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Wealth Management for Business Owners

Your business, retirement plan, and personal finances are connected. We help Kansas City and Northland owners make those pieces work together with clear planning for growth, transition, and long-term wealth.

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Helping Owners Turn Business Success Into Personal Wealth

For many owners, the business is the largest asset, the main income source, and a key part of retirement. That makes planning more complex than a standard investment plan.

As a family business, we understand how closely company decisions and family goals are connected. We help owners plan for growth, retirement, succession, and the next stage of life with practical guidance.

Our goal is simple: connect the business plan and personal financial plan so your work can support the life you are building.

We treat our clients the way we treat family, with honesty, dedication, and a team that is genuinely invested in their success.
Bruce & Dawn Cramer Founders, Cramer Capital Management

What Sets Us Apart for Owners

How We Work With Owners

Five things that change what the work looks like in practice.

  1. We plan both sides of the ledger

    Your company plan and personal plan should work together. We look at both so plan design, owner contributions, and household goals stay aligned.

  2. We coordinate with the professionals you already have

    We work with your CPA, attorney, and other advisors so tax, estate, investment, and business decisions support the same plan.

  3. Succession planning that starts before you need it

    Exit options are strongest before you are ready to leave. We help you plan early, when valuation, taxes, and transfer choices are still flexible.

  4. A team, so the plan survives a bad week

    More than one person here knows your situation, documents, and family. That continuity helps keep the plan moving when life or business gets complicated.

What We Do for Business Owners

The full picture, built around how ownership actually works. Every item below is available on its own; most owners eventually need several of them to fit together.

Company Retirement Plans

We help you choose a retirement plan that fits your headcount, cash flow, and goals, whether you want to reward employees, increase owner contributions, or prepare for growth.

  • 401(k) design, review, and consulting
  • Solo 401(k) plans for owner-only and family businesses
  • Cash balance plans for larger owner deferrals
  • SEP and SIMPLE IRA reviews for smaller companies
  • Benchmarking, employee education, and participant support

Business Succession & Exit Planning

We help you compare succession paths, sale options, and tax considerations before timing limits your choices.

  • Family transfer or third-party sale analysis
  • Timeline and readiness planning
  • Personal income planning for sale proceeds
  • Post-sale tax and investment strategy

Buy-Sell & Key Person Planning

We review your agreement, identify funding gaps, and help prepare for ownership changes.

  • Buy-sell review and funding analysis
  • Key person coverage
  • Cross-purchase or entity redemption review
  • Partner and shareholder contingency planning

Business Valuation Resources

We help you find a defensible valuation and understand what can move it.

  • Valuation professionals and resources
  • Enterprise value drivers
  • Valuation for succession and estate planning

Owner Tax Planning

We look ahead at the choices that affect taxes, cash flow, and long-term wealth.

  • Compensation, distributions, and plan contributions
  • Tax-aware investing across accounts
  • Tax loss harvesting
  • CPA coordination

Executive Compensation & Retention

We help structure benefits that reward key people for staying.

  • Deferred compensation
  • Key employee retention incentives
  • Executive benefits coordination

Choosing a Retirement Plan for Your Business

The best plan depends on your headcount, cash flow, and goals. Use this as a starting point, not a recommendation. The right fit depends on your company’s facts.

401(k) The flexible workhorse
Higher limits plus match or profit sharing options
Roth deferrals for tax diversification
Flexible eligibility, vesting, safe harbor, and profit sharing design
More testing, filing, and administration
Solo 401(k) For owner-only and family businesses
For owners with no employees beyond a spouse
Employee and employer contributions
Roth option available
Often overlooked by consultants and family businesses
Cash Balance For high income and a shorter runway
Can allow larger deductible contributions than a 401(k) alone
Often strongest for owners in their fifties and sixties
Usually paired with a 401(k)
Requires steady cash flow and actuarial administration
SEP IRA Simple to run, employer-funded
Simple administration and limited filing
Employer-funded contributions
Same percentage for all eligible employees
Often fits very small or new businesses
SIMPLE IRA A lighter option for small teams
Lighter administration than a 401(k)
Employee deferrals plus required employer funding
Lower limits than a 401(k)
Generally for businesses under 100 employees

Business Owner Questions We Hear Most

What is the best type of retirement plan for a small business in Missouri?

It depends on your size and what you are trying to accomplish. SEP and SIMPLE IRAs are popular with very small companies because they are easy to administer. A 401(k) offers higher limits and far more design flexibility once you have employees you want to retain. For a high-income owner with consistent cash flow and a shorter runway to retirement, a cash balance plan paired with a 401(k) can permit substantially larger deductible contributions. We start by asking what you want the plan to do before we talk about which plan it should be.

Can I offer a retirement plan if I am a solopreneur or a family business?

Yes, and it is often more advantageous than owners expect. A Solo 401(k) is available to businesses with no employees other than the owner and spouse, and because you contribute as both employee and employer, the total contribution capacity is a lot higher than most people assume. It is one of the most consistently overlooked opportunities we see.

How does strategic tax planning improve my cash flow?

Tax preparation records what already happened. Tax planning changes what happens next. By looking forward at your compensation mix, entity structure, retirement plan contributions, and the timing of income and expenses, there are usually choices available that a return prepared in March can no longer affect. The planning conversation belongs in the middle of the year, not at the end of it.

Do you work with my existing CPA?

Yes, routinely, and we prefer it. The best results happen when your financial team is in sync. We are not trying to replace a relationship that is working. We are trying to make sure the tax advice and the investment strategy are not quietly pulling in different directions.

When should I start planning my exit?

Earlier than feels necessary. Five to ten years before an intended transition, you still have influence over valuation, over the tax treatment of the proceeds, and over whether a family transfer or a third-party sale is even feasible. Two years out, most of those levers have already been pulled by circumstance. The conversation costs nothing; the delay can cost a great deal.

What happens to my buy-sell agreement if a partner dies?

That depends entirely on whether the agreement is funded. Many agreements we review specify what should happen without establishing where the money comes from, which means the surviving owners face buying out an interest with cash the business may not have. Reviewing the agreement and its funding together is usually the single highest-value hour an ownership group can spend.

Let's Look at Both Sides of Your Balance Sheet.

Schedule a complimentary review. We will look at your current retirement plan, your personal financial picture, and how the two connect, then give you a clear, honest read on what is working and what is not.

Schedule your business review