Not as separate conversations.
How the owner should be compensated - and what that means for taxes and retirement savings
How entity structure and owner compensation interact with retirement savings, self-employment taxes, and the QBI deduction
Which retirement plan structure fits the owner's situation
How business and household decisions interact
How an owner pays themselves - salary, distributions, or a combination - affects self-employment taxes, retirement contribution limits, and the QBI deduction. Those decisions are worth looking at together rather than one at a time.
For owners without employees, or with very few, the retirement plan options are meaningfully different from what a corporate employee has access to. Evaluating which structure makes the most sense - and how much can realistically be contributed - is often where the most useful planning conversation starts.
When the business is the primary income source and potentially a significant asset, personal financial planning has to account for both. That includes how the owner eventually steps back - whether through a sale, a wind-down, or a gradual transition.