Financial Planning for Business Owners in Del Mar, CA

Personal wealth building, exit planning coordination, and tax strategy for owners whose net worth is concentrated in their business.

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It is complimentary, with no obligation. If we are not the right fit, we will tell you honestly.
Serving Families in Southern
California since 2015
Chad Waters is a CERTIFIED
FINANCIAL PLANNER® professional
Affiliated with LPL Financial, a Fortune
500 company; Member FINRA/SIPC

Check the background of this firm on FINRA’s BrokerCheck.

“The majority of my net worth is tied up in my business and I haven't built much outside of it.”

Running a business consumes your time, your attention, and often your identity. For many owners, the business is the financial plan. The assumption is that when you eventually sell, the proceeds will fund everything.

That assumption carries real risk. A retirement plan that depends entirely on one transaction is not a plan. It is a bet. It assumes the sale happens on your timeline, at your price, with the tax planning already in place.

If a sale offer, a partner buyout, or a health event arrives before that planning is done, major financial and tax decisions get made under time pressure. They get made in the middle of a negotiation, with the focus on the deal rather than your personal finances. In California, the combined state and federal tax burden on a business sale can be significant, and once the transaction closes, many planning opportunities that existed beforehand may no longer be available.

Most business owners have a neglected personal portfolio sitting alongside a highly concentrated business position. The business has someone thinking about it every day. Your personal financial life often does not.

Does this sound like you?

The majority of my net worth is tied up in my business and I have not built much outside of it.

I am thinking about selling or bringing on a partner and I do not know what that means for my personal finances.

I have a successful business but I have no real retirement plan that does not depend on a sale.

I just received an offer for my business and need to understand the tax implications before I agree to anything.

I'm building toward an exit in the next five to ten years and want to be genuinely prepared.

I've been so focused on the business that my personal financial life has been on autopilot for years.

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What a Proper Strategy Looks Like

You have a personal financial plan that holds up whether or not the business sale happens on schedule.

You have a clearer sense of the tax implications of a sale, partner buyout, or transition before you agree to anything.

Your personal wealth is being built in parallel with the business, not entirely dependent on it.

Someone is thinking about both the business and the personal side, so you don't have to carry that alone.

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Business Owner Planning at Third Act Wealth Management

Business owner planning at Trifecta Wealth Management starts before the exit, not after the offer arrives.

Built around your purpose, your goals, and the people you care about most, we work to help you develop personal wealth alongside the business. Where you choose to involve your attorney and CPA in exit and succession conversations, we are happy to facilitate that coordination at your request. And we aim to raise concentrated position and liquidity questions well before a transaction is in motion.

For clients whose situation calls for it, we have access to a dedicated HNW planning team for business sale enablement and advanced succession strategy, subject to eligibility.

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Complimentary Second Opinion

A no-obligation conversation about your business, your timeline, and your personal financial picture.

Personal Wealth Assessment

We take a closer look at what you have built outside the business and raise questions about areas that may be worth addressing as part of a coordinated personal financial plan.

Coordinated Strategy

We work to develop a personal wealth building approach that may include working toward maximizing retirement plan contributions and building taxable investment accounts. Where relevant, that conversation also covers tax positioning questions around your entity structure, compensation design, and income timing, along with protection planning considerations.

Exit and Succession Coordination

At your request, we are happy to facilitate conversations with your attorney and CPA as a transaction approaches or as exit planning becomes a more active priority.

Ongoing Partnership

We aim to stay engaged as your business and personal financial picture evolve, including through periods of transition or liquidity events.

What's Included in Business Owner Planning

Personal Wealth Building Alongside the Business  

We help you develop a strategy for accumulating personal wealth that is not dependent on the eventual sale of your business. This may include working toward maximizing retirement plan contributions, building taxable investment accounts, and developing your personal financial plan in parallel with your business rather than after it.

Exit and Succession Planning Coordination

When the time comes to sell, transfer, or wind down the business, the decisions made in the months and years beforehand can have significant financial consequences. Where you choose to involve your business attorney and CPA, we are happy to facilitate those conversations at your request.

Topics that may be worth discussing include how to think about your personal financial picture before and after a liquidity event, and general tax considerations to explore with your CPA. We can also talk through the investment and income planning questions that often arise during a business transition. The specifics depend heavily on your individual circumstances and the professionals involved.

Concentrated Position and Liquidity Management

If your wealth is concentrated in your business equity, a single property, or a block of stock from a prior sale or equity event, exploring a path toward a more diversified personal financial position is worth considering. It is one of the more meaningful planning conversations we can have. We help you think through timing, potential tax implications, and reinvestment considerations.

Tax Strategy for Business Owners

Business owners may have access to tax planning strategies that differ from those available to employees. Retirement plans, entity structure, compensation design, and the timing of income recognition can all affect your personal tax picture in meaningful ways. Where you choose to involve your CPA, we are happy to collaborate at your request to help think through how your business decisions may interact with your personal financial plan.

