ESOP advisor in Dardenne Prairie, MO. Employee stock ownership plans (ESOPs) are becoming a more and more well-liked retirement benefit for employees in a variety of sectors in Dardenne Prairie, MO. They offer business owners a chance to move on from their company while greatly reducing taxes on the sale, and offer employees a tax-advantaged retirement plan that increases their productivity and motivation. However, designing, implementing, and maintaining an ESOP isn't something most Dardenne Prairie, MO business owners can do alone. Correct Capital's seasoned and savvy ESOP advisors help businesses of all sizes, in Dardenne Prairie, MO and around the United States, establish tailored retirement plans that benefit themselves, their employees, and their bottom line.
If you're looking for an experienced financial partner in Dardenne Prairie, MO who shares your goals of building your company and employees for long-term success, call Correct Capital at 877-930-4015, contact us online, or schedule an appointment with one of our financial advisors now.
What Is an Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP)?
An ESOP is a tax-advantaged retirement plan where employees receive shares of the company they work for, rather than savings accounts or investments in other companies such as in a 401(k). ESOPs are 100% company funded, and often times shares offered to employees are not decision-making shares, meaning control of the company stays with the C-suite. They offer superb incentives to employees while providing businesses with a superior value proposition in the hiring process, and allow business owners to set up a succession plan while retaining control. Upon reaching retirement, most employees sell the stock at market value value.
Perhaps most importantly, by selling part of your ownership to the ESOP, owners can defer capital gains taxes, allowing you to disperse the tax consequences of the sale instead of having to pay taxes right away. In many cases, ESOPs are a succession plan that keeps the most amount of money possible in your pocket.
Benefits of an Employee Stock Ownership Plan
- Sell a portion of your business (minimum 30%) with deferment of capital gains taxes (provided you reinvest into qualified replacement securities)
- Extra tax deductions through contributions made to employees
- If the business is eventually 100% owned as an S-Corp by the ESOP, it's not subject to federal income taxes
- Align the goals of employees and stockholders
- Offer a higher value proposition when hiring
- Improve employee motivation and productivity
- Improve employee retention and loyalty
- Simplify succession planning and business continuity
- Keep control while planning or easing into retirement
- Increase personal liquidity of owners, but still keep control of the company
- Preserve your business' legacy and culture
What About KSOPs?
A KSOP is a tax-advantaged plan that is a combination of an ESOP and a 401(k). Ownership shares are extended to employees as in an ESOP, employees can contribute their own money to purchase additional stock through payroll deductions, or the company can match employee contributions with stock rather than cash.
Setting up a stock ownership plan doesn't have to exclude your employees from the risk tolerance that comes with diverse investments. In fact, adding an ESOP or KSOP to a more traditional retirement plan allows you to attain the benefits of both. The experienced Dardenne Prairie, MO ESOP advisors and retirement consultants of Correct Capital can aid you find the right plans for your business.
How Our Dardenne Prairie, MO ESOP Advisors Can Help
Whether you're stepping from ownership of your company or are interested in an ESOP's other benefits, you'll need an experienced Dardenne Prairie, MO ESOP advisory firm to partner with to reap the most benefits of your plan. When you work with Correct Capital, we:
- Reduce your tax liability as much as possible — When you transfer your ownership shares to an ESOP, you have the option to reinvest the proceeds in other securities to postpone capital gains taxes on the sales, allowing you to retain more of the sales proceeds for various purposes. To postpone capital gains taxes, your ESOP advisor can help you carry out a Section 1042 exchange by selling at least 30% of your company to the ESOP and reinvesting the proceeds in qualified replacement securities or QRP. Taxes would be owed until the taxpayer has a disposition of the QRP. An ESOP advisor can ensure you obtain the most tax benefit from your ESOP.
- Personalize your ESOP and retirement plans — Along with your team, we'll create and set up an ESOP that works best for you and your one-of-a-kind company. We like to challenge ourselves and our clients to get imaginative with retirement plan offerings to optimize the benefits they offer. We'll examine your needs, analyze different ESOP options, and suggest a tailored ESOP that meets legal requirements and is aimed at maximizing benefits. If we believe it's a good idea, we may also suggest combining an ESOP with a 401(k) or other retirement plans to further augment benefits, without sacrificing efficiencies.
