The Waterford Group

The Waterford Group is a retirement plan consulting firm located on East Avenue in Rochester, NY. Originally established in 1980, the firm has focused on providing fiduciary and consulting services for employer-sponsored retirement plans. In April 2021, The Waterford Group was acquired by Alera Group, a national financial services and risk management company, and now operates as part of Alera Group's Retirement Plan Services division. The team, which includes professionals such as Brian Costello, Mike Merriman, and retirement plan consultant Matthew Rockefeller, continued in their existing roles following the acquisition.

The Waterford Group specializes in consulting and fiduciary services across a broad range of retirement plan types, including:

• 401(k) and profit sharing plans
• Defined benefit and cash balance plans
• 403(b), 457, and deferred compensation plans
• Pooled Employer Plans (PEP)

Their work with plan sponsors covers plan design and administration, investment analysis, benchmarking, fiduciary plan governance, and employee retirement education. The firm also provides 3(38) investment management fiduciary services, taking on the responsibility of selecting and monitoring plan investments on behalf of employers. Wealth management services are available alongside their core retirement plan consulting.

The Waterford Group has built its practice around helping employers manage the full fiduciary process for their retirement plans — from initial plan selection and investment due diligence through ongoing monitoring and employee communication. With roots dating back to 1980, the firm carries several decades of experience in the Rochester-area retirement plan market. Its integration into Alera Group's national platform has expanded the resources available to clients while maintaining the local team and client relationships.

The Waterford Group's office is at 1657 East Avenue, Suite 200, Rochester, NY 14610. East Avenue is one of Rochester's most recognized corridors, running through the city's historic East Avenue Preservation District near the Park Avenue neighborhood — an area added to the National Register of Historic Places. The stretch of East Avenue near the office sits in a mixed-use area with professional offices and residential properties characteristic of this part of the city. The office is accessible by car along the East Avenue corridor, east of the Park Avenue intersection.