📋 Your state may require a retirement plan. California, Illinois, Oregon, Colorado, Maryland, New York, and others have active mandates. AIPEP 401(k) satisfies all of them. Learn more →

Retirement security.
For everyone your company employs.

A nonprofit-run 401(k). Five Vanguard index funds. Nothing else to decide.

$0 employer administration fees — always
The feeling

What does retirement security feel like?

It feels like knowing the number. Knowing it's growing. Knowing it's protected. Knowing you didn't have to become a financial expert to get there.

AIPEP 401(k) is built around that feeling — for the hotel housekeeper, the restaurant manager, the startup engineer, the dental assistant. Everyone your business employs.

Starting
The first deposit
Age 24 · 43 years to grow
Building
Quietly compounding
Age 36 · 31 years to grow
Nearing
Nearly there
Age 58 · 9 years to go
For employers

Three questions every employer asks.

Here are the honest answers.

"What does it cost me?"

Nothing in employer fees. Participant costs come straight from the participant's account — the same way your payroll processor charges employees for direct deposit.

SECURE 2.0 tax credits can offset your startup costs for the first few years. Most employers come out ahead early on.

"What could go wrong?"

Nothing that's your problem. ThinkNirvana Foundation is your named fiduciary under ERISA.

We hold the investment liability. We file Form 5500. We send every required notice. You do payroll. We do the rest.

"How hard is the setup?"

Seven days from signup to first contribution. Connect your payroll via payroll API integration — supporting 40+ providers including Gusto, ADP, Paychex, and Rippling.

Upload your employee census. Sign the adoption agreement. Done.

The real math

What employees at typical small businesses actually pay.

Most plan sponsors never see this breakdown. Here it is.

Typical small business 401(k)
What participants actually pay per year
Recordkeeper fee 0.35%
TPA administration 0.20%
Advisor / 3(38) fee 0.50%
Fund expense ratios (avg)0.55%
Revenue sharing / 12b-1Included
All-in asset fee 1.60% / yr

Our pricing

Pricing announced soon.

Join the waitlist to be notified when we publish our fee structure.

Join the waitlist →
Calculator

See your real numbers.

Our fee comparison calculator will be available when pricing is announced. Join the waitlist to be notified.

Join the waitlist →
Fund lineup

Five Vanguard funds. Nothing else.

No managed accounts. No annuities. No revenue sharing. No advisor selecting funds for their own compensation. The cheapest, most diversified funds on the planet — monitored quarterly by AI.

VTI
Vanguard Total Market
The entire US stock market in one fund.
VXUS
Vanguard Total International
47 countries, 8,500+ companies.
BND
Vanguard Total Bond
Stability. Investment-grade US bonds.
VMFXX
Vanguard Federal Money Market
Your safe harbor when markets move.
VTIVX
Vanguard Target Date
Set it at enrollment. Adjusts automatically. Done.
The PEP advantage

What makes a pooled employer plan structurally different.

These aren't incremental improvements. They're built into the legal architecture of the PEP model.

📋

One Form 5500. Period.

Instead of every small business filing an independent annual audit to the Department of Labor, a PEP consolidates all participating companies under a single master plan. We prepare, execute, and file the master report. Your compliance burden: zero.

Traditional plan filing burdenYou file every year
AIPEP401K filing burdenCompletely handled by us
Fiduciary liability exposureTransferred to PEP trustee
🤖

AI replaces the entire TPA.

Third-party administrators charge recurring fees to do what our AI engine does automatically: nondiscrimination testing, eligibility tracking, vesting calculations, distribution processing, participant communications, and compliance monitoring. We pass those savings directly to participants.

Traditional TPA costA recurring asset fee
AIPEP401K AI admin costIncluded — no extra fee
Human intervention requiredZero — fully automated
State mandates

Your state may already require a plan.

Over a dozen states have enacted laws requiring employers to offer retirement plans, with penalties for non-compliance. AIPEP 401(k) satisfies every active state mandate.

Active mandate states include:

California Illinois Oregon Colorado Maryland New York New Jersey Connecticut Virginia Maine Hawaii

A 401(k) through AIPEP satisfies all of these — and because we file Form 5500, you have documented proof of compliance.

For CPAs and bookkeepers

Your clients ask about retirement plans. Here's your answer.

When a client asks about SECURE 2.0 credits or why their current 401(k) fees are so high, you can point them here. No securities license needed. No AUM-based commission. A flat referral fee for every employer you bring on.

  • Flat referral fee — not AUM-based, no securities license required
  • Free SECURE 2.0 credit guidance you can share with clients
  • ThinkNirvana does not provide rollover IRA advice — your client relationship stays yours
  • We never contact your client without your introduction
  • Co-branded one-pager available on request
Register as a partner →

SECURE 2.0 credit snapshot

New plans for small employers may qualify for meaningful federal tax credits over their first few years.
Credits may include:
Plan startup credit
Auto-enrollment credit
Employer match credit
For RIAs and independent advisors

Your clients' 401(k) is not your business.
We mean that in the best way.

