Lauterbach & Amen

What Lauterbach & Amen does

Lauterbach & Amen, LLP (L&A) is a privately held accounting and professional services firm founded in 1997 by Sherry Lauterbach and Ron Amen, headquartered at 668 N. River Rd., Naperville, Illinois. The firm delivers a multi-disciplinary service portfolio spanning Actuarial Services, Audit Services, Client Accounting and Advisory Services, and Tax Services, with a deep specialization in Public Pension Fund administration serving Illinois Police and Fire Pension Funds (Article 3 and Article 4), municipalities, school districts, and nonprofit organizations. Its pension practice supports over 15,000 active members and 14,000 pensioners across hundreds of pension funds, offering pension benefit calculations and disbursements, accounting compilation, professional services administration, records inventory and disposal, and standardized pension forms.

L&A's core technology is a cloud-based Pension Fund Portal providing trustees with website login and mobile/tablet app access to archived and current pension fund records, including agendas, board packets, meeting minutes, trustee elections, and training records. The firm also operates a Secure Client Portal for document exchange and a dedicated Pensioner/Retiree self-service portal. The firm co-founded the Coalition for Qualified Plan Status with industry bodies (AFFI, IGFOA, IPPFA, MAP) and successfully secured IRS Qualified Plan Determination Letters for Illinois Article 3 and Article 4 plans in 2009.

The business model is professional services engagement-based, with multi-year contracts and quote-based pricing (not publicly disclosed). Revenue streams include actuarial services, audit and assurance, outsourced client accounting and advisory, tax compliance and planning, and recurring pension benefits administration. GTM is sales-led and relationship-driven, leveraging memberships in GFOA, IGFOA, IPPFA, AICPA, Illinois CPA Society, and DFK International, supplemented by monthly client webinars, annual in-person training, podcast appearances, and community partnerships. L&A was ranked 17th largest accounting firm in Chicago (Crain's Chicago Business, 2021) and is recognized as one of the fastest-growing firms nationwide.

Name

Lauterbach & Amen

Legal name

Lauterbach & Amen, LLP

Website

https://lauterbachamen.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1997

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Lauterbach & Amen, LLP is a privately held Illinois-based CPA firm founded in 1997 that delivers audit, tax, actuarial, outsourced accounting, and public pension administration services to municipalities, school districts, pension funds, and nonprofits across hundreds of engagements.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Public Sector Accounting and Pension Administration Services

NAICS

Offices of Certified Public Accountants (541211), Pharmacy Benefit Management and Other Third Party Administration of Insurance and Pension Funds (524292), Insurance and Employee Benefit Funds (5251)

SIC

Services-Engineering, Accounting, Research, Management (8700)

akta.pro primary industry

Employee Benefit & Retirement Plan Trust Services (FSAAANAC)

Keywords

• Public pension administration
• Governmental audit services
• Actuarial consulting
• Tax compliance services
• Outsourced accounting advisory

Headquarters

HQ city

Naperville

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Actuarial Services: Pension planning and actuarial services including funding policy development, cash flow planning, actuarial reports, and GASB standards financial statement reporting for pension funds and OPEB trusts.
2. Audit Services: Audit and assurance services for governments, school districts, and nonprofit organizations. Includes single audit services under Uniform Guidance, GASB pronouncement implementation assistance, and Certificate of Achievement (COA) support.
3. Client Accounting and Advisory Services: Outsourced accounting services ranging from clerk-level to Finance Director, IT services including accounting software implementation and training, special projects (cash management, capital asset reporting, financial policies, staff recruiting), governmental payroll services, and levy preparation and budget forecasting.
4. Tax Services: Comprehensive tax solutions for individuals, corporations, trusts, estates, and not-for-profits. Includes tax preparation, planning strategies, payroll returns, Form 1099 reporting, sales and use tax, IRS assistance.
5. Pension Benefits Administration: Benefits administration for pension funds including pension benefit calculations and disbursements, maintaining pensioner member files, deduction remittance, contribution refunds, IRS reporting (forms 1099R, 1099MISC, 1096, 945). Supports over 15,000 active members and 14,000 pensioners.
6. Professional Services Administration (PSA): Administrative support including meeting agendas, board packets, meeting minutes, trustee elections, trustee training, conference registration, active member files, and affidavits of eligibility.
7. Records Inventory and Disposal (RID): Records management program compliant with Illinois Local Records Management processes for Police and Fire Pension Boards, Fire Protection Districts, and other Local Boards. Includes organization, inventory, digitization, and disposal services.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Lauterbach & Amen, LLP is a professional services CPA firm that provides actuarial, audit, tax, and client accounting and advisory services to governmental entities, municipalities, school districts, nonprofit organizations, and individuals. The firm is highly specialized in Illinois public pension fund administration, offering benefits administration, professional services administration, accounting compilation, records management, and pension coalition services for police and fire pension boards (Article 3 and Article 4).

