Frequently Asked Questions
You Have Questions. We’re Here to Help.
Choosing the right financial advisor for your business—and your life—is an important decision. Here are answers to some of the questions we hear most often from business owners considering working with Apel Advisory Solutions.
Working With Apel
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What makes Apel Advisory Solutions different?
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Most business owners have several financial professionals in their lives—a CPA, bookkeeper, attorney, financial advisor, banker, or insurance professional. But often, no one is looking at the entire picture.
Apel Advisory Solutions helps connect the pieces.
We look at your business finances, tax strategy, personal financial goals, future plans, and potential risks together. This integrated approach helps you make more informed decisions today while building toward the future you want.
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Will I work directly with Kari?
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When is the right time to get started?
Yes. Apel Advisory Solutions is intentionally structured as a boutique advisory firm, which means clients work directly with Kari.
You are not passed from one department to another or handed off to a junior team member. Kari takes the time to understand your business, your goals, and the financial decisions that matter most to you.
Do I need to leave my current CPA, bookkeeper, attorney, or financial advisor?
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Not necessarily.
Apel can work alongside your existing professional team. In fact, one of the benefits of working with Apel is having someone who can help connect the financial pieces and improve communication among the professionals already serving you.
If changes to your existing team would benefit you, those conversations can happen as part of the planning process—but you do not need to replace your current advisors simply to begin working with Apel.
How often will we meet?
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Services & Fit
Getting Started
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What is the difference between Apel and a traditional CPA firm?
What is a fractional CFO?
Is Apel only for large businesses?
Do you work with family-owned and agricultural businesses?
Do you work with businesses outside Wisconsin?
Do you provide tax preparation or tax planning?
Can you help with succession or preparing my business for sale?
How do I know which service or package is right for me?
What happens during the first call?
What if I’m not sure what kind of help I need?
The frequency of meetings depends on your needs, goals, and the level of service you choose.
Some clients need more frequent guidance during periods of growth, transition, or major decision-making. Others benefit from regularly scheduled strategic reviews and ongoing access when questions arise.
The goal is to create a relationship that provides the right level of support without adding unnecessary meetings to your schedule.
Traditional CPA services often focus on historical information—what happened last month, last quarter, or last year.
Apel focuses on what those numbers mean and what you should do next.
That may include tax planning, cash flow decisions, business growth, profitability, succession, risk management, retirement, or connecting business decisions to your personal financial goals.
The goal is not simply to report the numbers. It is to help you use them to make better decisions.
A fractional CFO provides experienced, strategic financial leadership without the cost or commitment of hiring a full-time Chief Financial Officer.
For many privately owned businesses, a full-time CFO is unnecessary or financially impractical. Fractional CFO support gives the business owner access to higher-level financial insight when it is needed.
This may include helping you understand profitability, improve cash flow, evaluate major investments, prepare for growth, manage financial risk, or make important decisions with greater confidence.
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Apel works with business owners at different stages, from those building a stronger financial foundation to established owners facing increasingly complex decisions.
The more important question is not simply the size of your business. It is whether you have reached a point where your financial decisions would benefit from more proactive, strategic guidance.
Yes.
Kari grew up on a family farm and has extensive experience working with closely held, family-owned, and agricultural businesses.
These businesses often face unique challenges involving family dynamics, succession, land and asset ownership, taxes, retirement, and the transfer of wealth between generations. Apel understands that these decisions are rarely just about the numbers.
Yes. Many advisory and planning services can be provided virtually, allowing Apel to work with clients beyond Wisconsin.
The first conversation is a good opportunity to determine whether Apel’s services are a good fit for your business, your location, and your specific needs.
Apel offers tax-related services depending on the client’s needs and service package.
Tax preparation looks backward and reports what has already happened.
Tax planning looks forward.
Proactive tax planning helps identify opportunities before deadlines pass and before major financial decisions are made. For business owners, that distinction can be significant.
Yes.
Whether you plan to transfer the business to family, sell to employees, pursue an outside buyer, or simply keep your options open, preparation should begin well before the transition itself.
Apel can help you evaluate the financial side of succession, identify potential risks, understand how business decisions may affect your personal financial future, and coordinate with other professionals as needed.
You do not need to figure that out before contacting Apel.
The first conversation is designed to understand where you are now, what decisions or concerns brought you to Apel, and what level of support would be most helpful.
From there, Kari can recommend the service option that best fits your needs.
The first call is a conversation—not a sales presentation.
You will have an opportunity to talk about your business, your current financial concerns, your goals, and the decisions you are facing. Kari will ask questions to better understand your situation and determine whether Apel is the right fit.
You will also have the opportunity to ask questions and learn what working together could look like.
The best time to seek strategic financial guidance is before an important decision becomes urgent.
You may benefit from working with Apel if you are preparing to grow, hire, invest, sell, transition the business, reduce taxes, improve cash flow, or simply gain a clearer understanding of where you stand.
You do not need to wait for a crisis—or have every question figured out—to start the conversation.
That is completely normal.
Many business owners know something feels disconnected or more complicated than it should, but they are not sure exactly what service they need.
The first step is simply identifying what is happening now, what you want to change, and where you want to go. From there, Apel can help determine the right path forward.
Still Have Questions?
Every business—and every business owner—is different. If you do not see your question here, schedule a conversation with Kari.