Businesses

Advanced planning is how great businesses are built, grown, and positioned for what comes next.

You and your business deserve a plan at every stage.

The financial, tax, and estate complexities that come with building, growing, and eventually transitioning a business are a different kind of challenge. One with the goal of rewarding the people who started planning well before the moment came.

At some point, your business and your personal finances may become impossible to separate.

We help you see the full picture. The earlier that conversation starts, the more choices you have.

Who We Are

How We Work with Businesses and Entrepreneurs

Owning a business brings a lot to the table at every stage. Our goal is to simplify the path forward, making sure you have the options, information, and support to make the decisions that are right for you.

Business Transition Planning

The transition of your business deserves the same discipline you brought to building it. We help you get the financial, tax, and estate pieces in place well ahead of time.

Tax Coordination

Business ownership creates tax considerations at every stage. We plan around them throughout our entire relationship, with the goal of keeping you a step ahead.

Estate Planning

Your business is likely the most significant asset in your estate. We help you address ownership and succession, and analyze valuation well in advance so your family has a clear path forward.

Retirement Planning

For many business owners, the business itself has been the retirement plan. We create strategies aimed at building your personal wealth alongside it, so your financial future does not depend entirely on how a transition goes.

Retirement Plan Consulting

The people who helped you get here are thinking about their futures, too. We help you design retirement plans and benefits that give them a real reason to stay and grow with you.

Bartholomew & Company, Inc. does not offer legal or tax advice. You should consult a legal or tax professional regarding your individual situation. Fixed insurance products and services are separate from and not offered through Commonwealth.

Retirement Plan Consulting

The right retirement plan starts with the right structure. We work with third-party firms to design and implement the right plan for your business, then stay involved to make sure it continues to serve your employees and meet your fiduciary obligations.

Benchmarking

A competitive retirement plan starts with a disciplined framework. We help plan sponsors develop and maintain an investment policy statement, then evaluate fees, services, and investment options against industry standards to support informed decisions and ongoing plan improvement.

Fiduciary Analysis

We help plan sponsors navigate their fiduciary responsibilities with confidence by supporting a disciplined process where decisions are informed, documented, and aligned with the plan’s objectives.

Plan Management

From investment lineup oversight to service provider evaluation, we stay involved at every stage so that the plan you launched continues to work the way it was designed to.

Beyond the 401(k)

We consult on a range of plan structures, like cash balance plans, so the offering reflects what matters most to the business and the employees.

Employee Education

When employees understand how to use their plan, it can work to its full potential. We work directly with the participants to make sure they have the knowledge and confidence to make decisions that serve their long-term financial well-being.

Plan Literacy

We walk employees through the features of their plan so they can make informed choices about enrollment, contributions, and investment options.

Goal Setting

We help employees connect their plan to their actual financial picture, so participation feels purposeful.

Ongoing Guidance

We stay available to employees as their needs evolve, so the plan remains relevant at every stage.

Related Resources

Read: What Do You Want Your Business to Enable?

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Read: The Plan Sponsor's Guide to a Stronger 401(k)

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Read: Pooled Employer Plans: Retirement Benefits Without the Hassle

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Watch: Actionable Tax Planning Strategies for the Current Landscape

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Insights on succession, liquidity, and the financial complexity that comes with building something worth protecting.

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Our advisors bring deep experience across every stage of business ownership, from building and growing to planning for the long term.

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The best time to start is well before you think you need to.

Face the financial decisions ahead with confidence.

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