Business Insurance Management
Buy-sell funding, key person coverage and executive benefits, reviewed against what your business is worth and who would take it over.
How We Manage Business Insurance
A buy-sell agreement is only effective if it is properly funded. Many owners put the legal agreement in place, but lack the coverage they need to protect themselves for a key person's unexpected passing or exit from the company.
At Gatewood, your company's insurance is planned from the agreement and the business plan, not the other way round. We compare the coverage with what the business is worth today, and look at the people the company could not easily replace. We size policies so the remaining partners maintain liquidity in the times you need it most.
Watch our Wealth Advisor Manager, Jared Freese, explain why it matters.
What Our Service Includes
Buy-Sell Agreement Review
Buy-Sell Funding Analysis
Key Person Coverage Review
Executive Benefits Review
Your Integrated Financial Plan
For many business owners, the company is the largest asset the household owns. How you pay yourself, which retirement plan you sponsor, when you reinvest and how you eventually retire or sell all shape your personal plan and your retirement, this year and in the years that follow.
That is why Gatewood includes the value of your business in your personal plan, and why one team manages both around one set of goals.
Every service on this wheel works from the same plan, so each one you use adds to a single picture: the business side shows what the company earns, owes and is worth, and the household side shows what that means for your income, savings, taxes and family. You can begin with the service you need most today and add others as your business and household change.
Your Household Plan
For the Families Behind the Business
Behind every business are families who depend on it.
The owner's household depends on what the company is worth and what it distributes. Each employee's household depends on the paycheck, the benefits and the plan they were enrolled in on their first day. We have never met a business decision that stopped at the business — which is why we built the firm to serve the family behind it.
Your Client Care Team reviews the buy-sell agreement, your coverage, consults with our in-house attorney when they need more specialized advice. They keep your personal plans up-to-date as things change, and pull in the Investment Committee if your decisions may impact your portfolio — keeping every piece in alignment with your greater goals.
That is what we call Firm-to-Family®, and it is why your plan is supported by a diverse and experienced team rather than one person.
Frequently Asked Questions
Business insurance management is the planning and ongoing review of the insurance that keeps a company able to change hands and keep operating: the coverage that funds a buy-sell agreement, key person coverage on the people the business depends on, and the benefits that keep its leaders in place.
Because the agreement creates an obligation to buy, but doesn't always verify that the funding. If an owner dies or becomes disabled, the remaining owners or the company are committed to purchase that share at the agreed price.
Without funding, that purchase has to come from the company’s cash, a loan or payments stretched over years, while the departing owner’s family waits. Insurance sized to the share’s current value is the most common way to make the buyout payable when it is needed.
Most agreements are funded with life insurance on each owner, and often a disability buy-out policy as well. How the policies are owned depends on the structure of the agreement.
In a cross-purchase agreement, each owner holds a policy on the others and buys the departing owner’s share directly. In an entity-purchase, or redemption, agreement, the company owns the policies and buys the share back. Each structure treats taxes, cost and the number of policies differently, which is why the funding is planned with Gatewood Tax and Accounting and your attorney rather than chosen on its own.
Cash reserves or an installment note can fund part of a buyout too. Those are examples, not the full list; the right mix depends on the agreement, the number of owners and what the business is worth.
Key person insurance is a policy the business owns on an individual whose loss would hurt revenue or operations: a founder, a top producer, or the person who holds the key client relationships.
The business pays the premium and receives the benefit, which can cover lost income, the cost of recruiting and training a replacement, or obligations to lenders while the company adjusts.
Business insurance management is included in your tiered advisory fee, alongside investment management and is not billed separately.
Some business services are sold separately on their own fee schedule, including employer-sponsored retirement plans, business tax preparation, business accounting and CFO services. Fees there depend on the size and complexity of your business.
You can see how the advisory fee works and request an estimate from our fee schedule here.
No. Starting early is the only thing that gives us time to plan around the items that could take years to change.
If you are not sure where to start, we will sit down and work through a business goals analysis with you — what you want the company to produce, roughly what it is worth, and which parts of the plan are already in place and which are not.
Hear What Our Clients Say
“My wife and I moved to St. Louis four years ago and became Gatewood clients in 2024, on a referral from our daughter-in-law. Her father was an established attorney who had said good things about the team, and that recommendation was passed down to us. That introduction set an expectation, and the people there have matched it. We've met a lot of the team by now, and the impression has been consistent with every one of them. Each person we're introduced to is professional, smart, and they work together well as a group — which says something about the people Gatewood hires…” Read more.
“A friend of a friend referred us to the team over 20 years ago, and we've been together ever since. My wife and I have changed jobs and time zones more than once, but they've been a constant through it all. Even when moving to different parts of the country, we always keep our ties to St. Louis wherever possible, and we appreciate the Midwestern values of Gatewood. The relationship we’ve developed over the years has built trust in the team that they are honest and always have our best interests in mind. They’ve helped us with everything from moving our 401(k)s to managing our investments day-to-day…” Read more.
“My husband and I began working with Brian in 2019 and have been very pleased with the level of service we’ve received ever since. Our client care team, Nina and Jake, have taken the time to truly listen to our goals and actively make adjustments to reflect our evolving needs over time. What I appreciate most is the combination of knowledgeable, focused guidance always delivered with genuine care and humility. We've been so impressed with their timeliness and attention that we've introduced them to our parents, siblings and adult children and now they are advising three generations of our family. Their support with tax planning, administrative tasks, and retirement income planning has become even more comprehensive over time, and I always feel that our questions are fully addressed promptly and thoughtfully…” Read more.
“As a client of Gatewood for over 10 years now, I am very pleased with the experience I’ve had with my team. Whenever I have questions or need advice, they are always available with professional and helpful guidance. They really get to know their customers so that they can provide personalized service and are very responsive when I contact them and they do a great job managing my portfolio. I had a turning point in my life, and they were very helpful in analyzing financial impacts and helping to manage through it. I highly recommend their services.” Read more.
“What has stood out most over our decade-long relationship with Gatewood is how genuinely they listen. Our advisor takes the time to understand our full financial picture and has made a point to build a relationship with my wife as well, so she feels comfortable working with the team whether I'm present or not. Having everything coordinated in one place, with great online tools at our disposal, has been invaluable. Our team is responsive whenever we have questions and has always followed through with care and professionalism. Beyond the planning itself, it's the personal relationships we've developed that make this partnership something we're truly grateful for.” Read more.
“Our relationship with Gatewood Wealth Solutions has evolved over the years right along with our family. From building and protecting our wealth to retirement and estate planning, Gatewood has guided us and enabled our objectives. It’s assuring to know skilled professionals we trust are working with us to optimize what we have worked for all our lives.” Read more.
Important Disclosure: The statements provided are testimonials by clients of the financial professional. The clients listed have not been paid or received any other compensation for making these statements. As a result, the client does not receive any material incentives or benefits for providing the testimonial. These views may not be representative of the views of other clients and are not indicative of future performance or success.
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With expertise and care, we're here to build a personalized plan for wealth that instills confidence for all of life’s key moments. Schedule a conversation with our team today.