With true business experience, we understand what it takes to own and operate a business, and, a large percentage of our clients are business owners, of all stages in the ownership lifecycle.
Many clients work with PIVOT to improve business planning, compensation arrangements, protection strategies, or the coordination of the legal, accounting* and insurance aspects of the family and / or business plan. While many of our clients have accumulated wealth through ownership of a privately held corporation, and work with PIVOT for business continuation planning, executive benefits and exit planning.
Our discovery process will help you create an action plan that coordinates your business planning with your personal financial strategies.
The success of most businesses is tied into the talent, passion and work ethics of their key executives. Executive benefit packages can help you attract, motivate, and retain high-caliber employees and keep your company healthy and stable. We can help you with funding non-qualified plans, supplemental employee retirement plans, split dollar plans, and more.
Key person life insurance offers a death benefit that helps indemnifies an employer for the loss of one of its most important assets - the key person. This can help assure continuity of the business for employees, customers and creditors, and protects against losses in sales, momentum, and credit. It can also be used to assist with recruiting and developing a replacement for the employee.
Employee Benefits provide an incentive program that goes beyond a paycheck and allows you to cultivate a strong workforce. There are different employee benefit plans and packages. We offer you the ability to customize what benefits to offer your employees based on what is best for your business. These benefits are voluntary and are at no additional cost to you. We have flexible payment options for your employees, including automatic payroll deduction.
Selecting the right benefit package is becoming increasingly important in retaining the best employees, and keeping them productive. We strive to know and understand your complete financial situation and provide you with the highest quality of information, products, and services to help you reach your goals. Our clients rest assured knowing that we always have their interests at heart.
Focusing on your objectives, budget and culture, we work with you to custom design your group benefits, qualified retirement plans, and voluntary benefits plans to address your employees’ unique needs. Our strong relationships with insurers enable us to effectively represent your employees to ensure claims and issues are resolved promptly.
Deferred compensation is a written agreement between an employer and an employee where the employee chooses to have part of his or her compensation withheld by the company, invested on their behalf, and distributed back to them at a pre-determined point in the future. Deferred compensation can be used as a flexible way to attract and incentivize key employees.
Succession planning allows owners to leave their business on their own timeframe while preparing their company to be transferred to family members, key employees, an outside party, or even a charity. This must be done in a way that achieves personal financial security, maintains harmony, and achieves maximum value for the business.
Buy-sell plans can help create a market for a closely held business, establish a price for all parties to sell their interests, and provide money to fund the plan. A buy-sell plan will work differently depending on the type of business entity. Each type of agreement helps create a smooth process for transferring ownership of the business. The agreement provides control over who purchases the remaining assets. The buyer can purchase a life insurance policy to help make sure they have available funds to purchase the business.
A buy–sell agreement is a legally binding agreement between co-owners of a business that governs the situation if a co-owner dies or leaves the business, whether by force or by choice. A funded cross-purchase buy-sell plan may use life insurance to help ensure that the arrangement is properly funded so that there will be money when the event is triggered.
Supplemental life insurance for retirement planning can not only provide death benefit protection related to the business but can also help you generate income once you retire while strengthening your business’ balance sheet. Of course, accessing the cash value in a life insurance policy will reduce the total cash value and total death benefit. You purchase and own a life insurance policy. You pay the premiums before you retire. Once you retire, you can withdraw monthly income or borrow against the policy. At death, your beneficiaries receive the benefit income tax-free.
Every business needs a plan. Consult with us to make sure yours is up to date. Chances are your business’s needs continually change, just as your company. Here are some items to review:
Rising costs have made health care the fluctuating cost of your company’s planning strategy. Three points to consider:
1. Health care is a key factor in employment retention.
2. With health care costs constantly on the rise, you probably cannot afford to be without.
3. Health care is undergoing rapid, innovative change. There are ways to combat costs.
Does our coverage meet our needs, or is it leaving us and our employees dangerously under covered?
Are our deductibles as high as we can comfortably afford?
Are we aware of all the options available to our company and recent healthcare changes?
Your key people are your greatest assets. Life insurance can reimburse the company for loss of services if your non-expendable employee dies. If you don’t have key person coverage on your most valuable people including yourself, consider it. If you already have this valuable insurance, it may be time to review it.
Are all key players covered, including the owner(s)?
Are the amounts right in proportion to the value of each key person?
Should names be changed on policies where a key person left the company?
What is the cash value on each policy?
If you, a partner, or a key employee become disabled, the loss to the company could be just as great as if he or she passed away. It would financially difficult because that person would still require an income.
Do I have acceptable disability insurance for myself?
Do we have coverage on our key employees to help meet our responsibilities to them if they become disabled?
If you don’t have such a plan, perhaps this is the year to choose one. This type of plan helps ensure that your family is appropriately compensated for the business if anything happens to you.
If we have a plan already in place, is it up to date?
Is adequate life insurance in place to fund the buy- out?
Does it include disability insurance needed to help replace my salary or income if I become ill or injured?
Deferred compensation allows you to pay a portion of an employee’s compensation at a future date. It’s an appealing incentive for select employees as well. By deferring a current raise today, you can theoretically get a tax break for yourself. Plus, you will be saving for your future. As always, check with a tax professional about any potential tax implications.
Am I fully aware of all the advantages and benefits of a deferred comp plan?
If there is a plan in force, am I taking maximum advantage of it?
Many small businesses are looking for ways to provide a retirement plan for themselves and their employees. There are many options, including Profit Sharing Plans, Simplified Employee Pensions, and SIMPLE Plans that can help you build a retirement plan for your business.
Are you seeking tax deductions?
Are you hoping to contribute for just yourself or make matching contributions?
Am I aware of all available options?
Here at PIVOT Income Strategies, we would be happy to review your life insurance and retirement plan needs during a no-cost no-obligation meeting.