Virtual operations partner
Your clients get your time. We handle the paperwork.
Shine takes onboarding, account transfers, 401(k) rollovers, RMDs and follow-up off the desks of independent financial advisors, and helps small-business owners set up and run simple retirement plans. Forms go in right the first time, and you stay in control of every decision.
Years of banking and wealth management experience at Wells Fargo, SouthTrust Bank, Bank of America and Merrill Lynch.
End-of-day update
Example- ACAT transfer, joint accountAssets arrived at the custodianDone
- 401(k) rollover to IRADirect rollover check requested from planWaiting on plan
- New household onboarding3 of 4 account forms signedIn progress
- Beneficiary updatePercentages checked, total 100%Needs your signature
- RMD season14 of 22 clients scheduledOn track
Every advisor client gets a short daily note like this: what's done, what's waiting, and what needs you.
Who Shine works with
Built for small practices with no back office behind them
Independent financial advisors and small RIAs
You earn your living in client meetings, yet paperwork eats a big part of your week. Shine works inside your CRM, custodian portal and e-signature tool under its own logins, and gives you those hours back.
Small-business owners
You want a retirement plan for yourself and your team without the confusion. Shine explains SEP, SIMPLE and 401(k) plans in plain language, handles the setup paperwork and keeps the yearly calendar, while your licensed advisor or CPA makes the recommendation.
Services
What Shine takes off your plate
Every task is done on your instruction, in your systems, and nothing that moves money goes out without your approval.
New clients
Onboarding
- Gather documents and prepare account-opening forms
- Send for e-signature and follow up until complete
- Welcome checklist and CRM setup
Moving money
Transfers, rollovers and distributions
- ACAT transfers matched to the prior firm's statement
- 401(k) rollovers coordinated with the old plan
- Advisor-approved withdrawals with withholding checked
Recurring
RMDs and year-end
- Yearly list of clients who owe an RMD
- Amounts confirmed with the custodian, each payment tracked
- Annual review scheduling and year-end checklist
Account upkeep
Changes and NIGO fixes
- Beneficiary updates, names and percentages checked
- Address, name and bank changes
- Rejected forms found, corrected and resubmitted
Meetings and records
Prep, follow-up and filing
- Prep sheets with statements and open items
- Task lists and draft follow-up emails for your approval
- CRM upkeep and document filing
Small business
Retirement plan setup and upkeep
- SEP IRA, SIMPLE IRA, Solo 401(k) and 401(k) paperwork
- Employee enrollment and eligibility tracking
- Deadline calendar and coordination with your CPA, provider and TPA
How it works
From first call to a back office you can count on
Discovery call
Thirty minutes on what eats your week, your custodian, your CRM and your client count.
Proposal
Two or three services that fit, with a clear price: hourly or a monthly retainer.
Agreement and compliance
A signed service and confidentiality agreement, plus anything your firm's compliance team needs.
30-day trial
Start with one service at a reduced rate. Every task and hour is tracked.
Review and grow
A 15-minute weekly check-in, then add services as the hours saved add up.
Pricing
Simple pricing, no long contracts
Start hourly with a reduced-rate trial, or choose a monthly retainer for a set scope of work.
Hourly support
Any service on the menu, billed in 15-minute increments and invoiced monthly.
Introductory trial
$45 / hour
First 30 days for new clients, up to 20 hours, in exchange for your feedback.
Standard
$60 / hour
Any service on the menu, whenever you need it.
Rush
$75 / hour
Same-business-day turnaround on requests received after noon.
Monthly retainer
A fixed monthly fee for a set number of hours, with priority scheduling and a lower effective rate. Three-month initial term, then month to month.
Essentials
$1,000 / month
Up to 18 hours. For a solo advisor adding a few new households a month.
- New-client onboarding paperwork
- ACAT transfer and rollover tracking
- NIGO fixes and resubmissions
- Weekly email status update
Growth
$1,750 / month
Up to 32 hours. For a growing practice with regular meetings and money movement.
- Everything in Essentials
- Meeting prep and follow-up notes
- Distributions and account changes
- CRM upkeep and weekly check-in call
Partner
$2,500 / month
Up to 48 hours. For a busy practice that wants a full back office.
- Everything in Growth
- RMD season management, October to December
- Annual reviews and year-end checklist
- Priority same-day turnaround
Small-business retirement plan support
Flat setup fees, then optional ongoing support. The business owner chooses the plan with their licensed advisor or CPA; Shine handles the paperwork, enrollment and calendar.
| Service | Fee | What's included |
|---|---|---|
| SEP IRA setup | $400 | Form 5305-SEP preparation, account opening with the provider, eligible employee list |
| SIMPLE IRA setup | $750 | Plan documents, provider setup, employee enrollment packets and tracking |
| Solo 401(k) setup | $600 | Adoption agreement, account opening, contribution setup |
| Small-business 401(k) setup coordination | $1,500 | Coordinating the recordkeeper and TPA, adoption paperwork, employee enrollment |
| Ongoing plan support | From $200 / month | Deadline calendar, new-hire eligibility tracking, payroll contribution uploads, coordination with owner, CPA, provider and TPA |
Additional retainer hours are $55 per hour, with your approval first. Invoices are due within 15 days. Prices may change for new agreements.
You stay in control
Operations support only, with clear lines
Shine is not a registered investment adviser, broker-dealer or insurance agent. Your firm makes every advice decision and approves each request before it goes out.
Shine will
- Prepare and submit paperwork you and your client have already decided on
- Track transfers, rollovers, RMDs and deadlines, and keep you updated
- Share general, published facts such as contribution limits and deadlines
- Follow your firm's policies, procedures and compliance requirements
Shine will not
- Recommend investments, rollovers, withdrawals or account types
- Discuss investment choices with your clients; those questions come to you
- Give tax or legal advice, or sell any investment or insurance product
- Act without your approval on any request that moves money
Confidential
A signed confidentiality agreement covers all client nonpublic personal information.
Secure access
Separate logins with multi-factor authentication, on encrypted devices. Client files stay in your systems.
Careful with tools
No client personal information goes into any public AI tool or any tool you have not approved.
About Shine
Banking experience, small-business heart
Shine Content Studio was founded by Chan Phouangphet after many years in banking and wealth management. That work covered account transfers, 401(k) rollovers, distributions, beneficiary updates, RMD processing and new-client onboarding, so Chan knows exactly where forms get rejected and how to get them right the first time.
Chan has also owned and run a restaurant, and knows small business from the inside: payroll, tight margins and never enough hours. That is why Shine is built around one goal, giving advisors and business owners their time back.
- Merrill LynchWealth management operations
- Bank of AmericaBanking
- SouthTrust BankBanking
- Wells FargoBanking
- Restaurant ownerSmall business
Learn
Plain-language guides to retirement money
Short, general lessons on rollovers, RMDs, beneficiaries and small-business plans. Education only, never personal advice.
Job change · 7 minute read
What you need to know about your 401(k) before you quit your job
Seven things to check before your last day: vesting, loans, cash-out taxes, rollover options, beneficiaries and company stock.
Get in touch
Let's find the hours you're losing to paperwork
Book a 20-minute call. We'll talk about what takes up most of your week and whether a reduced-rate 30-day trial makes sense.