100016
. (a) Prior to opening the California Secure Choice
Retirement Savings Program for enrollment, if there is sufficient
interest by vendors to participate and provide the necessary funding,
the board shall establish both of the following:
(1) A Retirement Investments Clearinghouse on its Internet Web
site.
(2) A vendor registration process through which information about
employer-sponsored retirement plans, and payroll deduction IRAs
offered by private sector providers is made available for
consideration by eligible employers.
(b) Vendors that would like to participate in the board's
Retirement Investments Clearinghouse and be listed on the board's
Internet Web site as a registered vendor shall provide all of the
following information:
(1) A statement of experience in California and in other states in
providing employer-sponsored retirement plans, and payroll deduction
IRAs.
(2) A description by the vendor of the types of retirement
investment products offered.
(3) A disclosure of all expenses paid directly or indirectly by
retirement plan participants, including, but not limited to,
penalties for early withdrawals, declining or fixed withdrawal
charges, surrender or deposit charges, management fees, and annual
fees, supported by documentation as required for prospectus
disclosure by the National Association of Securities Dealers and the
Securities and Exchange Commission. Vendors shall be required to
provide information regarding the impact of product fees upon a
hypothetical investment, as described in Section 100022.
(4) The types of products, product features, services offered to
participants, and information about how to access product
prospectuses or other relevant product information.
(5) A discussion of the ability, experience, and commitment of the
vendor to provide retirement counseling and education services,
including, but not limited to, access to group meetings and
individual counseling by various means, including telephone and
telecommunications devices for the deaf (TDD), Internet, and
face-to-face consultations by registered representatives.
(6) A statement of the financial strength of the vendor by
identifying its ratings assigned by nationally recognized rating
services that evaluate the financial strength of similar companies.
(7) The location of offices and counselors, individual registered
representatives, brokers, financial planners, agents, or other
methods of distribution, of the vendor that would serve employers and
their employees in California.
(8) A description of the ability of the vendor to comply with all
applicable provisions of federal and state law governing retirement
plans, including minimum distribution requirements and contribution
limits.
(9) To the extent applicable, the demonstrated ability of the
vendor to offer an appropriate array of accumulation funding options,
including, but not limited to, investment options that offer
guaranteed returns on contributions and the conversion of retirement
savings account balances to secure retirement income, a diversified
mix of value, growth, growth and income, hybrid, and index funds or
accounts across large, medium, and small capitalization asset
classes, both domestic and international.
(10) A discussion of the range of administrative and customer
services provided, including asset allocation, accounting and
administration of benefits for individual participants, recordkeeping
for individual participants, asset purchase, control, and
safekeeping, execution of a participant's instructions as to asset
and contribution allocation, calculation of daily net asset values,
direct access for participants to their account information, periodic
reporting that is not less than quarterly to active participants on
their account balances and transactions, and compliance with the
standard of care consistent with federal law and applicable to the
provision of investment services.
(11) Certification by the vendor that the information provided to
the board accurately reflects the provisions of the retirement
investment products it registers.
(c) Vendors shall supply information and data in the format
prescribed by the board.