Bruce Lanser

Senior Retirement Plan Consultant, TruSource Advisors, a UBS Financial Services firm

Business at a Glance

PLANADVISER: What outcomes matter most to your clients—and how do you measure whether you’re delivering them? (e.g., participation, deferral behavior, retirement readiness, fiduciary confidence)

Lanser: Our clients care most about outcomes that improve participant behavior, advance retirement readiness and provide confidence that the plan is being managed prudently. We focus on measurable results that matter to both plan sponsors and participants.

Participant engagement and participation are foundational. Clients want eligible employees to enroll and actively engage with the plan. We measure this through participation rates, automatic enrollment effectiveness, meeting attendance and utilization of education, advice and online planning tools.

Deferral behavior and savings adequacy are critical indicators of long‑term success. We track average and median deferral rates, the percentage of participants saving above key thresholds, adoption of automatic escalation and changes in savings behavior following education or plan design enhancements.

Retirement readiness is the most meaningful long‑term outcome. Clients want confidence that employees are on track to retire with dignity and on time. We measure this through retirement readiness or income replacement metrics, projected retirement income analyses, and cohort‑level reporting to identify gaps and target solutions.

Investment and plan design effectiveness are evaluated through participant‑focused metrics, including QDIA utilization, diversification and performance relative to appropriate benchmarks—always emphasizing outcomes, rather than short‑term returns.

Finally, fiduciary confidence and risk management are essential. We measure success through documented governance processes, ongoing investment and fee monitoring, fiduciary reviews, and clear reporting that demonstrate prudent oversight and support fiduciary decisionmaking.

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

Lanser: TruSource Advisors is a specialized, autonomous retirement plan consulting team within UBS, dedicated exclusively to serving institutional and nonprofit clients. In practice, this focus means our consultants are deeply embedded in the ongoing operation of retirement plans—supporting governance, plan design execution, vendor oversight and participant outcomes, rather than providing episodic or transactional advice.

We function as an extension of our clients’ HR and finance departments. Our team attends and facilitates committee meetings, prepares fiduciary documentation, evaluates fees and service providers, and works directly with recordkeepers to implement and monitor plan changes. Importantly, all core consulting services are delivered by credentialed TruSource professionals—not subcontractors—ensuring continuity, accountability and a deep understanding of each client’s plan design, workforce demographics and governance framework.

TruSource has also been a leader in advancing plan innovation. We were early adopters in helping sponsors evaluate and implement lifetime income options within 401(k) plans, well before these solutions became mainstream. Beyond recommending products, we assist with due diligence, committee education, participant communication and integration into the broader retirement strategy—helping sponsors move from accumulation‑only plans to programs that support sustainable retirement income.

Our affiliation with UBS provides clients access to institutional research, due‑diligence resources and a robust compliance infrastructure, while our team retains the responsiveness and customization of a boutique practice. This hands‑on, execution‑focused approach has resulted in measurable success, including multiple clients recognized by PLANSPONSOR as Plan Sponsor of the Year and Best in Class—reflecting disciplined fiduciary oversight, innovative plan design and long‑term consulting partnerships focused on outcomes, not transactions.

PLANADVISER: Describe your core plan sponsor client and service model. What problems do sponsors typically hire you to solve?

Lanser: Our core plan sponsor clients are mid‑to‑large institutional and nonprofit organizations that take their fiduciary responsibilities seriously and want a true consulting partner—not just an investment reviewer. Many of them have complex workforces, multiple locations and committees that need help translating good intentions into well‑documented, defensible decisions.

Our service model is deliberately hands‑on. We operate as an extension of our clients’ HR and finance teams. That means we’re actively involved in committee meetings, fiduciary documentation, fee and vendor evaluations, plan design execution, and coordination with recordkeepers.

Sponsors typically hire us to solve three problems. First, they want help managing fiduciary risk and governance in an increasingly complex regulatory environment. Second, they’re looking to improve participant outcomes—whether that’s participation, savings behavior or retirement readiness—especially for workforces that are hard to engage. Third, many sponsors are trying to evolve their plans beyond accumulation to address retirement income, but need help evaluating solutions, educating committees and participants, and implementing those changes prudently.

In short, sponsors hire us when they want institutional rigor, practical execution and confidence that their retirement plan decisions are thoughtful, well‑documented and focused on long‑term outcomes, rather than short‑term transactions.

PLANADVISER: What are the three most pressing retirement plan challenges your sponsors face today? How have you helped sponsors address them in measurable ways?

Lanser: One of the biggest challenges our plan sponsors face today is helping employees make the transition from saving for retirement to actually generating income in retirement. For years, most plans stopped at accumulation. We’ve helped sponsors move beyond that by redesigning plans to support income outcomes. At one client, for example, we led a shift away from legacy model portfolios to target‑date funds with embedded lifetime income features and added in‑plan income solutions. That gave participants clearer visibility into what their savings could translate into as monthly income, while still preserving choice and flexibility at retirement.

A second challenge is engagement—especially with workforces that aren’t sitting at desks all day. Many employees work in manufacturing and delivery roles, so traditional email‑only communication wasn’t effective. We helped a particular sponsor rethink how they connect with participants by using digital signage, QR codes, short videos, podcasts and targeted campaigns tied to specific plan actions. Those efforts materially improved engagement, participation and contribution behavior, helping the plan reach a 95% participation rate.

Finally, sponsors are navigating growing fiduciary and operational complexity. Our role is to make that manageable. We act as an extension of HR and finance—facilitating committee meetings, documenting fiduciary processes, coordinating with recordkeepers and helping sponsors evaluate decisions through data and retirement income analytics. That disciplined, hands‑on approach has enabled clients to implement meaningful plan innovations while maintaining strong governance and long‑term confidence in the decisions they’re making.

Disclosures: Bruce Lanser is a Financial Advisor with UBS Financial Services Inc., a subsidiary of UBS Group AG. Member FINRA/SIPC in Brookfield, WI. The information contained in this material is not a solicitation to purchase or sell investments. Any information presented is general in nature and not intended to provide individually tailored investment advice. The strategies and/or investments referenced may not be suitable for all investors as the appropriateness of a particular investment or strategy will depend on an investor's individual circumstances and objectives. Investing involves risks and there is always the potential to lose money when you invest. Investors should be aware that alternative investments are speculative, subject to substantial risks (including the risks associated with limited liquidity, the use of leverage, short sales and concentrated investments), may involve complex tax structures, strategies and may not be appropriate for all investors. Asset allocation and diversification strategies do not guarantee profit and may not protect against loss. The views expressed herein are those of the author and may not necessarily reflect the views of UBS Financial Services Inc.

UBS Retirement Plan Consulting Services is an investment advisory program. Details regarding the program, including fees, services, features and suitability, are provided in the ADV Disclosure, available from your Financial Advisor or accessed at ubs.com/accountdisclosures.

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