The Ultimate Retirement Solution for Companies Big and Small
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Employer Retirement Plan Solution
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Competitive Investment Lineup
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Maximum Savings Pre-Tax and/or Roth
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Business Owner Tax Credits
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Freedom from State Mandated Plan!
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Business spotlights and community challenges
Set up your plan in just 15 minutes.
☝️Note: The passcode is CRP401k
Bundled Outsourcing
- Trustee responsibilities
- Annual regulatory filing
- Plan discrimination testing
- Plan document maintenance
- Investment selection and monitoring
- Processing of loans and distributions
- Delivery of participant regulatory disclosures
Other Benefits
- Cost savings
- Ease of administration
- Reduced fiduciary risk
- Scalable for small and micro plans
- Individual plan design for each employer
Our story
Castle Rock Investment Company, formed in 2006, is an independent woman-owned SEC-registered investment adviser located in Castle Rock, Colorado. Specialties include advising workplace retirement plans, including 401(a), 401(k), 403(b), 457, profit sharing, employee stock ownership, defined benefit plans and individual financial planning.
Ready for a New Type of Adviser?
Founder Owner
Career
Prior to founding the firm in 2006, Michele Suriano served plan sponsors as a retirement plan adviser for Ceridian (2002-2006) and retail investors as an investment adviser with T. Rowe Price, Inc. (1999-2002). Between 1994 and 1999 she worked in the mortgage industry holding several positions including Executive Branch Manager for Transamerica Financial Services, Inc. in Colorado Springs, CO and Advanta Finance, Inc. in Vienna, VA.
Volunteer Work
In addition to her business activities, Michele teaches yoga at https://peaceoutyoga.com/ and serves on the Investment Committee for Disability Law Colorado (“DLC”), a nonprofit organization protecting the human, civil and legal rights of people with disabilities and older people. She served on the Board of Directors for DLC from 2011 – 2017). She served as Crew Leader for Keepers of the Rock, in partnership with the Town’s Teen Court program (2005 – 2018). https://www.crgov.com/2370/Trail-Maintenance-Groups She served on the Board of Directors for the Denver chapter of the Western Pension & Benefits Council (2007- 2013).
Additional Designations
- Tax-Exempt & Governmental Plan Consultant (“TGPC”) certification awarded by the American Society of Pension Professional and Actuaries (“ASPPA”).
- Qualified Plan Financial Consultant (“QPFC”) designation awarded by ASPPA
- Accredited Investment Fiduciary™ (“AIF®”) designation awarded by the Center for Fiduciary Studies
- Global Fiduciary Strategist (“GFS”) designation
- Thunderbird's Certificate in Fiduciary Governance
- Bachelor of Science Degree in Applied Economics from Hofstra University.
- Leadership Development Institute at Glen Eyrie from the Navigators
Public Speaking Engagements
- Panelist at the 2010 PLANADVISER National Conference in Orlando, FL
- Panelist at the 2011 PLANSPONSOR National Conference in Chicago, IL, PSNC 2011: Small Plans, Big Challenges, https://www.plansponsor.com/psnc-2011-small-plans-big-challenges/
- Presented at the 2011 Rocky Mountain Area Conference on the importance of measuring retirement readiness and using plan design to optimize participant outcomes.
- Presented at the September 2012, Rocky Mountain Area Conference on the plan-level and participant-level ERISA notice requirements, “408(b)(2) for Responsible Fiduciaries.”
- Panelist at the 2013 PLANSPONSOR National Conference in Chicago, IL PSNC 2013: Metric Taking, https://www.plansponsor.com/psnc-2013-metric-taking/
Referenced in Trade Publications
Quoted in several articles by the retirement benefits industry trade publications, www.plansponsor.com and www.planadviser.com
- The Moment of Truth, The 408(b)(2) fee disclosure rule is a tremendous opportunity for advisers https://www.planadviser.com/magazine/the-moment-of-truth/
- Getting Wired, Seven keys for advisers to use social media effectively. https://www.planadviser.com/magazine/getting-wired/
Passed these FINRA examinations:
- Series 6 (Investment Company and Variable Contracts Products Representatives)
- Series 7 (General Securities Representative)
- Series 63 (Uniform Securities State Law)
- Series 66 (Uniform Combined State Law).
- Passed the Colorado state insurance exams for life, health and variable annuities.
Adviser to Finalists for Plan Sponsor of the Year (2013 and 2017)
Set up your plan in just 15 minutes.
☝️Note: The passcode is CRP401k
Employer Tax Credits- What makes this a "No brainer"
From SECURE Act of 2019:
- Employer qualification: Adopt Automatic Enrollment
- Employer tax credit: $500 for three years
- Employer qualification: Annual Plan Startup Costs
- Employer tax credit: 50%, up to $250 per employee, min. $500, max. $5,000
From SECURE 2.0:
- Employer qualification: Have <50 employees
- Employee qualification: Earns <$100,000
- Employer tax credit: Tax credit for employer matching contribution up to $1,000 per employee with phase out schedule.
- Year 1 - 100%, Year 2 - 100%, Year 3 - 75%, Year 4 - 50%, Year 5 – 25%
Example: Startup Cost ($500) + Auto Enroll ($500) + Employer Contribution for 3 employees ($3,000)= Year 1 Tax Credit of $4,000
State Mandated Retirement Plans
As of June 30, 2024, 17 states have enacted auto-IRA programs for private sector workers. Find out if your state is one of them.
See what people are saying
My company (Rocky Mountain Insurance Advisors) has been utilizing the pooled employer retirement plan services of Castle Rock PEP for 6 months now… the experience has been outstanding to date. They have been diligent with regards to helping both launch and administrate the plan for my staff and myself. The plan investment options are numerous, their financial guidance on-the-spot, and the many tax benefits to my family owned and operated business are all needed and welcomed. Michele and Ryan… the plan directors are both top notch professionals that know their craft. I highly recommend Castle Rock PEP's pooled employer plan services to small business owner’s (like myself) that are looking to provide a top-notch, “big-corp type” retirement solution for their employees.
I worked with Castle Rock Investment Company on the 401(k) plan since starting with the firm in 2016 and had a fantastic experience. Their ERISA expertise supported management with fiduciary governance and decisions about plan design. Our employees' financial health is strong due to the quality investment choices and low costs they put in place. They were responsive, professional, and reliable through the years and I highly recommend Castle Rock Investment Company to any employer looking for retirement solution.
Castle Rock helped us select a Pooled Employer Plan as the best course of action for our small organization, and helped us get it up and running quickly. I highly recommend them!
Welcome to Castle Rock
Independent Guide, Trusted Partner
Built for every business
No business too large or too small.
Quick setup
Get started today and schedule a one-on-one meeting to help you select the design that works best for your company.
Easy to use
We take care of the investments and administration for you.
Customizable
Each business chooses their own plan design.
Set up your plan in just 15 minutes.
☝️Note: The passcode is CRP401k