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Automatic 401k with full-service administration for small businesses
Guideline is the most widely used 401(k) provider for small businesses, serving over 40,000 companies with a full-service plan that handles every administrative, compliance, and investment management aspect for a straightforward monthly fee. The pricing model — base fee plus per-employee charge — is transparent and predictable, covering plan design, employee enrollment, payroll integration, investment management, compliance testing, Form 5500 filing, and participant education. Investment options are a curated menu of low-cost index funds from Vanguard, DFA, and BlackRock, with automatic rebalancing and target-date fund options. The 3(16) and 3(38) fiduciary services mean Guideline assumes compliance and investment management responsibility, reducing the employer's fiduciary burden. Payroll integrations cover Gusto, Rippling, ADP, Paychex, OnPay, and 30+ providers for automated contribution processing. The employee app provides investment allocation management, contribution rate adjustment, and retirement income projections. SECURE Act compliance and automatic enrollment features are supported. Guideline's scale — managing billions in plan assets — enables competitive institutional investment pricing. For small businesses seeking a hassle-free 401(k) without dedicated HR or financial staff, Guideline's all-inclusive model handles the complexity that makes retirement plan administration daunting.