Thank you for considering Principal® as your retirement plan service provider!

Welcome to Principal

Thank you for considering us as your retirement plan service provider. We'll do our best to make your search as easy as possible. Scroll down to catch a glimpse of what your experience will look like at Principal.

LEARN ABOUT PRINCIPAL

The Principal difference

Unlike other providers, retirement is at the heart of our business. Retirement and asset management operations represent 95% of our assets under management.* We're committed to serving our retirement clients and investing in our business.

* Principal data as of Dec. 31, 2022.

We're proud of our culture

Our people shape and reinforce our culture of service, inclusion, and innovation while helping our customers reach their goals for financial security and live their best lives.

 

We typically receive industry accolades like these proving we make our values come to life.

Top 100 Most Sustainable Companies in America

Barron’s, February 2022

America’s Best Employers for Diversity

Forbes, April 2022

World’s Most Ethical Companies®

Ethisphere Institute, February 2021

PLAN SPONSOR EXPERIENCE

Expertise to serve complex plans

With more than 80 years of experience in the retirement plan service industry, we understand that a large retirement plan often has unique complexities.1 We currently provide bundled recordkeeping services to 570 relationships that each have over $100 million in plan assets (as of 12/31/22). We look forward to getting to know your organization better. We will work together to develop a retirement solution tailored to your organization.

Multiple plans. One integrated experience.

PRINCIPAL® TOTAL RETIREMENT SOLUTIONS

With Principal® Total Retirement Solutions you'll have one simple experience on a streamlined digital platform with one experienced relationship manager and one experienced team instead of multiple service providers. Plus, your employees can check their retirement benefits with just one click, one call, one app.

As a top service provider, our capabilities can help you manage the complexities of multiple retirement plans. Click on the circles to learn more about our services.

DC recordkeeper2
DB recordkeeper3
NQDC provider4
ESOP provider5

Flexible plan solutions.
Easy plan administration. Simple navigation.

Dedicated team. Your experienced service team will onboard your plan, oversee daily operations, educate your employees, and consult with you on plan design.
Consulting services. Our retirement plan consulting team can bring you forward-thinking strategies that can lead to increased efficiency, improved participant preparation for retirement, and lightened administrative load.
Participant dashboards. View participation rate reports, distribute educational content to your employees, model changes to your plan, and more with our participant dashboards.
Investment flexibility. You’ll have access to an extensive mutual fund network for your plan, along with robust investment alternatives including collective investment trusts, separate accounts and custom investments designed to help meet your participants' investing preferences.

Compliance support. File all forms and schedules directly from our plan sponsor website.6 We’ll even remind you to complete a Form 5500 Questionnaire.

Audit reporting. Complete your audit quickly and more efficiently with self-serve audit reports. Plus, get in-the-moment answers to your audit-related questions through our audit support hotline and virtual assistant.

1 Principal Financial Group was founded in 1879 and began providing plan services in 1941.
2 Based on defined contribution participant count. PLANSPONSOR July 2022 Recordkeeping Survey.
3 Based on number of plans, PLANSPONSOR DB Administration survey, May 2021.
4 Based on number of Section 409A plans, PLANSPONSOR Recordkeeping Survey, July 2022.
5 Based on number of ESOP plans, PLANSPONSOR Recordkeeeping Survey, July 2022.

6 Principal is a recordkeeper approved by the DOL to file Form 5500. Principal is one of two fully certified recordkeepers. The other providers have exceptions or limitations to their certification. Principal can file all forms and schedules. The others can only prepare and file specific forms and schedules. December 2021 https://www.efast.dol.gov/software/software.html

 

PARTICIPANT EXPERIENCE

Personalized experiences to help drive participant outcomes

Our participant strategy is designed to drive action. We’ve built a personalized, interactive experience in parallel with our call centers, so your employees can engage with us when and how they want – for each of their plans at Principal. Your employees can access digital retirement, investing, and financial wellness tools and resources any time to help them save and plan for their future. Plus, we consult with you to develop an ongoing communications strategy designed specifically for your organization and employees.

Engage from the beginning

Say hello to a personalized welcome.

  • Automated eligibility notice delivery and enrollment reminders1
  • Principal® Real Start digital onboarding including text and mobile enrollment 
  • Dedicated contact center team
  • Transcreated experience for Spanish speakers

Elevate the experience

Take retirement to the next level.

  • Retirement Wellness Score and Planner
  • Motivational peer comparison
  • Principal® app
  • Hola Futuro Spanish website

Expand beyond retirement

Access holistic financial wellness tools and resources through Principal® Milestones.

