Some business owners may come to you asking for information on a 401K or a cash balance plan. They may know of these from prior experience, or friendly advice, or they may have done their homework about different retirement plans. As retirement plan experts, we have many plan designs and options to offer depending on what we determine may be a best fit for your clients. The temptation is to quote them what they ask for. We think the better approach is to first invest a little time in understanding their circumstances and more importantly, their goals. After all, we know that employers sponsor retirement plans for a variety of reasons:
- Some want to maximize the opportunity to save for their own retirement.
- For some, it’s important to provide a vehicle for their employees to save.
- Some may want a way to contribute a share of profits to their employees’ retirement.
- Some are looking to provide an incentive for employees to stay around longer.
- And some need a competitive retirement benefit to attract and retain top talent.
If we truly appreciate what’s motivating a company to sponsor a retirement plan, we’re in a much stronger position to suggest which one best fits their unique circumstances.
It’s all about taking time to understand WHY they want to do this, before focusing on HOW we can help them. Let’s talk about what’s motivating your clients to consider a retirement plan. From there we can share illustrations and ideas that best fit their story, their circumstances, and their goals.
