Timing, Tax Strategies & Missed Opportunities for Business Owners
Beyond the Advisor Podcast
<p>In this month's episode of Beyond the Advisor, Nina Breen, CFP®, RICP®, CPWA®, Senior Wealth Planner, and Micah Alsobrook, CPFA®, MBA, Retirement Plan Advisor, continue their fishbowl-style Q&A with a deep dive into the timing, tax strategies, and missed opportunities that quietly shape outcomes for business owners and executives. </p>
<p>From estate planning and step-up in basis to 401(k) plan design, business exit timing, donor-advised funds, and weathering market volatility—this episode unpacks the costly decisions that get delayed and the planning moves that change the trajectory.</p>
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<p><strong>Key Topics Include:</strong></p>
<ul>
<li>Why estate planning is the most delayed financial decision—and the basics every adult needs</li>
<li>A real client story on step-up in basis and concentrated employer stock</li>
<li>When a will isn't enough: the case for a revocable trust</li>
<li>Signs a 401(k) was designed to check a box vs. built strategically</li>
<li>New comparability profit-sharing as a way to max out owner contributions</li>
<li>Donor-advised funds as a tax play in big-income years (like the year you sell your business)</li>
<li>How far in advance to plan a business exit (hint: 5–10 years)</li>
<li>Vesting schedules as a key employee retention tool</li>
<li>What NOT to do when markets get volatile (fear selling, loans, distributions)</li>
<li>Fortress Gatewood: the cash + fixed income buffer strategy</li>
<li>A real COVID retiree story on confidence in the plan, not the market</li>
<li>Target date funds and the "evidence-based" investment lineup</li>
</ul>