In a single-employer plan, the employer is the sponsor of the plan that establishes an independent trust to hold the plan's assets, including Home storage Gold IRA. The trust is a separate and distinct entity from the employer. The terms fiduciary and custodian are often interchangeable when talking about 401 (k) plans, but they are not the same thing. The trustee has a fiduciary duty to administer the plan, while the custodian does not. The custodian is responsible for maintaining the plan's assets and completing transactions under the supervision of the trustee.
You may encounter trustees and custodians when creating an estate plan, which sets out what happens to your things when you die or are no longer able to go about your business. A 401 (k) plan custodian generally falls into the second category when it comes to determining who is (or isn't) a trustee. The 401 (k) plan custodian must still take appropriate steps to ensure that they keep the plan's assets securely and comply with any instructions given by the trustees in this regard. The custodian's job is to safeguard the assets of the plan and the workers who participate in it.
For example, the trust can be financed with savings accounts at different banks; both institutions act as custodians of your money. The custodian must coordinate with the trustee, who is responsible for coordinating with other parties to a 401 (k) agreement, including the plan sponsor, investment advisors, registrars, and any outside administrator (TPA) hiring the plan. In terms of plan hierarchy, the custodian is usually near the bottom of the list and the trustees assume the most important rules. The custodian is limited to administrative services and generally does not have the power to make investment decisions.
A 401 (k) plan custodian doesn't provide investment guidance or advice on how contributions should be managed. A trustee and custodian are also involved in pensions and retirement plans, although the term may be interchangeable for IRA and 401 (k) accounts. So, even if you've established a 401 (k) plan just because you're self-employed, you'll need a custodian who can safely hold the plan's funds. The primary job of the 401 (k) plan custodian is to maintain plan assets on behalf of the plan sponsor or administrator and plan participants.
If you want to include alternative assets in your retirement plan, you'll need to find a custodian who allows you to make those investments and open a self-directed IRA with him. To understand whether a 401 (k) plan custodian is a trustee, it's helpful to start with a definition of the term. The trustee or custodian of your 401 (k) or IRA account is usually the plan administrator, ensuring that transactions are conducted in accordance with IRS regulations.
