Our Heritage
Ascensus was founded more than 40 years ago with a singular purpose—to help people save for what matters.
1980
Our Founding
Ascensus was founded as The Barclay Group and began providing 401(k) retirement plan design, communication, and recordkeeping services.
1995
Introduction of Open Architecture
In 1995, Ascensus introduced our open-architecture investment platform for retirement plans, giving financial advisor partners a more diverse selection of funds and additional flexibility to build plans suited to their clients' objectives.
2004
Established Core Values
We officially established the Core Values by which we still live today — People Matter. Quality First. Integrity Always.®
Introduced Fee-Based Solution
We became the first independent recordkeeper to introduce a scalable, fee-based retirement plan solution for financial advisors.
Entered the HSA Market
Ascensus entered the health savings account (HSA) market immediately after these new savings tools were introduced, quickly becoming an industry leader in HSA education and administration.
2013
Entered College Savings Marketplace
With the acquisition of Upromise Investments, Ascensus entered the 529 college savings plan industry. We've since grown to be the nation's #1 529 program manager in assets under management as ranked by Strategic Insight.
2015
Industry Recognition
Ascensus was named to the 2015 and 2017 Inc. 5000 lists of fastest-growing private companies in the United States.
Attracted New Ownership
Ascensus was acquired by private equity firms Genstar Capital and Aquiline Capital Partners, signaling their commitment to supporting Ascensus as we continue to build our capabilities and help more people save.
2018
Established Health & Benefits Line of Business
With the acquisition of Chard Snyder, Ascensus expanded into the consumer-directed health and benefits administration marketplace, later growing via the additions of BPC and HR Simplified.
2019
Launched FuturePlan by Ascensus
As part of our national TPA rollout strategy, Ascensus launched the FuturePlan by Ascensus brand identity, made up of more than 30 acquired TPAs.
Ownership Group Expands
Genstar Capital and Aquiline Capital Partners welcomed new investors led by Atlas Merchant Capital LLC to their ownership group.
Further Industry Recognition
Ascensus was recognized as Retirement Leader of the Year at the 2019 Fund Intelligence Mutual Fund Industry Awards and was honored as a finalist again in 2020.
2020
Pandemic Response
Ascensus transitioned more than 95% of its workforce to working from home within days when COVID-19 took hold, sustaining client satisfaction levels and network availability throughout.
READYSAVE® Retirement App Launch
Ascensus launched READYSAVE, its first-ever mobile app for retirement savers — driven by data and behavioral science, with accessibility features and offered in English and Spanish.
2021
READYSAVE™ 529 Mobile App
We expanded our mobile app reach to education savers, allowing individuals to manage their 529 accounts on the go.
Change in Ownership
Funds managed by Stone Point Capital and the private equity team of GIC, Singapore's sovereign wealth fund, acquired Ascensus and invested in our continued growth.
Hiring Expansion & Newport Merger Announced
Ascensus announced plans to add nearly 400 new associates through 2022 and entered a definitive merger agreement with Newport, the Walnut Creek, CA-based retirement services provider.
2022
Expanded Managed Account Offerings
Franklin Templeton selected Ascensus to host its Personal Retirement Path managed account service, expanding on existing offerings with Morningstar, NextCapital, OneDigital, and Stadion.
Ugift Surpasses $2 Billion in Contributions
The Ugift program surpassed $2 billion in contributions — a 300% increase in giving over just four years.
Newport Merger Closes & Brand Refresh
The Ascensus–Newport merger closed, serving more than 15 million people across 150,000+ retirement plans. Ascensus also unveiled an evolved brand identity.
2023
Divested Health & Benefits Business
WEX, Inc. completed its acquisition of Ascensus' Health & Benefits business, allowing Ascensus to sharpen focus on its core retirement and savings businesses.