Most Small-Business Owners Don't Use Financial Adviser

The Discover Small Business Watch survey for December found that 62% of small-business owners report having a financial plan for their retirement

That leaves a third of respondents without a financial plan for their retirement (and 5% said they are unsure), according to a press release of the results.

Fifty-six percent of small-business owners indicated they make their own investment decisions, and a little more than a third (35%) use a financial planner or other investment professional. When asked if they have financial planning assistance through a spouse’s employer, 84% of owners said they do not, 13% said they do, and 4% are not sure.

Sixty-three percent said it is “somewhat or very likely” they will have enough saved to last through their retirement, while 25% indicated it is “not very likely,” and 7% reported it is “not at all likely.”

When asked at what age they plan to retire, only 13% said before age 60; 28% said between ages 60 and 65; 18 said between ages 65 and 70; and 9% will retire past 70. Thirty percent indicated they do not plan to retire.

The press release said more than half (52%) of owners have an IRA account, and 29% have a Keogh, Solo 401(k), or a Simplified Employee Pension plan. Nearly three in four small-business owners (74%) reported the recession has reduced their retirement savings, while 19% said the recession had no impact, and 6% saw their retirement savings increase.

Of those owners who said their retirement savings have gone down:

  • 12% saw a decrease of up to 10%,
  •  24% saw a decrease of 10% to 20%,
  • 17% saw a decrease of 20% to 30%,
  • 24% saw a decrease of 30% to 50%,
  • 19% saw a decrease of more than 50%, and
  • 5% are not sure.

Twenty-three percent of survey respondents said they will eventually close their businesses, 19% will transfer ownership to a family member, 13% want to sell, 6% will hire someone else to run it, and 3% are not sure. However, 36% indicated no future plans for their businesses as they do not plan to retire.

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Consultant Claims He Wasn’t Paid for Pension’s Suit against Smith Barney

The self-proclaimed “Sam Spade of Money Management” is taking a former client to court.

According to the Palm Beach Post, attorney-turned-scam-detector Edward Siedle claims he was hired by the pension board of the Delray Beach police and firefighters to investigate suspicions that it was being duped by Salomon Smith Barney, which oversaw its $120 million investment portfolio from 1995 to 2006 (see “Smith Barney Fails to Remove Pension Case from Court”).

The lawsuit, filed last week in Palm Beach County Circuit Court, claims that the pension board didn’t pay Siedle for work that helped it launch a $9 million lawsuit against its investment consultant. 

Siedle, president of Benchmark Financial Services, claims that information he uncovered during his four-year investigation was used by the pension board to sue Smith Barney in November 2008 (see “City Pension Board Seeking Settlement from Broker on Trading Fees”).

In the lawsuit now pending in U.S. District Court, the board claims Smith Barney “intentionally, recklessly or negligently” mismanaged the fund and misrepresented how much the board was making on its investments. “[It] painted a rosier picture of the fund’s performance than was actually true,” according to the federal lawsuit.

The suit also accuses Smith Barney of self-dealing, claiming that the firm used its position as the pension board’s money manager to become a broker so it could collect commissions on the pension board’s investments. The board is seeking the return of the more than $9 million it would have made had Smith Barney managed the portfolio properly. It is also asking the firm to return fees it paid for services that weren’t performed.

However, in his lawsuit, Siedle said much of the information was uncovered during his investigation—and that he is owed $945,750. For its part, Smith Barney has repeatedly denied the claims in the pension board’s lawsuit.

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