Guideline Enters Agreement to be Acquired by Gusto
Ten years, ~65,000 customers, 1 million+ savers, and $20 billion in assets later, Guideline has entered an agreement to be acquired by Gusto, a leading provider of payroll, benefits, and HR solutions tailored to small businesses.
It’s been a decade since my co-founders and I first set out to fix 401(k)s. At the time, Guideline was just an idea born out of my own frustration with the outdated 401(k) industry. We started with a simple, yet audacious goal: to create a 401(k) that would help, not hinder, savers achieve positive outcomes. We set out to replace the clunky, expensive, and confusing systems of the past with something better: a transparent, simple, and affordable platform. One that prioritizes the needs of business owners and their employees.
We believed (and still believe) that replacing middlemen with smart technology would make a real difference in people’s lives. We’ve proven that model and helped transform an industry. What began as our vision has become the blueprint others are now following. We set the standard, and the future of retirement is stronger for it.
In 2024, Guideline was ranked second in the country by number of plans added1. From day one, we've required auto-enrollment on every Guideline plan, well ahead of regulation mandating it, and we launched the first-to-market Starter 401(k), bridging the access gap for the smallest businesses and making saving for retirement possible for everyone. Our award-winning2 mobile app has made it easier than ever for people to engage with their retirement savings.
None of this would have been possible without my two co-founders, Cabs and Mike, and our incredible team at Guideline. Your passion, dedication, and relentless focus on our mission have been the driving force behind everything we have achieved. I am equally grateful to our partners and customers who believed in what we’ve built.
From the very beginning, we knew that to deliver real impact you have to own the whole stack, integrating payroll and plan administration so everything works seamlessly. That integration creates an intuitive experience for people of all backgrounds - whether it’s an HR team at a company with thousands of employees, the owner of a bakery, a dentist, or anyone else - empowering businesses and their employees alike to make the best possible financial decisions.
For 401(k)s, payroll isn’t just an input, it’s the foundation. By building Guideline to be deeply integrated, we’ve unlocked a model that grows with small businesses while driving better outcomes for their employees. A standalone 401(k) product, disconnected from the broader toolset, simply can’t deliver the same results. We’re staying focused on what matters most: helping people save for retirement, and using every part of the system to make that experience smarter, simpler, and more effective.
This is a full circle moment. Gusto was our first fully integrated payroll partner and played a huge role in the validation of Guideline. Just as importantly, our missions have always been aligned in championing small and growing businesses. As longtime partners, I have great admiration for what Josh and the rest of the Gusto team have built. Now as teammates, I can’t wait to see what we accomplish together.
Together, Guideline and Gusto will keep building tools that help businesses support their people. Joining forces means it will be easier than ever for small and growing businesses to stay compliant, provide quality benefits, and help give their teams a stronger path to financial security.
As I reflect on the past ten years, I’m incredibly proud. We set out to fix 401(k)s and together we’ve transformed an industry. Now, with Gusto, we’re ready to take it even further. That means going deeper with customers to improve their experience, expanding the breadth of our products, and building new tools that make planning and saving for retirement simpler and more accessible than ever.
This isn’t an ending, it’s the start of a new chapter. It validates our mission and it fuels our determination to help everyone arrive at a secure retirement. Yes, everyone.
Thank you for being part of this journey. Together, we’re building the future of retirement.