Product overview

Lauterbach & Amen is a professional services firm offering a comprehensive suite of accounting, audit, tax, and actuarial services primarily for governmental, nonprofit, and private sector clients. The firm's service portfolio includes four core offerings: Actuarial Services, Audit Services, Client Accounting and Advisory Services, and Tax Services. The firm also specializes in extensive Pension Services with multiple sub-services including Accounting Compilation, Pension Benefits Administration (serving over 15,000 active members and 14,000 pensioners), Professional Services Administration with a cloud-based portal, Records Inventory and Disposal, Pension Coalition, and standardized Pension Forms. Additional specialized services include GEMT Program Services for EMS agencies. The firm provides client access through a Client Portal and dedicated Pensioner/Retiree Portal.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Actuarial Services

Quantifiable outcome

• Supports over 15,000 active members and 14,000 pensioners across hundreds of pension funds
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Working Together ChicagominorGTM or Marketing Partner · 27 January 2023Lauterbach & Amen partnered with Working Together Chicago, a community organization committed to improving lives in the community. The partnership strengthens company culture and provides valuable skillsets to projects while making a positive community impact.
• BairdminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 9 March 2021Stephan Roberts from Baird joined L&A webinar to discuss pension obligation bonds - what they are, how they work, and potential financial and actuarial impacts.
• Ice Miller, LLPminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 9 March 2021James Snyder from Ice Miller joined L&A webinar to discuss recent hot topic of Pension Obligation Bonds. Ice Miller is a law firm representing governmental pension plans.
• Ancel GlinkminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 3 February 2021Collaboration with local law firm Ancel Glink on tax and legal matters. Joint webinars covering topics including internet sales tax, streaming tax, tax levy matters, and property tax code updates.
• Piper JaffrayminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 22 February 2019Eric Anderson of Piper Jaffray presented on debt and arbitrage at L&A client training session. Expert insights shared on debt management and arbitrage with L&A clients.
• Miriani & Associates, Ltd.coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 December 2018Long-standing Naperville CPA firm Miriani & Associates, Ltd. joined forces with Lauterbach & Amen. Andy Miriani, founder of Miriani & Associates since 1996, brings over 40 years of experience including 36 years as CPA. All team members now operate from L&A's Naperville office, adding expertise in accounting, taxation, IRS problem resolution, estates and trusts, business formation, and real estate.
• Coalition for Qualified Plan Status (Illinois)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2008L&A co-founded the Coalition for Qualified Plan Status with AFFI, IGFOA, ILFOP, IMTA, IPFA, IPPFA, and MAP to address IRS compliance concerns for Illinois Article 3 and Article 4 pension funds. Successfully obtained IRS determination letters in 2009, allowing pension funds to maintain tax benefits including tax-exempt status of duty disability pensions and pre-tax contribution withholding.
• DFK InternationalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLauterbach & Amen, LLP is an independent member of DFK International, a worldwide association of independent accounting and management consulting firms. The membership provides locations in over 40 major markets throughout the United States and representation in over 85 countries worldwide. This membership enhances worldwide reach, provides additional resources, and expands opportunities for L&A clients.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Regional players

• Selden Fox Ltd. Illinois-based accounting and advisory firm serving government, nonprofit, and closely-held business clients in the Chicago metro. Comparable to L&A in regional geography and government/nonprofit specialization, though smaller in scale and without the same depth of pension administration services.

Broad incumbents

• Baker Tilly US: Top-10 US accounting and advisory firm with a national government and public-sector practice, including significant pension fund audit and advisory work. Comparable to L&A in serving government entities and pension plans, but operating as a much larger, multi-state broad incumbent rather than a regional specialist.
• Crowe LLP: Top-10 US accounting and consulting firm with a significant government and public-sector practice, including pension fund audit services. Comparable to L&A in targeting public-sector clients, though Crowe is materially larger and serves a broader national client base.
• RSM US: Top-5 US accounting firm with a national government and public-sector practice serving state and local governments and pension plans. Comparable to L&A in serving government clients, though at substantially larger scale with a national rather than regional footprint.
• Marcum LLP: Top-15 US accounting and advisory firm with a government services practice serving municipalities, school districts, and nonprofit organizations. Comparable to L&A in client mix and service offerings (audit, tax, advisory), though operating as a broad multi-state incumbent rather than a regional Illinois specialist.
• Plante Moran: Large US accounting and consulting firm with a dedicated government and public-sector practice serving municipalities and pension funds. Comparable to L&A in targeting government clients with audit and advisory services, though Plante Moran operates as a broad multi-state incumbent rather than a regional specialty firm.

Direct peers

• CliftonLarsonAllen (CLA): Top-10 US accounting firm with one of the largest dedicated government and public-sector practices in the country, including pension plan audit and administration services. Directly comparable to L&A in serving municipalities, school districts, and pension funds, though materially larger in headcount and geographic footprint.
• Wipfli LLP: Top-25 US accounting firm with a strong government and nonprofit practice that includes pension fund audit, actuarial, and outsourced accounting services. Comparable to L&A in vertical specialization and service breadth, though operating at significantly larger scale across the Midwest and nationally.
• Sikich LLP: Mid-market CPA and advisory firm with a dedicated public-sector practice serving municipalities, school districts, and pension funds across the Midwest. Closely comparable to L&A in client mix (government, nonprofit, pension administration), scale (~100–250+ employees in the Chicago metro), and service breadth spanning audit, tax, and advisory.
• Forvis: Top-10 US accounting firm formed from the merger of BKD and Dixon Hughes Goodman, with one of the largest dedicated public-sector and government practices in the country. Comparable to L&A in client mix (municipalities, school districts, nonprofits, pension funds) and service offerings (audit, tax, advisory), with substantially greater scale.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Lauterbach & Amen