Who we work with
Financial planning for trade business owners
Trade business owners — HVAC, plumbing, roofing, electrical, landscaping — usually carry their retirement in the company rather than in an account. That makes the planning different: what the business is worth, which retirement plan fits your payroll, how a household budget survives a slow season, and what has to happen for a sale to actually fund the rest of your life. We do this work out of Midtown Atlanta, with owners across the United States.
In short
Trade business owner planning is financial planning for owners of HVAC, plumbing, roofing, electrical and landscaping companies, where the business itself is typically the largest asset. It covers what the company is worth to a buyer, which retirement plan fits, how to handle seasonal income, and what to prepare before you sell. Lock Wealth Management is a fee-only, CFP®-led firm in Midtown Atlanta that works with owners at $800/month, which includes everything in our comprehensive household planning.
What this actually involves
Put a number on the business
Buyers pay for recurring maintenance agreements, a team that runs without you, and books they can follow. We look at your numbers the way a buyer would, so you know what you have before anyone makes an offer.
Pick the retirement plan that fits your payroll
A solo 401(k), a SEP, a SIMPLE, or a cash balance plan. The right one can move a serious amount of tax-advantaged savings each year; the wrong one commits you to funding it for a decade.
Even out the income
Seasons, storms, and slow quarters are normal in the trades. Your household budget should be planned off an average year and a real buffer — not off the best month you've had.
Keep the house out of the cash flow
A consistent owner's pay, personal expenses kept off the company books, and a plan for healthcare and taxes that doesn't depend on how the quarter went.
Get the books ready before anyone looks
Add-backs, one-time costs, a vehicle that isn't really a truck. The cleanups that take a year to look natural and can change the price you're offered.
Decide what the sale has to clear
After taxes, fees, and the money you're leaving behind, what is left each month? That number is what you negotiate against — not the headline price.
Who this is for
- You own an HVAC, plumbing, roofing, electrical or landscaping company and most of your retirement is inside it.
- Your income swings by season and you want the household planned off a real average, not a good month.
- A buyer, a competitor, or a private equity firm has called and you want to know what your company is actually worth before you answer.
- You have a handful of employees and no idea whether a SEP, a solo 401(k), or a cash balance plan is the right fit.
- You'd like to work fewer years rather than fewer hours, and want to know what that would take.
Who this is not for
- You want help with operations — job pricing, hiring crews, or choosing trucks. We stay on your money, not your tickets.
- You want a business broker, a loan broker, or a formal valuation opinion.
- You are mid-dispute with a partner or in a distressed sale, where a specialist should lead.
- You would rather not see your own numbers laid out plainly.
Hypothetical illustration
A plumbing contractor in his mid-fifties with two employees had never been told what his company was worth — the first number he heard came from a buyer. Working backwards from the exit he wanted, the changes were unglamorous: pay him a market-rate salary so the real profit was visible, take a personal vehicle off the company books, get the maintenance agreements onto paper, and start funding a retirement plan that didn't depend on the sale at all. None of it changed how he ran the business. It changed what a buyer could price.
Illustration only. It does not represent an actual client situation and is not a guarantee of results.
How our fees work
We're paid only by our clients: a flat monthly planning fee, plus an optional asset-based fee for the accounts we manage. No commissions, no product payouts, no revenue sharing.
Foundations
$250/month
Get organized, build a plan, and keep an advisor in your corner.
Comprehensive
$400/month
Broader planning across taxes, estate, and long-term goals.
Business owner
$800/month
Integrated advice across personal and business finances.
Investment management is optional and billed separately as a percentage of the accounts we manage; we walk through it during your proposal meeting. See the full process and fee details.
Questions about financial planning for trade business owners
Read next
- How to Sell Your HVAC Business (and What It's Worth)How buyers value a shop and how deals get structured.
- How to Sell Your Plumbing or Roofing BusinessWhat roofing and plumbing owners are judged on.
- Retirement Plans for Trade Business Owners: SEP IRA vs. Solo 401(k) vs. Cash BalanceSEP vs. solo 401(k) vs. cash balance, in plain terms.
- The 2–3 Year Checklist Before Selling Your BusinessThe year-by-year list before you sell.
- Why Most Business Owners Who Plan to Sell Never DoWhy owners miss their own exit window.
- Cash Balance Pension Plans: A Bigger Lever for Business Owners Behind on Retirement SavingsSaving more in your high-income years.
Find out what the business is actually worth to you
A free 15-minute call with Ben Loughery, CFP®, CRPC™. Tell us what the company looks like and we will tell you honestly whether planning like this helps.
Schedule a free 15-minute callNo cost, no obligation, and nothing to sell you at the end of it.