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Sentinel Benefits & Financial Group

Certifications

SOC Examination

Sentinel Benefits & Financial Group is proud to announce the successful completion of the System and Organization Controls (SOC) examinations.
 
The SOC 1 Type 2 examination covers our Health, Welfare, and Retirement Plan Services. As part of this scope, controls in areas of administration, operations, information technology and finance are reviewed. The controls addressed in a SOC 1 examination are those that a System and Organization implements to prevent, or detect and correct, errors or omissions in the information it provides to user entities.
 
The SOC 2 Type 1 examination covers our Health & Welfare and Retirement Plan Services, Financial Planning and Investment Advise Services, Insurance Product Services, and Investment Brokerage Services. Reporting on controls relevant to Security were examined. The scope includes that information and systems are protected against unauthorized access, unauthorized disclosure of information, and damage to systems that could compromise the availability, integrity, confidentiality, and privacy of information or systems and affect the entity's ability to meet its objectives.
 
The examinations were performed by an independent CPA firm, Schellman & Company, LLC for the review period of July 1, 2020 – June 20, 2021 (SOC 1) and June 30, 2021 (SOC 2).

Sentinel Pension Advisors is Certified by CEFEX for Fiduciary Excellence

Sentinel Pension Advisors, Inc. has received certification from CEFEX, the Centre for Fiduciary Excellence. As a certifying organization, CEFEX provides independent recognition of a firm’s conformity to a defined Standard of Practice. It implies that a firm can demonstrate adherence to the industry’s best practices, and is positioned to earn the public’s trust. This registration serves investors who require assurance that their investments are being managed according to commonly accepted best practices.

We are very proud of this accomplishment and to be among an elite group of Investment Advisors that have successfully completed this independent certification process. Subjecting our advisory processes to this voluntary audit provides further assurance to our clients that we are committed to delivering intelligent, effective and trustworthy fiduciary guidance to them.

Sentinel Benefits & Financial Group is Certified by CEFEX for Service Provider Excellence

CEFEX, Centre for Fiduciary Excellence, LLC, has certified Sentinel Benefits & Financial Group of Wakefield, MA as adhering to the American Society of Pension Professionals & Actuaries (ASPPA) Standard of Practice for Retirement Plan Service Providers.  Sentinel Benefits & Financial Group (Sentinel) joins an elite group of firms, by successfully completing the independent certification process for service providers.

The ASPPA Standard of Practice describes how a service provider of any size or type can help plan sponsors fulfill their fiduciary obligations. CEFEX uses 2 classifications: 1) in-house recordkeeping services and 2) administration services (i.e. third party administration). The Standard includes best practices for governance, organization, human resources, operations, planning, systems, and disclosure, as defined by a cross-industry task force established in 2007. The Standard is modeled after the “Prudent Practices for Investment Stewards” published by fi360 Inc. of Pittsburgh, PA.
 
Sentinel Benefits & Financial Group provides recordkeeping and third party administration services for defined contribution plans using Sentinel's TotalChoice Product. According to the Managing Director of the Centre for Fiduciary Excellence, Carlos Panksep, “The CEFEX certification provides assurance to fiduciaries and their stakeholders that Sentinel has demonstrated adherence to the best practices in the recordkeeping industry. The successful completion of the independent assessment is an extraordinary indication of a firm’s accountability to its clients.”

Better Business Bureau Accreditation

Sentinel Benefits & Financial group has been accredited by the Better Business Bureau (BBB) since 2006. This means that the BBB has determined that the business conducted at Sentinel Benefits meets their accreditation standards, which include commitment to make good faith effort to resolve any consumer complaints.

For over 100 years, BBB has helped people make smarter decisions and is evolving to meet fast changing marketplace needs. BBB sets standards for ethical business behavior and monitors compliance.