Your Husch Blackwell Benefits & Career: Financial Planning for Attorneys and Staff

Do you work with Husch Blackwell? Get the resources you need and expert insights from financial professionals who specialize in helping Husch Blackwell attorneys and staff make the most of their compensation package and benefits.

Whether you’ve recently joined Husch Blackwell or been with the firm for decades, it’s important to make smart money moves with your income and employee benefits. For example:

✅ Do you know the right moves to make to get the greatest value from the Husch Blackwell benefits available to you?

✅If you’re thinking about retiring from the firm in a few years, are you taking the right steps today to prepare financially for that transition?

Get the Most Value from Your Husch Blackwell Benefits and Compensation Package

Throughout the year, Husch Blackwell provides its attorneys and staff with updates about their benefits, ranging from health insurance and health savings plans to retirement plans like a 401(k). While the firm offers many useful resources and access to knowledgeable staff who can assist with questions, you’ll also find financial professionals not affiliated with Husch Blackwell who specialize in helping their attorneys and staff make the most of their income and benefits.

Whether you work at one of the more than 20 offices nationwide or virtually through the Link, you may have questions about your compensation package and benefits better suited for a financial professional who can offer unbiased advice and guidance.

For example, sensitive topics like discussing your retirement plan, career changes, or deciding when you should plan to retire are all conversations that may be more comfortable with a trusted financial advisor.

💡 In the Q&A below, you’ll gain insights from financial advisors who work with Husch Blackwell attorneys and staff to help them make smart decisions to get the most value from their compensation and benefits, reduce their money stress, and prepare for a comfortable retirement.

🙋‍♀️ You can reach out to the financial advisors below to set up an introductory call or contact them with your questions by email.

💸 Smart Money Insights for Husch Blackwell Attorneys and Staff

This page is organized into sections to help you quickly find the information you need and get answers to your questions:

1. Q&A: Financial Planning Tips for Husch Blackwell Employees & Executives
2. Get Answers to Your Questions About Your Husch Blackwell Benefits and Career
3. Quick Facts & Resources for Husch Blackwell Employees
4. Browse Related Articles

Q&A: Financial Planning Tips for Husch Blackwell Attorneys and Staff

Answers to Questions with Jonathan Booze, J.D. CFP, AIF

Jonathan Booze, J.D., M.B.A., CFP®, AIF® is a financial advisor based in Overland Park, Kansas, who specializes in offering wealth management services to Husch Blackwell attorneys and staff. Jon helps his clients efficiently utilize their Husch Blackwell benefits and compensation package so they can enjoy life and feel confident about their financial future.

Q: As a financial advisor with experience helping Husch Blackwell attorneys and staff save for their retirement, how do you help them make the most of their employee benefits?

Jon: Because we have worked with attorneys and staff from Husch Blackwell for over a decade, we are very knowledgeable about the firm’s retirement, health, and welfare benefits.  Because of that experience, we can make sure that our clients are maximizing firm benefits to meet their financial goals.

Q: When you first speak with a Husch Blackwell professional, what questions do you like to ask to better understand their unique circumstances and determine how you can best help them achieve their goals?

Jon: I want to have a good understanding of their goals and a comprehensive grasp of their financial lives. So, I like to ask open-ended questions about how they see retirement (e.g., specific date versus phase down), what planning they have done in the past, and what financial issues are the most concerning to them.

Q: Is there a particular benefit available to Husch Blackwell employees you feel isn’t as well utilized or understood by employees as it should be?

Jon: The firm offers great benefit options, but it is hard for attorneys to keep up on all the options as well as spend the time to appropriately manage their retirement assets.  For example, busy attorneys may not have time to review their 401k plan asset allocation, leading to a mismatch between an attorney’s risk level and portfolio.  Another example is that health savings accounts and disability benefits are not always utilized as effectively as they can be.

Q: Beyond Husch Blackwell employee benefits for retirement savings, are there other types of benefits offered by the company that you find valuable to discuss with your clients (e.g., stock, education savings, health savings)?

Jon: In addition to the retirement plan, I have found it is very helpful to clients to discuss firm-provided life, disability, and health savings plans.  Outside of the firm, I have found that helping clients maximize return on savings as well as fully fund college savings is a significant benefit.

Get to Know Jonathan Booze, Financial Advisor for Husch Blackwell Employees:

View Jonathan’s profile page on Wealthtender or visit his website to learn more.

Q: For Husch Blackwell attorneys and staff thinking about leaving the company to accept a job elsewhere, what actions do you recommend they take before resigning and shortly thereafter?

Jon: As with any career transition, they have to determine if the change is ultimately beneficial to their career.  In addition to assessing the impact upon their career, compensation, and work/life balance, I recommend that they also compare benefits at each firm.

Q: For Husch Blackwell employees approaching retirement age, how do you recommend they prepare to make the transition from living off their salary to relying upon other sources of income?

Jon: While I believe planning is a life-long endeavor, it becomes particularly important for attorneys when approaching retirement.  I help attorneys determine the spending amount required to maintain their desired work-optional lifestyle and then determine if they have the resources to cover those expenses.  I also help attorneys efficiently utilize their “retirement tax window” (the period between when they decide to stop working full time and when their social security and required distributions start) to do tax-smart Roth conversions to maximize their after-tax retirement income, as well as analyze how to optimize their social security benefits.

Q: For Husch Blackwell employees who have managed their finances on their own to this point, what would you suggest they consider to help them decide if they should begin working with a financial advisor at this stage in their lives?

Jon: One important question is what amount of time and energy do busy, successful attorneys and other legal professionals want to spend on doing the necessary financial planning, tax planning, and investment management to achieve a successful retirement result.  A second, and somewhat related question, is whether or not they enjoy doing this work, or if they prefer to delegate it to an advisor.

Q: What are some of the unique financial planning challenges you commonly see among your clients who are Husch Blackwell employees and how do you help them overcome these obstacles?

Jon: One of the unique financial planning challenges for attorneys and other legal professionals is tax efficiently turning high levels of income into adequate wealth to later produce the necessary retirement income, all without the benefit of any stock equity plans or pension plans.  A second challenge is that it is up to the individual attorney (who has significant other responsibilities) to do the work necessary to achieve their retirement goals.  Oftentimes, financial planning may not get the priority it deserves to reach work-optional status.

Q: What questions do you recommend Husch Blackwell employees ask financial advisors they’re considering hiring to help them decide if they’re a good fit?

Jon: I think the most important question is how the advisor is compensated.  Additional questions might assess how well the advisor understands the law firm environment, the firm’s benefits, and the business of law.

Q: Is there anything that comes up frequently in your initial meeting with Husch Blackwell employees that surprises you?

Jon: The diversity of questions about retirement planning.  There is no “one-size-fits-all” solution because each person’s situation is unique.

Q: For highly compensated Husch Blackwell legal professionals, are there any special benefits you believe it’s important to take into consideration when preparing their financial plan?

Jon: As with any organization, there are certain benefits that may only be relevant to certain groups.

Q: Is there a particularly memorable experience or a moment you recall with a client who worked at Husch Blackwell when you realized they have unique opportunities and circumstances when it comes to their financial planning needs?

Jon: Yes, helping a partner retire in the teeth of the 2008/2009 market downturn.  While it was a very stressful time for all investors, we were able to help him successfully transition into retirement in spite of the difficult market environment.

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