Our Team

Eric Lazzari, CPFA, AIF®

Principal, Relationship Manager

Eric Lazzari is the founder and owner of Retirement Impact, a financial advisory firm based in Andover Massachusetts, focused on providing innovative investment advice and retirement income solutions to companies and their employees.

Eric founded Retirement Impact with the goal of helping companies mitigate their fiduciary liability while providing the necessary tools for employees to retire successfully on their own terms. Focused on helping clients above all else, Eric started Retirement Impact to be an independent advocate for its clients and to uphold a fiduciary standard of care.

Prior to establishing Retirement Impact, Eric worked for several large financial planning firms before eventually starting his own firm, Bearing Financial Services, working with individuals and businesses on investments and employee benefits.  Drawing on his experience working with individuals and corporations, Eric began focusing on helping corporate retirement clients and merged his practice with a nationally-recognized retirement plan advisory firm, Baystate Fiduciary Advisors, earning his Accredited Investment Fiduciary and Certified Plan Fiduciary Advisor designations. Along the way Eric was part of a team that earned the NAPA “Top DC Advisor” Award in 2018 and 2020,  the PlanAdviser “Top 100 Retirement Plan Advisers” in 2016 and 2019

Eric believes in the importance of giving back to the communities that have given him so much and serves on the boards of Wayside Youth and Family Support Network as well as the Natick Rotary Club.

Eric graduated from Bentley University in Waltham, MA with a B.S. in Finance in 1998. While at Bentley he was a member of the Bentley football and diving teams.

Eric resides in Andover, Massachusetts with his wife Ashlee, two children, and English Bulldog. He enjoys spending his spare time with his family, spending time outdoors especially when golf is involved and working with his hands on many projects around the house

Key Questions CFOs Should Ask Before Acquiring a Company

CFOs should review a target company’s retirement plans before acquisition to reduce liability. Key areas include compliance, plan design, funding, and fees. The type of sale (asset vs. stock) impacts how the plan is managed. A specialist fiduciary advisor can help ensure due diligence.

Business woman tearing contract at her office, Breaking contract concept
Have You Outgrown Your PEO?

Transitioning away from a PEO is a significant decision that impacts every aspect of your business, from financial planning to employee satisfaction. By carefully assessing the timing, preparing for the change, and assembling the right team of experts, you can ensure that this transition supports your company’s growth and long-term success. By embracing this change you can create a wealth of opportunity to create a custom benefits, HR and compliance strategy to help you compete for talent and add to your bottom line.

Awards and Designations

The Accredited Investment Fiduciary® (AIF®) Designation is a professional certification that demonstrates an advisor or other person serving as an investment fiduciary has met certain requirements to earn and maintain the credential.

The purpose of the AIF® Designation is to assure that those responsible for managing or advising on investor assets have a fundamental understanding of the principles of fiduciary duty, the standards of conduct for acting as a fiduciary, and a process for carrying out fiduciary responsibility.

Designation Essentials
StatusCurrently offered and recognized by the issuing organization.
Issuing OrganizationCenter for Fiduciary Studies
Qualification and Educational Requirements
Prerequisites

Candidate must meet a point-based threshold based on a combination of education, relevant industry experience and/or professional development.

Education Requirements

Candidate must complete one of the following:

Examination Type

Final certification exam, proctored closed book

Continuing Education Requirements

6 hours per year

Verification and Complaints
Check Designation Status Online

Online at Professional Designee Search

Investor Complaint Process

Online at Designations Complaint Process

Published List of Disciplined Designees

None

The Certified Plan Fiduciary Adviser (CPFA) credential demonstrates an adviser’s
knowledge of, expertise in, and commitment to working with retirement plans. Plan
advisers who earn their CPFA demonstrate the expertise required to act as a plan
fiduciary or help plan fiduciaries manage their roles and responsibilities.
To earn the CPFA credential candidates must pass the CPFA examination.

Designation Essentials
StatusCurrently offered and recognized by the issuing organization.
Issuing OrganizationNational Association of Plan Advisors
Qualification and Educational Requirements
Prerequisites

None

Education Requirements

Must pass the Certified Plan Fiduciary Advisor examination. 

Examination Type

Final certification exam (proctored, closed book).

Continuing Education Requirements

10 hours each year.

Verification and Complaints
Check Designation Status Online

Yes, at NAPA Credential Check

Investor Complaint Process

Yes, at Complaints and Discipline

Published List of Disciplined Designees

None

Issuing OrganizationCertified Financial Planner Board of Standards, Inc.
Qualification and Educational Requirements
Prerequisites

Candidate must meet the following requirements:

  • A bachelor’s degree (or higher) from an accredited college or university, and
  • Three years of full-time personal financial planning experience or the equivalent part-time experience (2,000 hours equals one year full-time).
Education Requirements

Candidate must complete a CFP-board registered program, or hold one of the following:

  • CPA
  • ChFC
  • Chartered Life Underwriter (CLU)
  • CFA
  • Ph.D. in business or economics
  • Doctor of Business Administration
  • Attorney’s License
Examination Type

Final certification examination

Continuing Education Requirements

30 hours every two years

Issuing OrganizationInvestments & Wealth Institute
Qualification and Educational Requirements
Prerequisites

