Products September 9, 2004

Retirement Plans Get New iShare Option

September 10, 2004 (PLANSPONSOR.com) - Retirement plan administrators looking for a different investment flavor for their 401(k) plan now have a new option.
Reported by

Advisors Capital Resource (ACR) (formerly Walker MacRae Inc.) has announced its introduction of iShares to the defined contribution and defined benefit markets.   ACR, which notes that iShares have not been widely used in the retirement market because of high trading/transaction   costs and no daily valuation, says it has crafted a solution for those obstacles.   iShares are exchange traded funds, or ETFs, that are bought and sold like common stocks on securities exchanges.   

“ACR is providing both mutual funds and iShares in core fund and managed models that are priced daily for Participant self-direction. Now RIAs, TPAs, and community banks can access daily-valued iShare products for their retirement plans,” according to Lance M. Roberts, executive vice president and founder of ACR and Walker MacRae.

For more stories like this, sign up for the PLANSPONSOR NEWSDash daily newsletter.

Platform Choose

ACR has partnered with Houston-based Hand Benefits and Trust Company that will serve as administrator of the iShare products.   Various iShare products will be offered through Collective Investment Funds (CIFs) that Hand will custody, trade, and administer.   Hand manages over $1 billion in client assets, including CIFs.  

With the ACR platform, retirement plans can choose from the following iShare products:  

      Core Fund Options:     

  • S&P 500
  • Russell 1000 LargeCap Index
  • Russell MidCap Index
  • Russell 2000 SmallCapIndex
  • MSCI EAFE International Index

      Managed Lifestyle Options:

  • Conservative
  • Moderate
  • Aggressive

ACR partners with retirement plan service providers that serve qualified retirement plans – consultants, TPAs, RIAs, Community Banks, and Administrators – not directly to Plan Sponsors.   The services can be private labeled or co-branded, based upon the needs and preferences of the partner advisor.

Additional information may be found at www.acrinvest.com , or by e-mail to info@acrinvest.com  or by calling 603-627-7000.

«