Burak Alpaslan, CFP®, AIF®, C(k)P®, CPFA®
Co-Founder | Partner
Every retirement plan committee member carries personal fiduciary liability under ERISA. Most inherit a process; few can prove theirs is defensible.
That's the problem I've spent more than 20 years solving. I serve as an independent investment manager in the role ERISA defines under §3(38) — taking discretionary responsibility for selecting and monitoring a plan's investments. I execute these engagements as an Investment Adviser Representative of MML Investors Services, LLC, with the 3(38)-appointment held at the firm level.
In plain terms: I assume discretionary responsibility for investment selection and monitoring as permitted under ERISA §3(38) and plan sponsors retain responsibility for the prudent selection and oversight of the appointed fiduciary.
My practice centers on the Defensible Decision Framework™ — a structured process that helps 401(k) and 403(b) committees document, benchmark, and defend how their plan is governed, while strengthening plan oversight for participant outcomes.
Beyond committee work, I've built and manage a Multiple Employer Plan (MEP) for mid-market employers, and I've guided retirement plans through mergers, acquisitions, and spin-offs. For plan sponsors who are also business owners, the team I founded at Vital Planning Group provides financial-planning and wealth-management support beyond the plan — and I coordinate with tax and legal professionals on estate and succession planning.
Building Wealth at Work and Beyond™ is the shape of the practice: the plan your employees rely on at work, and the wealth you're building beyond it.
If you sit on a plan committee and haven't benchmarked your plan in the past year, that's usually the right first conversation.
CRN202908-11874930
Burak is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER® practitioner and holds a Retirement Planning Specialist designation from the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School of Business. He also served as an Adjunct Lecturer at The Plan Sponsor University (TPSU) at Fordham Law School.
He holds a degree in civil engineering from Middle East Technical University and a master’s degree in economics and finance from Hacettepe University. His academic background reinforces a structured approach to evaluating retirement plan and financial planning considerations.
I am licensed and registered to offer products and services in NY. Licenses and registrations will vary. Domiciled in NJ. California Insurance License #: 0F10204
