Business Owners in Vancouver
Financial Planning for Business Owners in Canada
Comprehensive fee-for-service financial planning and wealth management for incorporated business owners, covering holding companies, succession planning, corporate investing, and tax optimization. Whether you're looking for a financial advisor or a financial planner, Ocean 6 handles the corporate financial planning and high-net-worth complexity that comes with owning a successful private company. Based in Vancouver, we work with business owners across Canada, outside Quebec. If you're searching locally, see how we work as a financial advisor in Vancouver.
Business owners face a financial planning challenge that most advisors aren't equipped to handle: the majority of your net worth is tied up in a single illiquid asset (the business. The decisions you make inside that business have tax consequences that ripple through your personal finances for decades. How you pay yourself, how you hold retained earnings, whether you need a holding company, how you protect the business from personal liability, and how you eventually exit) these are interconnected decisions that need to be planned as a system. That's what Ocean 6 does for business owners.
Where We Add Value
The Problems We Solve for Business Owners
01
Concentration risk, most of your wealth is in one asset
A business owner with a $3M company has 80–90% of their net worth in a single illiquid, unhedgeable position. We help you build a financial plan that progressively diversifies wealth out of the business while you're still running it, so you're not entirely dependent on a successful sale to fund retirement.
02
Maximizing the Lifetime Capital Gains Exemption
The LCGE allows up to the first $1.25M of capital gains on qualifying small business shares to be received tax-free, if the shares qualify. Qualifying requires advance planning: the shares must be QSBC shares at the time of sale, which has specific requirements around asset composition and holding periods. Estate freeze structures, family trusts, and share restructuring can multiply the exemption across family members. None of this can be done at closing, it requires years of setup.
03
Holding company strategy
A holding company receives dividends from your operating company tax-free and holds assets protected from the operating risks of the business. The holdco can own investments, real estate, life insurance policies, and shares in other companies. We analyze whether a holdco makes sense in your situation and help integrate it into your estate plan properly.
04
Key-person insurance and buy-sell agreements
If you have a business partner, what happens if one of you dies or becomes disabled? Without a properly funded buy-sell agreement, the surviving partner may be forced into business with a deceased partner's estate. We advise on buy-sell structures, funding mechanisms, and how corporate-owned insurance integrates with the shareholder agreement your lawyer will draft.
05
Exit planning, the biggest financial event of your life
A business sale is typically the largest financial transaction a business owner will ever execute. For some owners, the difference between a well-planned exit and an unplanned one can be significant. Share vs. asset sale analysis, corporate purification, estate freeze timing, LCGE multiplication, and investment strategy for post-sale proceeds all need to be in place well before you go to market.
06
Succession, family or third-party?
Transitioning a business to a family member is fundamentally different from selling to a third party. Family succession involves estate freeze structures, gift vs. sale analysis, gradual transfer of control, and often family dynamics that complicate what should be financial decisions. We model the financial outcomes of each path and coordinate with your lawyer and accountant to structure the transition properly.
07
Fee-only financial planning.
Fee-only financial planning. Our financial planning is offered on a fee-only basis: you pay a transparent, flat fee for your plan, with no commissions and no obligation to use our investment or insurance services. Investment management and insurance are separate, optional services.
Our Clients
The Business Owners We Work With
We typically work with owner-operators at companies generating $500K–$10M in annual revenue, with meaningful retained earnings and a 3–15 year horizon before a potential exit.
Owner-Operators
Founders and sole owners running profitable businesses with accumulated retained earnings. The primary challenge is usually building wealth outside the business while maintaining sufficient capital inside it for operations and growth.
Business Partners
Equal or unequal partners in a business with shared ownership. Key planning issues include buy-sell agreement funding, equalization of estates, and helping coordinate both partners' financial plans even when personal situations differ.
