Pooled expertise in company pension programs

Center of excellence for companies

Retirement is a complex issue for employees and employers alike. In addition to numerous legal issues arising from diverse legal areas, business and tax concerns also have to be considered by a number of disciplines. The Reutlingen-based Steinbeis Transfer Center for Profitability Management and Financial Control has set up a center of excellence for retirement to unify its expertise on a range of related issues.

Retirement planning requires teamwork and involves, at a minimum the company, a legal practitioner, a tax consultant, an independent insurance actuary and a pension plan provider. None of these professionals can offer everything. In fact in Germany none of them is allowed to.

Pension plans are always an official mandate to provide assistance as legislators adopt new provisions every year, employees come and go, and businesses evolve. And the impact of these changes on the private retirement sector has to be reviewed constantly because ultimately the liability rests on the shoulders of the employer.

These considerations were the impetus for the experts at the Reutlingen-based Steinbeis Transfer Center for Profitability Management and Financial Control to create their own center of excellence for retirement planning.

The center is broken down into four areas, each with extensive experience in their respective fields. The experts at the center coordinate and exchange information, pooling skills through networking. Whether it is dealing with new retirement plans, an existing, general retirement fund, or individual areas within the retirement sector, the center of excellence offers professional support.

In this way, employers and employees receive legally-approved advice from certified experts. The center is a first point of call and coordinator, saving time and money.

Contact

Thomas Mensch
Steinbeis Transfer Center Profitability Management and Financial Control (Reutlingen)
su0425@stw.de

The center of excellence spans four areas:

Financial Mathematics Institute
Services:

Coordination and professional support for all questions related to pension plan calculations
Creation of actuarial reports on pension provisions, service anniversary bonuses, pension right equalization and forecasts

Legal Practitioner for Retirement Services:
Services:

Legal advice on retirement planning
Remediation and legal optimization of pension provisions
Consultation on corporate acquisitions and restructuring
Consultation on legal and statutory insolvency insurance contributions to pension provisions

Pension Program Trust
Services:

Administration and maintenance of retirement funds
Setting up of individual funds
Shareholder/director provisions
Setting up and management of welfare funds and pensioner companies

Tax Consulting
The tax consultants of companies are as a matter of course included in the entire process from start to end.