Aspire Enhances 403(b) Enrollment and Service Portal

Aspire Financial Services launched an enhanced 403(b) enrollment and client service portal.

The 403(b) enrollment portal, located at https://www.aspire403b.com/, will provide quick and simple navigation for 403(b) participants and advisers to access enrollment materials and plan information, the firm says.

The enhanced 403(b) enrollment portal features web-based search capabilities making it easier to locate a plan, its fund options and associated financial advisers. The enhanced enrollment portal combined with Aspire’s 403(b) K-12 suite of solutions provides access to 403(b) plan information, configurable investment choices and information about financial planning, as well as the ability to monitor financial performance through Aspire’s online reporting tools and quarterly account statements.

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According to Mark Luckinbill, head of 403(b) and 457 markets at Aspire, “The enhanced 403(b) enrollment portal will deliver easier access to forms and documents through a tablet-friendly platform, making it easier for employees … to enroll in their employer’s plan.”

Aspire is an approved 403(b) vendor in more than 3,500 U.S. school districts. The company says the enhanced enrollment portal is for school districts as well as other governmental employers and nonprofits.

Mercer Investments Adds Four Senior Hires

Mercer Investments is adding four senior investment professionals to its staff to provide additional client support across the firm’s North America regions.

Rich Nuzum, head of Mercer Investments in North America, says the firm is building additional delivery capacity ahead of anticipated growth in its investment consulting and fiduciary management business. New hires include:

  • Neeraj Baxi, previously a director with Primus Investment Management and a principal with EnnisKnupp, is joining Mercer as a senior investment consultant in New York. He holds a bachelor’s degree in commerce from Sydenham College of Commerce and Economics in Mumbai, India, and an M.B.A. from the Indian Institute of Management in Bangalore, India. He also holds a chartered financial analyst (CFA) designation and a master’s of science degree in financial markets from the Illinois Institute of Technology.
  • Brett Horton, previously a director with Duff & Phelps, has joined Mercer as a senior consultant and principal to help enhance investment manager operational risk assessment services. He has more than 25 years of experience focusing on operational risk, due diligence and the detection of operational fraud and embezzlement. Horton’s undergraduate concentration was in economics at Brigham Young University.
  • Chris Kohler, most recently with Entrust and previously with Hewitt EnnisKnupp, has joined Mercer Investments as a senior consultant supporting the firm’s endowments and foundations business. Kohler received a bachelor’s of science degree from Pennsylvania State University and an M.B.A. from Carnegie Mellon University’s Tepper School of Business.
  • Greg Korte, previously founder and Principal of Korte & Associates Consulting, LLC, a specialist custody and investment operations consulting firm, has joined as a senior consultant and head of Mercer’s custody consulting business in North America. Korte has 30 years of experience in the investments service industry. He received a bachelor’s of science degree from Franklin University, concentrating on finance and management.

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