How We Are Paid
Clear information about our compensation, our relationships with PEO partners, and how we approach your decision.
01 The short version
PEO Advisor is compensated by the professional employer organization a client selects, in the same way an insurance broker is compensated by a carrier. Clients pay no separate advisory fee for placement work.
02 Rates are not the same across PEOs
Compensation rates differ between PEO partners, and in some cases they differ substantially. Those differences generally reflect the level of service, support, and administrative work each PEO provides.
We are telling you this directly because it creates a conflict of interest, and you are entitled to know it exists. A broker paid more by one provider than another has a financial reason to prefer that provider. We do not think the honest response to that is to pretend otherwise.
03 What we do about it
We disclose on request, specifically. If you ask what we are paid on any PEO we present to you, we will tell you — for that PEO, and for the alternatives we considered. Not a range. The actual arrangement. We encourage you to ask.
We disclose in writing before we start. Our compensation arrangement is set out in writing at the outset of every engagement, before any proposal is reviewed and before any recommendation is made.
We show our work. Every recommendation we make is supported by a written analysis of the cost structure, contract terms, and risk allocation of each proposal we reviewed. You will be able to see why we reached the conclusion we reached, and you are free to disagree with it.
We stay through the renewal. Placement compensation rewards getting a deal signed. Our engagement does not end there. We monitor the relationship and review the renewal, which is where most of the cost drift in a PEO relationship actually occurs.
04 Professional standing
Mark J. Burger, CPA does not perform audit, review, or compilation services for PEO placement clients.
Tax and accounting services, where separately engaged, are provided by Mark J. Burger, CPA under a separate written engagement letter. Investment advisory services are offered through Balanced Wealth Strategies, LLC, a registered investment advisor and a separate entity.