About ADMIN316
Since 1997, Admin316 has specialized exclusively in retirement plan administration and fiduciary services. Based in Corpus Christi, Texas, we work with employers nationwide to simplify plan administration while reducing fiduciary exposure.
We Didn't Set Out to Build a 3(16) Fiduciary Firm. We Discovered Why One Needed to Exist.
Our story began in 1997 as an investment advisory firm. As we began working with more employer-sponsored retirement plans, we quickly discovered something that concerned us: managing a retirement plan required us — and more importantly, the plan sponsor — to depend on multiple outside providers to make sure everything was done correctly.
There was an investment advisor. A recordkeeper. A TPA. A payroll provider. A CPA. Sometimes an ERISA attorney. Everyone had a role. But the employer was still sitting in the middle of it all — ultimately responsible for making sure the pieces came together.
Then a conversation with an ERISA attorney changed the way we looked at retirement plan administration. He explained that he routinely became involved with plans after something had already gone wrong. A plan could pay professionals year after year and still develop operational or compliance problems. His firm would be brought in, correct the problems, and then sometimes see the same plan return a few years later with another issue.
That raised a question that ultimately led to Admin316:
Why should a business owner or HR department be expected to understand, coordinate, and oversee a highly regulated retirement plan when retirement-plan administration isn't their business?
That Is Why Admin316 Exists
We believe employers should be able to focus on what they do best — running their businesses and taking care of their employees. Retirement plans should be administered by specialists whose business is retirement plans.
Admin316 was built around that principle. Instead of simply providing another service to the plan sponsor, our model is designed to accept specifically delegated fiduciary responsibilities and coordinate the professionals already serving the plan.
We work with your existing recordkeeper, advisor, payroll provider, CPA, TPA and ERISA counsel when appropriate.
We don't need to replace the relationships that are working. We replace the employer in the administrative fiduciary roles delegated to us.
Not All 3(16) Fiduciaries Are the Same
Hiring a company that calls itself a 3(16) fiduciary does not automatically mean you have transferred all of the administrative responsibility you think you have.
The title doesn't determine your protection. Your service agreement does.
Some 3(16) agreements contain a list of specific tasks the provider agrees to perform. Everything outside that list may remain the responsibility of the employer. That is why we encourage plan sponsors considering any 3(16) provider — including us — to read the service agreement carefully.
Don't just ask
“What will you do for us?”
Ask
“After I sign your agreement, what am I still responsible for?”
We believe that is one of the most important questions a plan sponsor can ask.
Our Philosophy Is Different
We don't believe plan sponsors should have to become ERISA experts just to figure out what responsibilities they need to delegate.
Because sometimes the greatest risk isn't what you know. It's what you don't know you're still responsible for.
Our approach is therefore built around responsibility and accountability — not simply completing a checklist of tasks. Admin316 can serve in multiple fiduciary capacities, including:
- ERISA §3(16) Plan Administrator — administrative fiduciary responsibility and day-to-day plan operations.
- ERISA §402(a) Named Fiduciary — designated fiduciary responsibility for plan management as provided under the plan's governance structure.
- Trustee Services — assuming applicable trustee responsibilities where engaged.
- ERISA §3(38) Investment Fiduciary Services — discretionary investment fiduciary responsibility where included in the engagement.
- Plan Benchmarking & Fiduciary Review — reviewing plan fees, investments, design and governance.
The objective is straightforward: transfer responsibility — not simply work.
What the Employer Still Controls
Even with comprehensive fiduciary outsourcing, the employer remains responsible for certain fundamental employer functions.
| Employer function | What it means |
|---|---|
| 1. Settlor responsibilities | The employer retains the business decisions associated with establishing and maintaining the plan, including decisions such as adopting, amending, freezing or terminating the plan. |
| 2. Timely funding | The employer must make the funds available so participant contributions and other required amounts can be deposited within applicable timeframes. |
| 3. Accurate census & payroll data | The employer must provide complete and accurate payroll, compensation, employee and census information. |
Those are responsibilities the employer controls. Our job is to build the fiduciary and administrative structure around them so the employer is not expected to become a retirement-plan administrator.
Independent by Design
Admin316 is an independent fiduciary organization. We do not sell investments, and our current model is designed so that our fiduciary administration is not driven by investment commissions.
That distinction matters. Our responsibility is to the plan and its participants — not to a proprietary investment product or recordkeeping platform.
That independence also allows us to work alongside many of the industry's leading advisors, recordkeepers, payroll providers and other retirement-plan professionals.
If you already have relationships that are working, we don't have to replace them. We coordinate them.
Experience That Goes Beyond a Checklist
Since our beginnings in 1997, our organization has worked with retirement plans through changing regulations, technologies, recordkeeping platforms and fiduciary expectations. Today, Admin316 works with employers nationwide and has administered 975+ retirement plans.
3(16) Plan Administration
Day-to-day administrative fiduciary oversight, participant notices, filings, compliance coordination and plan operations.
402(a) Named Fiduciary Services
A defined governance structure with an independent named fiduciary accepting delegated responsibility under the plan.
