Fee-only advisors for private equity partners, principals, and fund professionals.
PE professional wealth is uniquely complex: carried interest (long-term-gain-qualified with 3-year holding rule), GP commitment (capital call funding obligations), deferred compensation (vesting schedules with 409A constraints), portfolio company stock (QSBS-eligible in some cases), illiquid personal investment. Sophistication on the investing side
What our matched specialists handle
- Carried interest taxation — 3-year rule, how do I optimize?
- GP commitment — how do I fund without liquidity issues?
- Portfolio company QSBS — am I eligible and how do I stack?
- Deferred carry — 409A implications, when to vest?
- Illiquid personal wealth — credit line strategy?
- Multi-fund allocation — how much exposure to my own firm?
Most PE professionals work with generalist advisors who've never modeled a § 1061 recharacterization or a capital call funding schedule. Our matched specialists have. Free match, no obligation.
Get matched with a PE specialist →Tools & guides
Carried Interest After-Tax Calculator
Model the after-tax proceeds from carried interest under the 3-year holding rule.
QSBS Exclusion Calculator
Estimate federal tax savings from the IRC § 1202 exclusion on qualifying portfolio company stock. Models pre- and post-OBBBA regimes: tiered 50/75/100% exclusion at 3/4/5 years, $15M cap for stock acquired after July 4, 2025.
GP Commitment Funding Calculator
Model your capital call schedule, total financing costs, and break-even fund IRR.
PE Fund Waterfall Calculator
Model the full LP/GP distribution waterfall — return of capital, preferred return, GP catch-up, and carry split — with after-tax analysis of your personal carry under IRC § 1061.
PE Clawback Liability Calculator
Estimate your carried interest clawback exposure, the IRC § 1341 tax offset on repayments (credit vs. deduction method), net-of-tax cost, and whether your escrow covers it.
Private Equity Wealth Planning Guide
Detailed framework — rules, tradeoffs, and common mistakes.
Carried Interest Taxation: The 3-Year Rule
How IRC § 1061 works, the rate math, state tax overlays, and planning levers for PE professionals.
QSBS Planning for PE Professionals
How the post-OBBBA $15M exclusion applies to co-investments, rollover equity, and management stock — and how stacking multiplies it.
State Tax Residency Planning for PE Professionals
How CA and NY source carry income, the 183-day statutory-residency trap, and how to execute a clean domicile change before your next fund distribution.
Deferred Compensation & 409A for PE Professionals
When § 409A applies to carry vs. profits interests, the 6 permissible distribution triggers, election-timing traps, and state-tax timing for CA→FL moves.
GP Commitment Funding Strategies
The four ways to fund a 1–5% GP commitment: cash, margin, SBLOC, and subscription facilities — with tax treatment, margin-call risks, and a decision framework.
PE Partner Concentration Risk
How much of your net worth is actually tied to your own fund complex? Measuring real exposure across carry, GP commitment, and ManCo equity — and building a diversification plan.
Estate Planning for PE Partners
GRATs, IDGTs, dynasty trusts, and life insurance for PE-specific illiquid wealth. How to move carry appreciation outside your estate before a liquidity event forces the issue.
PE Liquidity Event: The 90-Day Tax Window
When carry distributes, most planning options close at receipt. What to do before, at, and after a PE fund distribution — § 1061 rate math, charitable timing, state tax positioning, GP re-up decisions.
Leaving a PE Firm: Carry Vesting, Clawback Risk, and Financial Planning
What happens to your carried interest when you resign — good leaver vs. bad leaver provisions, how to quantify clawback exposure, tail distributions after departure, and the checklist to complete before you hand in your notice.
Retirement Savings for Private Equity Professionals
How to build tax-advantaged retirement assets when carry isn't W-2 income: solo 401k through your GP entity, cash balance plan stacking (up to $280K/year in pre-tax contributions), backdoor Roth, and timing contributions around lumpy distributions.
Fee-Only vs. AUM Advisor for PE Partners: Why Carry Changes the Math
The standard 1% AUM model creates incentive conflicts for PE professionals whose wealth is mostly illiquid carry and GP commitment. How fee-only advisors charge, the four scenarios where the fee model changes the advice, and what to look for in a PE specialist.
