Who we serve

Business Owners

The biggest tax decisions in an owner's life are made years before the sale, and most of them cannot be undone at the letter of intent. We help owners and their CPAs make them early.

Last reviewed

Who this is for

  • Founders and owners of closely held companies in Texas and Louisiana
  • Owners three to seven years from a possible sale or succession
  • Professionals with practice income who want six-figure retirement plan deductions

Problems it solves

  • An S-corporation or LLC structure that forfeits the Section 1202 QSBS exclusion on a future sale
  • Too much net worth tied up in the business and too little diversified
  • A buy-sell agreement that was drafted once and never funded or updated

What makes it different

Ryan Firth is a CPA/PFS who works with Houston CPAs as a peer, so recommendations arrive in language your tax preparer can implement, and we coordinate rather than compete.

Where we add the most value

These are the core of our tax planning for business owners service, delivered alongside your CPA and attorney.

  • Entity and exit structure. C-corporation versus S-corporation, QSBS under Section 1202, and installment or rollover alternatives.
  • Retirement plan design. 401(k) with profit sharing, cash balance plans, and the trade-offs between deductions and employee cost.
  • Risk and insurance structure. Buy-sell funding, key-person coverage, and when a captive insurance arrangement is worth its complexity.
  • Concentration. Diversifying outside the business with a Personal Index Portfolio managed within a tax budget.
  • Liquidity event planning. Pre-sale tax planning, post-sale cash management, and estate moves that work better before a valuation jump.

Questions about business owners

Can an S-corporation qualify for QSBS?

No. Section 1202 applies only to original-issue stock of a domestic C-corporation. Owners who expect a large sale should evaluate converting well before an exit; the holding period starts when the C-corporation stock is issued.

What is a cash balance plan?

A defined-benefit retirement plan that allows much larger tax-deductible contributions than a 401(k) alone, often six figures per year for owners in their 50s and 60s. It comes with actuarial costs and a commitment to fund employees, so it fits stable, high-income businesses.

Do you replace my CPA?

No. We are a fee-only planning and investment firm, not a CPA firm. We work alongside your CPA and attorney and are happy to join the same call.

Talk with a CFA and a CPA/PFS, CFP® about your situation

A free introductory meeting, no obligation. Financial planning is included as part of the investment management fee, so there is no separate planning charge.

Schedule a meetingSee our fees