Trustee Services
Additional fiduciary oversight and accountability for applicable trustee functions.
3(38) Investment Fiduciary Services
Independent discretionary oversight of the plan's investment menu when included in the engagement.
Plan Benchmarking
Reviewing fees, investments and plan design against relevant benchmarks to identify opportunities and potential concerns.
Audit & Compliance Support
Helping coordinate plan audits, regulatory matters and corrections when issues arise.
One Plan. Multiple Providers. One Fiduciary Point of Accountability.
A retirement plan can involve a recordkeeper, advisor, payroll company, TPA, CPA, auditor, custodian and ERISA attorney. Without clear responsibility, it can become the employer's job to make sure everyone else does theirs.
We believe there is a better model.
Admin316 sits at the center of the plan's administrative fiduciary structure, coordinating the providers, monitoring responsibilities and accepting the fiduciary duties specifically delegated to us.
Your employees deserve a well-run retirement plan. You deserve to run your business instead of becoming an ERISA administrator.
That's why we built Admin316.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is a 3(16) fiduciary the same thing at every firm?
No. The title does not determine how much responsibility has actually been transferred — the service agreement does. Some agreements list a narrow set of tasks and leave everything outside that list with the employer. Ask any provider, including us: after I sign your agreement, what am I still responsible for?
Do we have to change our recordkeeper, advisor or payroll provider to work with Admin316?
No. Admin316 is designed to coordinate the professionals already serving the plan. We work with your existing recordkeeper, advisor, payroll provider, CPA, TPA and ERISA counsel when appropriate. We replace the employer in the administrative fiduciary roles delegated to us, not the relationships that are working.
What responsibilities stay with the employer?
Settlor decisions (adopting, amending, freezing or terminating the plan), making funds available so contributions can be deposited within applicable timeframes, and providing complete and accurate payroll, compensation and census data. Our job is to build the fiduciary and administrative structure around those functions.
Does Admin316 sell investments or receive investment commissions?
No. Admin316 is an independent fiduciary organization. We do not sell investments, and our current model is designed so that our fiduciary administration is not driven by investment commissions.
What fiduciary roles can Admin316 accept?
ERISA §3(16) plan administrator, ERISA §402(a) named fiduciary, applicable trustee responsibilities where engaged, ERISA §3(38) investment fiduciary services where included in the engagement, and plan benchmarking and fiduciary review.
How long has Admin316 been doing this?
The organization began in 1997 as an investment advisory firm and evolved into an independent fiduciary administration firm. Admin316 works with employers nationwide and has administered 975+ retirement plans.
Educational information only. Fiduciary status, plan operations and correction options depend on your plan document, service agreements and specific facts. Nothing here is legal, tax, investment or actuarial advice, and reading it does not create a fiduciary or client relationship.
- Why Employers Choose Admin316
Fiduciary Protection Built Around Your Plan
Admin316’s independent fiduciary services are designed to reduce administrative burden, minimize liability, and protect plan sponsors through proactive compliance and operational oversight.
Independent Fiduciary Oversight
Admin316 is 100% independent, we earn no commissions, sell no investments, and have no financial stake in your plan’s decisions. Our sole obligation is to you and your participants.
Reduced Risk
By assuming administrative fiduciary responsibility under ERISA Sections 3(16) and 402(a), Admin316 significantly reduces the personal liability that would otherwise rest on your shoulders as plan sponsor.
Lower Cost
Through plan benchmarking and fee analysis, Admin316 helps employers identify excessive costs and optimize plan expenses, we help employers identify and reduce excessive plan costs.
Preserve Existing Relationships
We work alongside your existing advisor, recordkeeper, payroll company, CPA, and ERISA attorney, coordinating these relationships and providing fiduciary oversight without disrupting what is already working.
- In Business Since 1997
- 2,500+ Plans Administered
- 100% Independent & Conflict-Free
Get Your Free Fiduciary GuideA plain-English guide to what ERISA actually puts on the plan sponsor — including which fiduciary roles you can actually delegate — and which of those duties can be transferred to an independent fiduciary. No cost, no call required.
Get the guide →We Work Alongside Leading Recordkeepers & Plan Providers
- About Us
Protecting Retirement Plans. Reducing Employer Liability. Since 1997.
Since 1997, Admin316 has specialized exclusively in retirement plan administration and fiduciary services. Based in Corpus Christi, Texas, we work with employers nationwide, from small businesses to large enterprises, to simplify plan administration, reduce fiduciary exposure, and preserve the advisor and recordkeeper relationships already in place. We do not replace your team. We assume the responsibility your team was never meant to carry.
our vision
To be the most trusted independent fiduciary firm in the United States, known exclusively for assuming the administrative responsibility employers were never meant to bear alone
Our Mission
We do not replace your advisor, recordkeeper, payroll company, CPA, or ERISA attorney. Instead, we coordinate these relationships and provide the fiduciary oversight layer that protects your organization and your participants.
975+ Plans Administered
Helping Employers Reduce Fiduciary Risk Across the United States Since 1997
Admin316 Client Result
Plan Sponsor · Admin316 Client
