Self-Employed Professionals
Financial planning for the self-employed
When you work for yourself, income arrives unevenly and taxes are yours to manage. We set up the cash flow, the quarterly estimates, and a solo retirement plan so a strong year builds real wealth instead of a surprise April bill.
What we solve
When you work for yourself, no one withholds your taxes, funds a retirement plan for you, or smooths out your income. All of it lands on you, on top of the actual work.
Income arrives unevenly, which makes it hard to know what you can safely spend, what you owe, and what you can save. A strong quarter can feel like a windfall until the estimated tax payment comes due.
And the retirement and tax tools available to you are different, and often better, than an employee's, but only if someone sets them up. Left alone, a good year turns into a big tax bill instead of long-term wealth.
How Wealth Habits helps
We work with you through one integrated service: financial planning and investment management together, with tax planning built into both.
We start with cash flow, turning uneven income into a clear picture of what you can spend, what to set aside for taxes, and what to save. We build your quarterly estimated payments into that so taxes are handled as you earn.
For retirement, we set up the account that fits self-employment, often a SEP-IRA or solo 401(k), so a strong year lowers your taxes and builds long-term wealth at the same time. Your investments are managed in low-cost index funds and ETFs alongside the plan.
Bookkeeping and your business and personal tax returns are handled through our partner accounting firm, billed separately from the planning fee but coordinated with your strategy.
The financial planning fee is a flat $9,500 a year, and investment management is billed separately by asset tier, with no management fee on your first $1,000,000.
Frequently asked questions
Readiness is mostly about cash reserves and knowing your real numbers. Before you leave a salary, we look at how many months of expenses you have set aside, what your income is likely to look like in the first slow stretch, and what you will owe now that no employer is withholding taxes for you. The goal is to make the jump on a plan, not on optimism.
Working for yourself actually opens up larger retirement accounts than most employees get. A SEP-IRA or a solo 401(k) can let you contribute far more than a standard IRA, which both builds retirement savings and lowers your taxable income in a strong year. We match the plan to your income and your business structure so you are using the most efficient account available to you.
As an employee, taxes came out of every paycheck. On your own, you owe them yourself, usually as quarterly estimated payments. We build those estimates into your cash flow so the money is set aside as you earn it, and you are not scrambling in April or paying penalties for underpaying during the year.
For self-employed clients, we work with our partner accounting firm to cover bookkeeping and to coordinate your business and personal returns with your plan. That work is billed separately from the planning fee, but it is tied into your strategy so your tax planning and your actual filing line up.
Turn a good year into lasting wealth.
Book a free intro meeting to talk through your cash flow, taxes, and retirement plan.