  • Standard will and other legal documents participants can prepare
  • Student loan repayment resources and access to more than 15,000 scholarships
  • Money management education

Principal® Milestones

At no additional cost they can access:

  • Enrich for unbiased financial education
  • Enrich Student Loan Repayment Program (through partnership with SoFi)
  • ARAG to prepare a standard will and other legal documents

Principal® Real Start

Our online enrollment experience –
DALBAR awarded us with the Superior First Impression Seal (2021) for our commitment to the participant experience. Principal achieved a perfect score for the beneficiary element of the enrollment process for the second consecutive year, the only firm to score perfectly in 2021.

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Putting retirement planning at participants’ fingertips

Mobile-first approach

The Principal® app makes it easy for participants to manage their account on the go and plan for their future.

Principal® app

Our digital experience, DALBAR awards us with the Mobile Communications Seal of Excellence (2022) for the second year in a row.

For illustrative purposes only

1 No charge for electronic delivery for clients who deem their employees are “wired at work.” Automated paper delivery is available for a fee.
2 Principal reporting from January 1, 2021 - December 31, 2021. Compares participants who used the resources with those who did not.
3 iOS App Store rating as of December 31, 2022.
4 Principal reporting for all clients that use Principal® Milestones as of December 31, 2021.

Custom communication samples

We're able to communicate with your employees in a way that feels familiar and comfortable to them. We can develop participant campaigns in both English and Spanish, customized with your brand. Communications include action items to help drive positive retirement outcomes, with topics such as transitioning to Principal, investment review/diversification, beneficiary designation, webinars, and mobile app usage. (Click on images below to see the full-size samples)

Multiple campaign touchpoints

For illustration use only.

CYBERSECURITY

Committed to keeping customers’ assets and information secure

You can feel confident we have the people, processes, and technology in place to help safeguard access to your employees' data and retirement savings. Plus, we constantly monitor, test, and adjust our security features.

Safeguarding customers’ info is a top priority

Our approach, paired with third-party expertise, provides flexibility to act quickly on any potential threats. We go beyond the Department of Labor cybersecurity best practices by:

  • Including two-factor authentication
  • Conducting ongoing third party cyber attack testing
  • Working closely with local, state, and national government agencies
  • Conducting background checks on all employees
  • Having cybersecurity insurance
  • Serving as active members of industry groups such as:
    • SPARK Data Security Oversight Board
    • Cyber Readiness Institute (CRI)
    • FS-ISAC

Our simple customer protection guarantee

Principal will reimburse participants’ employer-sponsored retirement accounts1 for losses from unauthorized activity occurring through no fault of their own.

Third-party validation

Independent auditing firm reviews and evaluates our controls related to security, confidentiality, and availability of customer data in SOC 2 Type 2 report.
1 Employer-sponsored retirement plans are defined benefit or defined contribution. The guarantee applies to employer sponsored defined benefit, ESOP or defined contribution plans and is effective for unauthorized activity that occurs through no fault of their own. Exclusions to the policy may apply. www.principal.com/customer-protection-guarantee
2 Financial Advisor IQ Service Awards, October 2021.

Thank you for your consideration.

Connect with us:    Principal.com

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The subject matter in this communication is educational only and provided with the understanding that Principal® is not rendering legal, accounting, investment or tax advice. You should consult with appropriate counsel, financial professionals, and other advisors on all matters pertaining to legal, tax, investment or accounting obligations and requirements.

The value-added resources provided through ARAG Services, LLC (ARAG®) and iGrad, Inc. (Enrich) are not a part of any insurance products and plan administrative services provided through Principal Life Insurance Co or affiliated with any company of the Principal Financial Group®. All resources may be changed or canceled at any time. The use of resources provided by ARAG Services, LLC or Enrich should not be considered a substitute for consultation with an attorney or advisor. Principal® is not responsible for any loss, injury, claim, liability, or damages related to the use of the ARAG Will & Legal Document Center or Enrich resources. Please remember that the ARAG legal documents, DIY Docs® are accurate and useful in many situations. Due to possible changes by a state, it is a good idea to periodically review a template used to be sure it is the most current template. Whether or not the document is right for you and your situation depends on your circumstances. If you want specific advice regarding your situation, consult an attorney.

Insurance products and plan administrative services provided through Principal Life Insurance Company®. Securities offered through Principal Securities, Inc., member SIPC and/or independent broker-dealers. Principal Life, and Principal Securities® are members of the Principal Financial Group®, Des Moines, IA 50392.

Principal®, Principal Financial Group® and the Principal logo design are registered trademarks of Principal Financial Services, Inc., a Principal Financial Group company, in the United States and are trademarks and service marks of Principal Financial Services, Inc., in various countries around the world.


© 2023 Principal Financial Services, Inc.

 

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