Business Services & Solutions
Our business services and solutions are designed to help you answer the following questions:
How can turn my employee benefits from a cost item into an increasing revenue source and reduce costs for my firm?
Is my company retirement plan compliant with Department of Labor regulations?
Is it designed to maximize contributions for all employees, executives, and owners?
How can retain and reward those major contributors to my firm in a tax efficient manner?
How can I attract potential executives to join my firm?
Have I maxed out my 401k plan, but want and need to contribute more?
Are there ways for me to increase my retirement savings without violating contributions set by my 401k?
Your Company Retirement Plan
We pride ourselves on being an organization that fully discloses all fees and compensation associated with the plan and our services. Offering very competitive pricing and capping our fees on a retirement plan as the plan assets and number of participants continue to increase, is one example of how we dedicate ourselves to acting in the best interest of our clients.
As an independent advisor, our retirement plan consulting services include:
- Provider Fee Review / Benchmarking and Pricing Renegotiation
- 401(k) Plan Design Analysis
- Participation, Investment Allocation and Education Review
- Investment Policy Statement (IPS) and Fiduciary Review
- Provider Contract Review
- Vendor Analysis and Selection, if necessary
Without a consistent investment due diligence process, fiduciaries may be held personally liable for poor investment performance in a participant-directed retirement plan. Our firm helps navigate fiduciary responsibility through systematic, quantitative and qualitative investment analysis involving detailed reports utilizing industry standard analytical measurements. Our due diligence process goes far beyond the Morningstar 5-star ratings and instead focuses on a systematic approach of fund selection, monitoring, and ongoing documentation and review.
- Investment Policy Statement (IPS)
- Investment Analysis and Review
- Scorecard Fund Ranking
- Detailed Quarterly Investment Monitor
- Quarterly and Annual Fee Monitor
- Ongoing Monitor of Participant Level Performance
Executive Compensation and Retention
One of the biggest threats to your business today is the possibility that one or more of your key people will move to a competitor. Not only will your company’s revenue drop, but the customer revenue the executive was generating can now be realized by your competition.
What are the major reasons why they leave?
- Your (traditional) retirement plans will not provide adequate income for their retirement.
- No formal contractual bonus program to provide performance incentive is in place or current program is not effective.
- No company plan to help them reduce their taxes.
Let us help you design a strategy to help you attract, retain, and reward key executives.
Business Continuation Planning
As a business owner, you are the lifeblood of your organization, the driving force behind its success.
Have you considered:
- What will happen to your business when you are ready to retire?
- Do you have children or other family members ready to continue the family business?
- Is there another successor in line who will be able to pick up the reins?
- Most of all, if you died prematurely or became disabled, will the business you worked so hard to build be able to continue... and will your family be financially provided for?
- Do I know what my business is worth?
- Do I have in place or or need to update my estate plan? Have I taken the necessary steps to minimize my tax burden?
Tough questions, yes, but ones you need to ask.
Retirement/Estate Planning for the business owner
One of the nice perks of being self-employed or a business owner is that you don't HAVE to retire. You're a doer. You like to make decisions and see results. But maybe someday -- perhaps when you're 65, 75 or older - you just might WANT the option to trade the fun and frustration of work for golf, gardening, vacationing with the grandkids or sitting back and relaxing with family and friends. Just as important, you also want to have all your ducks in a row, so to speak, when it comes to making sure your loved ones are well provided for in the future.
Neither of these goals just happens. They are the result of decisions you make today. That means retirement planning and estate planning – mapping out a strategy to create options for you and for your family. Fortunately, there are more retirement and estate planning choices available today than ever before for business owners and those self-employed. I am here to help you begin the process of planning. As the old saying goes: Those who fail to plan... fail.
Life Insurance for Risk Management
As a business owner, you live with risk. That's the nature of business. You take on risk when you borrow money to expand, launch a new product or service, hire a new employee, extend credit to a customer. There are dozens of risks in business...and few guarantees. Successful business owners, therefore, work to minimize risk, so they can focus on meeting their objectives.
Life insurance is a risk management tool. For instance, if your company invested in new facilities or new vehicles, you would insure their value against the danger of theft, fire and accident. In the same way, life insurance can help protect the value of key employees to your business, reduce the risk that a loan might default if something happened to you, and, most of all, reduce the risk that your business and your family would suffer financially if you did not live to see your long-term plans completed.
Employee Benefits
Finding quality employees is half the challenge. Keeping them – and keeping them well motivated – is the other half, especially in today's tight labor market. One way to do that is to provide competitive benefits. I know, when many small business owners hear the words "employee benefits," they immediately think, "one more expense I can't afford!"
If this sounds like you, you might want to think again. Two reasons: (1) Carefully selected benefits can help reduce costly employee turnover, boost morale and, in turn, help assure your company's stability and productivity. (2) Benefits need not cost you an arm and a leg. For example, a voluntary payroll deduction program lets workers – including you as an owner-employee – acquire valuable benefits at virtually no cost to you.
Contact us for a complimentary feasibility study of a new plan or review of an existing program.