Co-Investment Rights: Tax Treatment, QSBS Opportunities, and Allocation Strategy
Why co-invest escapes IRC § 1061's three-year rule, when direct portfolio company equity qualifies for the $15M QSBS exclusion, and how to weigh co-invest against GP commitment capital calls and concentration risk.
Accessing Liquidity from Illiquid PE Wealth: SBLOC, NAV Loans, and Credit Strategies
The four credit strategies for PE professionals — SBLOC against liquid assets, LP interest pledging, HELOC, and secondary sale — with the tax math on borrowing vs. selling and § 163(d) investment interest deductibility.
Disability Insurance for PE Professionals: Closing the Carried Interest Coverage Gap
Standard disability policies cover W-2 salary — carry income is typically excluded. How to quantify the gap, use HLDI products to close it, coordinate business overhead and key person coverage, and avoid the common mistakes PE partners make with DI.
Year-End Tax Planning for PE Professionals: The Annual Checklist
409A election deadlines, carry distribution timing, the 0.5% AGI charitable floor, annual gift exclusions ($19K/person for 2026), retirement contribution caps, and K-1 season prep — organized by quarter so nothing falls through the cracks.
Life Insurance for Private Equity Professionals: ILITs, Buy-Sell, and Estate Liquidity
When illiquid carry creates a large estate tax bill, life insurance inside an ILIT provides the cash to pay it without forcing a distressed carry sale. How to size coverage, structure an ILIT, fund a buy-sell agreement between partners, and avoid the common mistakes PE professionals make with life insurance.
Selling Your LP Interest: Secondary Market Guide for PE Professionals
When and how to sell a limited partnership interest before fund wind-down — how secondary pricing works (currently ~94% of NAV for quality buyout funds), the IRC § 751 ordinary income analysis, GP consent mechanics, and a sell-vs-hold framework for PE partners and principals who need liquidity or want to reduce concentration.
Management Fee Waiver: Converting Ordinary Income to Capital Gains
How PE fund managers use management fee waivers to convert the 40.8% ordinary income rate on management fees to 23.8% LTCG — the mechanics, the "at risk" requirement, IRS Notice 2015-12 regulatory risk, how § 1061 interacts with waiver allocations, and who actually benefits from this technique.
Profits Interest Grant: Tax Treatment When You Receive Carried Interest
Just received a profits interest in a PE fund? Why there's no tax at grant under Rev. Proc. 93-27, when the § 1061 three-year clock starts (at grant, not at distribution), and the five-item documentation checklist to complete within 30 days of receiving your carry award.
Qualified Opportunity Zone Investing for PE Professionals
How to defer and permanently exclude federal capital gains tax on carry K-1 allocations and GP commitment returns through a Qualified Opportunity Fund — OBBBA's rolling 5-year deferral, K-1 timing rules, what gains qualify vs. don't, and how QOZ stacks against QSBS.
Your Annual PE Fund K-1: Tax Planning Guide
What PE partners need to watch for on every Schedule K-1: the § 1061 recharacterization trap that generalist CPAs miss, multi-state filing obligations from portfolio company income, estimated tax timing for lumpy carry distributions, and UBTI risk in retirement accounts.
PE Management Company Structure: LLC vs. S-Corp, Solo 401(k), and the § 199A Trap
How your ManCo entity classification determines SE tax on management fees, whether you can contribute to a solo 401(k) or cash balance plan, and why the § 199A QBI deduction disappears for most PE managers — plus common mistakes in multi-fund GP structures.
Carried Interest in Divorce: What Private Equity Partners Need to Know
How courts classify vested and unvested carry as marital property, the DCF vs. deferred-distribution settlement approaches, why QDROs don't apply to PE carry, § 409A restrictions on deferred compensation transfers, and the pre-proceeding checklist every PE partner should complete before divorce proceedings begin.
Private Equity Compensation Structure: The Complete Guide
How the four income streams in PE compensation — management fees, carried interest, GP commitment returns, and co-investment upside — work together at each career level, with after-tax comparisons showing why the difference between LTCG carry and W-2 salary can be $170K per $1M on a successful fund.
Charitable Giving Strategies for Private Equity Professionals
How to time and structure charitable giving around lumpy carry distributions: DAF front-loading in high-AGI years, CLAT mechanics for passing appreciation to heirs, CRTs for monetizing illiquid co-investments, private foundation tradeoffs, and what the OBBBA's 2026 deduction floor and 35% cap mean for PE-scale giving.
