Products November 13, 2013

Sunwest, TAG Partner on Fiduciary Service

The two firms are collaborating to provide retirement plan sponsors and advisers with third-party administrator (TPA) services.
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Together, Sunwest Pensions and TAG Resources LLC will provide plan document services, compliance testing, participant distribution, loan processing and Form 5500 preparation. In addition, Sunwest will offer payroll remittance services supporting plan sponsors.

TAG will assume liability in running the day-to-day administration of clients’ retirement plans under the service arrangement, according to a joint statement from the companies. In its fiduciary capacity, TAG will review plan fees and expenses, monitor plan providers, maintain discretionary authority and control of daily management, and perform the role of trustee in signing Form 5500 as a plan administrator.

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The firm will also be accountable for interpretation of plan documents and timely reporting to both plan participants and government oversight agencies.

Sunwest Pensions is a Phoenix-based third-party administrative firm specializing in consulting and administration of retirement plans. TAG Resources LLC is a retirement service company based in Knoxville, Tennessee. More information on the services is available on the firms’ websites. 

Products November 12, 2013

FINRA Speeds Up Broker Data for Investors

An enhanced version of BrokerCheck by the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) gives investors quicker access to investment professionals’ reportable events.
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Investors can search both the BrokerCheck and Investment Adviser Public Disclosure (IAPD) record of any securities professional or firm directly on FINRA’s website. Search results are given in a timeline, a more user-friendly view of an industry professional’s employment status and history, industry registrations and any reportable events, such as customer disputes or disciplinary actions. Investors can obtain information about, and the disciplinary record of, any FINRA-registered broker or brokerage firm.

FINRA will make the new BrokerCheck widget available to third-party websites, giving visitors to those sites direct access to securities professionals’ or firms’ BrokerCheck or IAPD reports without visiting the FINRA or Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) sites.

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BrokerCheck is free of charge. In 2012, members of the public used the service to conduct 14.6 million reviews of broker or firm records.

Investors can access BrokerCheck at www.finra.org/brokercheck or by calling (800) 289-9999.

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