Business owners have unique needs, namely how to recruit, retain and reward employees (one of their most valuable assets), and how to ensure continuation of their business in the event of the death, disability or retirement of an owner, partner or key employee. One way employers may recruit and retain talented employees is provide competitive employee benefits, such as:
- Group Health Insurance, Life Insurance, Disability Income Insurance and Long-Term Care Insurance
- Employer-Sponsored Retirement Plans
- Voluntary Benefits
- Flexible Spending Accounts
- Health Savings Accounts
Equally as important, business owners need to maximize their dollars and leverage their spending – especially during challenging economic times.
I assist businesses, in conjunction with their tax and legal advisors, in developing cost-effective and tax-efficient employee benefit programs, employer-sponsored retirement plans, executive compensation packages and business continuation and succession strategies.
My goal is to help you navigate the challenges posed to business owners in today’s complex benefits world. Employers want to attract and retain employees by offering valuable benefits, but they also need to manage expenses.
Employee Benefits
Employers have a myriad of choices for their medical benefits: Health Maintenance Organizations (HMO), Preferred Provider Organizations (PPO), Point Of Service (POS) plans. Health Savings Accounts (HSA), Health Reimbursement Accounts (HRA), and Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA), are innovative consumer directed approaches that can be an integral components of high quality benefits package.
Group and Voluntary Life Insurance, Disability Income Insurance and Long-Term Care Insurance benefits, as well as Dental and Vision plans, are crucial financial strategies for many employees these days. An employer may provide real value to his employees with these benefits at little to no expense cost to the bottom line. We’ll help you measure this value. Our knowledge and experience helps you implement the most cost-effective, tax-efficient and strategic benefits packages to support your firm’s objectives.
Employer-Sponsored Retirement Plans
Employer-sponsored retirement plans provide employers with a competitive advantage in attracting and retaining quality employees, and provide those employees with a convenient method to save for retirement. These plans also offer participants significant tax advantages.
There are a number of plan types available: 401(k), Profit Sharing and Defined Benefit plans to name a few. If you’re a new or small new business owner, you may want to consider a SIMPLE IRA or Simplified Employee Pension (SEP). Regardless of the size of your business, we will help you choose the plan that best addresses your financial needs and goals.
Furthermore, employers assume certain fiduciary responsibilities when they offer these plans to their employees. In addition to helping you determine which plan is most appropriate for your business, we help plan sponsors navigate their fiduciary responsibilities.
Executive Compensation
Executive Compensation plays an important role in recruiting, rewarding and retaining key employees, and each employer requires a customized offering. Understanding your company’s mission and business risks is the first step in tailoring an Executive Compensation package for your company’s most valued employees.
Business Succession
- Do you have an exit strategy for your business?
- Will you sell your business or give it away?
- What would happen to your business if you suddenly passed away or became disabled?
- How would your business fare in the event your partner or a key employee died or became disabled?
- Should you transfer your ownership interest to family members, co-owners, employees, or an outside party?
Your business is an asset you’ve worked hard to grow, and these are just a few of the questions you’ll need to answer when developing your succession plan — an essential step in protecting your company, employees and family. We can help you develop the most tax-efficient and cost-effective method for transferring your firm in line with your wishes.
There's a lot of information here and it can be overwhelming, I know. Developing the most cost-effective and tax-efficient strategies to address your goals and concerns can be even more complicated - and costly - unless you have the proper advisers on board. Please call me today at (973) 227-8800, x 7563 to begin the process.
