Equitable Offers 403(b) PEP, Betterment Expands Solo 401(k)s

Equitable Holdings Inc. announced Thursday its Equitable Retirement Access ERISA 403(b) pooled employer plan, specifically designed for nonprofits. The 403(b) PEP is available through the Equitable Retirement Vision platform for nonprofit employers establishing a new retirement plan or transitioning from an existing provider.

PlanConnect LLC, an Equitable affiliate, is the recordkeeper for the new PEP; MAP Retirement Inc. is the pooled plan provider, third‑party administrator and 3(16) administrative fiduciary; SWBC Retirement Plan Services is the 3(38) investment fiduciary; and Plan Notice LLC will manage notice delivery services.

The PEP expands the Equitable Retirement Access suite, which launched in January 2025 with a 401(k) PEP for small- and midsize businesses.

Only 21% of nonprofits provide retirement benefits to their employees, according to an October 2025 San Jose State University study cited in the announcement.

“Nonprofit leaders pour everything into the people and communities they support, but most don’t have the resources or time to manage a retirement plan,” said Jim Kais, Equitable’s head of group retirement, in a statement. “They recognize how important these benefits are for attracting and keeping talent, and this new solution gives them a practical way to offer a high‑quality retirement plan while we handle the details behind the scenes.”

Equitable’s group retirement business has more than 1.2 million clients, and Equitable Advisors’ financial professionals serve more than 4 million clients nationwide.

Meanwhile, on Wednesday, the custodian Betterment Advisor Solutions launched a solo 401(k) offering for sale by large-scale wealth management partners. Major adviser networks, including Hub and Osaic, will offer the solution to self-employed clients.

The fully digital Solo 401(k) solution, available for Betterment’s national partners and adviser networks, has no setup fees.

“The self-employed market represents a massive opportunity for financial advisers, yet it has historically been underserved by complex, paper-heavy retirement products,” said Thomas Moore, Betterment’s senior director of B2B partnerships, in a statement. “We are empowering partners to offer a paperless, all-digital, automated retirement experience that fits perfectly into their existing workflows.”

Betterment has more than $65 billion in assets under management and more than 1 million customers.