Protection Planning

For business owners, personal liability, key-person insurance, and disability planning are areas worth discussing as part of your broader financial picture. At your request, we can help raise questions about your current protection structure and flag areas that may be worth exploring further.

Personal Wealth Building Alongside the Business  

Exit and Succession Planning Coordination

Concentrated Position and Liquidity Management

Tax Strategy for Business Owners

Protection Planning

What We Charge

Trifecta Wealth Management operates on a fee-based model, with all fees disclosed in writing before you make any decision. We typically work with business owners who have $1 million or more in investable assets, in addition to their business equity. For clients with more complex exit or succession needs, access to a dedicated HNW planning team is available, subject to eligibility, and there may be a separate charge for that engagement.

Why Work With Trifecta Wealth Management

Both Sides, One Advisor

Chad Waters, CFP®, works to connect your personal financial plan and your business picture as part of one coordinated conversation, so neither side is managed in isolation.

Specialized Support When Needed

For clients with more complex exit or succession needs, we have access to a dedicated HNW planning team for business sale enablement and advanced succession strategy, subject to eligibility.

We Coordinate With Your Team

We do not provide tax or legal advice. Where you choose to involve your CPA and business attorney, we are happy to facilitate that coordination at your request.

A Capped Client Roster

Fewer than 100 families means your exit planning conversation can happen well ahead of the deal, with real lead time to think it through properly.

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What Our Clients Say

Chad Waters and Heather St. Amour of Trifecta Wealth Management are a wealth of knowledge and they are always well prepared for our quarterly meetings. They are very patient with our questions and always provide knowledgeable answers. They always provide a great long-term plan and always take into account our risk tolerance. They always stay in touch and respond to our emails or phone calls in a timely manner. If my wife or I do not understand something they explain it in simple terms.

Pat H.
Business Owner
August 13, 2026

I've worked with Chad for over three years, and he's the first advisor I've had who explains things in a way I actually understand, no finance degree required. He walks me through my options so I feel like a real part of the planning and decision-making, not just along for the ride. Heather makes the whole experience even better; she goes above and beyond to make me feel like a valued client. Between the two of them, the level of care and attention I get is exactly what I want from a wealth management team.

Fawn P.
Business Owner
August 11, 2026

Over my many years working with Chad and Heather, I have experienced nothing short of exceptional service. I routinely recommend their wealth management and retirement planning services to my closest friends and family members with complete confidence. Beyond their consistent responsiveness, I have developed a profound respect for their financial expertise and strategic insight. As a true testament to this trust, I recently transitioned my company's employee retirement plan to TWM's management. I did so knowing my team's financial futures would be handled with the highest level of care and integrity.

Matthew H.
Business Owner
August 5, 2026

This statement is a testimonial by a client of the financial professional as of the indicated date. The client has not been paid or received any other compensation for making these statements. As a result, the client does not receive any material incentives or benefits for providing the testimonial. These views may not be representative of the views of other clients and are not indicative of future performance or success.

Frequently Asked Questions

Most of my net worth is tied up in my business. Can you still help?

Yes. We work to help you develop personal wealth alongside the business, so your financial future is less dependent on any single asset or transaction.

I just received an offer for my business. Is it too late to plan?

It is not too late, but timing does matter. Some planning conversations are more valuable before a transaction closes than after, so reaching out sooner rather than later tends to leave more options on the table worth discussing.

Do you handle the legal and tax side of a business sale?

No. We do not provide legal or tax advice. Where you choose to involve your business attorney and CPA, we are happy to facilitate that coordination at your request. For clients with more complex needs, we have access to a dedicated HNW planning team for advanced succession strategy, subject to eligibility.

Can you help with tax strategy specific to owning a business, not just a sale?

Yes. Entity structure, compensation design, and the timing of income recognition can all affect your personal tax picture in meaningful ways. Where you choose to involve your CPA, we are happy to collaborate at your request on how those business decisions may interact with your personal financial plan.

Do I need $1 million outside my business to work with you?

Trifecta Wealth Management typically works with business owners who have $1 million or more in investable assets in addition to their business equity. If you're close to that threshold, we're happy to have a conversation.

What if I'm not ready to think about selling yet?

That is not a problem. Building personal wealth alongside the business can begin well before an exit is on the horizon, and starting that conversation earlier tends to create more flexibility when the time eventually comes.

Are you a fiduciary?

In our fee-based advisory relationships, yes. We are required to act as a fiduciary, and as a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER® professional, held to a fiduciary standard under the CFP Board's Code of Ethics.

Got questions?

Apply for a Second Opinion call with our team to get all your questions answered.

Get a Second Opinion

Let's talk about your business and your personal financial future, before a transaction forces the conversation.

Get a Second Opinion
It is complimentary, with no obligation. If we are not the right fit, we will tell you honestly.
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+1 858-703-6033

This information is not intended to be a substitute for specific individualized tax or legal advice. We suggest that you discuss your specific situation with a qualified tax or legal advisor.