Ann-Marie Sepuka

Managing Director, Strategic Retirement Partners

Business at a Glance

PLANADVISER: What differentiates your team in a crowded advisory marketplace today? Please expand on what you do differently in practice, not philosophy.

Sepuka: What truly differentiates our team is how consistently we show up and execute over time. We’ve been fortunate to work with many clients for decades, allowing us to support the same employee populations year after year and see, first-hand, what helps people move from not saving to saving and, ultimately, to retiring with confidence. That long‑term perspective directly shapes how we work in practice.

Our approach is intentionally process‑driven. Participant engagement isn’t an annual event—it’s embedded into how we serve employers and employees on an ongoing basis. In practice, that includes structured Financial University programs, quarterly webinars, short customized educational videos, regular email campaigns and unlimited one‑on‑one meetings. Each touchpoint is designed to encourage specific behaviors such as enrolling, increasing deferrals or staying invested during periods of market volatility.

We pay close attention to how employees respond. Engagement indicators like email open rates, click‑through rates and meeting utilization aren’t treated as vanity metrics, but as feedback. These insights help us refine education and messaging over time, rather than repeat the same approach year after year.

We also differentiate through clear team roles. A dedicated education specialist delivers consistent, engaging education, while a certified financial planner works directly with employees who need help turning education into real decisions. This support is always included, removing cost or access barriers.

Operationally, every client receives a customized 401(k) information page that centralizes plan details, enrollment links, educational videos and scheduling access. For employers ready to expand access further, we also support a nonproprietary, artificial-intelligence‑enabled benefits hub that provides instant, plain‑language answers.

In a crowded marketplace, many advisers design plans. Our difference is showing up consistently with a repeatable engagement process—refined over decades—that genuinely helps employees move from saving to retirement.

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

Sepuka: I learned this lesson the hard way: Being right isn’t the same thing as being trusted.

I started out as a tax CPA, and I genuinely loved the complexity of retirement plan rules. I assumed the better I got at the technical side, the more successful I’d be. Don’t get me wrong—those skills matter. But I learned that knowledge alone doesn’t win relationships.

After losing a finalist opportunity with an employer, I asked for feedback. They told me they could see I was smart, but they couldn’t feel how much I cared about their people. I remember sitting with that for a while because it stung—and because it was true. I cared a lot. I just hadn’t shown it.

That changed my intentions. Now, I work to make every sponsor and every employee feel seen. I try to be the person who explains without judgment, who makes it okay to ask “basic” questions, and who brings calm to a topic that often feels intimidating. My clients have told me that I make complex topics easy to understand. Don’t get me wrong, I still geek out on the rules—but I lead with care, because that’s what actually moves people from avoidance to action.

That feedback didn’t just change how I communicate. It changed how I serve.

PLANADVISER: How do you engage participants across different life stages and income levels? Include frequency, delivery methods, and how your services are paid for.

Sepuka: Over time, I’ve learned that meaningful participant engagement has far less to do with how much information we provide and far more to do with how safe and supported employees feel when receiving it. My goal isn’t to push people toward “perfect” retirement decisions, but to help them build confidence to take the next right step, wherever they are in life. That starts with trust, care and clear communication—and by removing barriers. Quite a while back, I decided that all participant education, advice and support had to be fully included in our fee for service, so there is never any additional cost for employees to engage with us.

I like to believe that our education is intentionally designed to reach employees across life stages and income levels. A cornerstone of this approach is our multi‑day Financial University experience, shaped by polling employees in advance so that sessions reflect what’s actually on their minds. Sessions are conversational, fun, often involve food (because we all need to eat, right?) and reinforced with personalized OnTrack retirement reports that emphasize small, achievable steps. While this information exists digitally, many employees have shared that holding a physical report made retirement feel more tangible—and encouraged meaningful action.

Our education is delivered by a dedicated education specialist, supported by a CFP on my team who helps employees translate information into decisions aligned with their personal circumstances. Employees also have unlimited one‑on‑one access to me or our CFP always included so that support is available when real‑life questions arise.

Each client also receives a custom online 401(k) information page that introduces our team, explains the plan and its features, links directly to the recordkeeper website, houses short educational videos and provides easy access to our calendars.

Between live engagements, we stay connected through quarterly webinars; short, customized videos; and follow‑up emails with clear next steps. Engagement metrics such as open and click‑through rates help us understand what’s resonating and where additional clarity is needed.

For employers ready to go further, we offer an optional, nonproprietary, AI‑enabled benefits information hub that provides immediate, plain‑language answers to benefit questions in a multitude of languages. Technology enhances access—but engagement is built through listening, empathy and meeting employees where they are.

I feel like the real win isn’t attendance—it’s behavior change that improves someone’s future.

PLANADVISER: What participant behaviors are hardest to change—and how are you addressing them?

Sepuka: I believe that the most difficult participant behaviors to change are driven not by a lack of information, but by emotion—especially inertia and fear—and short‑term thinking. Many employees delay enrolling or increasing deferrals because retirement feels overwhelming or distant. Others remain disengaged or overly conservative due to fear of making the “wrong” decision or reacting emotionally during market volatility.

I believe my emotional intelligence, which took some time to develop, helps me address these behaviors and guides me when engaging participants. Rather than starting with technical concepts, I focus on listening, understanding motivations and meeting employees where they are. I try to normalize uncertainty, remove judgment and break decisions into achievable steps so that participants feel empowered, rather than pressured. I’ve found that this approach lowers anxiety and encourages action—often leading to increased participation and improved savings behavior.

During periods of market stress, employees can react emotionally, which can lead to harmful decisions such as selling at a loss or taking unnecessary loans. Proactive communication that acknowledges their concerns without reinforcing fear and reframes volatility in a long‑term context can help.

Ultimately, the hardest behaviors to change are emotional ones. By building trust, simplifying decisions and addressing the human side of savings, I help participants move from avoidance and fear toward confidence and sustained engagement in their retirement plan, helping them see that the glass is always at least half full.