Company Profile

Who we are:

A highly skilled, very experienced, dedicated group of retirement plan professionals.

What we do:

General Pension Planning Corp. provides a wide range of consulting and recordkeeping services for retirement plans, plan fiduciaries and plan sponsors.

How we differ from our competitors:

• We are a premier provider of open architecture, daily valuation services to defined contribution plans. Mutual funds (and other investments) compete for retirement plan assets. Some compete solely on management skill, but many provide financial incentives for sales. Those incentives are not uniform, and the amounts are not always apparent to plan fiduciaries and participants. The prevalence of "pay to play" programs (which limit the investment options to funds that provide a specified minimum payment) exacerbates two fundamental problems. First, it can be very difficult to determine the actual cost of a program. Second, the increased incentives provided by some funds create conflicts for advisers. Our program permits plan sponsors and their advisers to discharge their fiduciary obligations by doing what is best for the plan and its participants.
• We provide services not products. Henry Ford, an innovator in efficient product production, famously said: "Any customer can have a car painted any colour that he wants so long as it is black". Many in the industry apply the same "one-size-fits-all" logic to retirement plans, and virtually disappear after the initial sale. We understand the importance of designing plans to fit the specific economic and operational needs of each client, and that plan sponsors, participants and fiduciaries require ongoing support and assistance.
• We understand that both the devil and the opportunities are in the details. A retirement plan is a complicated mechanism. Designing and/or operating one properly requires an understanding of many parts, including rules and regulations issued by multiple government agencies, information technology and investment products. Most importantly, it requires the ability to select and assemble the parts to the best advantage of the client. We have the knowledge and take the time to do that.
• We are objective consultants. Many purported vendors of retirement plan services derive all of their income from selling investments. They do not understand how to design or operate a retirement plan, or the fiduciary implications of doing so. Often, the available investment options are limited to proprietary products or products that provide additional sales incentives. We do not sell investments. We provide independent, objective consulting and administrative services, tailored to the needs of the client. We believe that doing what is best for the client is both right and good business. Our many long-standing client relationships remind us of that every day.
• We use our knowledge of the industry and the market for retirement plan services to help our clients find and assess complementary members of a retirement plan team. We have extensive experience with a wide variety of programs and service providers, including financial consultants, accountants and attorneys. We can help you construct and manage both your plan and the team of people required to make it operate smoothly.
• We employ, train and retain exceptionally qualified people. In 2006, the Dayton Business Journal recognized General Pension Planning Corp. as one of its "best places to work". It would be equally accurate to say that our employees are among the best in the area. Our low turnover, and long average tenure ensure that each client has a knowledgeable, experienced client service team.

Our history:

Harry Van Hopkins, known to his friends as Van, founded General Pension Planning Corp. in 1968. It has been providing consulting and recordkeeping services for retirement plans, plan sponsors and plan fiduciaries ever since.

Van graduated from the University of Cincinnati in 1951, and later earned Master's and PhD degrees from other institutions. He was an Enrolled Actuary, an Enrolled Agent, a Certified Public Accountant and served as President and Treasurer of the Dayton Chapter of Chartered Life Underwriters. He proudly served in the U.S. Army Reserves, retiring in 1968 with the rank of Major. Van retired from GPPC in 1998 and, sadly, passed away early in 2007. The preceding highlights of his significant accomplishments underscore his intellect, but do not begin to communicate his unique personality. His dry wit, charm, knowledge, integrity, meticulous attention to detail and generous spirit continue to inspire those of us who had the pleasure of knowing him.

In February of 1994, Van sold GPPC to The VIKING Group, Ltd. While Van continued to work at GPPC after the closing, Steve Scudder assumed responsibility for day-to-day operations, and has continued in that role ever since. Steve graduated from Rockford College in 1976, and Washington University School of Law in 1981. He has been practicing law since 1981, limiting his practice to employee benefits and executive compensation matters. He has served as an adjunct faculty member at University of Dayton Law School, and has spoken frequently on a variety of topics relating to employee benefit plans.

While Steve holds a juris doctor degree and is licensed to practice law in Illinois and Ohio, General Pension Planning Corp. is not engaged in the practice of law and does not provide legal advice.

We invite you to contact us to learn more about our organization and we look forward to talking with you.

General Pension Planning Corp.
2912 Springboro West
Suite 105
Dayton, Ohio 45439-1674
Phone: (937)298-3908
FAX: (937)298-0333
Website: www.generalpension.com