Retirement security.
For everyone your company employs.

A nonprofit-run 401(k) for small businesses. Index funds. Nothing else to decide.

Employers pay no recurring fees

Built here. Hosted here. Supported here.

aipep401k.com is designed, built, and operated in the United States. Participant records are stored in U.S. data centers, and the people who answer participant questions are here too.

Automation is what makes a low-cost 401k for small business possible at this cost — software handles the administrative work that once required large back-office teams.

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.

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

Fund lineup

Index funds. Nothing else to decide.

No managed accounts. No annuities. No revenue sharing. A short, broadly diversified index lineup covering US stocks, international stocks, bonds, cash, and a target-date series.

US
Total US Market
The entire US stock market in one fund.
INT'L
Total International
47 countries, 8,500+ companies.
BONDS
Total Bond Market
Stability. Investment-grade US bonds.
CASH
Money Market
Your safe harbor when markets move.
TDF
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. If the structure is new to you, start with what a pooled employer plan actually is.

📋

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
For CPAs and bookkeepers

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

When a client asks how a 401(k) works for a small business, or about SECURE 2.0 startup credits, you can point them here. No securities license needed.

  • 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. Low-cost 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. For what each role covers in general — and which duties an employer keeps no matter who administers the plan — see how 3(16) administration works.

Named Fiduciary (ERISA §402(a))
To be appointed. Not yet named.

The fiduciary named in the plan document with authority to control and manage the operation and administration of the plan.

Investment Manager (ERISA §3(38))
To be appointed. Not yet named.

Responsible for selecting and monitoring the plan's investments under the Investment Policy Statement.

Pooled Plan Provider (PPP)
ThinkNirvana Foundation, Inc.

Pooled Plan Provider under ERISA §413(e) — registration in process. 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
AI-native platform

Provides the AI-powered recordkeeping, compliance engine, and participant portal used to run the plan.

Custodian / Trust Vendor
Being finalized

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

Investment Monitoring
AI-assisted, quarterly

Automated monitoring of the fund lineup against the Investment Policy Statement, with human fiduciary review of every output.

Investment Menu
Index funds — no others

A total US market, total international, total bond, money market, and a target-date series. No revenue sharing. Index funds only.

A 3(38) investment manager will be appointed to select and monitor the plan's investments. Not yet named.

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 onboarding employers for the 2027 plan year. One field, one email, and we'll let you know when enrollment opens.

  • Priority access for the 2027 plan year
  • A pooled plan is built for businesses with W-2 employees — if it's just you today, it isn't the right tool yet
  • No sales calls.
  • Help us shape the product — your input matters

Get early access

One field. Free. Unsubscribe anytime.

Free. No commitment. No sales calls.

aipep401k.com is a pooled employer plan for small business 401(k) plans, operated by ThinkNirvana Foundation — plan administration handled by automation rather than assembled by hand.

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

The plan accepts no revenue sharing or sub-accounting payments from any fund. 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.