Serving the whole client

Strategic planning by business owners inarguably is a good thing, says Dee Schafer, but strategy sessions that focus only on the business fail to grasp the entire picture.

After all, she says, most business owners are so wrapped up in their work that it's hard to separate the professional from the personal.

"I don't believe you can plan for the business side of your life and the personal side of your life separately," Schafer said over a cup of coffee on a recent chilly morning.

From that observation, Schafer is building a business Corporate Solutions Inc.

that works to integrate good strategic planning for business organizations with good financial planning for their owners.

The integrated approach has been four years in the making, and it's based on Schafer's long experience in strategic planning.

A native of northern Nevada, Schafer worked 12 years with St.

Mary's Health Systems, largely in marketing and strategic planning, before striking off on her own four years ago.

The consulting firm she established worked with groups ranging from the Sierra Nevada Red Cross to First Independent Bank of Nevada.

Along the way, Schafer came to the growing realization that most small and mediumsized companies weren't able to pull together all their advisors the attorney, the CPA, the 401(k) plan administrator and other.

"Nobody is looking at how they can leverage all those things," she said.

At the same time came the growing realization that owners and top managers of companies often were so consumed by the business that they set their own financial needs aside.

The structure of Corporate Solutions Inc.

reflects the complexity of the issues.

The company is a subsidiary of American Retirement Planners and Associated Securities, whose principals are Patricia and Laif Meidell Through Corporate Solutions, Schafer provides strategic planning and consultation to companies.

It's not cheap $150 an hour but Schafer doesn't apologize for the cost.

Corporate Solutions combines heavy preliminary research with extensive follow-up to ensure progress toward the goals established by a company's executives.

If executives discover through the planning process that the company needs some additional consulting expertise tax accounting, say Schafer tracks down the expertise at the same $150-an-hour fee.

"I know I'm not an expert at everything," said Schafer.

The ultimate goal of strategic planning, of course, is the creation of wealth for the owners of a business.

That's where the other side of the business kicks in.

American Retirement Planners is set up to handle insurance, financial planning and retirement plans such as 401(k) or other tax-advantaged programs.

The company's compensation is based on fees rather than commissions.

The ways those financial plans take shape may, in turn, affect the strategic plans that a company develops Schafer's guidance.

"You have to be able to look at someone's entire profile," Schafer said.