We offer independent plan design and actuarial support allowing advisors to include customized retirement plans in their recommendations for business owners and professionals. We serve as partners to these business advisors:

• CPAs, attorneys & independent financial planners
• Retirement Plan Third Party Administrators (TPAs)
• Insurance agents & brokers
• Investment advisors

A qualified retirement plan is just one of many options an advisor will evaluate. Our experience with qualified plans will assure that plan selection and design decisions are supported by sound analysis.

Advise Business Owners and Professionals
We also advise business owners and professionals regarding retirement plan options that are right for them if another advisor is unavailable.

Who will have an interest in a qualified retirement plan?

• An individual – The planning process for a single business owner or professional needs to address just one set of objectives. The best solution is often apparent and identified very quickly.
• A business owner with a small staff – The addition of other employees may or may not add complications and again will depend on the business owner’s objectives.
• Larger employers with several owners and many more employees – Often the business owners will have different objectives that will require additional planning and the use of more than one qualified plan to achieve the desired balance.
• University professors, corporate directors, coaches – they may have supplemental income they would like to defer from tax.

Advisor’s role
The business advisor will identify their clients who desire the flexibility to make larger deductible contributions to their retirement plans. The advisor will complete a basic business and retirement plan profile using our Illustration Request and provide an Employee Census for those considered well-suited to a customized retirement plan.

SilverStone Group’s role
Our Actuaries will review the business profile and statement of objectives and assemble a personalized plan and contribution illustration. The illustration will reveal the flexibility that is available using one or a combination of qualified retirement plans. With that start, the features of a final plan design can be defined to satisfy specific expectations and desires.

What type of plans are considered
Our recommendations may involve a single plan or a combination of plans. Any one of these plans may be included:

• 401(k) plans — include elective salary deferrals and matching contributions
• Profit Sharing Plans — additional contributions that can vary from year to year
• Defined Benefit Plans — may generate larger tax deductible contributions
• Cash Balance Plans — another popular defined benefit plan design

Other specialized plans we may also see a fit for are 403(b), 457 or even a nonqualified plan. We will outline where these complement or satisfy the business owners’ objectives.

Not every qualified retirement plan is the same
Or at least they should not be because business owners’ objectives are not the same. We start by asking about the objectives and bring these considerations together to select the right plan and the right features for that plan.

Plan Selection and Design
Our solutions start and end with plan selection and plan design.

Resources
We offer customized software, experienced plan design and responsive actuarial services. Our actuaries and administrators have access to a network of experienced practitioners through our affiliations with the American Society of Pension Professionals and Actuaries, the Conference of Consulting Actuaries and the Society of Actuaries.

Integrity
Independent advice and administration is our hallmark.

Where to Begin — You take the first step

• Tell us what you want to accomplish |  Complete the Illustration Request
• Assemble and provide an employee census  | Complete the Employee Census

We will provide a customized illustration that includes

• A description of the plan or plans recommended
• Confirmation of the annual contribution
• Options to refine your choices

You may want to refine your objectives

• The illustrations will help confirm your goals
• A second set of illustrations will be provided
• This step should confirm if a qualified plan will serve your objectives
• And specific plan and design choices will be clear

Once you are comfortable we will take care of the details

• Assist legal counsel to prepare a plan document
• File the document with the IRS for a determination letter
• Assist with employee communications
• Coordinate with plan trustees and investment advisors

Working Together
A successful plan introduction will be achieved by a close working relationship between the business advisor, legal counsel and Actuaries to Advisors. As the process is initiated, a plan of action will be provided to assure that all necessary steps are completed in a timely matter.