Description

A focused course, tailored for you

The ERISA Compliance Operating Manual for Large-Plan Recordkeepers

A working manual for ERISA specialists at brokerage recordkeepers covering 408(b)(2), Form 5500, fiduciary documentation, and DOL examination defence end to end.

Your 408(b)(2) annual review, Schedule C indirect-compensation reconciliation, and PTE 2020-02 documentation file all have to survive a DOL letter on twenty days' notice. The work is real, the templates are scattered, and nobody outside your team can audit your binder before the examiner does.

$199 one-time

Tailored to your situation. Access within 24 hours. 30-day money-back.

Includes a hand-built implementation playbook delivered alongside course access, generated for your specific situation.

Why this course

ERISA compliance at a large brokerage recordkeeper sits at the intersection of three files that rarely speak to each other. The fee disclosure file (408(b)(2) annual, 404a-5 participant, fund-level revenue-sharing waterfall). The form-filing file (Form 5500 with Schedules A, C, H, and the auditor's opinion letter for large plans). The fiduciary documentation file (PTE 2020-02 rollover analysis, prudence process, conflict mitigation). When the DOL writes, the examiner asks for all three at once, plus the operating procedures behind them, plus evidence that the procedures were followed for a sample of plans. The work to assemble that binder is the work that nobody schedules until the letter arrives. This course assembles it ahead of time.

What you walk away with

A 408(b)(2) annual review packet that ties every indirect-compensation column back to the recordkeeper general ledger.
A Form 5500 Schedule C reconciliation worksheet that survives the plan auditor's testing and the DOL's follow-up.
A PTE 2020-02 documentation file ready for examination on twenty days' notice.
A prohibited transaction exemption tracker covering PTE 84-24, PTE 86-128, PTE 2020-02, and the class exemptions your plan mix actually uses.
A DOL examination response binder with operating procedures, evidence samples, and the legal positions taken on every grey area.

The 12 modules

Module 1. The recordkeeper ERISA exposure map

Walks the seven files an ERISA specialist at a large brokerage recordkeeper actually owns: 408(b)(2) fee disclosure, 404a-5 participant disclosure, Form 5500 reconciliation, PTE 2020-02 rollover documentation, prohibited transaction exemption tracking, plan-sponsor service agreement reviews, and the DOL examination response file. Maps each file to the recordkeeping operations data source that feeds it and the legal position the firm has taken.

Module 2. 408(b)(2) annual review packet

Builds the working packet a recordkeeper produces for every covered service provider relationship: direct compensation by service category, indirect compensation by source, related-party compensation, recordkeeping versus brokerage versus advisory revenue splits, and the changes-since-last-disclosure log. Includes the reconciliation worksheet that ties the disclosure back to the general ledger.

Module 3. Form 5500 Schedule C reconciliation

Walks the data flow from the recordkeeping platform through the plan auditor and into Schedule C. Covers the indirect-compensation classification rules, the eligible indirect compensation versus reportable indirect compensation distinction, the alternative reporting option, and the workpaper trail the plan auditor and DOL both look for. Includes a working worksheet template.

Module 4. 404a-5 participant disclosure operations

Covers the quarterly fee statement, the annual comparative chart, the change notice, and the website disclosure. Walks the operations workflow at a recordkeeper of meaningful scale: data refresh cadence, plan-level customisation, automated distribution, exception handling for participants without electronic delivery consent, and the audit trail for proving timely delivery.

Module 5. PTE 2020-02 documentation file

Builds the rollover-recommendation file the DOL expects to see when a brokerage recordkeeper's adviser network recommends a participant roll a plan balance to an IRA. Covers the best interest analysis, the specific reasons the rollover serves the participant's interest, the comparison of fees and services, and the disclosure delivery evidence. Includes the working template the file is built from.

Module 6. The prohibited transaction exemption tracker

Inventories every PTE the firm relies on (PTE 84-24 for insurance products, PTE 86-128 for agency cross transactions, PTE 2020-02 for rollover advice, the class exemptions for affiliated funds, the statutory exemptions for compensation). Builds a tracker that maps each exemption to the business activity, the documentation required, the audit cadence, and the person accountable.

Module 7. Plan-sponsor service agreement reviews

Walks the service agreement review process: scope of services, fee schedule, indemnification, ERISA section 3(21) versus 3(38) fiduciary status, data-use rights, termination provisions, and the 408(b)(2) disclosure that attaches. Covers the negotiation positions the recordkeeper has taken historically and the positions plan sponsors push back on.

Module 8. DOL examination response operating procedure

The procedure for responding to a DOL examination letter on a twenty-day clock. Covers the initial assessment, the document production scope, the privilege log, the witness preparation, the legal-positions memo, and the closing letter response. Includes the response binder template the procedure produces.

Module 9. SECURE 2.0 implementation tracking

Tracks the SECURE 2.0 provisions that hit recordkeeper operations: mandatory automatic enrolment for new plans, the Roth catch-up requirement, the long-term part-time employee rules, the student loan matching contribution provision, the small immediate financial emergency withdrawal, and the missing participant search safe harbour. Maps each provision to the recordkeeping system change and the participant communication.

