401(k) Specialist Issue 1 - 2021 - 31

JANUARY
BRIAN HARTSEN, Bayntree Wealth Advisors
Raised in Retirement Plans
" I'M AN INTENSE GUY from New Jersey, so I speak very quickly, " Brian Hartstein notes
before launching into his retirement plan business background.
We've featured many experienced TAPO advisors, most with track records going back
decades, but Hartstein, Director of Corporate Development with Bayntree Wealth Advisors, is
unique. A third-generation pension practitioner, he was raised in the industry, starting in the
seventh grade.
" It's a good thing I like what I do because I wasn't trained for much else, " Hartstein explains.
" My father, grandfather, and one of my uncles had a TPA they started in New Jersey
before ERISA. We sold that company in the late 1970s. My dad took a partnership in another
TPA in Arizona, so we moved here, and I started working at the firm part-time. "
Yes, he's a fast-talking East Coast transplant now in Scottsdale, but his demeanor reflects a
genuine enthusiasm and excitement for what he does, which is to ensure successful retirement
outcomes for the plan sponsors and advisors with whom he works.
Specifically, the firm prides itself on the quality and effectiveness of its participant communication.
Comprehensive doesn't begin to describe it; client-centric videos, face-to-face
meetings, email campaigns, webinars, custom videos, and everything from offering basic
financial planning services to debt management.
He emphasizes that Bayntree is " platform agnostic, " and says technology is employed both
for scale and to help participants reach personal milestones.
" We have one particularly large group of participants that are all contract employees, "
Hartstein says. " They won't allow company time for education. Therefore, we have to find
ways to get it done outside of the work environment. It can be tricky because it's at night or
on their own time. That's why videos are great, and they can access them on-demand. "
It's cliché to say what gets measured gets managed, but it's particularly relevant to Hartstein
and the Bayntree team.
" We want specific and customized goals for retirement readiness. We measure both the
number of participants who set a goal and the number who are on track to reach that goal.
We can then determine if we're making an impact. "
They drill down to the number of interactions monthly with employees and, importantly,
how they're interacting with each, which provides better insight to committees (and
Bayntree) about how future programs should be tailored. Absent tracking of this type, most
employees won't have the needed income to maintain their retirement lifestyle, Hartstein
adds matter-of-factly.
" In the end, that's who we're helping, and unless you're doing these things or something
similar, you're not really helping the people these plans are designed to help, " he notes.
It's that extra mile, willingness to do what others won't, and knowing what works and
what doesn't that's earned Bayntree the respect of even the most seasoned-and at times
cynical-CFOs.
" I asked a plan sponsor for a recommendation on a large plan prospect, " he concludes.
" They said no other advisor was willing to go to the lengths we did. The CFO mentioned
that, for the first time in 20 years, every employee said it was a wonderful experience. "
" We measure
both the number
of participants
who set a goal
and the number
who are on track
to reach that
goal. We can
then determine if
we're making an
impact. "
Brian Hartstein, MSFS, CLU, ChFC is
Director of Corporate Development
with Scottsdale, Arizona-based
Bayntree Wealth Advisors.
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401(k) Specialist Issue 1 - 2021

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