Our Innovations
Deliver more value with less complexity. Our relentless commitment to client experience makes managing the full lifecycle of the plan frictionless. Explore the latest tools and enhancements designed to simplify your day-to-day and elevate your impact.
2025 enhancements to simplify and scale your practice
Ascensus’ latest innovations and advancements for advisors
Simplify fund management
Investment Change Manager (ICM), exclusively from Ascensus, enables advisors to submit fund change requests online, in minutes. A faster, more accurate workflow saves time and provides a better client experience.
Shaping the future
We recently launched the Client Effort Score, which gives clients the opportunity to provide direct, immediate feedback within certain workflows. The result: clear and quick identification of areas for improvement, as well as usability insights to inform future experiences. We appreciate the high engagement so far!
Comprehensive prospecting toolkit
Maximize your outreach and drive results with ready-made resources for a 2-month marketing campaign. Whether you’re targeting existing plan sponsors or those without a plan, our tools can help you effectively connect with your target audience to achieve your goals.
Timely insights
Gain a comprehensive view of competitive rewards programs, including compensation, retirement, and employee health and welfare benefits with the Compensation, Retirement, and Benefits Trends Report. The 2024/2025 edition features insights from nearly 800 organizations across industries, geographies, and sizes.
Enhanced SECURE 2.0 calculator
Help clients maximize their savings by exploring the tax credits available when they sponsor a qualifying retirement plan. In addition to first-year credits, the start-up credit and auto-enrollment credit may be available for an additional two years, and the employer contribution credit may be available for an additional four years.
Simplified onboarding through a digital-first approach
Easily track your clients’ progress in real-time during the onboarding process—making it more convenient to monitor and expediate setup while ensuring a smooth experience for your clients.
Resources to evaluate plan providers
Enhance your client relationships and boost their confidence in retirement planning with curated resources designed to help them understand the diverse offerings of retirement plan providers—ensuring they make well-informed plan decisions.
Ascensus’ latest innovations and advancements for plan sponsors
Streamlining payroll
Continuous enhancements to payroll submission and automation methods gives plan sponsors time-saving, flexible options to choose the path that best suits their plan. Plan sponsors can count on increasingly intuitive and supportive experiences as we listen to client feedback and continue to innovate.
Digital-first onboarding approach
Reduce onboarding time and enhance the client experience with a real-time view of plan status throughout the process until the plan goes live.
Accelerated enhancements
We recently launched the Client Effort Score. Some plan sponsors and participants will have the opportunity to provide direct, immediate feedback within certain workflows such as payroll, reporting, and enrollment.
3(16) Administrative Fiduciary Services
Simplify compliance for clients with our comprehensive fiduciary services for fully bundled plans. We prepare and sign the Form 5500, delivering a truly seamless client experience.
Streamlined communications and flexibility
Equip clients with the flexibility they need to achieve their plan goals with enhanced, targeted transactional and operational communications, along with improved plan capabilities and design features.
Year-end reporting enhancements
Elevate the client year-end experience with new capabilities such as a digital tool for calculating annual employer contributions, a streamlined Form 5500 process, improved compliance testing, and clear category eligibility.
Enriched payroll experience
Enhance your clients' payroll experience with proactive, instant validation and feedback, improving first-time accuracy and timely funding. In addition, more payroll integration options are available for greater flexibility and efficiency.
Auto-enroll into Roth
Provide additional value in turning on the benefits of auto-enrollment to clients with the capability to direct auto-enrollment contributions to Roth retirement accounts.
Ascensus’ latest innovations and advancements for participants
Simplified, comprehensive dashboard
View total savings in a comprehensive view, including balances, future savings per month, pending transactions, and quick links to common activities all in one place. Access all of your employer-sponsored plans - including nonqualified plans - directly from your dashboard.
In addition, Newport nonqualified deferred compensation plan participants benefit from enhanced, advanced distribution modeling, new financial wellness education and resources, and more personalized digital communication. Learn more.
Simplified enrollment via desktop and mobile
Simplified, convenient enrollment across all touchpoints helps reduce enrollment drop-off and improve participant satisfaction from the very beginning. Continue to drive enrollment and increased savings rates with ongoing personalized campaigns and re-enrollment options.
Streamlined transactions
Make the savings experience faster and more efficient by replacing paper or manual forms with online, automated transactions—enabling savers to quickly submit requests and easily manage their plan.
Easier online rollovers
Participants in plans that allow rollovers from outside accounts can centralize their retirement accounts in one place with a more streamlined, expedited process.
More functionality on the go
Empower your savers with the READYSAVETM mobile app and single sign-on, providing them with an integrated financial wellness experience through Financial Finesse. They’ll benefit from enhanced retirement modeling within My Forecast, the ability to make investment and deferral changes right through the app, and a comprehensive multi-plan view.
Ascensus’ latest innovations and advancements for TPAs
Simplified onboarding through a digital-first approach
Easily track your clients' progress in real time during the onboarding process—making it more convenient to monitor and expediate setup while ensuring a smooth experience for your clients. Coming soon for 401(k) and other products.
Optimizing your plan management
Access a comprehensive book of business toolset within Your Plan View, featuring a dashboard with more data points and resources, along with quick links to key information. Utilize the Investment Change Manager for bulk updates across multiple plans, streamlining processes and enhancing efficiency.
Streamlined SECURE 2.0 updates
Stay up to date with the latest regulatory changes through our Secure 2.0 resources, which provide timely updates and comprehensive information. Access a range of sharable resources designed to support and engage both clients and prospects, enhancing your service delivery and outreach.
Enhanced TPA marketing strategies
Leverage our ready-made one-month marketing campaign to engage advisors and prospects. This plan helps you demonstrate the value you bring to supporting retirement plans.
Looking for expertise to support your nonqualified deferred compensation plan clients and prospects?
Work with Newport, an Ascensus company, to gain access to highly specialized expertise and digital experiences.
2024 Retirement Leader of the Year1
Nearly 16 million savers
Serving nearly 16 million savers and more than 260,0001
30+ industry awards
Honored with more than 30 industry awards for excellence, including 2024 Retirement Leader of the Year2
1 2024 With Intelligence Mutual Fund & ETF Awards.
2 Ascensus data as of March 31, 2025.
Product and service availability can depend on plan type and/or approval with your firm
Product and service availability can depend on plan type and/or approval with your firm