About Us
We Started this Business for Our 'Ohana and Yours
After spending 10 years in the industry, we realized that there was a gap-in-service for small business retirement plans in Hawaii. There were no 100% local, independent, fee-based Fiduciary Advisors with a total focus on retirement plans. Therefore, we started our family-owned and operated, 100% local Registered Investment Advisory practice with a complete focus on 401(k), 403(b), 457, Cash Balance and other corporate sponsored group retirement plans. We are fee-only, can act in an Investment Co-Fiduciary capacity, and do not receive commission or compensation through investments or the cross-selling of individual financial products to our clients or their employees.
What is Shomer?
Shomer is the Hebrew word for Guardian, which is why we chose the Cherubim (angels) that protect the cover of the Ark as the central image for our logo as they are the guardian's of the very tablets that birthed the greater principles & ethics that have shaped American civil society. We live by these principles and see ourselves as protectors of something sacred, the 'nest egg' of local working people. We take this privilege seriously and have tied our Jewish roots to our Hawaiian roots with our family name of Naeʻole. Naeʻole, which means “without shortness of breath,” was a chief of Kohala on the Big Island of Hawaii. Renowned for his great skill as a runner, Naeʻole took on the responsibility of safely carrying the newborn Kamehameha from Kokoiki to ʻĀwini where Kahaʻōpūlani waited to receive him. Naeʻole’s journey to get Kamehameha to safety was treacherous, but his perseverance and will to continue outlasted any obstacles or distance he faced. These concepts of 'guardianship' and 'breathlessness' create the cornerstones of our adherence to strict morals and ethics as well as a tireless commitment to our clients and community. 10% of all annual revenue is donated to local Charities.
About Us
Ilan D. Amir, CPFA®
A 2005 graduate of the University of Hawaii at Manoa, Ilan has been immersed in local business for 20 years with the last 9 years spent working directly with 401(k), 403(b), 403(b)9 Church Plans, 457, and Cash Balance Plans. Before starting Shomer, Ilan worked for a Top 25 mutual insurance company with retirement plan business in over 20 markets nationally. Ilan was responsible for the Hawaii book of business, which at his start in 2014 was around 15 retirement plans with $150 Million in Assets Under Administration. 9 years later, Ilan would grow the book to over 90 retirement plans with $400 Million in Assets Under Administration across 5 Hawaiian Islands, Guam, Saipan, and several continental US States.
Ilan's 401(k) industry travels would take him to San Diego, Los Angeles, Seattle, Chicago, Indianapolis, and Orlando where he would meet small business retirement plan specialists who maintained a 100% focus on retirement plans. Each return to Honolulu was a reminder that such specialization, in particular for small businesses, was almost non-existent in the Hawaii 401(k) market. Ilan believed that local small businesses and their retirement plans deserved the class of service he saw in other markets and decided to launch Shomer 401(k) Advisors in March of 2023!
Ilan and Angelica have been married for 12 years and are blessed with 6 children: Hatikvah age 11, Yoni age 10, Tehilah age 8, Itzhak age 6, Hadassah age 4, and Ze'ev age 2. They reside on the Windward side of O'ahu and when not working, are either Mauka hiking, Makai surfing, or on the Jiu Jitsu mats. They are honored to serve small businesses across all Hawaiian islands.
Ilan is an Investment Advisor Representative through Shomer 401(k) Advisors and passed the Series 65 Investment Advisor License examination. He is also certified as a Certified Plan Fiduciary Advisor (CPFA®) through the National Association of Plan Advisors (NAPA).