Buying a Home as a PE Professional: Mortgage Strategies for Carry Income and Illiquid Wealth
How to qualify for a jumbo mortgage when most of your income is carried interest on a K-1 and most of your net worth is illiquid. The four strategies — W-2 ManCo income, asset depletion lending, private banking, and SBLOC bridge — with timing guidance around carry distributions.
PE Financial Planning Checklist by Career Stage
What financial planning actions matter at each stage — Associate/VP, Principal, Partner, and Founding GP. From first profits interest documentation and Roth IRA eligibility to the 90-day pre-distribution window and dynasty trust planning at generational wealth levels.
Portfolio Company Equity: ISOs, NQSOs, RSUs, and Exit Planning for PE Professionals
Board director grants, management equity programs, and direct co-invest positions create ISO, NQSO, and restricted stock exposure that operates under completely different tax rules from fund carry. How AMT interacts with ISO exercise, when to file a § 83(b) election, QSBS eligibility on direct portfolio company stock, 10b5-1 requirements for PE board members, and how to plan around IPO lock-ups.
PE Carry Vesting: How Carried Interest Vests
Time-based vs. fund-based vesting schedules, the cliff mechanic, good/bad leaver forfeiture rules, and the § 1061 grant-date holding period rule that determines whether your distribution is taxed at 23.8% or 40.8% — regardless of when carry vests.
How to Negotiate Your PE Carry Package
Carry allocation benchmarks by seniority, the vesting terms worth fighting for, waterfall mechanics that determine when and how much you collect, clawback exposure quantification, and the § 1061 tax structure implications that make profits interest preferable to capital interest at grant.
Joining a PE Firm: Financial Due Diligence Checklist
The financial decisions you make before your first day — carry grant structure, GP commitment terms, pre-start tax moves, and state residency timing — can be worth $500K to several million dollars over a fund cycle. A practical checklist for the offer-to-start-date window.
Continuation Vehicles and Your Carried Interest: Tax and Planning Guide
When your PE firm runs a GP-led continuation vehicle, carried interest crystallizes at the transaction price — creating a taxable event that demands specific planning. How § 1061 applies to CV carry, the roll-vs-cash decision, new waterfall economics in the continuation fund, and what to do before the deal closes.
Independent Sponsor Financial Planning: Tax, Income, and Wealth Strategy
Independent (fundless) sponsors face planning challenges traditional PE professionals don't: no base salary, deal-by-deal GP commitment, self-funded benefits, and lumpy income that demands a different strategy for ManCo structure, retirement savings, QSBS access, and liquidity management.
Family Office vs. Financial Advisor for PE Partners: A Decision Framework
When does PE wealth complexity justify moving from a fee-only specialist to a multi-family office or single-family office? The breakeven math, PE-specific factors (K-1 volume, QSBS tracking, pre-distribution window execution), the regulatory exemption, and the questions to ask before you decide.
Launching a PE Fund: Financial Planning for First-Time Fund Managers
Spinning out to start your own fund? The income gap, GP commitment to your own fund, ManCo structure and SE tax, carry documentation at fund formation, benefits transition, and a pre-launch financial checklist covering everything from SBLOC liquidity to QSBS documentation at the first portfolio company close.
Social Security Planning for Private Equity Professionals
Why PE carry doesn't count toward your SS earnings record, how ManCo W-2 income builds credits, the optimal claiming age (62 vs. 67 vs. 70) for high-net-worth PE partners, how carry distribution years trigger 85% SS benefit taxation, and what the WEP/GPO repeal means if you previously worked in the public sector.
Estimated Quarterly Taxes for PE Professionals: Managing Lumpy Carry Income
Carry distributions arrive in Q4, but the IRS wants payments four times a year. The prior-year safe harbor (110% of last year's tax), when to use Form 2210-AI instead, and the California trap that front-loads 70% of your state tax by June 15 — with a worked example showing how to avoid underpayment penalties in a carry distribution year.
PE Fund Performance Calculator: TVPI, DPI & Carry Status
Enter your fund's called capital, distributions to date, and NAV to calculate DPI, RVPI, and TVPI in seconds — then see if your carried interest is in the money and estimate your personal after-tax carry proceeds under IRC § 1061.
