Executive Compensation and Benefits
For over 50 years, Business Lifelines has provided sophisticated executive compensation and benefit strategies to successful individuals, their businesses, and advisors.
The strength of our benefits practice is our extensive experience in working with owners to attract, retain and reward key executives and management.
Our business owner legacy practice and process is unique in our ability to meet the owners and partners complex needs by lessening their tax burden and providing strategies for asset protection and risk management.
Value Proposition
We create ‘new capital’ by helping successful individuals, owners and partners “keep more of what they make”. We accomplish this by deploying trademark and copyright strategies in the complex areas of tax-mitigation, asset protection and risk management.
The new structures provide effective choices for financial independence, family legacy and social capital (tax-dollars).
Special Defined Benefit Plan/SDBP ™
• Income tax reduction strategy for profitable business owners, professionals, and entrepreneurs.
• The SDBP® generates high-income tax deductions under the new tax law.
• The Pension Protection Act (PPA) of 2006/2008/2018 changed the paradigm for the design of Defined Benefit plans and the income tax reduction planning opportunity available to owners with strategically structuring a Special Defined Benefit Plan/SDBP®.
• The IRS issued regulations as to how SDBP® can be designed.
• The regulations established a statutory contribution range.
• The Act and regulation provided for actuarially valuing pre and post survivor death benefits.
• The Act differentiated between a Defined Benefit plan that is (1) Lump-Sum focused (actuarially funding for a single life annuity) and (2) Benefit Focused (actuarially funding for a 100% joint and survivor annuity).
• The structure makes possible (1) a plan of financial resources that can't be outlived, (2) beyond the claims of creditors, and (3) not subject to federal estate or state taxes.
Non-Qualified Deferred Compensation (NQDC)
Because of government-imposed limits on the amounts that can be contributed to a Qualified Plan, 401(k), and Profit-Sharing plans, the opportunity exists for owners and key executives to design a NQDC plan and defer pre-tax earnings, enjoy tax-deferred growth, have a choice of investment options, and receive a lifetime tax-free retirement income.
The advantages of these plans to the participant are:
- Ability to defer pre-tax earnings.
- Opportunity to select from an investment menu.
- Potential to reduce market volatility without a significant reduction in returns.
- Flexibility to withdraw income prior to age 59 1/2 without penalty.
- Ability to capture lost matching 401(k) contributions.
Feasibility Assessment
Prior to a client engaging us, we want to assist them in better understanding the structural options that are available to them. As a first step, we conduct a feasibility assessment. This is not a tiring process as we can usually complete it in two weeks.
Our feasibility assessment consists of: What is important to you? What is your business structure? What is your tax strategy? What are the structural solutions that best fit your needs and are available to you? How feasible are each of those solutions? What are the financial implications of those solutions?
Business transactions involve numerous structural options and can get complicated. Before we jump in, we want to see if we are a good fit for each other.
Comments from CEO
For over 50 years, Business Lifelines has provided sophisticated strategies to successful individuals, their businesses, and advisors. I’m often asked, “what makes your company different”? My answer is that we start at a different place than other advisors. Some advisors start with strategies. Some start with a complete plan. Our approach is unique because we start above the planning horizon by focusing on your mission, vision, values, and goals. This is the “why” of our values-based planning. The issues below the horizon are focused on strategies, tactics and tools. This is the “how” of our planning process.
Our strategy and process provide a sustainable competitive edge by creating ‘new capital’ by helping successful individuals “keep more of what they make” by deploying copyright and trademark tools in the complex areas of tax mitigation, asset protection, and risk management.
- Fran Dowling, CEO & Managing Partner
