Business Owner Financial Planning
I’ve spent most of my career working alongside small business owners. Before founding Lyons Resources, I advised more than 200 businesses in risk management and financial planning. What I saw again and again was this: incredible builders who were so focused on the business that their personal finances hadn’t kept pace.
Your business is not your retirement plan. And it shouldn’t have to be.
At Lyons Resources, I help local business owners in Palm Beach Gardens, Jupiter, and the Treasure Coast build a personal financial foundation that exists independently of what happens in the business — because that’s the only kind of security that actually holds.
What Business Owner Planning Includes
- Retirement strategy — SEP IRA, Solo 401(k), SIMPLE IRA — structured around your business model and tax situation
- Compensation structure — how you pay yourself to minimize tax drag while maximizing personal wealth
- Buy-sell agreements and business continuity planning (coordinated with your attorney)
- Disability income protection — for when the business depends on you and you can’t work
- Exit and succession planning — building the plan before you need it
- Life insurance review in the context of both personal and business needs
- Coordination with your CPA on tax-planning strategy
From ‘Profit First’ to Personal Wealth
Many of my business owner clients use the Profit First cash flow system inside their business. That discipline is powerful. My job is to apply that same intentionality to your personal financial life — so the wealth you’re building in your business is matched by the wealth you’re building for yourself.
If you own a business in Palm Beach Gardens, FL and don’t yet have a personal financial plan that runs parallel to your business, let’s talk.
Common Questions From Business Owners
It depends on your income, number of employees, and cash flow. A SEP IRA, Solo 401(k), or SIMPLE IRA each fit different situations — we review your business structure and tax picture together to find the right one.
The right compensation structure — salary versus distributions, timing, and entity type — can meaningfully change your tax bill. We coordinate with your CPA to structure this around your specific business.
Without disability income protection, an owner’s income can stop the moment they can’t work. We review coverage options built around what your business actually depends on you for.
Earlier than most owners think. Building the plan before you need it — rather than when a sale, health event, or retirement forces the question — gives you far more options and better outcomes.
Yes. Buy-sell agreements, entity structure, and tax planning work best when your advisor, CPA, and attorney are coordinated rather than working in isolation. We build that coordination into the process.
Not automatically. Business income and personal net worth are two different numbers, and it’s easy to grow one while the other stands still. A planning review separates what the business owes you from what you’ve actually put away.
A SIMPLE IRA or small 401(k) is usually the right starting point at this size. We can walk through setup cost, employee eligibility, and your own contribution room in one meeting.
How Planning Is Priced
Investment management is billed on a progressive schedule — the more you have managed, the lower the rate on the additional amount:
| Portion of managed assets | Annual rate |
|---|---|
| First $1,000,000 | 1.00% |
| Next $1,000,000 (to $2MM) | 0.75% |
| Above $2,000,000 | 0.50% |
Financial planning is priced separately, by complexity — not folded into a flat number. As the assets we manage together grow, the planning fee declines, and it disappears once we manage $1 million or more.
| Assets managed | Core | Core Plus | Advanced | Advanced Plus |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Under $500K | $150/mo | $300/mo | $450/mo | $600/mo |
| $500K–$750K | $75/mo | $150/mo | $300/mo | $450/mo |
| $750K–$1MM | Included | $75/mo | $150/mo | $300/mo |
| $1MM+ | Included | Included | Included | Included |
Core — Straightforward planning needs. Annual review meeting. Covers retirement income and Social Security timing, cash flow and budgeting, beneficiary and titling review, and a portfolio/risk tolerance check-in. Fits one household with one income source and no business or trust complexity.
Core Plus — Broader planning across several areas. Two review meetings a year. Adds life and long-term care insurance analysis, large purchase and financing analysis, RMD and withdrawal strategy, and education funding. Fits households juggling several goals at once.
Advanced — Complex decisions needing deeper analysis and coordination. Quarterly check-ins. Adds equity compensation planning, business cash flow and compensation planning, Roth conversion analysis, and active coordination with your CPA and attorney. Fits business owners and those with multiple accounts or entities.
Advanced Plus — Highly complex personal, family, or business-owner planning. Priority scheduling and ongoing access. Adds business exit and succession guidance, generational transfer and charitable planning, and full-team coordination through a major life transition. Fits a business sale, multi-generational planning, or navigating loss, inheritance, or divorce.
Common Questions About How Planning Is Priced
By complexity, using four levels — Core, Core Plus, Advanced, and Advanced Plus. Your level is based on how much ongoing work your situation requires, not a fixed menu.
Yes. It declines as the assets we manage together grow, and reaches $0 once we manage $1 million or more.
No — it’s billed separately, on its own progressive schedule, so additional assets are charged at a lower rate as they grow.
Yes. As your situation gets simpler or more complex, we adjust the level together.
Yes, these are two distinct, transparently priced parts of the relationship.