ManCo S-Corp Tax Savings Calculator
Quantify exactly how much a management company S-Corp election saves in FICA and self-employment taxes. Enter your management fee income and reasonable W-2 salary to see annual savings vs. default LLC treatment, net of S-Corp compliance costs, plus the solo 401(k) contribution benefit.
Roth Conversion & Backdoor Roth Calculator for PE Professionals
Three calculators in one: your annual backdoor Roth capacity and the pro-rata trap impact of existing SEP-IRA balances (with the Form 8606 calculation), mega backdoor Roth capacity through your ManCo solo 401(k) after-tax bucket, and the tax savings from timing Roth conversions in a low-carry year vs. a carry distribution year.
PE Professional Annual Tax Estimator (2026)
Model your full-year federal and state tax across every PE income stream — ManCo W-2 wages, management fees, § 1061 LTCG carry, § 1061 recharacterized ordinary carry, co-investment gains, and NIIT. Shows the 23.8% vs. 40.8% carry rate math, effective rate by income type, and quarterly estimated payment amounts.
PE State Tax Migration Calculator — CA / NY / NJ → TX / FL
Model the annual and 5–10 year cumulative state income tax savings from moving from California (13.3%), New York + NYC (13.5%), New Jersey (10.75%), or Massachusetts (9%) to Texas, Florida, or another no-income-tax state. Accounts for the CA FTB and NY nonresident carry sourcing rules that determine how much of your existing fund carry each state can still tax after your move.
How to Invest Carry Proceeds: Liquid Portfolio Strategy for PE Professionals
After a PE carry distribution, your liquid proceeds are the only part of your balance sheet you can actively manage. A framework for sizing your tax reserve and capital-call buffer, building a municipal bond sleeve, deploying into direct indexing for ongoing tax-loss harvesting, and avoiding the common mistake of re-investing carry back into PE.
PE Professional Net Worth & Liquidity Scorecard
Map your total wealth across four liquidity tiers — liquid, near-liquid, illiquid 1–5 years, and illiquid 5+ years — and see your illiquid-to-liquid ratio, PE concentration score, liquid coverage ratio, and personalized planning flags. Designed for the balance sheet reality of PE partners, not W-2 earners.
Private Equity Financial Planning FAQ: 28 Questions Answered
Quick answers to the most common PE financial planning questions — carried interest taxation, GP commitment funding, QSBS eligibility, retirement savings, estate planning, and how to vet a PE specialist advisor. Each answer links to the relevant deep-dive guide.
From PE Fund to Portfolio Company: Financial Planning for Operating Role Transitions
Moving from fund investor to portfolio company CFO or COO? Your existing carry, GP commitment, and § 83(b) deadline don't pause during onboarding. What to do before you accept the offer, how to document your QSBS equity position at day one, and the planning checklist that sequence-matters for PE professionals making this transition.
Pass-Through Entity Tax (PTET) for PE Professionals: Bypassing the SALT Cap on ManCo Income
For PE professionals with CA or NY management company income, the PTET election converts capped Schedule A deductions into a fully deductible entity-level expense — saving $10,000–$25,000+ annually at the 37% federal bracket. CA deadline is flexible (original return); NY election deadline is March 15 each year.
IRMAA and Medicare Planning for Private Equity Professionals
A single PE carry distribution can trigger Medicare IRMAA surcharges up to $6,936 per year — two years after you received it. The full 2026 bracket table, how MAGI works for IRMAA (and why QSBS exclusions don't count), and six strategies including the SSA-44 appeal that recovers premiums after retirement income drops.
D&O Insurance for Private Equity Board Directors
PE partners on portfolio company boards face personal director liability that the fund's D&O policy often doesn't cover. How Side-A D&O protects your personal assets when the company can't indemnify you, what indemnification agreements must include, and the tail coverage gap that catches departing partners off guard.
Net Investment Income Tax (NIIT) Planning for PE Professionals
Carried interest distributions ARE subject to the 3.8% NIIT. Management fees are NOT. QSBS excluded gain escapes it entirely. A PE-specific breakdown of which income streams face the surtax, the passive/active distinction PE managers can contest, and five strategies to reduce NIIT exposure.
