SAN DIEGO, CA — (Marketwire) — 03/25/13 — BrightScope (), a leading provider of independent financial information and investment research, today announced its fourth annual list of the top Atlanta-based companies with the highest ranked 401k plans containing more than $50 million in assets.
BrightScope obtains an increasing amount of its data directly from plan sponsors and record keepers, and augments these primary sources with data from publicly available sources such as the Department of Labor and the Securities and Exchange Commission. By analyzing and interpreting this data, BrightScope provides unprecedented transparency into the 401k industry.
“Atlanta should be very proud of the ratings on this year-s list because the scores improved significantly, demonstrating that local companies are actively working to improve their 401k plans,” said Mike Alfred, CEO and co-founder of BrightScope. “By quantifying 401k plan quality, BrightScope recognizes and highlights the companies that are delivering secure retirement outcomes to Atlanta workers.”
Noteworthy findings in the 2013 Top 25 Atlanta 401k Plans list include:
Last year-s list rating spectrum ranged from 86.81 to 80.95, while this year-s list scored between 87.68 to 82.03
This year-s No. 3, Oglethorpe Power Corporation, and No. 5, RSUI Indemnity Company made its first appearances this year
Increase in rankings: Eight of the 25 plans moved up on this year-s list, including IVZ, Inc. from 5th to 3rd, Arnall Golden Gregory LLP from 7th to 4th, and The North Highland Company from 14th to 6th
Decrease in ranking: Ten of the 25 plans moved down on this year-s list, including Georgia Transmission Corporation from 2nd to 8th, Smith, Gambrell & Russell, LLP from 8th to 10th, and Troutman Sanders LLP from 12th to 14th
Holding strong: Four companies ranked the same on this year-s list: AXIS Specialty U.S. Services, Inc. (No. 1), Alston & Bird, LLP (No. 9), Delta Air Lines, Inc. (No. 11), and Institute of Nuclear Power Operations (No. 21)
Colonial Pipeline Company, Travelport Inc., and ARRIS Group, Inc., respectively ranked 22nd, 24th, and 25th last year, did not make this year-s list due to low BrightScope Ratings
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1. AXIS Specialty U.S. Services, Inc. – – 87.68
2. IVZ, Inc. – – 87.44
3. Oglethorpe Power Corporation – – 87.31
4. Arnall Golden Gregory LLP – – 87.14
5. RSUI Indemnity Company – – 86.59
6. The North Highland Company – – 86.50
7. Northside Anesthesiology Consultants, LLC – – 85.99
8. Georgia Transmission Corporation – – 85.99
9. Alston & Bird, LLP – – 85.63
10. Smith, Gambrell & Russell, LLP – – 85.24
11. Delta Air Lines, Inc. – – 84.84
12. Morris, Manning & Martin, LLP – – 84.73
13. UCB Holdings, Inc. – – 84.57
14. Troutman Sanders LLP – – 84.31
15. Kurt Salmon Associates, Inc. – – 84.12
16. IntercontinentalExchange, Inc. – – 84.12
17. Delta Air Lines, Inc. – – 84.00
18. King & Spalding LLP – – 83.76
19. McKenna Long & Aldridge LLP – – 83.54
20. ING Life Insurance and Annuity Co. – – 82.91
21. Institute of Nuclear Power Operations – – 82.65
22. Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications USA, Inc. – – 82.64
23. CedarCrestone, Inc. – – 82.44
24. Fisher and Phillips LLP – – 82.42
25. Kemira Chemicals, Inc. – – 82.03
On April 18, Mr. Alfred will be speaking at the Plan Sponsor Consultants Breakfast with Benefits seminar at the Ritz Carlton, Buckhead in Atlanta where he will be discussing a variety of topics relating to America-s 401k program, including Atlanta-s fourth annual Top 25 401k Plans list. This event is the 21st in a series of Breakfast with Benefits sponsored by Plan Sponsor Consultants, a 2013 ASPPA/NAPA 401(k) Advisor Leadership Award Finalist, and Frazier & Deeter, a nationally ranked top 100 CPA and Advisory firm headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia that provides a full spectrum of audit, tax and advisory services (). To register for the event, please go .
BrightScope-s 401k plan Rating was developed by BrightScope, Inc. with the help of leading academics and independent 401k fiduciaries. Analyzing more than 200 individual data points, the BrightScope Rating algorithm can calculate a single numerical score for each 401k plan in the country. The data points examined cover broad categories such as total plan cost, company generosity and investment menu quality.
BrightScope has rated nearly 50,000 401k plans, spanning more than 30 million workers and over $2 trillion in assets. Industry adoption of the BrightScope Rating will lead to more cost-effective plans, increased participation rates, higher employee satisfaction and better outcomes for the 60 million employees who depend on their 401k plan for retirement.
BrightScope is a financial information company that brings transparency to opaque markets through independent research and analysis. Delivered through web-based software, BrightScope data drives better decision-making for individual investors, corporate plan sponsors, asset managers, broker-dealers, and financial advisors. The BrightScope Rating, developed in partnership with leading independent 401k fiduciaries, reviews more than 200 unique data inputs per plan and calculates a single numerical score which defines plan quality at the company level. In April 2011, the company launched BrightScope Advisor Pages, the first comprehensive and publicly available directory of financial advisors designed to help consumers discover information and conduct due diligence on wealth management professionals. BrightScope also markets a suite of data analytics software products to Fortune 1000 companies, asset managers, broker-dealers, financial advisors, and other market participants. Public ratings for more than 46,000 retirement plans as well as rating definitions, criteria and methodologies, and information on nearly 600,000 financial advisors and nearly 40,000 advisory firms are available for free at .
Jen Harding
Atomic PR for BrightScope
415-593-1400