Service Provider Selection: Tips & Traps for ERISA Fiduciaries
Program
ERISA requires fiduciaries to act prudently when it comes to selecting and monitoring service providers. Prudence means having an objective process that considers relevant information to support well informed decisions. Fiduciaries often believe they have checked the box on prudence by conducting a request for proposal or some form of fee benchmarking. While these are important steps in the process, they don’t automatically validate decisions as prudent. This presentation will describe how to develop and implement a prudent process for service provider selection, including:
• Documenting the needs of the plan and its participants
• Evaluating the nature and scope of services offered and conflicts of interest
• Background, experience and credentials of the service providers
• Confirming reasonableness of the: 1) terms of the arrangement; and 2) fees in light of value provided
• Tips for documenting the process and ongoing monitoring
Speakers
Jason Roberts, Partner, Fiduciary Law Center
Jason serves as the CEO of Pension Resource Institute, a consulting firm that helps financial institutions compete and comply in the retirement services sector, which he founded in 2010. Jason Roberts is also the founding partner of Fiduciary Law Center, formerly known as Retirement Law Group. His practice focuses on the intersection of financial services and ERISA. In 2021, he co-founded Group Plan Systems, an independent pooled plan provider to over 30 pooled employer plans.
Previously, Jason was a partner and co-chair of the Financial Services Group at a leading ERISA law firm and the head of the Investment Fiduciary practice for a national securities law firm.
He has published numerous articles focusing on ERISA and securities compliance, fiduciary best practices and is a frequent speaker at retirement plan and financial industry conferences. Jason has been repeatedly recognized as one of the “100 Most Influential in Defined Contribution” by the 401(k) Wire and was selected by InvestmentNews as one of the Top 40 Advisors and Associated Professionals under 40. The Wall Street Journal also tapped Jason for its Ask the Experts series answering readers’ questions relating to the DOL’s Fiduciary Regulation.
Jason received a BSBA in Finance & Banking from the University of Missouri and his J.D. from UCLA Law School.
Outside of work, you can find Jason deep sea fishing, tending a wide range of fresh citrus in his grove, cooking, and spending time with his wife and their two children.
Shannon Main, CFP®, AIF®, Regional Growth Leader, World Investment Advisors, LLC
Shannon Main began her career in the financial services industry in 1995 and works exclusively with corporate retirement plan sponsors, designing plans to meet the most critical fiduciary standards in an increasingly stringent regulatory environment. She is a Regional Growth Leader at World Investment Advisors, having built on her extensive experience managing a retirement plan practice and working with corporate retirement plan clients at USI and Morgan Stanley.
She is currently a member of the National Association of Plan Advisors (NAPA) and serves as Past President of the Western Pension & Benefits Council Governing Board and Western Benefits & Pension Council, Orange County Chapter. Shannon has spoken at national conferences and local industry events on a variety of retirement plan focused topics. She was selected as a delegate to the NAPA DC Fly-In Forum from 2015 - 2024, where the nation’s leading retirement plan advisors brief congressional leaders on the importance and future of workplace retirement plans. She was named among the Financial Times 401 Top Retirement Plan Advisors in 2016 and 2017 and was designated as a Captain in NAPA’s roster of Top Women Advisors from 2015 - 2025, an award granted to only 50 women nationwide.
Shannon earned a B.S. in Biological Sciences from the University of California, Irvine. She holds the CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER credential and the Accredited Investment Fiduciary designation.
Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards Inc. owns the certification marks CFP®, CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER TM and federally registered CFP (with flame design) in the U.S., which it awards to individuals who successfully complete CFP Board’s initial and ongoing certification requirements.
The Center for Fiduciary Studies owns the marks AIF® and AIFA®, which it awards to individuals who successfully complete initial and ongoing accreditation requirements.
Jesse Taylor, Senior Vice President, Business Development RPAG
Jesse is a growth-focused executive with more than 15 years of experience helping retirement industry organizations scale through enterprise sales, strategic partnerships, advisor engagement, and distribution strategy.
As Senior Vice President of Business Development at RPAG, Jesse has played a key role in helping grow one of the largest retirement-focused advisor communities in the United States, supporting more than 4,000 advisors representing over $1.5 trillion in collective assets.
Over the course of his career, Jesse has recruited hundreds of retirement advisory firms to the platform, generated millions of dollars in annual recurring revenue, developed enterprise partnerships with many of the industry's leading broker-dealers, RIAs, aggregators, asset managers, and financial institutions, and helped drive sustained double-digit growth across the organization.
Jesse’s experience spans enterprise sales, business development, advisor technology, product commercialization, conference strategy, marketing leadership, and executive relationship management. Having led both sales and marketing organizations, Jesse bring a unique perspective on how to align go-to-market strategy, distribution, partnerships, and customer engagement to accelerate growth.
Jesse is passionate about helping financial services organizations build scalable growth engines, develop meaningful strategic partnerships, and create solutions that deliver measurable value to advisors and their clients.
Continuing Education
2 CE for AIF (pending)
2 CPEs for ASPPA certifications
2 CE for ERPA (pending)
2 CECs for NIPA certifications
2 hours for California CPAs
1.5 hours of California MCLE
2 hours for Certified Financial Planners (pending)
2 CE for CRPS
2 CE for CEBS
Pricing
- Individual Member: $60
- Non-Members $85
- Gold Members: Prepaid Must Register Online
- Corporate & Sponsor Members: Prepaid Must Register Online
Doors open at 7:30 am for check-in, breakfast and networking. Our program will begin at 8:00 am and this program will end at approximately 9:45 am. The registration fee includes a full breakfast buffet and hosted valet parking.
- WP&BC Members can bring a guest for free! This is a wonderful opportunity to introduce your peers and colleagues to our Chapter. Remember, your guest MUST be a first-time visitor and potential member. Email info@wpbcorangecounty.org for details.
- The statements and materials presented at WP&BC Orange County Chapter events are solely the opinions of the speakers and do not represent the opinions or positions of WP&BC Orange County Chapter. In addition, WP&BC Orange County Chapter assumes no responsibility for the content or accuracy of the statements and materials presented by speakers at WP&BC Orange County Chapter events.
Enjoying our programs and interested in membership? Please send an email to info@wpbcorangecounty.org for additional information.