Alternative Minimum Tax Planning for Private Equity Professionals
Carry interest isn't an AMT preference item — but ISO exercises from portfolio company board service are, and pre-OBBBA QSBS carried a 7% preference on excluded gains. The 2026 AMT exemption table, how OBBBA eliminated the QSBS AMT preference for post-July 2025 stock, five planning strategies, and how to recover accumulated § 53 AMT credits in carry distribution years.
529 Superfunding After a Carry Distribution: Education Planning for PE Professionals
Front-load five years of $19,000 annual gift exclusions into a 529 account — up to $95,000 per beneficiary per contributor ($190,000 per couple) — in the same year as a carry distribution. The 5-year election mechanics, why California offers no state deduction, 529 vs. DAF for the same carry check, and the SECURE 2.0 529-to-Roth escape valve if plans change.
How to File Your Tax Return as a Private Equity Professional
PE fund K-1s arrive in September or October — after the extended deadline. Every form you'll file (Schedule D, Form 8949, § 1061 Worksheet B, Form 8960 for NIIT, Form 6251 for AMT), how carried interest recharacterization flows through your return, QSBS exclusion reporting, multi-state K-1 filing triggers, and what to give your CPA to avoid amended returns.
Making Partner at a PE Firm: Financial Planning Guide
The financial planning decisions that have hard deadlines when you're promoted to partner — the 30-day § 83(b) window on capital interests, GP commitment funding strategy, ManCo S-Corp optimization, and the estate planning moves that are most effective before carry appreciates.
Roth Conversion Strategy for PE Professionals: Backdoor Roth, Pro-Rata Trap, and Conversion Timing
PE professionals earn too much for direct Roth IRA contributions — but conversions have no income limit. How to execute a clean backdoor Roth ($7,500–$8,600 per year in 2026), why SEP-IRA balances destroy the strategy via the pro-rata rule, how to fix it by rolling into the ManCo solo 401(k), and the low-income windows (between firms, sabbaticals, career transitions) where Roth conversions cost the least.
Selling a GP Stake: Tax Treatment, Valuation, and Financial Planning for PE Managers
When a founding GP sells a 10–30% minority interest in the management company to a GP stakes fund (Blue Owl, Petershill, Hunter Point), proceeds can reach $20M–$80M. How FRE multiples drive valuation, why the capital-gain vs. ordinary-income question depends on IRC § 751 hot assets and deal structure, what you retain, and how to plan the proceeds year for estate and investment purposes.
Health Insurance for Private Equity Professionals: HDHP, HSA, and ManCo Strategy
Most PE professionals at large funds ignore health insurance. Partners at smaller funds, independent sponsors, and anyone between firms face real decisions: HDHP through the ManCo S-Corp (with a § 162(l) above-the-line deduction), COBRA after departure, or ACA marketplace in transition years. The OBBBA expanded HSA eligibility to bronze and catastrophic plans starting in 2026 — and added direct primary care compatibility.
10 Private Equity Financial Planning Mistakes That Cost Partners Millions
The § 83(b) window closes in 30 days. Carry income isn't covered by standard DI. California taxes your distribution the day it hits your account. The ten most expensive financial planning mistakes PE professionals make — each with a deadline and a fix.
PE Partner Retirement Planning: How Much Is Enough and When to Walk Away
Standard retirement math breaks down for PE professionals — most of your net worth is illiquid carry on paper, GP commit capital calls continue after departure, and tail distributions fund the first decade but can't be counted at face value. A framework for calculating your real retirement balance sheet, modeling carry tail income, covering ongoing obligations, and passing the 5-criterion readiness test.
PE Partner Retirement Calculator: When Can You Afford to Leave?
Model your retirement readiness with PE-specific inputs: discounted carry value, carry tax rate, distribution timeline, GP commitment capital return, and clawback reserve. Outputs your required portfolio at your target SWR, projected assets at retirement (with carry growth if it arrives early), the retirement gap, healthcare bridge cost before Medicare, and personalized planning flags for carry dependency, distribution timing, and early-withdrawal penalties.
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PE Advisor Match is a matching service. We connect you with vetted fee-only financial advisors in our network — we don't manage money or provide advice ourselves. Advisors in our network are fiduciaries who charge transparent fees (not product commissions), and we match you based on your specific situation.