Financial strategy for executives with complex compensation
Your compensation is more complicated than a salary — and so is the planning. Beyond the 401(k) cap, past concentrated equity, and toward a legacy, the work is coordination as much as strategy.
Educational only. Not tax or legal advice. See Disclosures.
Executive compensation rewards you in pieces that don't fit a standard plan — base, bonus, deferred comp, and often equity that concentrates a lot of your net worth in one company. The upside is real; so is the complexity, and the tax exposure that comes with a high, layered income.
Two gaps tend to matter most. Qualified plans like the 401(k) cap out well below what a high earner needs to maintain their lifestyle in retirement, so the question becomes where the next tax-aware dollar goes. And if you're on the other side of the table — deciding how to retain your own key people — the same tools that could serve you can serve them.
The point of a strategist isn't another product. It's a coordinated view across your comp, your taxes, and your estate, with your CPA and attorney in the room.
The strategy stack
The strategy stack for executives
Supplement the qualified plan, use compensation intentionally, and plan the transfer — with the trade-offs stated up front.
Tax-advantaged retirement income
↗Where high earners can direct tax-aware accumulation once the 401(k) is maxed — and its honest limits.
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Life insurance retirement plan (LIRP)
↗Supplemental, tax-aware income to bridge the gap qualified-plan caps leave behind.
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Section 162 executive bonus
↗Understand the plan from both sides — as a benefit you receive or one you offer key people.
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Restricted bonus (REBA)
↗The “golden handcuffs” structure that ties a valued executive's benefit to staying.
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Estate liquidity
↗As net worth concentrates, keep a future transfer clean instead of forcing a sale of equity or assets.
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Survivorship life insurance
↗A second-to-die policy can be an efficient way to fund an estate transfer for a couple.
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What working with a financial strategist looks like
We start by getting the whole compensation picture straight — the pieces, when they vest or pay, and where the concentration and tax pressure sit. That clarity usually surfaces the real priorities faster than any product conversation.
From there it's sequencing: make the qualified plan work as hard as it can, then decide where supplemental, tax-aware accumulation belongs, and finally plan the transfer with your attorney. If you're structuring retention for your own team, we bring the same tools to that side. Every recommendation includes when it's the wrong fit.
The result is a plan that treats your compensation as the complex asset it is.
Questions
Common questions
Let's have a strategy conversation
A short, no-pressure conversation about where you are and what you want your money to do.
Private conversation · No obligation · Education first
Educational only. Not tax or legal advice. See Disclosures.