Products & Services
At Benefits Consulting, Inc., we provide assistance in the following areas:
- Insurance
- Investment Planning
- Tax Planning
- Retirement Planning
- Estate Conservation Planning
- Financial Consulting
- Business Retirement Planning
- Insurance
Investment Planning
You would like to find a way to make your money work for you, but you are not sure where you should start or what products will give you the best return on your investment. What you need is a good investment analysis. Much like a financial analysis, the investment analysis is a written statement outlining the methods you will use to reach your goals. Through investment planning, the professionals at Benefits Consulting, Inc. can help you decide the best way to invest your current monies and any income you may receive in the future. Taking into account several different factors, including an initial investment, overall financial goals and the amount of risk you are willing to incur, we will help create a custom plan to help you reach your financial goals.
The professionals at Benefits Consulting, Inc., can work with you to answer these critical investment planning questions:
- What are your investment goals?
- How liquid does the investment need to be?
- What is your risk tolerance?
- What is the impact on your taxes?
- What is the economic outlook?
- Is the skill and knowledge needed to manage the investment?
- How much money is available to be invested?
- Tax Planning
Retirement Planning
Perhaps one of the most discussed financial concerns is retirement planning. While many people are aware of saving for the future, retirement planning entails more than just socking away savings for the “golden years,” especially since not all of today’s retirees are senior citizens. It is not unusual for people in their early 40s or 50s to retire. With the shift in retirement age so has the perception of the retiree. No longer is retirement about sitting in a rocking chair. For some, it is about travel, going back to school, or pursing hobbies without time constraints. Smart retirement planning requires taking an all encompassing look at your financial needs which includes analyzing all of your potential sources of retirement income in addition to the resources you will have to gather in order to support your anticipated lifestyle. Additional issues for retirement planning include: paying for retirement, health care, estate planning and housing. There are many different ways to do this. The experienced team at Benefits Consulting, Inc., will help you to determine what the best methods are for you.
Estate Conservation Planning
When it comes to estate planning, it is about more than just writing a will to pass on your assets. Most people do not realize there are several other factors that should be considered when providing for survivors such as income needs, household living expenses, childcare and educational expenses. While not pleasant to think about, one should also consider the following areas which will require an immediate output of cash including final expenses, estate settlement cost, as well as mortgage payoff and debt reduction. Another important consideration is planning so that the bulk of your estate is not consumed by taxes and fees. Proper planning will allow you to best protect the assets you have worked so hard to attain. By taking a team approach with an accountant and attorney, Benefits Consulting, Inc., can formulate a plan that will help to minimize federal estate taxes, as well as state inheritance taxes. With proper planning, you can work to ensure that the cost of estate settlement is met while leaving the maximum amount to provide for your family’s financial needs.
Financial Consulting
Securing a successful financial future takes vision, planning and discipline. Financial consulting is an important first step in becoming financially independent. A financial plan is a blueprint for building for your financial future. It is a written statement of your goals and future needs, as well as a written course of action for helping you achieve those goals. It should be monitored over time to be sure you are on track. The professionals at Benefits Consulting Inc., use a seven-step process for creating your individual financial analysis.
The Seven-Step Process:
- Define the client-planner relationship
- Establish goals and objectives
- Gather pertinent data and information
- Process and analyze the data
- Recommend alternative plans of action
- Implement a chosen plan
- Monitor the plan over time
- Business Retirement Planning
Identifying the reasons for establishing a qualified retirement plan:
- Tax Planning tool to reduce employer and or employee federal taxes
- Attract new employees
- Reward current employees
- Create the “golden handcuffs” for employee retention
- Increase morale of employees
- Create an avenue for employees to be responsible about retirement savings
Identify the appropriate plan to pursue desired goals and objectives:
- Profit Sharing/401(k)
- Simple IRA/ 401(k)
- Defined Benefit Plan
- Defined Contribution Plans
- Cross-tested Profit Sharing
- SEP
- ESOP
- Age-Weighted Profit Sharing
Identify the services needed from a Third Party Administrator (TAP), or Service Provider and compare the associated cost between different TPA’s:
- Document preparation
- Ongoing trust valuation
- Record keeping
- Document updating
- 5500 preparation
- Enrollment services
- Plan compliance testing
- Loan processing
Evaluate alternative financial instruments used for funding of plan assets and associated charges:
- Proprietary products
- Mutual funds
- Variable annuities
- Educational materials
- Internet account access
- Asset allocation options
- Sales charges
- Surrender charges
- Wrap fees
- Enrollment procedures
- Asset transfer features
- Data & money transfers from employer
Implement the best combination from above that will best pursue the goals and objectives set.