Module 10. Missing participant search procedures

Walks the DOL Field Assistance Bulletin guidance on missing participant searches: the search steps, the documentation, the escalation to the PBGC programme or to forfeitures, the fiduciary process behind the decision, and the audit trail the plan auditor and DOL examiner will ask for. Includes the procedure document and the search-step checklist.

Module 11. The QDIA and target-date fund documentation

Covers the qualified default investment alternative documentation: the QDIA notice, the plan-sponsor selection process, the target-date fund glide-path review, the fee-and-performance comparison, and the periodic re-review cadence. Walks the fiduciary documentation the recordkeeper produces to support the plan sponsor's QDIA selection.

Module 12. The recordkeeper ERISA compliance binder

Assembles the master binder a recordkeeper of meaningful scale needs: the operating procedures for every file, the evidence samples that prove the procedures were followed, the legal positions taken on grey areas, the open items log, the regulatory change calendar, and the quarterly review minutes. Walks how to maintain the binder so a DOL letter does not start the work from zero.

How this addresses your situation

Specific modules that map to what you said you are dealing with.

The 408(b)(2) annual review draft sitting in your queue: modules 2, 3, and 7.

The Form 5500 Schedule C reconciliation the plan auditor flagged: modules 3 and 12.

A DOL examination letter arriving with a twenty-day clock: modules 8 and 12.

A PTE 2020-02 rollover-recommendation file the field force needs templates for: modules 5 and 6.

What you get with this course

Twelve written modules in the Art of Service learning environment.
The 408(b)(2) annual review packet template plus the general-ledger reconciliation worksheet.
The Form 5500 Schedule C indirect-compensation classification worksheet and workpaper trail template.
The PTE 2020-02 rollover-recommendation file template plus the best-interest analysis worksheet.
The DOL examination response binder template plus the legal-positions memo skeleton.
The prohibited transaction exemption tracker covering PTE 84-24, PTE 86-128, PTE 2020-02, and the class exemptions.
Hand-built implementation playbook tailored to your specific plan mix and operating model.

What you will have in hand by Day 1, Week 1, Month 1

Within 24 hours: learning environment account provisioned and tailored implementation playbook delivered.

Week 1: modules 1 through 4 plus the 408(b)(2) packet template in working use.

Week 2: modules 5 through 8 plus the PTE 2020-02 file and the DOL response binder template populated.

Week 3: modules 9 through 12 plus the master operating binder assembled and the open-items log running.

Before and after

Before

Your 408(b)(2) packet, Schedule C reconciliation, and PTE 2020-02 file live in three different folders, owned by three different people, with no master binder a DOL examiner could walk in three days.

After

One operating binder, one set of templates, one reconciliation worksheet, one examination response procedure. The DOL letter arrives and the work to answer it is already done.

What happens if you do not address this

The cost of a DOL examination that finds a 408(b)(2) disclosure gap, a Schedule C reconciliation break, or a PTE 2020-02 documentation hole is measured in plan-sponsor relationships lost, regulatory settlements, and the senior-leadership review that follows. The work to prevent that finding takes weeks done ahead of the letter and months done after.

Who it is for

ERISA Compliance Specialist at a large brokerage recordkeeper, accountable for 408(b)(2) annual fee disclosures, Form 5500 reconciliation, PTE 2020-02 rollover documentation, prohibited transaction exemption tracking, and the documentation file that has to answer a DOL examination on a twenty-day clock. Owns the relationships with plan sponsors, the internal audit liaison, the external ERISA counsel, and the recordkeeping operations team that produces the underlying data.

Who this is NOT for. Plan-sponsor-side benefits administrators who own the plan document but not the recordkeeper's fee disclosure obligations. Investment advisers whose only ERISA touchpoint is the PTE 2020-02 rollover analysis at point of sale. Retail-side brokerage compliance officers whose work does not include large-plan recordkeeping.

How it arrives

Text-based course in the Art of Service learning environment, plus downloadable templates and worked examples for every module, plus the hand-built implementation playbook delivered alongside course access.

Time investment. Roughly 18 to 24 hours across three to four weeks at a working pace, with the templates usable from week one.

Why $199 is the right number

ERISA continuing-education credits from the major industry bodies cover the regulatory updates but not the recordkeeper operating procedures or the document templates. ERISA counsel writes excellent legal memoranda but rarely delivers the working binder. Internal training covers the firm's procedures but not the regulator's expectations. This course is the working manual that sits between all three.

FAQ

Does this course count for ERISA continuing education credits?

No. It is a working operating manual, not a CE-credentialed programme. It is built to produce the binder, not the certificate.

Is the implementation playbook generic or tailored?

Tailored. The playbook is hand-built against your specific plan mix, the recordkeeping platform you use, the adviser distribution model you support, and the regulatory exposure points your business actually carries.

How current is the SECURE 2.0 coverage?

The module covers the operating changes the recordkeeper has to implement: automatic enrolment for new plans, Roth catch-up, long-term part-time employee rules, student loan matching, small immediate financial emergency withdrawals, and the missing participant search safe harbour.

Can my team take this together?

The course is single-seat. For team licensing, reply to this email and a multi-seat arrangement can be put in place at a per-seat discount.

30-day money-back guarantee. If after a week of working through the materials this is not what you needed, reply to the receipt email and a full refund is processed. No questions, no forms.

Within 24 hours your account in the learning environment is provisioned and the tailored implementation playbook is delivered alongside it.