Chartered · Independent · Liverpool

Financial planning for business owners in Liverpool

Running a business leaves very little time for your own finances. First Equitable is a Chartered, independent firm of financial advisers in Liverpool city centre who work with company directors, shareholders and self-employed professionals across Merseyside. We help you take money out of the business tax-efficiently, build a pension that reflects what you have created, and protect the business and your family if something goes wrong. Advice is whole-of-market, and your first consultation is free, at our cost.
Book your free consultation
Call 01512 369973

FCA Regulated

Chartered Status

Whole of Market

5-Star Rated

Transparent Fees

First Equitable business owner planning at a glance

First Equitable is a Chartered, independent (whole-of-market) firm of financial advisers based in Liverpool city centre, authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FRN 782577).

Location: 3rd Floor, 14 Castle Street, Liverpool L2 0NE, serving Liverpool, Merseyside, the Wirral and the North West

What we help with: director pensions, tax-efficient profit extraction, shareholder and key person protection, relevant life cover, and exit or succession planning

Specialisms: coordinating your business finances with your personal plan, including pensions, investments and estate planning

Credentials: Chartered status, FCA regulated (FRN 782577), independent and whole-of-market

Getting started: free initial consultation at our cost, with no obligation and no minimum contract

The problem most business owners have

Most directors we meet have spent years building something valuable and almost no time on their own financial position. The business is the pension, the savings and the safety net all at once. That works until it does not: an illness, a co-shareholder dying, a buyer walking away, or simply reaching sixty and realising the wealth is all locked in one place.

Good planning fixes that by building your personal wealth alongside the business, rather than instead of it, and by making sure the business survives events that would otherwise sink it.

Contact Us
IFA Liverpool

Taking money out of your business tax-efficiently

How you extract profit makes a substantial difference to what you actually keep. The usual levers are salary, dividends, pension contributions and, in some cases, benefits or loans. Employer pension contributions are often the most overlooked: they are usually an allowable business expense, they do not attract National Insurance, and they move money from the company into your name without the tax cost of taking it as income.

We work alongside your accountant rather than around them, so the tax and the financial planning point the same way.

Our wealth management services

FE img6

Pension & Retirement Planning

The Whether retirement is decades away or just around the corner, we help you build a strategy to get there. Pensions advice, consolidation, drawdown and annuity purchase, all explained in plain English by a dedicated adviser.

Find out more
first equitable img4

Wealth Management

Growing your wealth is one thing, keeping hold of it is another. Independent, whole of market advice on savings and investments, wealth preservation, and trusts and inheritance tax planning, built around what you actually want your money to do.

Find out more
protection planning

Protection Planning

Life rarely gives notice. Life insurance, critical illness cover, income protection and private medical insurance, arranged so your family and your income are covered if the worst happens, without paying for cover you don't need.

Find out more
financial adviser giving advice

Financial Planning for Business Owners

Running a business leaves little time for your own finances. We bridge the gap between the two, advising on company pension schemes, corporate savings and investments, and protection, working alongside your accountant and legal advisers.

Find out more
shutterstock 200483243

Wills & Power of Attorney

Making your wishes clear now saves your family difficulty later. We help you put a valid will in place and set up a lasting power of attorney, so the right people can act if you no longer can.

Find out more
FE Estate img

Probate & Estate Administration

Administering an estate is daunting at the worst possible time. We guide executors through the grant of probate, settle debts and taxes, and distribute the estate properly, with a fixed quote agreed before any work begins.

Find out more

Director pensions

A pension for a company director can do more than a personal pension. Depending on your circumstances we advise on:
 

  • Employer contributions, which are usually deductible for corporation tax and free of National Insurance
  • Carry forward, using unused allowance from up to three previous years, which is valuable in a strong trading year
  • SIPPs and commercial property, where a self-invested pension buys your business premises and the company pays rent into your pension
  • Consolidating older pensions from previous employment into one clear plan, covered in our pension consolidation service
IFA Liverpool

Protecting the business and the people in it

This is the part most owners postpone, and the part that causes the most damage when it is missing.

  • Shareholder protection. If a shareholder dies, their shares usually pass to their family, who may not want to run the business, while the surviving owners may not have the cash to buy them out. Shareholder protection provides that cash, alongside a properly drafted agreement.
  • Key person cover. If the business would lose significant profit without a particular individual, key person insurance pays the company a sum to absorb the shock and recruit.
  • Relevant life cover. Life cover for a director paid for by the company, usually treated as a business expense and not as a benefit in kind, which is often far more efficient than paying for personal cover from taxed income.

All of this sits alongside our wider protection planning service and our business owner work.

Contact Us

Planning your exit

Most owners think about selling long before they do anything about it. The value you keep from an eventual sale depends on decisions taken years earlier, so it is worth modelling early: what the business needs to be worth to fund the retirement you want, how the proceeds would be taxed, and what to do with them afterwards. We use cashflow planning to answer that properly rather than by guesswork.

What our advice costs

Your first consultation is free, at our cost, with no obligation. If you proceed, we charge a fixed initial fee for your financial planning report, then a tiered percentage of the portfolio implemented, so the rate falls as the value rises. Ongoing service is optional and starts from as little as 0.3% a year, with no minimum contract. Full detail is on our charges page.

Book your free consultation

What our clients say

How to get started

Book a call or get in touch and we will arrange your free consultation at our Castle Street office, at your business premises, or by video call. Bring your latest accounts if you have them. See our process page.

Contact Us

Regulated advice you can check

First Equitable (UK) Ltd is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority, firm reference number 782577, which you can verify on the FCA’s Financial Services Register. Please note the Financial Conduct Authority does not regulate some forms of tax advice. Tax treatment depends on your individual circumstances and may change.
Contact Us
IFA Liverpool

Business owner FAQs

How can I take money out of my company tax-efficiently?
Usually a combination of salary, dividends and employer pension contributions. Pension contributions are often the most overlooked, because they are typically an allowable business expense and avoid National Insurance.
What is shareholder protection?
Insurance that provides cash for surviving shareholders to buy out the shares of a shareholder who dies, so the business stays with the people running it and the family receives fair value.
What is a relevant life policy?
Life cover for an individual director paid for by the company. It is usually an allowable business expense and not normally treated as a benefit in kind, which makes it more efficient than personal cover bought from taxed income.
Can my pension buy my business premises?
In many cases yes, through a SIPP. The pension owns the property and your company pays rent into your pension. It needs careful advice, but it can be very effective.
Do you work with my accountant?
Yes. We coordinate with your accountant and solicitor so the tax, legal and financial planning all point in the same direction.

Talk to an adviser who understands business owners

Speak to a Chartered, independent adviser about your business and your own finances. The first consultation is free, with no obligation and no minimum contract.
Book your free consultation
Call 01512 369973