Introducing the Carta 401(k), powered by Vestwell and Morgan Stanley: a more streamlined, "hands-off" retirement solution for high-growth businesses and their employees. The Carta 401(k) combines Carta’s equity management and private market expertise with Morgan Stanley’s retirement investment lineup selection and oversight, and Vestwell’s modern recordkeeping.
The Carta 401(k) bridges the gap between traditional retirement savings and the salary and equity plans startups use to attract and retain talent. It’s a modern retirement savings plan for employees and founders, and a digital-first experience that means less administrative burden for busy startups.
"We’ve reimagined financial benefits from the ground up to bring founders and employees a best-in-class savings experience," said Henry Ward, Chief Executive Officer, Carta. "By partnering with Vestwell and Morgan Stanley, we are enabling our customers to offer sophisticated retirement plans that were once only accessible to large enterprises, but with the simplicity and transparency that modern startups demand."
Carta 401(k) powered by Vestwell and Morgan Stanley features:
Streamlined digital integration within the Carta ecosystem: Carta customers will have direct access to a digital-first retirement platform that integrates with more than 190 payroll systems, automating contributions and helping make 401(k) administration simpler.
Performance-driven investment portfolios from Morgan Stanley: Carta customers gain access to institutional-quality investment portfolios curated and managed by Morgan Stanley, helping ensure early-stage startups have a comparable level of financial advisory expertise and fund selection as public corporations.
Competitive pricing and tax credit optimization: Companies can take advantage of a transparent fee structure designed for scaling—with no hidden AUM penalties—while helping maximize SECURE 2.0 tax credits that can offset setup and administration costs for up to three years. Employees may also benefit from competitive pricing for their investments.
Robust fiduciary support and administrative relief: Through Vestwell 3(16) fiduciary support, the partnership helps offload the administrative liability and complex compliance tasks from the company, making 401(k) management more "hands-off" for busy HR and finance teams.
“Modern companies expect their financial infrastructure to scale with them,” said Aaron Schumm, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Vestwell. “By embedding retirement directly within Carta’s ecosystem, we’re helping high-growth businesses offer institutional-quality savings tools without adding operational complexity.”
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