An advisor already had his recommendation for a business owner’s retirement plan: a safe harbor 401(k) with profit sharing. He asked Helmsted to build the report with that plan side by side with the next best option, a SIMPLE IRA. It came back in his firm’s brand: $72,000 a year into the owner’s account against $23,500.
Then he kept asking. “Add a profit sharing toggle.” Switch it off and the gap nearly closes, from $38,196 a year ahead to $1,304. “If he keeps hiring, where’s the break-even?” Profit sharing pays for itself up to about 21 employees, and the chart shows the line to watch.
Each follow-up was one sentence, and each one made the report better. When it was ready, he published it straight to the client portal.
The full case is in At the Helm No. 11, and you can try the interactive yourself.
An animated walkthrough based on a real advisor’s work in Helmsted, de-identified. Caldermont Wealth, Alistair Sinclair, Daniel Bennett, and Bennett Commercial Services are fictional.