Retirement Savings Plan - 401(K)

As a member of the California Association of Winegrape Growers (CAWG), you can benefit from the combined purchasing power of a Multiple Employer Plan (MEP) for retirement savings. The CAWG 401(k) Retirement Savings Plan offers employers all the advantages and flexibility of a stand-along plan, but without the expenses and administrative burden associated with sponsoring a single employer plan.

A MEP Does Three Important Things:
1. Can reduce costs to both the employee and employer.
2. Transfers the required paperwork and administrative burden.
3. Reduces an owner's fiduciary exposure and risk.

Member Benefits
By participating in the CAWG 401(K) Retirement Savings Plan, virtually all administrative tasks are Sawyer & Co.
-No annual audit
-Cost savings on the investments
-No individual Form 5500 reporting
-Minimal plan maintenance
-Flexible plan features, including safe harbor, Roth and profit sharing
-Customizable 401(k) plan design options involving eligibility, matches, vesting schedules and more.

Employee Education and Support
As an adopting employer, you will also have access to tools and resources to enroll and educate your employees and participants, many available in both English and Spanish.
-Employer educational seminars
-Participant website
-Interactive decision support modules
-Educational brochures, flyers and videos
-Periodic newsletters
-Online retirement planning calculators and tools

Who Benefits?
1. Employers who want to establish a tax deferred retirement plan for themselves and their employees
2. Employers with an established retirement plan who want to reduce plan costs
3. Employers who want to reduce their administrative burden of a current retirement plan (no Form 5500 reporting, no annual audit)
The CAWG 401(k) Retirement Savings Multiple Employer Plan provides economy of scale pricing that significantly lowers annual administration fees.
Typical Employer Plan Fees (No-MEP)
- Annual Administration: $4,000
-Annual Plan Audit: $10,000 (if applicable)
These amounts may not seem like much, but over a 20 year period, the retention of this money by your company could amount to as much as $351,000 (based on $14,000 per year at 3% inflation)

Employee Cost Savings Example:
- 35 years until retirement
- Current 401(k) account balance of $50,000
- Return on investments: 7%

  Fees and expenses*   Account Balance at Retirement
Non-MEP   2.00%  $275,801
 CAWG MEP  0.67%  $428,473

*The 1.33 percent difference in annual fees and expenses reduces the employee's account balance at retirement by 35 percent assuming no additional employee contributions.
Getting started is easy:
1. Contact a retirement consultant at WS&Co at 415.399.6398 or [email protected]
2. Provide the requested information for your evaluation
3. Schedule a no-cost plan design evaluation