment research and advice. The more complicated the product landscape becomes, the more important it is to get back to the basics—researching managers, understanding strategies and building lineups that actually perform. Clients don’t need more sizzle. They need substance.

Our firm is already built for that future. So, while much of the industry will be forced to evolve, our path is already set. We’re not waiting for change—we’re leading it. Because helping people retire successfully isn’t just a nice outcome. It’s our responsibility.

PLANADVISER: For those plan sponsors looking for a new plan adviser, describe what makes your firm stand out.

Allen: At Pension Consultants, Inc., we believe the 401(k) plan can, and should, get employees on track for retirement. That’s our goal for client plans, and we’ve built our entire structure, personnel, tracking and reporting around achieving it.

In pursuit of that goal, we define, in writing, the specific performance metrics we’re responsible for achieving. Specifically, they are participant contribution levels, investment lineup performance and plan fees. We believe these are the key drivers of a participant’s ability to retire on time.

In fact, we are so confident in our ability to drive these outcomes that our fees are based, in large part, on our ability to perform. That’s what we call fee accountability.

With the plan goal clearly defined and the KPIs known and agreed to, we can then provide ongoing reporting that is clear, direct and easy to understand. Our reporting doesn’t overwhelm or confuse—we show fiduciary committees exactly where the plan stands and how it’s progressing toward its goals.

Lastly, and importantly, we’re a fee-only firm. That means we don’t take commissions, revenue sharing or any other payments from third parties. Our only compensation comes from our clients, and that keeps our advice focused, objective and aligned with their best interests.

In the end, we believe it is our responsibility to get our clients’ employees on track for retirement. Our success depends upon our ability to deliver superior performance in the three key drivers of retirement readiness. That’s the standard we hold ourselves to—and we’re proud to put it in writing.


Pension Consultants, Inc. is registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission as an investment adviser. Pension Consultants, Inc. is located at 300 S. Campbell Ave. Springfield, Missouri 65806. Contact us at 417.889.4918 or 800.234.9584.

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