2025 Top Retirement Plan Adviser: Sean Bjork
Thoughts from Sean Bjork, with Bjork Asset Management.
Sean Bjork
This year, PLANADVISER followed up with advisers on the 2025 Top Retirement Plan Advisers listing to get to know them better. These are the responses from Sean Bjork of Bjork Asset Management in Northbrook, Illinois.
PLANADVISER: What does it take to be a successful retirement plan adviser in 2025?
Bjork: Success in 2025 requires being a student of the business, putting participants first and earning trust at scale. Advisers must align plan design with participant behavior and ensure every employee has access to guidance regardless of income. Technical competence is no longer enough—we must be true partners who implement, innovate and deliver measurable outcomes.
PLANADVISER: Has the focus or character of your practice shifted meaningfully over time?
Bjork: Absolutely. Five years ago, my practice was almost exclusively committee-based—focused on governance, due diligence and relying on automatic features. During the pandemic, it became clear participants needed direct and human support. That shifted us to a participant-first education model with digital campaigns and onsite education. Technology has helped us scale, but the real shift was philosophical: viewing plan participants not as numbers on a report, but as individual people with unique challenges and goals.
PLANADVISER: What growth strategies have generated success? Where do you source new clients most effectively?
Bjork: Our growth comes primarily from referrals—committee members who’ve experienced our work and bring us to new organizations. Since adopting a participant-first approach, we’ve also gained traction from employees who share positive experiences with leadership. Digital campaigns and industry recognition have broadened our reach, while selective wealth management support has deepened relationships. Growth for us is the by-product of improving plan sponsor and participant service—not the other way around.
PLANADVISER: How do you balance the desire to grow with the need to keep clients happy?
Bjork: We balance growth with client experience by filtering every initiative through one question: “Will this improve participant or plan sponsor outcomes?” If not, we don’t pursue it. We share before-and-after metrics to build the business case, and we’re disciplined about focusing on projects with the most impact. Operational efficiency helps us expand without diluting service. If growth ever risks client experience, we’d rather pause and revisit later—something clients consistently appreciate.
PLANADVISER: What is something you or your team learned the hard way about this business?
Bjork: Early in my career, I learned the hard way that activity doesn’t equal impact. I thought more meetings and presentations meant better results. In reality, participants left informed for a moment but rarely acted. That pushed us to measure outcomes, not activity—focusing on the right meetings, direct campaigns, short videos and coaching with actionable next steps. Today, success is measured by real data and lasting impact, not just activity.
PLANADVISER: What are the most challenging aspects of the job? What are the most enjoyable?
Bjork: The biggest challenge is engaging the disengaged—overcoming skepticism in an industry that often ranks last in trust surveys. The greatest reward is seeing that breakthrough moment: when a third-shift worker says, “Hey, thanks, I finally understand this,” or when sponsors see measurable improvements in plan metrics. I also enjoy the variety—moving from prospect meetings to committee reviews to one-on-one coaching keeps the work intellectually challenging and personally fulfilling.
PLANADVISER: How do you foresee the retirement plan industry evolving in the next decade? Will your practice look the same in 10 years?
Bjork: The future is integration, automation and delivering customized guidance at scale. Retirement income, emergency savings, debt management, income protection, wealth management and financial coaching will converge in an employer-led ecosystem, creating more resilient and productive workers. Today, most financial benefits flow through the workplace, yet employees are left alone to navigate often wildly complex choices. A decade from now, the best advisers will help businesses optimize their benefit spend and guide employees toward financial resiliency and confidence.
PLANADVISER: For plan sponsors looking for a new adviser, what makes your firm stand out?
Bjork: We’ve been told we’re different. Our practice is built on being students of the industry, our clients’ business priorities and real participant behavior. If you’re looking for a glorified report reader with canned answers, we’re not the right fit. If you want an adviser who will roll up their sleeves, dig into the data, understand your business and help implement a retirement plan that evolves with your goals—driving toward measurable improvements for both the organization and its employees—then we’ll have a great conversation.
| Click to see the list of 2025 Top Retirement Plan Advisers |
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