Joined-up advice for business owners

A business owner's finances sit in two places. The accountant sees the company: profit, dividends, the director's loan account, the cash building up. The owner's personal finances, a pension from an old job, life cover bought years ago, are only seen by a professional if the owner has a financial planner. The FCA's Financial Lives 2024 survey found that 8.6% of UK adults had taken regulated financial advice in the previous twelve months, and 13% of the self-employed.

4 min read · Altro Partners, by Equity & General

13%

of self-employed adults had taken regulated financial advice in the previous twelve months

FCA, Financial Lives 2024

The lang cat's State of Advice Report 2025 put the average portfolio of a new advice client at £411,000 and the average IFA client age at 59. A 47-year-old owner whose wealth is inside a trading company may be one of those who have had no regulated advice.

What joined-up advice is

Joined-up advice means two specialists working from one set of facts. The accountant keeps the numbers, the tax and the structure. The Equity & General financial planner does the regulated work: pensions, protection, investments, retirement income. Both work from the same accounts at the same time.

Profit extraction that includes the pension

The salary, dividend and pension decision is made once, with the planner's input on the pension.

Surplus company cash with a purpose

The accountant agrees the working capital the business needs and the planner advises on the surplus.

Protection sized to the balance sheet

Cover set against the loans, guarantees and shareholdings the accountant can see.

An exit with two workstreams

The accountant and any corporate finance adviser work on the price.

The planner works on what the price has to provide for the owner afterwards.

Why the accountant starts it

The strong year, the cash, the owner turning 55 and the buyer's approach are in the accounts and in the year-end meeting, so the accountant sees them. The Altro partnership runs from that point: the accountant introduces the client through the portal, the Equity & General financial planner advises, and the client keeps one accountant and gains one financial planner.

An Equity & General adviser with a client

Financial planning for your clients, alongside the accounts and tax work

Equity & General holds the FCA authorisation. There is no charge to your firm, and a named partnership director works with you from the first introduction.