The Standard's Retirement Plan Services


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Highly rated provider of retirement plans to small- and medium-size firms ($500,000 to $50 million in assets)
Subsidiary of StanCorp Financial Group (NYSE: SFG), which serves customers with individual disability insurance, group life and dental insurance, annuities, retirement products and services including investment advice, and commercial mortgage loans
Founded 1906 in Portland, Oregon
First retirement plan in 1936; first group annuity contract in 1963
Rated No. 2 plan administrator by 401kExchange for plans with $1 million to $10 million in assets for the time period of September 1999 - December 2006
Earned 21 Best in Class awards in PLANSPONSOR magazine's "2007 DC Survey" of plan sponsors' satisfaction with their providers
Rated No. 1 provider in Boston Research Group's "DCP 2007" survey of plans with less than $5 million in assets

Administration

Serves traditional and Roth 401(k), defined benefit, money purchase, profit sharing, 403(b), 457 (both governmental and tax-exempt) and non-qualified deferred compensation plans
Comprehensive service package and innovative use of technology minimize clients' workload, while local service and an account manager assigned to each plan maintain a human touch
All services provided by The Standard's own staff or in partnership with a third-party administrator

Investments

Investment options from respected fund families
No internally managed equity or bond funds
Funds are chosen and remain in the lineup based on stringent criteria, including above-average long-term performance, style consistency and low expenses
Funds that do not perform acceptably or which otherwise fail to meet our high standards are terminated
Fees paid by fund companies are typically passed through to the plan to ensure that decisions and advice are unbiased
Investment options must have expense ratios that are lower than median in their asset classes
A brokerage account is an available option

Investment guidance

Registered investment adviser services are available to plan sponsors through StanCorp Investment Advisers, Inc.
StanCorp Investment Advisers, Inc. is a fiduciary in fund selection and monitoring, as well as for advice its representatives provide to plan sponsors
The Standard offers guided portfolios and full-service managed accounts for plan participants

Pricing and compensation

Asset management fees, pricing of administration fees and compensation are flexible based on the goals of the client and producer, as well as the facts and circumstances of the plan

Producer Support

Solutions-oriented and knowledgeable sales and service staff - managers and pension consultants average 21 and 18 years in the retirement plans industry, respectively
35 offices ensure that local support is always close by: Atlanta; Austin; Boston; Charlotte; Chicago; Cincinnati; Cleveland; Dallas; Denver; Detroit; Grand Rapids, Mich.; Mechanicsburg, Pa.; Hartford; Houston; Los Angeles; Louisville; Miami; Minneapolis; New Orleans; New York; Orange, Calif.; Orlando; Philadelphia; Phoenix; Pittsburgh; Portland, Maine; Portland, Ore.; Salt Lake City; San Jose; San Francisco; Seattle; St. Louis; Tampa; Washington, D.C.; Wilmington, Del.

Survey specifics

In 401kExchange’s most recent survey of retirement plan sponsors, The Standard was rated the No. 2 plan administrator for plans with $1 million to $10 million in assets for the September 1999 – December 2006 time period and the No. 4 plan administrator for plans with $1 – $10 million in assets for the period from Jan. 1 to Dec. 31, 2006. Providers were ranked based on the percentage of their clients who rated them very satisfied (rating of 4) or excellent (rating of 5). The survey included 19,933 plan sponsors in the plan administration category. For details, visit 401kExchange.com.
Received 21 Best in Class awards in PLANSPONSOR magazine’s 2007 Defined Contribution Plans Survey as a provider serving plans with less than $5 million in assets (micro market). Best in Class awards were given to top quartile scores in each service category within each asset size. To qualify for a rating, providers needed a minimum of 30 total client responses, and at least 10 client responses in any asset category to be rated in that category. The micro market included 35 providers.
Rated No. 1 overall provider in plan sponsor client satisfaction in Boston Research Group’s 2007 Small Plan Defined Contribution Survey (less than $5 million in assets). Twenty-six providers were included in the survey.

These rankings apply to the services offered by The Standard; they do not apply to the group variable annuity contract or its underlying investment options. The industry surveys referenced above were conducted with employee benefits decision-makers from companies throughout the United States during 2007, either by telephone or through a web-based medium. Each survey firm asked the benefits representatives, who were provided anonymity, to rate their satisfaction with their plan providers on a number of service categories. For the Boston Research Group, PLANSPONSOR and 401kExchange Plan Administrator surveys, providers were rated on such criteria as employee education, participant website, recordkeeping, ERISA services, plan sponsor website, participant statement, investment selection and performance, and satisfaction with value for cost.

Plan sponsors and participants should carefully consider the investment objectives, risks, charges and expenses of the investment options offered under the retirement plan before investing. The prospectuses for the individual mutual funds and The Standard Group Variable Annuity Contract and each underlying investment option in both the group variable annuity and group annuity contain this and other important information. Prospectuses may be obtained by calling 877.805.1127. Please read the prospectus carefully before investing. Investments are subject to market risk and fluctuate in value.

For information on other subsidiaries and business lines under the parent company of StanCorp Financial Group, please visit www.standard.com.

StanCorp Equities, Inc., member FINRA/SIPC, distributes group variable annuity and group annuity contracts issued by Standard Insurance Company and may provide other brokerage services. Third-party administrative services are provided by Standard Retirement Services, Inc. Investment advisory services are provided by StanCorp Investment Advisers, Inc., a registered investment advisor. StanCorp Equities, Inc., Standard Insurance Company, Standard Retirement Services, Inc., and StanCorp Investment Advisers, Inc. are subsidiaries of StanCorp Financial Group, Inc. and all are Oregon corporations.

http://retirement.standard.com