Sean Forbes
Sean believes the retirement plan business has been undervalued for a long time, both by the large institutions that treat plan specialists as a side business and by an industry that too often reserves genuine advice for people who already have money.
A graduate of the University of Alabama, where he earned his degree in finance, Sean began his career at Vestwell. His work there focused entirely on advisors: helping them launch plans and build the referral relationships their practices depend on. He went on to work with a Raymond James RIAC team before joining Navigate 401K in 2025. He has worked on hundreds of plans, and he has seen them from the recordkeeper’s side as well as the advisor’s, inside firms affiliated with a broker dealer and now inside an independent RIA. It is an unusual vantage point, and it shapes how he builds.
As Director of Advisor Partnerships and Operations, Sean’s primary focus is operational: the backbone that serves existing plan sponsors, and the platform Navigate offers advisors who want to do this work at a higher standard without building the infrastructure themselves. He works alongside firm leadership on strategy, contributing to decisions about where Navigate goes next and how it gets there. He designed TrailGuide and continues to oversee it, a program for plan participants who want to build a real financial foundation but find themselves turned away for not meeting asset minimums, or offered products that do not fit. TrailGuide meets them where they are, educates them through the moments that matter, and prepares them for more comprehensive planning as their lives grow more complex.
Sean is a member of the National Association of Plan Advisors. Outside of work he is a persistent reader, an increasingly ambitious grower of hot peppers, and a weekend golfer, accompanied at home by a golden retriever named Palmer.
Why these designations matter to your plan.
Credentials are only worth as much as the work they inform. Here's how they translate into the way we manage and advise your plan.
Specialized fiduciary training that supports how Sean helps plan sponsors meet their responsibilities while keeping participants at the center of every decision.
Focused expertise in nonqualified deferred compensation, broadening the firm’s ability to serve both qualified and nonqualified plan clients.
Recognized by the retirement plan industry.
Editorial recognition from the retirement plan industry press, listed with the criteria behind each selection.
PLANADVISER’s annual recognition of people who have worked in the retirement plan advisory industry for at least three years and no more than fifteen. Anyone may submit a nomination — firms, industry peers, or candidates themselves — and the publication’s editorial staff vet them and make the final selections. Twenty-six honorees were named from thirty-eight nominations in 2026.
About the listWhere to find Sean Forbes next.
If you'll be at one of these, reach out ahead of time and we'll find a slot to talk.
The industry’s largest wealth gathering — four days on the boardwalk with advisors, recordkeepers, and fintech partners.
Event detailsThe national conference for retirement plan advisors, built by advisors — policy updates, plan design, and participant engagement.
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Start a conversation about your plan's investments, design, and fiduciary support — with the people who manage it.