Outside accounts

Outside Account Management: Your 401(k), 403(b) and Other Held-Away Accounts

Households introduced to Vital Investment Management can have a workplace 401(k) or 403(b), a plan from a former employer, an HSA, or an account at another firm managed with the rest of their portfolio, without rolling it over. This page describes a service of Vital Investment Management, LLC, available only after Vital accepts you as a client.

Vital Investment Management, LLC is a fee-only fiduciary and SEC-registered investment adviser (CRD #300811). Educational only; not personalized advice.

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Employer plans are usually the biggest gap

For many households, the largest investment account is a workplace retirement plan that an advisor cannot normally manage, so it is often left in a default fund for years. With outside account management, we include that account in the same plan, risk targets, and reviews as the accounts we already manage, while the money stays in the employer plan.

Employer plans are the most common example, but other accounts held elsewhere can also be included where the provider is supported:

Employer plans: 401(k), 403(b), 457, 401(a), Thrift Savings Plan (TSP), and plans from former employers
Some 529 college savings plans
Health savings accounts (HSAs)
Variable annuities and IRAs held at another firm
Stock option plans

Account types as listed by Pontera; support varies by provider and may change. We confirm your specific accounts before you decide.

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How it works

You choose the accounts. We review what you hold elsewhere and you decide which accounts to include. We confirm the provider is supported first.
You connect them securely. We send a Pontera link. You link each account yourself; your advisor never sees your credentials.
We build the allocation. We select from the investment options your plan offers, coordinated with your other accounts, taxes, and goals.
We monitor and adjust. We review the account with the rest of your portfolio and rebalance or update the allocation as your plan changes.

What stays the same

The account stays with your employer plan or current provider, in your name.
You keep your own login and full access.
Your advisor cannot withdraw or transfer money, change beneficiaries or contributions, or start distributions through Pontera.
You can disconnect an account at any time.

Read Pontera's description of its security controls at pontera.com/security.

Frequently asked questions

What is outside account management?

It means we include investment accounts you hold somewhere other than our custodian, most often a current or former employer's retirement plan, in the portfolio we manage for you. We use Pontera, a third-party platform, to view these accounts and implement changes without moving them.

Which accounts can be included?

Pontera states its platform is primarily used for 401(k), 403(b), 401(a), 457, and Thrift Savings Plan (TSP) accounts, and also for some 529 plans, health savings accounts (HSAs), variable annuities, IRAs held elsewhere, and stock option plans. Support depends on the specific provider and can change, so we confirm your account before you decide.

How does it work?

You decide which accounts to include. We send you a secure Pontera link, and you connect each account yourself. We then review the investment options inside the account and manage it as part of your overall plan. Changes are logged on the platform, and you can disconnect at any time.

Will my advisor have my login or password?

No. You connect the account through Pontera, and your advisor never receives or sees your login credentials. Pontera is designed so advisors cannot withdraw or transfer money, change beneficiaries or contributions, or start distributions.

Do I have to roll my account over or move it?

No. The account stays with your employer's plan or current provider, under your name, with the same investment menu and plan features. You keep full access and can still log in yourself.

How are fees handled?

Management of outside accounts is part of our advisory relationship and is billed under our advisory fee as described in our Form ADV Part 2A and your advisory agreement. Because fees generally cannot be deducted from an employer plan, they are typically billed to another account we manage or invoiced. Ask us for the details that apply to you.

Is Pontera affiliated with Vital Investment Management?

No. Pontera is an independent third-party technology provider. Vital Investment Management, LLC is not affiliated with Pontera and does not receive compensation from Pontera. Pontera's security practices are described at pontera.com/security.

Talk with a Vital advisor

Bring a recent statement for each outside account. We will confirm which accounts can be connected and explain how management and billing would work for you.

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Disclosure: Pontera is a third-party technology platform operated by Pontera Solutions Inc. Vital Investment Management, LLC is not affiliated with Pontera and receives no compensation from it. Availability depends on your plan or account provider; not every account can be connected. Including outside accounts in our management increases the assets on which our advisory fee is based, which is a conflict of interest; you may decline to include any account. Fees and billing are described in our Form ADV Part 2A and your advisory agreement. Investing involves risk, including possible loss of principal. No strategy assures a profit or protects against loss. This page is educational and is not personalized advice.

Vital Introductions is a service of Vital Investment Management, LLC, an SEC-registered investment adviser with a principal office in Loveland, CO. Firm CRD 300811.

Vital Investment Management, LLC is registered with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission as an investment adviser (CRD 300811, SEC file 801-114889). Vital Introductions is a brand of that firm, not a separately registered adviser. SEC registration is a fact. It is not an approval, endorsement, or guarantee by the SEC or any state, and it does not imply a certain level of skill or training.

Vital Investment Management, LLC is compensated by clients under its advisory agreements, as described in its Form ADV and Form CRS. Vital Introductions does not sell the same household to a marketplace of unaffiliated firms.

Vital Investment Management, LLC has a material conflict: it has an incentive to accept a qualified household as its own advisory client. Exclusive routing through Vital is an intake rule, not a representation that Vital is the only fit, the lowest-cost fit, or the best fit.

Matching uses information you self-report. We do not independently verify your finances before an introduction request is reviewed.

The Vital Introductions website and questionnaire do not manage assets and do not provide investment, tax, or legal advice. Investment advice and asset management, if any, are provided only after Vital Investment Management, LLC accepts you as a client under a written advisory agreement.

Before engaging Vital Investment Management, LLC, review that firm's Form ADV and Form CRS, which describe services, fees, conflicts, and disciplinary history. Search CRD 300811 on Investor.gov or adviserinfo.sec.gov. You will also receive those documents when you become a client, as required.