- Conduct a ESOP feasibility study — When we first meet with our clients, we work to grasp their needs and collaborate with them to discover the best qualified retirement plans for their business. For clients interested in an ESOP, part of that means conducting a feasibility analysis to ascertain if it's a viable option for your company. We'll look at:
- Cash flow, debts, and overall financial health
- Ownership structure to understand how it'll be affected by introducing an ESOP
- Employee demographics to understand what they need from their retirement plan
- Tax implications for both your company and shareholders
- Company culture and employee engagement to see if an ESOP is likely to be well-received and supported
What if your business isn't a great fit for an ESOP? We'll collaborate with you to find a retirement or succession plan that works for you.
- Connect you with valuation firms and trustees — Implementing and maintaining an ESOP involves a lot of moving parts, including accountants, lawyers, and a trustee to acquire stock of the company on behalf of the ESOP. An experienced ESOP advisor with a strong network in Dardenne Prairie, MO can help you establish your ESOP team with reliable partners.
- Ensure compliance — IRS, Department of Labor, and ERISA all have strict guidelines for the oversight of retirement plans. For instance, when employees participating in an ESOP at a closely held employer receive company stock in an ESOP distribution, they have the right to ask for the employer to redeem them at fair market value.
- ESOP sustainability assessments — In an ESOP, shares are granted to employees over time based on how long they've worked there. Usually, that means ownership of the company is passed to the ESOP in increments. Depending on how you structure your company and the plan, your ESOP may start with 30%, but could ultimately achieve 100% ownership. As the plan progresses and matures, so will its implications for your company. ESOP advisors can plan for these changes and adapt to them in real time, allowing your plan to stay viable, compliant, and advantageous.
- Employee communication and education — Our ESOP advisors offer collective workshops and personalized meetings with your employees so they can get the most from your employee stock ownership plan. With an ESOP advisor from Correct Capital, your employees won't just attain partial ownership of your company, but they'll feel like they're gaining ownership of their financial health and future.
Why Choose Correct Capital as Your ESOP Advisor in Dardenne Prairie, MO
Correct Capital is an independent advisory firm that specializes in helping business owners create retirement plans and succession plans for their businesses. There are multiple factors we point to that make us unique from other investment advisory agencies in Dardenne Prairie, MO, and throughout the United States:
- A member of the National Association of Plan Advisors (NAPA), Correct Capital was recently named one of their Top Defined Contribution (DC) Teams with Assets under Advisement of at least $100 million. Correct Capital is the only advisory firm in Missouri to achieve this distinction.
- We're experienced in retirement plans and ESOPs. Correct Capital's clients currently operate these plans in a variety of industries, including for construction companies and contractors. As we work with both businesses and individuals and families when managing retirement plans, we're ideally suited to understand the requirements of each and create a plan that fulfills the needs of both, as well as those of your stockholders.
- Our award-winning Dardenne Prairie, MO financial advisory team is made up of a wide range of financial expertise, including an Accredited Investment Fiduciary®, multiple CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ professionals, a certified public accountant, and a six-time Barron's Top 1200 Advisor. With over eight decades of combined experience, we pool our collective talents and insights to optimally assist each client individually.
- As independent fiduciary advisors, we are lawfully and ethically bound to do what's in the best interest of you, your employees, and your company. We aim to establish long-term relationships with our clients grounded in trust and the shared goal of increasing your and your employees' financial prosperity.
Other services we offer in Dardenne Prairie, MO:
- Succession Planning
- Fiduciary Financial Advisor
- Company 401(k) Plans
- Self-Employed Retirement Plans
- 401(k) For Small Business
- Small Business Retirement Plans
- Tax Planning
Call Correct Capital to Speak With an ESOP Advisor in Dardenne Prairie, MO Today
If you're interested in learning more about ESOPs or wish to start the process of setting one up for your Dardenne Prairie, MO business, contact a Correct Capital ESOP advisor at this moment. Let us do what we do best so you can concentrate on what you care about most: positioning yourself, your business, and your employees up for success. Get in touch with one of our Dardenne Prairie, MO ESOP advisors today at 877-930-4015 or contact us online.
