For military service members and veterans
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Request a conversationSavant Wealth Management is a wealth advisor for business owners whose net worth sits mostly in the company and who expect to sell it or hand it down. You get a short list of decisions in order of due date, each worked out with real numbers.
If you retired from service and now run your own company, your pension and Thrift Savings Plan balance belong in the same picture as the business. Savant Wealth Management advisors meet clients anywhere in the country by screen-share video call or phone.
Separate the company from your own balance sheet
Take a hypothetical veteran with a $2,000,000 company, a $600,000 portfolio and a $400,000 Thrift Savings Plan balance. The company is $2,000,000 of $3,000,000, about two-thirds of net worth.
Quick test: if more than half your net worth is in the company, settle the buy-sell agreement and a personal cash reserve before you tune the portfolio. These are the first items on the list at Savant Wealth Management.
- Open a personal account payroll never touches
- Pay yourself a set salary or draw
- Get an outside value of the company
- List every personal guarantee on loans
When does a SEP, SIMPLE or solo 401(k) fit?
A solo 401(k) usually lets an owner with no staff save the most, because you can defer as an employee and add an employer contribution on top. A SEP takes only the employer part, so on modest profit it puts far less away. Check the current IRS limit on the SEP percentage.
At 50 or older, a solo 401(k) adds an $8,000 catch-up for 2026, and the total of employee and employer money can reach $72,000. The trade-off: hire a full-time employee and these plans generally have to cover eligible staff, which changes the cost.
| Plan | Who funds it | Owner deferral limit |
|---|---|---|
| SEP-IRA | Employer only | No employee deferral |
| SIMPLE IRA | Employee plus match | $17,000 |
| Solo 401(k) | Employee plus employer | $24,500 |
What happens if profit drops in a lean year?
You still need a paycheck. Say you want $6,000 each month, or $72,000 a year, and a lean year leaves $70,000 of profit. A reserve of $36,000 covers 6 months of the gap while you wait for orders to return.
Pay yourself the same amount each month and top up the reserve in strong years. Keep that money in cash. All investing carries risk and you can lose money, including what you put in, and a reserve you must sell at a loss is no reserve.
Set the buy-sell agreement before you need it
A buy-sell agreement says who can buy your share, at what price and how it is paid if you die, become disabled or leave. Without one, your partner may end up co-owning with your family, and your family may end up with a company they can't run.
Before Savant Wealth Management suggests moving money out of the company, it puts a number on the tax cost of the move. The same goes for a sale, where the timing of income can change the tax cost.
- Value the company with an outside number
- Write the price formula into the agreement
- Decide who funds the buyout
- Name the person who can say yes
Questions people ask Savant Wealth Management
Can my spouse also contribute to a solo 401(k) if they work in my company?
Usually yes. A spouse who is paid by the business can also defer, up to $24,500 each for 2026, and the plan can often still run as a solo plan. Check the plan document and current IRS rules before you set it up.
How many years before a sale should an owner start planning?
Start 3 to 5 years before the sale date. That is enough time to clean up the books, fix ownership paperwork, update the buy-sell agreement and decide where the sale proceeds will go before a buyer sets the pace.
How much cash should an owner with uneven income keep in reserve?
A quick test is 6 months of your own pay. If you take $6,000 each month, that is $36,000 in cash. Raise it if your lean years run longer than a few months, and keep it out of stocks.
Work through the order of decisions with Savant Wealth Management
Services such as military retirement planning, TSP withdrawal planning and tax planning for veterans sit alongside the business work, since the pension and the sale proceeds land on the same return. The fee schedule goes to you in writing before the intro call. The client minimum is $500,000 in investable assets.
Savant Wealth Management serves 490,000 clients and $9.3 billion in client assets as of 10/5/2026. This page is general education, not individual tax or legal advice.
This content is general information and education. It is not individualized investment advice, tax advice or legal guidance. Investing involves risk, including the possible loss of principal. Before making financial decisions, talk to a professional who understands your full situation.