Who We Work With
Fiduciary Governance Advisors works with organizations and professionals responsible for the oversight of investment programs, including both defined contribution plans and trust accounts.
Our work is designed to complement existing advisory and legal relationships by strengthening how investment oversight is structured, documented, and maintained over time.
Trust Companies and Fiduciaries
We primarily support trust companies and fiduciaries responsible for overseeing investment programs across client accounts.
In many cases, investment governance frameworks—while present at a policy level—are not fully defined, consistently applied, or aligned with day-to-day practices.
Trust officers and fiduciaries engage us to:
clarify roles and responsibilities related to investment oversight
align Investment Policy Statements (IPS) with actual practices
establish consistent monitoring and documentation processes
define escalation and review triggers
create continuity across accounts and fiduciary relationships
Our work is designed to integrate within existing fiduciary structures and support a more consistent and defensible governance process.
Advisors to Defined Contribution Plans
Advisors engage us to strengthen governance around investment oversight—particularly where questions extend beyond traditional manager selection and performance evaluation.
This is often most relevant in the context of default investments, where target-date funds and QDIAs function as the primary portfolio for participants.
Common advisor use cases include:
supporting committees that rely heavily on default investments
addressing governance questions related to glide-path design and risk
enhancing documentation around investment oversight processes
responding to fiduciary requests for greater governance clarity
Advisors remain responsible for investment advice and implementation.
Our role is to provide independent governance structure and documentation that advisors can rely on without disrupting their client relationships.
Investment Committees
We support investment committees seeking greater clarity around how investment oversight is structured and documented.
This is particularly relevant for committees without dedicated internal investment staff, where governance responsibilities may be understood conceptually but not formally defined.
Committees engage us to:
better understand how their investment structures are designed
clarify how risks are being evaluated and monitored
establish a consistent governance framework
improve documentation supporting fiduciary oversight
Our work supports informed fiduciary judgment—without directing investment decisions.
Where We Typically Add Value
Across these groups, our work is most relevant when:
investment governance frameworks are informal or inconsistently applied
fiduciary roles are not clearly defined or aligned with practice
monitoring processes rely heavily on tools without a structured framework
documentation does not clearly reflect oversight decisions
default investments play a significant role in participant outcomes
How Engagements Typically Begin
Engagements are typically initiated through:
trust company or fiduciary consulting engagements
advisor introductions
committee requests for governance review
educational briefings and governance discussions
Work is scoped on a project basis and tailored to the structure, responsibilities, and fiduciary context of each organization.
A Complementary Role
Fiduciary Governance Advisors is not a replacement for investment advisors, asset managers, or legal counsel.
We provide independent support focused on how investment oversight is defined, structured, and documented—helping fiduciaries strengthen governance without altering existing relationships.