Pre-Exit Business Owners
Owners within 3–7 years of a planned sale or transition. The planning priority is qualifying for LCGE, multiplying the exemption across family members, and helping prepare the corporate structure for a buyer's due diligence.
Post-Exit Business Owners
Business owners who have recently sold and are managing $2M–$10M+ in after-tax proceeds for the first time. The challenge is making sound investment decisions and building a sustainable income plan without the structure of a business to organize finances around.
Common Questions
Frequently Asked Questions
What is corporate financial planning?
Corporate financial planning is financial planning that treats your company and your personal finances as one connected system. It covers how your corporation invests retained earnings, how you pay yourself, how profits are taxed, how you protect the business, and how you eventually exit. For most incorporated business owners, the corporate and personal decisions can't be planned in isolation, which is exactly what generic personal financial advice misses.
When should I start exit planning?
Earlier than you think. The LCGE requires shares to qualify as QSBC shares with a 24-month holding period and specific asset tests throughout that period. Family trust structures to multiply the exemption take time to establish and need to be in place well before a sale. An estate freeze should be implemented while business value is still within the freeze amount. If you're thinking about a sale in the next 5–7 years, the planning conversation should start now. If you're 2–3 years out, there's still meaningful value to be captured, but some options will be off the table.
Should I sell shares or assets?
A share sale is almost always better for the seller (capital gains taxed at lower rates, potential LCGE), and an asset sale is almost always preferred by the buyer (higher tax deductions, no assumption of liabilities). In practice, the deal structure depends on negotiating leverage. We model both scenarios so you understand the after-tax economics of each and can negotiate from an informed position. We also work with your accountant and lawyer to optimize the outcome if you have flexibility in the structure.
What can you write off as a business owner?
Under CRA guidelines, incorporated business owners can typically deduct reasonable expenses incurred to earn business income. What qualifies, and how much, depends on your specific situation and corporate structure, and your accountant determines and files it. The more valuable planning question usually isn't just what you can write off. It's how the bigger levers fit together: how you pay yourself (salary vs. dividends), how your corporation invests retained earnings, and how those choices affect tax over time. That's our role as your financial planner: we model how your compensation strategy and corporate structure work together, and we collaborate with your accountant so your plan and your filings are aligned. We don't replace your accountant or provide tax advice. We make sure everyone's working from the same strategy.
What is an estate freeze and do I need one?
An estate freeze is a corporate reorganization that "freezes" the current value of your shares in your hands and causes all future growth to accrue to new shareholders, typically a family trust or your adult children. The purpose is twofold: limiting future tax liability in your estate, and enabling LCGE multiplication by ensuring shares held by the trust are also eligible for the exemption at sale. Whether you need one depends on your business value, estate goals, family situation, and timeline. It's a significant structural transaction worth analyzing carefully rather than implementing reflexively.
Do I need a financial advisor or a financial planner as a business owner?
If most of your net worth is tied up in your company, the distinction matters less than the fit. A financial advisor for business owners should understand corporate structure, tax-efficient compensation, and exit planning, not just personal investments. At Ocean 6, your plan covers both the corporate and personal side of your financial life, and we work alongside the accountants, lawyers, and insurance specialists already in your corner.
How much does financial planning for a business owner cost?
Ocean 6 charges a flat annual retainer for financial planning rather than a percentage of assets under management. For business owners, planning fees typically range from $6,500 to $25,000 per year depending on complexity. If you choose to have Ocean 6 manage your investments, that is a separate, optional fee.
If your business is structured as a professional corporation (a law firm, consulting practice, or any regulated profession) our page for incorporated professionals covers the additional passive income rules, salary vs. dividends nuances, and LCGE considerations that apply specifically to professional corporations.
Ready to Talk?
Book a Discovery Call
30 minutes. We'll focus on your professional corporation, retained earnings, and what financial decisions you've been putting off.
Common Questions
Before we talk, you might be asking
The questions we hear most often from incorporated professionals and business owners considering a move.