Expert Plan
Acquired1 known investors
New Jersey provider of web-based recordkeeping and administrative services for micro and small 401(k) plans, acquired by Ascensus.
Also known as ExpertPlan · ExpertPlan, Inc.
Investors · 1
Company profile
researched Aug 2026ExpertPlan, Inc. was a retirement plan services company headquartered in East Windsor, New Jersey, that provided recordkeeping and administrative services for micro- and small-sized retirement plans. At the time of its acquisition it served approximately 16,000 plans. Its offering centered on an open-architecture investment platform combined with web-based services, defined benefit services, and recordkeeping and administration for defined contribution plans holding non-traditional assets.
The company specialized in administering 401(k) plans for small and mid-sized employers, using web-enabled technology to deliver those services. It grew to more than 100 employees at its Windsor Corporate Park location. Following the 2012-2013 acquisition by Ascensus, the business became the retirement services division of Ascensus, and its New Jersey office later relocated from Millstone to Route 130 in Cranbury under the Ascensus name.
Founding story
ExpertPlan was founded in 1999 by Winthrop Cody in an incubator on South Broad Street in Trenton, New Jersey. Cody had previously been CIO at Copeland Companies, a retirement planning subsidiary of CitiGroup/Travelers. After leaving ExpertPlan he joined iGate, an India-based retirement planning company, and also served on the Cranbury Township Committee, serving as mayor in 2011.
Business model
ExpertPlan did not sell directly to consumers. It partnered with investment houses, stockbrokers, and insurance companies, administering retirement plans on their behalf using web-enabled technology.
Traction
Approximately 16,000 retirement plans under recordkeeping and administration at the time of the 2012-2013 acquisition, and a workforce that grew to more than 100 employees at Windsor Corporate Park.
Latest developments
In 2015 the former ExpertPlan operation, by then the Ascensus retirement services division, relocated to a Route 130 site in Cranbury, New Jersey and operated under the Ascensus brand, with plans to hire additional personnel after the move.
▸Full profile — market position, technology, go-to-market, geography, history
Market position
Described as a leading provider of micro- and small-plan recordkeeping and administrative services, serving roughly 16,000 plans at acquisition; the deal lifted acquirer Ascensus to more than 42,000 retirement plans served.
Technology
Web-enabled service delivery combined with an open-architecture investment platform, supporting web-based services, defined benefit services, and recordkeeping and administration of defined contribution plans holding non-traditional assets.
Go-to-market
Indirect distribution through partnerships with investment houses, stockbrokers, and insurance companies rather than direct-to-consumer sales.
Small and mid-sized employers sponsoring micro and small 401(k) and other retirement plans, reached through intermediaries such as investment houses, stockbrokers, and insurance companies.
Geography
Based in New Jersey — founded in Trenton, later at Windsor Corporate Park and headquartered in East Windsor, with the successor Ascensus operation moving from Millstone to Cranbury (4B Cedar Brook Drive, Cranbury, NJ 08512).
History
Founded in 1999 in a Trenton, New Jersey incubator, ExpertPlan later moved to Windsor Corporate Park, where it grew to more than 100 employees and was headquartered in East Windsor, New Jersey. Ascensus, a Dresher, Pennsylvania-based retirement plan solutions provider, announced the acquisition of ExpertPlan on November 20, 2012 and completed it on January 16, 2013, bringing Ascensus to more than 42,000 retirement plans served. Shannon Kelly, previously vice president of client operations at Ascensus, was selected to oversee the former ExpertPlan business in 2013 and became president of Ascensus retirement services in 2014. In 2015 the operation moved from Millstone to Cranbury and dropped the ExpertPlan name.
Compiled by commissioned research from 5 cited public sources — announcements, filings, and press listed under research sources below.
Key figures
latest reportedCompany-reported or press-reported figures, each dated to when it was claimed — not independently audited.
Timeline · 3
launches, deals, and filingsThe former ExpertPlan business, then Ascensus' retirement services division, left its Millstone office for a new Route 130 location in Cranbury, operating under the Ascensus name; the company planned additional hiring after the move.
Shannon Kelly, selected in 2013 to oversee the former ExpertPlan business after the acquisition, became president of Ascensus retirement services in 2014.
Ascensus completed its acquisition of ExpertPlan, Inc., previously announced on November 20, 2012. ExpertPlan provided recordkeeping and administrative services for approximately 16,000 micro- and small plans; post-close Ascensus served more than 42,000 retirement plans.
Dated company events from announcements, filings, and press; legal rows summarize public dockets and regulator releases.
▸Research sources · 5
primary sources listed
- Startup Phase - Business Path Solutionsbusinesspathsolutions.com · web
5 public sources were cited for this profile; the first-party ones are listed here.
Frequently asked questions
- What does Expert Plan do?
- New Jersey provider of web-based recordkeeping and administrative services for micro and small 401(k) plans, acquired by Ascensus.
- Who are Expert Plan's investors?
- Expert Plan's investors include The Argentum Group.