Professional Focus
Paul Schaffer is a seasoned institutional retirement plan advisor at CAPTRUST’s Wayne, Pennsylvania office. With a career in financial services spanning four decades, Paul serves as a trusted consultant to corporate fiduciaries, specializing in the design, management, and ongoing optimization of employer-sponsored retirement plans. His deep knowledge of fiduciary standards, plan governance, and investment oversight makes him a valued partner to employers seeking to meet the evolving needs of their workforce.
Career Background
Paul joined CAPTRUST in 2006, bringing with him more than 20 years of industry experience. He currently holds the title of senior vice president and financial advisor and is responsible for delivering comprehensive retirement plan advisory services to a diverse base of institutional clients. Prior to his tenure at CAPTRUST, Paul worked as an advisor at both Plan Advisory Services and Schaffer Financial Concepts, where he focused on developing strategic plan solutions tailored to each client’s goals and obligations.
Having been in the industry since 1984, Paul has witnessed the retirement landscape evolve and has helped his clients navigate the many regulatory and market changes along the way. His longevity in the field reflects a commitment to fiduciary excellence and a client-first philosophy.
Philosophy & Approach
Paul’s work is grounded in building meaningful relationships with the organizations he serves. He takes a hands-on, consultative approach to retirement planning, offering insights into plan benchmarking, investment menu construction, plan governance support, and participant education strategies. His goal is to help clients provide competitive, compliant, and cost-effective retirement benefits that drive positive outcomes for plan sponsors and their employees alike.
Education
- Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Delaware
Industry Designations
- Accredited Investment Fiduciary®
Awards & Recognition
- NAPA Top DC Advisor Teams | 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2024, and 2025 (CAPTRUST Doylestown)
- Barron’s Top Institutional Consulting Teams | 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, and 2025 (Team Doylestown)
- Financial Times 401 Top Retirement Plan Advisor | 2017, 2018, 2019, and 2020
Disclosures
- CAPTRUST’s ranking on “NAPA’s 2026 Top DC Advisor Multi-Office Firms” list was based on defined contribution (DC) assets under advisement (AUA) as of Dec. 31, 2025. CAPTRUST is a paid member of The National Association of Plan Advisors (NAPA).
- CAPTRUST’s ranking on “Barron’s 2024 Top RIAs list” was based on both qualitative and quantitative data, including assets managed, technology spending, and staff diversity, along with other metrics, as of June 30, 2024. CAPTRUST nor its advisors paid a fee to Barron’s to obtain or use the ranking
- CAPTRUST teams named on the “Barron’s 2025 Top 100 Institutional Consulting Teams” ranking were evaluated using a proprietary formula including 1) assets, 2) revenue, and 3) quality of practice for the year ending December 31, 2024. Neither CAPTRUST nor its advisors paid a fee to Barron’s to obtain or use the ranking. For more information on the methodology, please click here.
- CAPTRUST’s ranking on the “Financial Advisor magazine’s 2025 RIA Discretionary & Non-Discretionary ranking” was based on CAPTRUST’s total assets as of December 31, 2024. Neither CAPTRUST nor its advisors paid a fee to Financial Advisor magazine to obtain the ranking, but does pay a licensing fee for the use of the award logo.
- CAPTRUST advisors named on the “PLANADVISER Magazine 2026 Top Retirement Plan Advisers list” were based on advisor assets among other quantitative metrics, as of Dec. 31, 2025. To be listed, advisors had to have a minimum requirement of 50 plan clients or retirement plan assets under advisement of $400 million or more. Neither CAPTRUST nor its advisors paid a fee to PlanAdviser to obtain or use the ranking.
- CAPTRUST’s ranking on “NAPA’s 2026 Top DC Advisor Multi-Office Firms” list was based on defined contribution (DC) assets under advisement (AUA) as of Dec. 31, 2025. CAPTRUST is a paid member of The National Association of Plan Advisors (NAPA). Neither CAPTRUST nor its advisors paid a fee to the National Association of Plan Advisors (NAPA) to obtain or use the ranking.
- CAPTRUST advisors named on the “NAPA’s 2026 Aces: Top 100 Retirement Plan Advisors Under 40 list” were based on a combination of data submitted by the nominees including the following: Plan size managed, advisor revenue percentage relative to total assets under advisement, total dollar value of defined contribution/defined benefit book of business managed, and other criteria as of October 2025. CAPTRUST nor its advisors paid a fee to the National Association of Plan Advisors (NAPA) to obtain or use the ranking.
- CAPTRUST’s ranking on the “Best Investment Consultant – Service & Investment Counseling – Large Investment Consultants for Institutional Investors in the U.S.” by Crisil Coalition Greenwich for 2025 was based on interviews conducted between February and September 2024 by Crisil Coalition Greenwich. They held interviews with 699 individuals from 563 of the largest tax-exempt funds in the U.S. These U.S.-based institutional investors are corporate, public, union, and endowment and foundation funds with either pension or investment pool assets greater than $150 million. Study participants were asked to provide quantitative and qualitative evaluations of their asset management and investment consulting providers, including qualitative assessments of those firms soliciting their business and detailed information on important market trends. Neither CAPTRUST nor its advisors paid a fee to Crisil Coalition to obtain or use the ranking.