Retirement Planning For
Business Owners

• Metrics that Matter. You need the right financial components to evaluate crucial decisions in your business to put your mind at ease, gain more freedom, and explore more possibilities with your hard-earned wealth.
• Solid Strategy. We like the Three Legs and No Gaps framework, but whichever model you choose, you need a solid foundation to create a significant company. Your plan should identify concurrent paths and goals during exit planning, including an understanding of why intangible capital matters most.
• Mind the Gap. Identify the gaps in profit, value, and wealth that may be keeping you from your goals. It’s also worth recognizing the different types of gaps, their impact on your business, and ways to measure these gaps.
• Plans A, B, C, etc. It may be difficult to think about, but it’s important to plan ahead and know what steps need to be taken before selling. Not only do you need to adequately prepare for the sale of your business, you should plan for various outcomes and create appropriate contingency plans.
• The Big Picture. Ensure the outcome of your business succession by focusing on all aspects, which may include personal and family dynamics, as well as the business itself. This way, when you do sell your company, there won’t be any surprises or disappointments along the way. It will also help ensure that your family is happy with the outcome as well!

Here are a few of the ways we can help to support your business and your personal vision now and into the future.

• Understand the value of your business, both tangible and intangible
• Determine how ready and attractive your company is currently
• Identify the three gaps (value, wealth, profit)
• Identify the Range of Value of your company. What is it worth today and what is it potentially worth?
• Understand your exit options and how they apply to your company and exit goals
• Better understand your personal vision and personal financial needs
• Align your business, personal and financial goals
• Create, deliver, and maintain 90-day action plans helping you, as an owner, de-risk the business and grow value
• Bring the advisory team together, and and your business’s internal leadership team together, to work towards common goals and better collaborate
• Make sure the business can run without you

The team at Independent Financial Services can confidently develop strategies for closing those gaps with the help of your experienced CEPA financial advisor so that you can reach your business and personal goals faster than ever before!

We will support you to ensure that this process goes smoothly and quickly by helping prepare for your exit.

To attract professional and loyal employees, competitive businesses need to have a retirement plan for their workforce. Whether it’s a SIMPLE, SEP or 401(k), today’s employees expect some type of retirement plan. There are so many different types of plans to choose from, and each has unique features that are appropriate for some employers but not others. It is important that you select and implement the plan that best suits your needs, the needs of your business, and the needs of your employees. However, we’ve found that top management usually doesn’t have the time or the expertise to create, operate and maintain a retirement plan.

That’s where IFS comes in. Our team can do all these things for your company. We can determine what plan suits your needs, recommend investment options and vendors and maintain a plan that will limit your liability. We will conduct on-site education and training sessions with you and your employees. A good plan can only be successful when everyone understands the benefits and options.

Whether you’re self-employed, a small business owner or a larger corporation with multiple employees, consider setting up one of the following types of plans:

Simplified employee pension (SEP) plan
SIMPLE IRA plan
SINGLE 401(k) plan
401(k) plan
Profit-sharing plan
Age-weighted profit-sharing plan
New comparability plan
Defined benefit plan
Cash balance plan
Employee stock ownership plan (ESOP)

Let IFS put a plan into perspective for you.

– We can help you obtain capital to grow your business, transition to the next generation/partner or explore private equity offerings.

2. Are you planning to exit your business within 2 years?

– We can help you in preparing to sell and position that wealth for your next phase; whether it’s retirement income or buying your next business. We can be an integral part of your transition team.

Through Raymond James, the IFS team offers a full array of capital market services complemented by strategic advice and planning for every stage of the business life cycle. As one of North America’s leading full-service firms, Raymond James can provide:

– Investment banking – With deep industry expertise to back up our full-service investment banking capabilities, we’re driven by a commitment to senior banker focus and supported by hundreds of specialized experts within nine growth-oriented industry practices.

– Public finance – Our public finance group has in-depth experience and expertise in providing financing solutions for and serving as senior manager on a broad range of tax-exempt issues, including general obligation, airports, utilities, higher education, school districts and healthcare.

– Equity capital markets – For more than 40 years, Raymond James has combined focused research, powerful distribution, and solid investment banking advice to serve the needs of growth companies and investors.

– Fixed income capital markets – Founded in 1962, the Raymond James Fixed Income Capital Markets division is one of the largest of any firm off Wall Street – ranking among the nation’s top underwriters of new issue agencies and municipal securities. The firm has also been established in Europe for over 25 years and has offices in London, Paris, Dusseldorf, Brussels and Geneva.

– Raymond James consistently receives recognition from the industry and its peers. The IFS team is so fortunate to have access to the resources of Raymond James, one of the largest financial services companies.

Raymond James has grown to become a well-respected, widely recognized multinational firm with distinct business units that serve a variety of clients, from individuals and small business owners to municipalities and major corporations.