OpenArc Taps Retirement Icon Kevin Crain as Firm Continues to Drive Retirement Industry Shift to Client-Centric Model

ATLANTA--(BUSINESS WIRE)--For decades, corporate benefits have been assembled vendor-by-vendor and platform-by-platform, typically driven by fees, products, and recordkeeping rather than the financial realities of the employees they are meant to serve. Even the most “integrated” solutions stop short at aggregation. OpenArc Corporate Advisory was built to break that model by connecting the full range of benefits and financial needs into truly unified, personalized guidance for all employees.

Today, OpenArc announced that Kevin Crain, one of the most influential and widely respected leaders in institutional retirement and corporate benefits, has joined the firm as a Strategic Consultant. Crain’s decision to engage with OpenArc represents more than a leadership appointment. It signals a broader shift underway across the industry. Over a distinguished career spanning more than four decades, he has served in senior roles at some of the most prominent organizations in retirement and benefits. He has operated at the center of the current system and has developed a clear perspective on the future of the industry in an AI-enabled world.

For too long, corporate benefits have been built on a one-size-fits-all framework, with meaningful financial guidance reserved for a select few. The result is that millions of employees and their families are left navigating increasingly complex financial lives without truly connected advice. OpenArc is changing that paradigm.

The firm serves as an independent connectivity layer that brings together every dimension of an employee’s financial life, including retirement plans, equity compensation, deferred compensation, health savings, and private wealth, regardless of recordkeeper, administrator, or platform. The “connectivity layer” extends beyond the workplace into the full financial picture, including investment strategy, estate planning considerations, lending, and total household wealth.

At a time when financial stress remains one of the leading drivers of employee disengagement and turnover, employers recognize that fragmented benefits are no longer enough. Organizations that address the full financial wellbeing of their workforce are gaining a measurable advantage and driving stronger outcomes for both their people and their bottom line. AI and emerging technologies are unlocking capabilities for corporate benefit plan sponsors that were simply out of reach until now.

OpenArc’s obligation is to the employee and the employer, not to products, platforms, or providers. Through a single, continuous advisory relationship, the firm delivers guidance that evolves with the individual, from a new hire enrolling for the first time to a senior executive managing a complex balance sheet.

“The intersection of benefits and wealth is where employees actually live, and it has long been underserved,” said Jeff Crowell, Managing Partner, Corporate Strategy at OpenArc. “Employees do not think in silos, and their financial lives do not operate that way either. OpenArc brings those pieces together in a way the industry has not achieved. Kevin has spent his career pushing toward this vision, and his decision to join us is a powerful validation of what we are building.”

In his role, Crain will work closely with OpenArc’s leadership team to accelerate strategic growth, sharpen market positioning, and lead a robust program of original research and thought leadership focused on the convergence of corporate benefits, personal wealth, and family financial wellbeing.

“What OpenArc is building is not incremental. It is transformative,” said Crain. “This industry has long needed a model defined by true independence, full integration, and a commitment to serving every employee, not just a subset. I am joining this effort because I believe we have a rare opportunity to fundamentally reshape how people experience their financial lives at work, at home, and into retirement. Together, we can help employers unlock what is possible when the entire financial picture is finally connected and working in sync.”

Leveraging the expertise of industry veterans like Crain aligns with OpenArc’s open-architecture approach to partnering with best-in-class resources to better serve clients. This is reflected in its affiliation with Dynasty Financial Partners, which provides institutional-grade technology, investment capabilities, and platform infrastructure, enabling OpenArc to scale its differentiated vision while preserving the independence that defines it.

About OpenArc

OpenArc is an industry-leading institutional retirement and integrated workplace-to-wealth advisory firm. Headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, OpenArc serves organizations, individuals, and families in the U.S. and around the globe. The firm brings together institutional consulting, executive services, employee financial wellness, and private wealth on a true open-architecture platform. OpenArc enjoys fiduciary independence to select recordkeepers, investment solutions, and ancillary services based on fit and participant outcomes. OpenArc is supported by its platform affiliation with Dynasty Financial Partners.

About Kevin Crain

Kevin is currently the Executive Director of the Institutional Retirement Income Council (IRIC), a Senior Advisor with McKinsey and the Milken Institute, a Member of the Global Coalition on Aging Advisory Council, and a Visiting Executive for the Gerontological Society of America. He is also an Honorary Member of the Defined Contribution Institutional Investment Association (DCIIA) and a Member of its Public Policy Committee. In 2023 he retired from Bank of America after 20 years in senior leadership positions in the retirement services sector. He is a recognized contributor to the institutional retirement trade press and a frequent participant in industry policy and regulatory engagement.