Who We Serve
Business Owners & Entrepreneurs
As a business owner, you’ve built something that matters, and you want to see it last. But when your business earns income, employs people, or operates across the Canada-U.S. border, your financial picture becomes more complex than most advisors are equipped to handle. Personal and professional finances intertwine in ways that require someone who understands both sides of the equation: your business structure and your life.
At Sartorial Wealth, we work with business owners and entrepreneurs who need more than generic wealth management. We help you cut through the complexity to build a coordinated plan, one that accounts for how your business, your taxes, your retirement, and your legacy all connect.
Why Cross-Border Business Owners Need a Different Approach
Whether you operate in both Canada and the U.S., receive cross-border income, or simply live in one country while your business runs in another, the standard financial planning playbook doesn’t apply. You may be navigating:
- Corporate structure decisions between a Canadian corporation and a U.S. entity (LLC, S-Corp, C-Corp)
- How to compensate yourself, salary, dividends, or distributions, in a way that’s tax-efficient across both systems
- Retirement planning without a traditional employer plan, often with no RRSP room or 401(k) match
- Business succession that needs to hold up legally and financially in both jurisdictions
- Currency exposure when revenue, expenses, or assets live in different currencies
- Estate planning that accounts for business assets, shareholder agreements, and cross-border beneficiaries
Without a coordinated strategy, these complexities compound. We help you get ahead of them.
Core Areas of Planning
Corporate Structure & Cross-Border Compensation
The way your business is structured directly affects how you’re taxed in each country. We work alongside your accountants and legal advisors to help you understand the financial implications of your corporate setup and how to structure compensation in a way that minimizes unnecessary tax exposure on both sides of the border.
Retirement Planning for Business Owners
Without an employer plan, building retirement wealth requires deliberate strategy. We help you evaluate the right mix of registered accounts (RRSP, TFSA) and U.S. vehicles (SEP-IRA, Solo 401(k), Roth IRA) based on where your income is earned and where you plan to retire.
Wealth & Investment Management
Your business is likely your largest asset, which means your investment portfolio needs to provide the diversification and stability your business can’t. We build portfolios aligned with your liquidity needs, risk tolerance, and long-term goals using The Sartorial Method.
Business Succession Planning
Transferring or selling a business that touches both countries introduces tax events and legal considerations that vary significantly between jurisdictions. We coordinate with your legal and tax advisors to ensure the financial plan surrounding your succession is structured to protect what you’ve built.
Estate Planning & Wealth Transfer
Business owners carry unique estate planning responsibilities, shareholder agreements, key-person insurance, and asset transfer plans all need to hold up across borders. We help you integrate your business interests into a broader estate strategy that works in both countries.
Risk Management & Insurance
We work with insurance specialists to ensure you, your key people, and your business assets are protected, with coverage structures that reflect both your Canadian and U.S. obligations.
Strategic Charitable Giving
For business owners who want to give back, we help structure charitable contributions in a way that aligns with your tax situation and philanthropic goals across both countries.
Who We Help
Business owners and entrepreneurs with operations or income in Canada and the U.S. Owner-operators relocating between countries and navigating the financial transition. Entrepreneurs who have sold or are preparing to sell a business across jurisdictions. Incorporated professionals with cross-border clients, contracts, or revenue. Business owners planning succession to family members or partners in a different country.
FAQs
Frequently Asked Questions
How does operating in both Canada and the U.S. affect my personal taxes?
It depends on where you’re a tax resident, how your business is structured, and how you’re compensated. Cross-border business income can create filing obligations in both countries. We help you understand your exposure and coordinate with your tax professionals to manage it.
Can I use a Canadian corporation if I live in the U.S.?
This is a complex area that depends on your residency, the nature of your business, and your long-term plans. Corporate structures that work well in Canada may create unexpected U.S. tax consequences. We work alongside cross-border tax advisors to help evaluate your options.
What's the best retirement vehicle for a self-employed cross-border business owner?
It depends on where your income is earned and where you plan to retire. The right answer often involves a combination of Canadian registered accounts and U.S. self-employed retirement vehicles, structured in a way that avoids double taxation on withdrawals.
How do I plan for business succession when my family is split between countries?
Succession across borders requires careful coordination between your legal, tax, and financial advisors. We help integrate the financial side of succession planning into your broader wealth and estate strategy, ensuring the plan holds up on both sides of the border.
Do I need a separate financial advisor for my business and personal finances?
Not with us. We take a holistic view of your financial life, business and personal, because the two are inseparable for most business owners. That coordination is where we add the most value.