If you're an RIA or independent wealth advisor, your value is in financial planning, investment strategy, and the trusted relationship with your client. Managing a small business 401(k) — the compliance, the filings, the participant notices — that's not where your time belongs.

AIPEP 401(k) handles everything on the plan administration side so you don't have to. We are not a wealth management platform. We don't offer rollover IRA advice, personal financial planning, or investment advisory services. Your client relationship stays entirely yours.

When your small business owner client asks what to do about their 401(k), you can point them here with confidence — and stay focused on the work only you can do.

Talk to us about your clients →
We handle the plan. You handle the wealth.
ERISA fiduciary, Form 5500, participant notices, nondiscrimination testing — all handled. Your client simply has a clean, low-cost plan in place.
No rollover IRA advice. Ever.
We don't touch participant rollover decisions. That conversation stays between your client and you — where it belongs.
A clean story for your client.
Nonprofit fiduciary. No employer fees. Vanguard index funds only. No conflicts of interest. Easy to explain. Easy to recommend.
Flat referral arrangement available.
Not AUM-based, no securities license required. Email partners@aipep401k.com to discuss.
How it works

From signup to first contribution in seven days.

We handle the complexity. You handle payroll.

1

Join the waitlist

Submit your information. We review your business and confirm eligibility. Takes 5 minutes.

2

Sign the adoption agreement

One document. ThinkNirvana Foundation becomes your named ERISA fiduciary. Your liability transfers to us.

3

Connect your payroll

We support 40+ payroll providers via API integration. Read-only access — we never touch your payroll settings.

4

Upload your employee census

A standard CSV with employee names, dates of birth, hire dates, and compensation. We map everything automatically.

5

Employees enroll

Auto-enrollment at 3% contribution rate. Employees receive a welcome kit and can adjust their rate or fund selection anytime via the participant portal.

6

We handle everything else

Contributions route automatically each pay period. We monitor investments quarterly. We file Form 5500. We send all required ERISA notices. You review a monthly dashboard. That's it.

ThinkNirvana Foundation is your named fiduciary under ERISA. We hold the investment liability, file the annual report, and send every required participant notice. You do payroll. We do the rest.
Plan governance

Who does what — and who's accountable.

ERISA requires clear role assignment. Here is ours.

Named Fiduciary (Investment)
ThinkNirvana Foundation, Inc.

Responsible for investment selection, monitoring, and the Investment Policy Statement.

Pooled Plan Provider (PPP)
ThinkNirvana Foundation, Inc.

DOL-registered PPP under ERISA §413(e). Responsible for overall plan administration and Form 5500 filing.

Plan Administrator (3(16))
ThinkNirvana Foundation, Inc.

Day-to-day plan administration, participant notices, and compliance testing.

Technology & AI Platform
Nirvana Ledger LLC

Provides the AI-powered recordkeeping, compliance engine, and participant portal under license to ThinkNirvana Foundation.

Custodian / Trust Vendor
Being finalized

Asset custody and trust services. Announcement forthcoming before first employer cohort.

Investment Monitoring
AI-assisted, quarterly

Automated monitoring of all five Vanguard index funds against IPS benchmarks. Human fiduciary review of all outputs.

Investment Menu
Five Vanguard index funds — no others

VTI, VXUS, BND, VMFXX, and a Vanguard Target Date series. No revenue sharing. Institutional index funds only.

AIPEP401K does not use a 3(38) investment manager. ThinkNirvana Foundation serves as Named Investment Fiduciary and makes all investment decisions directly, consistent with the plan's Investment Policy Statement.

See your plan design in plain numbers.

Set headcount, pay, and turnover and see what a simple, modern retirement plan design returns — to your people and to your bottom line.

Open the Plan Design Tool →
Early access

Join the businesses building a better retirement future.

AIPEP 401(k) is launching August 2026. Join the waitlist and get a free SECURE 2.0 credit assessment for your business.

  • Priority access when we go live
  • Free SECURE 2.0 tax credit assessment — no strings attached
  • Personalized fee comparison vs. your current plan
  • No sales calls. No advisor commissions. Just honest math.
  • Help us shape the product — your input matters
  • Founding employer rate locked for life

Get early access

Free. No commitment. Unsubscribe anytime.

Free. No commitment. No sales calls.
We'll send your free SECURE 2.0 assessment within 24 hours.
Structural guarantees

Built into how we operate — not just how we market.

⚖️

Nonprofit architecture

We run at margin. Any excess revenue is reinvested to reduce participant fees over time. No shareholders. No VC returns. No exit.

🔒

Zero revenue sharing

We refuse fund kickbacks and sub-accounting fees. Every dollar in your employees' accounts belongs to your employees.

🌱

Long-game mission

We're thinking in decades. Built to outlast market cycles, VC trends, and short-term incentives. The mission is the business model.