Company History
Empirical Modeling & Analytics, Inc. (EMA), the parent of The Better 401(k) Source, was founded in 1987 by Dr. James D. MacBeth, Ph.D. Prior to forming the company, Dr. MacBeth was an associate of Nobel Laureate Dr. Eugene F. Fama, Ph.D. at the University of Chicago’s Booth School of Business where they jointly published several research papers related to financial economics and the capital markets.
EMA's initial charter was to provide consultative research and to be a custom analytical software production source for a 200 year-old global custodial bank, who remains a client today. Soon thereafter, we began providing investment advisors and pension consultants with similar services, in addition to, rigorous risk-adjusted return analysis on investment managers and assisting them with asset allocation decisions and model portfolio testing.
As time passed, we concluded that our talents would be better served advising sponsors of mid-sized 401(k) defined contribution plans. We discontinued our advisement services to investment advisors and pension consultants and formed The Better 401(k) Source.
Today, Empirical Modeling & Analytics, Inc. continues to produce custom financial software applications for clients (dba EMA Softech, Inc.) and advising the fiduciaries and participants of mid-sized 401(k) plans (dba The Better 401(k) Source).
In our capacity as a registered investment advisor and co-fiduciary, assets are managed on both a discretionary and non-discretionary basis (depending on the needs of the client). We also provide ERISA Section 3(38) fiduciary investment management services, if desired, at no additional cost.
Empirical Modeling & Analytics, Inc. (EMA), the parent of The Better 401(k) Source, was founded in 1987 by Dr. James D. MacBeth, Ph.D. Prior to forming the company, Dr. MacBeth was an associate of Nobel Laureate Dr. Eugene F. Fama, Ph.D. at the University of Chicago’s Booth School of Business where they jointly published several research papers related to financial economics and the capital markets.
EMA's initial charter was to provide consultative research and to be a custom analytical software production source for a 200 year-old global custodial bank, who remains a client today. Soon thereafter, we began providing investment advisors and pension consultants with similar services, in addition to, rigorous risk-adjusted return analysis on investment managers and assisting them with asset allocation decisions and model portfolio testing.
As time passed, we concluded that our talents would be better served advising sponsors of mid-sized 401(k) defined contribution plans. We discontinued our advisement services to investment advisors and pension consultants and formed The Better 401(k) Source.
Today, Empirical Modeling & Analytics, Inc. continues to produce custom financial software applications for clients (dba EMA Softech, Inc.) and advising the fiduciaries and participants of mid-sized 401(k) plans (dba The Better 401(k) Source).
In our capacity as a registered investment advisor and co-fiduciary, assets are managed on both a discretionary and non-discretionary basis (depending on the needs of the client). We also provide ERISA Section 3(38) fiduciary investment management services, if desired, at no additional cost.