Washington Business Fall 2019 | Washington Business | Page 49

business backgrounder | economy
Aslan HR Manager Shanna Finnegan said AWB’s
MyFuture and service providers such as Integrity
Financial take the confusion out of offering a 401(k).
“Every step has been super easy for me, for someone
who’s never done this before,” Finnegan said. “We
didn’t have experience getting a 401(k) plan set up, so
it was really nice to have a lot of help.”
Aggregating hundreds of small businesses allows
AWB to harness economies of scale, attracting service
providers who will offer a good deal that usually would
only be available for big businesses.
The MyFuture product can be just as valuable
for the owners and executives of small businesses,
especially younger entrepreneurs who need to set
up a retirement plan for themselves as well as their
employees.
ahead of the curve
MyFuture was born with a conversation years ago at
AWB’s Policy Summit.
Deb Brown, president of AWB’s service arm,
Forterra, was talking with Kris Gray, the principal
at Integrity Financial, about how other member
programs have been successful by bringing groups of
employers together.
“I wish we could do something similar with a
401(k) program as it would be great to give smaller
employers in particular better access to retirement
benefits for employees,” Brown recalls. “He said,
‘Well, maybe we can.’”
The program they put together was designed from
the ground up for small and medium sized businesses.
It is now being used by hundreds of AWB members,
giving them access to a significant tax benefit as they
offer a competitive new benefit for their employees.
“It’s important for people to know that AWB was
— Shanna Finnegan, HR manager for Aslan Brewing
about seven years ahead of the discussion on this,”
Gray said. “It’s gone through a lot of improvements
over that time, and it’s like a version 3.0 right now. It’s
a really good platform.”
Integrity Financial is one of the lead fiduciaries overseeing the plan, offering institutional-grade investments.

“Every step has been super easy for me, for someone
who’s never done this before. We didn’t have experi-
ence getting a 401(k) plan set up, so it was really nice
to have a lot of help.”
simple and cost-effective
Not only do businesses say that MyFuture is easy to set up and operate, but the program also unlocks tax advantages
for employers who provide 401(k) options to their employees.
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