Annex Wealth Management helps business owners separate company wealth from personal spending, retirement saving and a future sale or succession.
The useful work starts with an ordinary number: what must arrive in your personal account each month, even when the practice, shop or service company has a quiet season? The portfolio then has a job to fund that spending, rather than becoming a second business account you rarely examine.
Separate company wealth from your household spending
Business owners often know their revenue more precisely than their own spending. That becomes awkward when tuition, a mortgage, insurance and payroll all compete for the same cash. Annex Wealth Management starts by sorting personal expenses, business expenses, taxes and reserves into separate lanes.
A practical decision rule: if personal spending depends on a single business distribution, calculate the months you could cover without another distribution. That number tells you whether the next dollar belongs in a personal reserve, the company, a retirement plan or the portfolio. It also exposes how much of your net worth still depends on one buyer, one practice or one lease.
- List personal monthly spending
- Mark business-paid expenses
- Separate tax reserves
- Set a slow-month cash floor
Choose the retirement plan around uneven income
SEP-IRA, SIMPLE IRA and solo 401(k) plans solve different problems. Annex Wealth Management compares who works in the company, whether employees must participate, how contributions behave in a strong year and what paperwork arrives before money can move. A plan that looks attractive during a large profit year may be clumsy when revenue drops.
For 2026, a SIMPLE IRA employee deferral limit is $17,000. A 401(k), including a solo 401(k), has a $24,500 employee deferral limit, with a $72,000 total defined contribution limit before any applicable catch-up. Those figures are only part of the choice; the business structure and employee rules matter just as much.
| Plan | Useful question | Main pressure point |
|---|---|---|
| SEP-IRA | Who receives contributions? | Employer contribution pattern |
| SIMPLE IRA | Are employees eligible? | Employee participation |
| Solo 401(k) | Do I have employees? | Owner-only limits |
| Any plan | Can cash flow support it? | Uneven profit years |
- Compare employee eligibility
- Test high-income and low-income years
- Price administration
- Record employer contribution rules
Start the sale or succession work before the deadline
A sale planned years ahead gives you time to reduce personal dependence on the company, clarify ownership and find out whether a successor can actually finance the purchase. Annex Wealth Management organizes the financial questions; your attorney and tax professional address the agreement, tax treatment and legal transfer.
A buy-sell agreement is not a dusty binder. It should answer who can buy, how value is determined, what happens after death or disability and how the purchase gets funded. Review it when ownership, debt, insurance or the company’s value changes.
- Estimate personal cash need
- Identify likely buyer or successor
- Review ownership records
- Model sale timing
- List buy-sell funding sources
Test the cash flow before the company changes hands
Here is a hypothetical example. A dentist takes home $18,000 in a strong month but needs $11,000 for personal spending, taxes and debt. If the next four months provide only $9,000 each, the shortfall is $2,000 per month, or $8,000 total. A cash-flow-first plan identifies that gap before the owner commits sale proceeds or increases portfolio income.
Annex Wealth Management can compare the expected business distributions with personal spending, retirement contributions and an eventual sale date. A portfolio may fund the gap, but investments can lose value, and you could receive less than you invested. The plan should show what happens if the sale takes longer or the price is lower than expected.
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Monthly personal need | $11,000 |
| Slow-month income | $9,000 |
| Monthly shortfall | $2,000 |
| Four-month shortfall | $8,000 |
- Set a monthly personal draw
- Hold a reserve for taxes
- Use a separate sale scenario
- Recheck after major distributions
What Annex Wealth Management examines with an owner
Annex Wealth Management looks at the company and the person who owns it together, then writes down which decision belongs to which professional. Financial planning for doctors, Physician student loan planning and Cash balance plans for physicians may fit particular clients, but the starting question remains monthly cash flow.
This work may not be worth doing yet if a sale is only a vague idea and the owner has no reliable records of personal spending or company distributions. Start by gathering the year-end statement, retirement-plan paperwork, debt schedule and buy-sell agreement, if one exists. Fees are set out in a written agreement before any work starts.
- Bring business statements
- Add personal account balances
- Include retirement paperwork
- Share the buy-sell agreement
- Name the expected decision date
Annex Wealth Management: common questions
What should a business owner bring to a first planning discussion?
When should I start planning a business sale or succession?
Which retirement plan fits an owner with uneven income?
This material is general information only and does not constitute investment, tax or legal advice tailored to your circumstances. Investing involves risk, including possible loss of principal. Before acting on any information here, speak with a financial advisor, tax professional or attorney about your specific situation.