12 Best & Worst Broker-Dealer 401(k) Plans: 2015

Slideshow February 04, 2015 at 09:32 AM
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The firms that administer 401(k) plans for clients also have to make sure their own employees are ready to enjoy their retirement years.

Last year, we looked at the financial firms on our quarterly Best & Worst Broker-Dealers list through the lens of 401(k) plan ratings calculated by BrightScope. This year, Stifel Financial was the big winner, vaulting from last to near the top of this year's rankings. 

The average rating for plans in the peer groups was about 90. The highest among the dozen firms we looked at was 88 and the lowest 71. That's an improvement on both ends over 2014.

BrightScope uses more than 200 pieces of data to rate 401(k) plans. It then ranks them within peer groups of similar plan sizes and industries. An algorithm runs thousands of simulations to predict how quickly a plan would get the average participant ready for retirement.

BrightScope also quantifies how much longer an employee would have to work to make up for the difference between their firm's retirement plan and that of the best in the peer group. (BrightScope has a full accounting of its system on its website.)

Take a look at the 12 Best & Worst Broker-Dealer 401(k) Plans for 2015:

Jamie Dimon, CEO of JPMorgan Chase (Photo: AP)

12. JPMORGAN Chase & Co.

Rating: 71

Highest in Peer Group: 90

Additional Years of Work: 13

Lost Savings: $53,200

Plan Assets: $19.9 billion

Average Account Balance: $70,000

Richard Lampen, President and CEO of Ladenburg Thalmann Financial Services, Inc.

11. LADENBURG THALMANN

Rating: 74

Highest in Peer Group: 92

Additional Years of Work: 13

Lost Savings: $41,500

Plan Assets: $19.6 million

Average Account Balance: $83,000

Mark Casady, CEO of LPL Financial.

10. LPL FINANCIAL

Rating: 75

Highest in Peer Group: 91

Additional Years of Work: 11

Lost Savings: $132,200

Plan Assets: $170.6 million

Average Account Balance: $46,000

Paul Reilly, CEO of Raymond James Financial.

9. RAYMOND JAMES

Rating: 76

Highest in Peer Group: 91

Additional Years of Work: 10

Lost Savings: $160,000

Plan Assets: $633.5 million

Average Account Balance: $66,000

John Stumpf, CEO of Wells Fargo. (Photo: AP)

8 (tie). WELLS FARGO

Rating: 79

Highest in Peer Group: 88

Additional Years of Work: 6

Lost Savings: $76,000

Plan Assets: $34.4 billion

Average Account Balance: $110,000

8 (tie). AMERIPRISE FINANCIAL

Rating: 79

Highest in Peer Group: 91

Additional Years of Work: 9

Lost Savings: $51,900 last year

Plan Assets: $1.4 billion

Average Account Balance: $120,000

Michael Corbat, CEO of Citigroup. (Photo: AP)

8 (tie). CITIGROUP

Rating: 79

Highest in Peer Group: 91

Additional Years of Work: 9

Lost Savings: $21,100

Plan Assets: $10.7 billion

Average Account Balance: $75,000

Sergio Ermotti, CEO of UBS. (Photo: AP)

5. UBS

Rating: 82

Highest in Peer Group: 91

Additional Years of Work: 7

Lost Savings: $98,600

Plan Assets: $2.7 billion

Average Account Balance: $140,000

Ronald Kruszewski, CEO of Stifel Financial.

4. STIFEL FINANCIAL CORP.

Rating: 83

Highest in Peer Group: 91

Additional Years of Work: 7

Lost Savings: $81,100

Plan Assets: $557.8 million

Average Account Balance: $91,000

James Gorman, CEO of Morgan Stanley. (Photo: AP)

3. MORGAN STANLEY

Rating: 84

Highest in Peer Group: 91

Additional Years of Work: 6

Lost Savings: $116,300

Plan Assets: $7.2 billion

Average Account Balance: $120,000

Lloyd Blankfein, CEO Goldman Sachs. (Photo: AP)

2. GOLDMAN SACHS

Rating: 85

Highest in Peer Group: 91

Additional Years of Work: 5

Lost Savings: $85,700 last year

Plan Assets: $6.2 billion

Average Account Balance: $200,000

Merrill Lynch headquarters. (Photo: AP)

1. MERRILL LYNCH

Rating: 88

Highest in Peer Group: 91

Additional Years of Work: 3

Lost Savings: 1

Plan Assets: $8.4 billion

Average Account Balance: $190,000

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