Christopher DeAndrea

Director of Retirement Plan Consulting, Webber Advisors

Business at a Glance

PLANADVISER: How has your retirement plan practice evolved over the past three to five years? What strategic decisions most changed your growth trajectory or client impact?

DeAndrea: When I joined the firm nearly four years ago, I recognized an opportunity to strengthen our operational structure and overall client experience. At that time, the team was smaller and operated in a primarily reactive manner, with overlapping responsibilities that created inefficiencies and limited our ability to provide proactive support.

I developed and implemented a clear service model with well‑defined roles and responsibilities. This structure established consistent expectations for each team member and created a more organized, scalable approach to serving clients. By delineating duties and reducing redundancy, team members gained clarity, accountability and the ability to focus on the areas in which they add the most value.

As a result of this model, we have significantly enhanced our level of service. Team members now engage clients more proactively, contributing to improved experiences and stronger outcomes for our retirement plan participants. Our ability to anticipate needs and deliver timely guidance has directly supported participants in making more informed decisions about their financial futures.

PLANADVISER: What’s one lesson you’ve learned the hard way as a retirement plan adviser—and how has it changed your approach?

DeAndrea: One of the most valuable lessons I’ve developed as a leader is the ability to delegate effectively—something I continue to refine. No adviser can manage every responsibility alone without risking diminished quality or missed details, which ultimately impacts the client experience.

When I established clearly defined roles within our team, my goal was to ensure that no individual—including myself—would be responsible for everything. In the past, I often became overly involved in tasks that were better suited for the education adviser, the recordkeeper or the third-party administrator. By taking on too much, I unintentionally pulled myself away from higher‑level responsibilities and the proactive work necessary to support both our clients and the overall practice.

Learning to delegate has required trust—trust that the appropriate team member will handle the issue effectively, with periodic updates as needed. It has also meant recognizing that not every problem required my direct involvement. This shift has allowed me to focus on strategic priorities, strengthen team efficiency and ensure a more consistent and elevated client experience.

Developing this skill has ultimately made me a more effective adviser and has contributed to a more productive and collaborative team environment.

PLANADVISER: What are the biggest barriers preventing small or start‑up employers from offering retirement plans today? Which barriers are structural versus behavioral?

DeAndrea: One of the most significant barriers to expanding retirement plan coverage is that advisers often do not proactively engage businesses that do not already offer a retirement plan. Instead, many advisers focus primarily on competing for existing plans as their main avenue for generating new revenue. While our firm also participates in this approach, we intentionally differentiate ourselves by actively seeking out businesses—particularly those within our existing networks—that do not currently sponsor a retirement plan.

Most employers are unlikely to independently seek out an adviser to help establish a plan. Consequently, the responsibility for initiating these conversations rests largely with the adviser. Although recent legislation has increased employer awareness of retirement plan obligations and opportunities, many business owners remain hesitant to take action unless explicitly required by law or motivated by personal tax or savings benefits.

Advisers can address this gap by leveraging the tools and incentives introduced under the SECURE Act and the SECURE 2.0 Act of 2022, which have significantly reduced the cost and complexity of launching retirement plans. A common concern is that startup plans may not provide an efficient return on time invested. To overcome this challenge, new plans must be integrated into a scalable service model that enables advisers to manage them effectively, efficiently and profitably over the long term.

PLANADVISER: What specific approaches have you used to move these employers from hesitation to action?

DeAndrea: Our firm has taken a streamlined approach to plan startups by partnering with a limited number of recordkeeping providers—typically one or two—which allows us to utilize a consistent investment lineup across plans. This standardization benefits our internal processes and enhances efficiency. From the employer’s perspective, we prioritize recordkeepers that simplify plan setup and ongoing administration, as day-to-day management and cost are often the primary obstacles to adopting a retirement plan.

By keeping overall plan costs manageable, highlighting the available tax credits during the first three years, and leveraging our in-house TPA capabilities along with full payroll integration, we are able to present a compelling value proposition. As a result, employer resistance is typically minimal. Additionally, when we explain that peer organizations within their industry are offering retirement plans, employers often become more receptive, as they recognize the importance of remaining competitive and retaining talent in an increasingly tight labor market.