Candidate must meet the following requirements:

  • Three years of financial services experience; and
  • A satisfactory record of ethical conduct, as determined by Investments & Wealth Institute Admissions Committee.
Education Requirements
  • Educational component offered by one of the approved Registered Education Providers.
  • In-class program at The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, or online through Yale School of Management.
Examination Type

Qualification Examination and Certification Examination (online, proctored)

Continuing Education Requirements

40 hours every two years

  • Established in 2017, nominees had to be individual advisor team/offices with a defined contribution book of business. To be considered, firms had to submit responses to an application form, including information about their practices, notably their defined contribution (DC) assets under advisement. The list is created and conducted by the National Association of Plan Advisors, an affiliate organization of the American Retirement Association, a non-profit association. No fee is charged to participate. The rating is not indicative of the nominee’s future performance.
  • In 2021 Approximately 340 submissions were received and 332 were selected.
  • In 2022, 438 applications were submitted and 430 were on the final list. 
  • In 2023, 452 applications were submitted and 452 were on the final list. 
  • Awards earned while at Baystate Fiduciary Advisors
  • Criteria on which the rating was based:
    • NAPA Top DC Advisor Firms, ranked by DC assets under advisement.
  • How was the category was calculated/determined:
    • Survey respondents had to have in excess of $100 million in AUA at end of 2016
    • 293 teams that completed the survey met the above criteria
  • Number of advisors surveyed:
    • 293 surveys were received
  • Percentage of advisors that received the rating:
    • 100%
  • Disclosure:
    • This recognition is not indicative of investment adviser’s future performance
  • Who created/conducted the survey:
    • NAPA (National Associated of Plan Advisors)
  • Was any fee paid to participate in the survey:
    • No
  • Awards earned while at Baystate Fiduciary Advisors
  • Criteria on which the rating was based:
    • The “PLANADVISER Top 100 Retirement Plan Advisers” list is compiled from responses to the PLANADVISER Retirement Plan Adviser Survey. The list is drawn solely from a set of quantitative variables and information in the survey supplied by the advisers themselves. For an adviser to be eligible for recognition in this year’s Top 100, he had to submit a completed entry to our 2015 Retirement Plan Adviser Survey, which was fielded this past September. A sub-segment of the questions was used to determine eligibility for the Top 100.
    • Individuals needed to have more than 100 plans or more than $1 billion in retirement plan AUA; small teams had to advise more than $2 billion in retirement plan assets or more than 100 plans; large teams needed more than $3 billion in retirement plan AUA or more than 170 plans; and mega teams had to oversee more than $5 billion in retirement plan AUA or more than 250 plan clients.
  • How was the category was calculated/determined:
    • Advisers were segmented into four groups based on the number of advisers and number of total employees including support staff. Those figures assigned advisers into the following categories: individual adviser – meaning one adviser with support staff; small team – a group of 10 or fewer, comprising two or more advisers and support staff; large team – a group of 11 to 25 advisers and support staff; and mega teams – 26 or more team members.
  • Number of advisors surveyed:
    • In 2016, 27 teams qualified under the small team with < $2B in AUA
    • In 2019, 33 teams qualified under the small team with < $2B in AUA
  • Percentage of advisors that received the rating:
    • N/A
  • Disclosure:
    • This recognition is not indicative of investment adviser’s future performance
  • Who created/conducted the survey:
    • PlanAdviser Magazine
  • Was any fee paid to participate in the survey:
    • No

Established in 2015, nominations from the list were provided by NAPA Broker-Dealer/RIA Firm Partners. Nominees had to be women, had to be retirement plan advisors with their own book of business. Nominees were required to submit responses to an application comprised of a series of quantitative and qualitative questions about their experience, size and composition of their practice, awards and recognitions, and industry contributions, which were then reviewed by a panel of senior advisor industry experts, who, based on those criteria, and following a broker-check review, selected the top women advisors.

Within the group of top women advisors, those who were principals, owners or team captains of their organizations were designated as “Captains”, while those with less than 5 years of experience as a retirement plan advisor, “Rising Stars”.

In 2022 (2023 Award), we received nearly 515 nominations, 258 applications, from which 50 Captains, 50 All-Stars and 27 Rising Stars were chosen.

In 2021, we received nearly 500 nominations, 273 applications, from which 50 Captains, 50 All-Stars and 33 Rising Stars were chosen.

In 2020, we received 550 nominations, and considered 270. There were 50 Captains, 50 All-Stars, and 25 Rising Stars on the final list.

In 2019, we received 502 nominations, and considered 209. There were 50 Captains, 50 All-Stars, and 19 Rising Stars on the final list.

In 2018, we received just over 600 nominations, and considered 225. There were 50 Captains, 50 All-Stars, and 15 Rising Stars on the final list

In 2017, we received nearly 587 nominations, and considered 201. There were 50 Captains, 50 All-Stars, and 10 Rising Stars on the final list.

In 2016 we received 395 nominations, and considered 191. There were 50 Captains, 50 All-Stars, and 10 Rising stars

The list is created and conducted by the National Association of Plan Advisors, an affiliate organization of the American Retirement Association, a non-profit association. No fee is charged to participate. Th award is not indicative of the advisors’ performance.

Skip to content