Employee benefits for financial advisory firms,made easy.
97% of U.S. investment advice firms have fewer than 20 employees.
You want great benefits for your team. You don’t have the time or the resources to get them.
That isn’t on you. For decades, the benefits industry has been built for big companies, and small businesses have been left to figure it out alone. Cakewalk was built for you.
How it works
You run your business. We handle the benefits.
Tell us about your business.
Start with your business name. We fill in what we can find. Connect payroll and your team comes with it.
Hundreds of options. One tailored package.
We compare hundreds of plans for your team. You get one package, priced and ready to adjust.
We get your team covered.
We invite your team. You see who has started. Each person gets help choosing. Everyone is covered.
Benefits admin. Off your plate.
New hires and departures sync from payroll. Each employee gets a benefits wallet. Their questions come to us, not you.
Your benefits team. On the house.
You pay for coverage. Insurance carriers pay us a commission, so we can handle everything from building your package to supporting your team year round, at no cost to you.
Advisory firms at a glance
Offering benefits at a financial advisory firm
Advisors, paraplanners, and client-service staff, with owners who often hold the business in an S corporation. Here’s what shapes a benefits plan for an advisory firm.
- of U.S. investment advice firms have fewer than 20 employees
- 97%
- median yearly pay for personal financial advisors, May 2025
- $105,070
Source: BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook: personal financial advisors
- of private workers in finance and insurance have access to employer medical coverage
- 96%
Source: BLS Employee Benefits in the United States, March 2026: finance and insurance
If you own the business through an S corporation
For fringe benefits, the IRS treats an owner with more than 2% of an S corporation like a partner. Their premiums go on the W-2 as wages, without Social Security or Medicare tax, and they may then deduct them personally.
Sources: IRS Publication 15-B (2026); IRS: S corporation compensation and medical insurance
Affiliated independent advisors
Advisors who work with you but aren’t on your payroll may be independent contractors. That follows the IRS’s common-law test, and a group plan covers employees, generally those paid on a W-2.
Sources: IRS: independent contractor or employee; HealthCare.gov: coverage for the self-employed
Competing for advisors
96% of private workers in finance and insurance have access to employer medical coverage. For a small firm hiring advisors, benefits are part of the offer.
Source: BLS Employee Benefits in the United States, March 2026: finance and insurance
The 30-hour line
Federal rules treat an employee who averages 30 or more hours a week as full time. A plan bought through the SHOP marketplace has to be offered to every full-time employee, but not to part-time staff.
Sources: IRS: identifying full-time employees; HealthCare.gov: who qualifies for SHOP
Benefits are your choice under 50
Employers with fewer than 50 full-time employees, counting full-time equivalents, aren’t subject to the federal requirement to offer coverage. Offering benefits is a decision you make for your team, not a mandate.
Source: IRS: applicable large employers
The small business tax credit
The federal credit can cover up to 50% of premiums for employers with fewer than 25 full-time equivalent employees and average wages under $68,200 in 2026, if you pay at least half of employee-only premiums and buy through the SHOP marketplace. Owners and their families don’t count toward the totals. SHOP plans aren’t offered everywhere, so check your state’s guide.
The whole benefits package.
Medical, dental, vision, life insurance, and income protection. Built around your business and the people who power it.
Start with your team’s needs and your business’s budget. Explore medical coverage online, or work with a benefits advisor to understand your options and choose your next step.
Questions firm owners ask.
For owners with more than 2%, premiums are W-2 wages for income tax but not for Social Security or Medicare, and the owner may take the self-employed health insurance deduction.
Tell us about your firm.
We’ll follow up to learn about your business and walk you through your options. There’s no cost to work with us.
Prefer to start on your own?