Unlike most law firm ERISA attorney, I had the great experience to start my career as an ERISA attorney as a staff attorney for a third party administrator (TPA), 20 years ago. It gave me the insight and experience that I could never have received as an attorney working for a law firm. Over the first 9 years as a TPA attorney, I was able to see the good, the bad, and the ugly of the retirement business, so that knowledge can be used to help my plan sponsor and retirement plan provider clients. I always compared myself to my late uncle who worked for a meat provision company who we trusted for advice on which hotdogs to eat, so I can tell you which TPA a plan sponsor should use. In my 8 years working for my own firm, I’ve also added some more TPA tales. This article is about some of the many things I saw with advice on what plan sponsors should be avoiding in using a TPA.