Entity Selection
LLC, S-Corp, C-Corp
The right entity depends on margin, growth plan, payroll, distributions, and exit horizon — and should be revisited every few years.
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Coordinated planning for business owners — entity, compensation, retirement plan design, tax, asset protection, succession, and exit — modeled with personal wealth, not in isolation from it.
Business owner financial planning is coordinated planning that treats the operating company and the owner's household as one interconnected balance sheet. For most owners, the business is the largest single asset they own — often more valuable than the home, the retirement accounts, and the taxable investments combined. Yet the business is usually planned separately from the household, by a different professional, with no model that connects the two.
That gap is where the most expensive mistakes live. An owner taking too little salary loses Solo 401(k) and Social Security base. An owner taking too much pays unnecessary FICA. A business held in the wrong entity costs multiple percentage points of effective tax every year. A buy-sell that isn't funded leaves a spouse and a partner negotiating in grief. An exit that starts six months out leaves QSBS, F-reorgs, ESOP analysis, and charitable structures on the table.
Coordinated business-owner planning fixes the gap by putting one planner in front of the whole picture — and coordinating with the CPA, attorney, banker, and (eventually) investment banker.
Who It's For
Owners of profitable operating businesses ($1M–$50M+ revenue)
Professional service firms — medical, dental, legal, engineering, consulting
Founder-CEOs preparing for a sale to private equity or a strategic buyer
Multi-generation family businesses with succession decisions ahead
Real estate operators with multi-entity holdings and depreciation strategy
Owners whose CPA does the return but no one does the planning
The Coordinated Approach
Every one of the items below moves the math on every other item. Coordinated planning models them together rather than treating each as a one-off.
LLC, S-Corp, C-Corp
The right entity depends on margin, growth plan, payroll, distributions, and exit horizon — and should be revisited every few years.
Salary, Distributions, K-1
Reasonable comp under IRS standards, FICA optimization, accountable plans, and distribution timing to manage personal AGI.
401(k), DB, Cash Balance
Plan design matched to the owner profile — sometimes sheltering $200K+ per year for a high-earning solo owner with the right structure.
Personal vs. Business
Separating business risk from the personal balance sheet through proper entity hygiene, holding companies, and umbrella coverage.
Internal or Third-Party
Three-to-five-year planning windows for QSBS preservation, F-reorgs, ESOPs, key-person transitions, and tax-efficient earnouts.
Estate + Retirement
How proceeds from the business flow into trusts, charitable structures, post-sale income, and the family's long-term plan.
Our Process
We learn the business, the team, the exit horizon, and what the household needs from the business.
Entity, comp, plan design, beneficiary forms, buy-sell, estate documents, personal tax exposure.
Prioritized actions for the next 90 days, the next 12 months, and the lead-up to exit or succession.
Quarterly check-ins coordinated with your CPA and attorney as the business and family evolve.
Free Guide
7 costly financial planning mistakes affluent families make — covering tax planning, estate planning, retirement, asset protection, trusts, business succession, and generational wealth transfer.
Serving the DMV & Nationwide
The DMV has a deep bench of owner-operated businesses: government contractors, medical and dental practices, A/E firms, IT services, real estate holdings, and family-owned operating companies. Maryland's tax profile — high marginal personal-income tax, pass-through entity tax (PTET) election, and a separate state estate tax — makes coordinated owner planning particularly valuable here.
For owners outside the DMV, we engage virtually with the same depth, and meet annually in person if you want to make the trip to Bowie.
Frequently Asked Questions
Coordinated Disciplines
The Legacy Wealth Brief
Insights on tax planning, estate planning, retirement income, business ownership, and generational wealth.
Schedule a complimentary 30-minute conversation. We'll review what's in place and identify the two or three changes that would matter most.