Why Business Owners Need Their Adviser, Accountant, Broker and Lawyer Working Together
If you run a successful business or have built significant wealth, you probably already have a team: an accountant, a lawyer, perhaps a mortgage broker and a financial adviser. The question is whether they work as a team, or whether each one sees only their piece of the puzzle.
For high net worth individuals and business owners, the biggest opportunities and the biggest risks usually sit where these areas overlap. A tax decision affects your super. A loan structure affects your estate. A business sale affects your retirement income. When your advisers coordinate, decisions are made with the full picture in view.
What goes wrong when advisers work in silos
Some common problems we see when professionals don't talk to each other:
an investment structure that is tax-effective but leaves assets exposed to business creditors
a loan that suits the bank but locks up cash flow needed for super contributions or tax payments
a will that doesn't deal with super, because super death benefits are generally paid according to the fund's rules and any death benefit nomination, not the will
a business sale timed without considering the small business CGT concessions or the opportunity to contribute proceeds to super
an SMSF holding a large share of a family's wealth in a single asset, with no plan for liquidity.
None of these is caused by a bad adviser. They happen when good advisers work without the full picture.
Example 1: Buying your business premises through your SMSF
Consider a business owner who rents their premises and has a healthy super balance. One strategy that may suit some people is for their SMSF to buy the premises, using a limited recourse borrowing arrangement (LRBA) if needed, and lease it back to the business at market rent on commercial terms.
Done well, this can achieve several things at once:
the business pays rent to the owner's own super fund rather than an external landlord
the business gains security of tenure in premises the owner controls
the property can become a long-term retirement asset, and once the fund moves into pension phase, income and gains on assets supporting the pension may be tax-free, within the transfer balance cap.
It also involves real risks and rules. The property must be business real property to be bought from or leased to a related party. Borrowing must follow strict LRBA rules, including holding the property in a separate holding trust, and borrowed funds can't be used to improve the property. If the loan isn't on arm's length terms, the fund's income could be taxed at the highest rate under the non-arm's length income rules. And if the business struggles, the fund may lose its tenant just when it needs the rent to meet loan repayments.
This is a strategy that needs every member of the team:
Financial adviser: whether the strategy suits your goals, how it fits the fund's investment strategy, contribution planning to support repayments, liquidity, concentration risk and insurance.
Accountant: tax implications, CGT on any transfer of the property, the lease terms and ongoing fund accounting.
Mortgage broker: sourcing SMSF lending, which is offered by fewer lenders and usually on different terms to standard business loans.
Lawyer: checking the trust deed allows borrowing, setting up the holding trust, the contract of sale, the lease and any personal guarantees.
Example 2: Diversifying the rest of your wealth
For many business owners, most of their wealth is tied up in one place: the business itself. Add the business premises in super, and the family's financial future can depend heavily on a single industry, location and set of customers.
A coordinated plan looks at how to build wealth outside the business over time, so that a downturn in one area doesn't affect everything. That might include:
building a diversified investment portfolio across asset classes and markets, separate from the business
reviewing debt with your broker, such as prioritising non-deductible home loan debt and using offset accounts effectively
working with your accountant on which entity should hold new investments, whether personally, through a family trust or a company
getting legal advice on protecting personal and family assets from business risks.
Each decision here has tax, legal and lending consequences, which is why it pays to make them together rather than one at a time.
Example 3: Planning for succession, sale and estate
Every business owner eventually exits, whether by sale, handing over to family or partners, or unexpectedly through illness or death. Planning ahead brings in the whole team:
Buy-sell agreements: a lawyer documents what happens to a business owner's share if they die or become disabled, and a financial adviser can recommend insurance to fund the buyout, so remaining owners aren't forced to find the money and the family receives fair value.
Selling the business: your accountant can assess eligibility for the small business CGT concessions, and your adviser can look at whether some proceeds could be contributed to super. Eligible amounts may be contributed under the CGT cap ($1,935,000 for 2026-27), outside the usual non-concessional cap.
Estate planning: your lawyer prepares wills and, where appropriate, testamentary trusts, while your adviser makes sure super death benefit nominations are valid and consistent with the estate plan.
Large super balances: with the new Division 296 tax on earnings linked to balances above $3 million, decisions about how much to hold in super, and in whose name, deserve input from both your adviser and accountant.
How to get your advisers working together
Coordination doesn't need to be complicated. A few practical steps make a big difference:
Give each adviser permission to speak with the others.
Nominate one person to coordinate the overall plan and keep everyone informed.
Hold an annual review that includes the key people, particularly before 30 June and before major decisions such as buying property, selling a business or restructuring debt.
Keep one shared summary of your structures: entities, trusts, super funds, loans, insurance and estate documents.
Why work with Jonas Wealth Management
1. You deal directly with the person managing your strategy
Our founder, Tyson Jonas, is both the adviser you meet and the Chief Investment Officer responsible for our investment approach. He holds a Bachelor of Business and a Graduate Diploma of Financial Planning, has participated in institutional investment committees, and has been featured in financial media including ausbiz, Professional Planner and Financial Standard. You won't be passed between departments.
2. We look at the whole picture, and work alongside your other advisers
Our advice covers super and SMSFs, investments, wealth creation, personal insurance and goals-based planning. That breadth means we can see how the pieces connect, and we work with your existing accountant, broker and lawyer so that everyone is pulling in the same direction.
3. You'll understand the reasons behind every recommendation
Since founding the firm in 2017, our approach has been to take the complexity out of advice. We explain why we recommend what we do, so you can make decisions with confidence. Our investment philosophy is built on understanding each asset, appropriate valuation and managing risk, and we're based in the Brisbane CBD for face-to-face meetings.
Talk to us
If you're a business owner or high net worth investor and want your advisers working as one team, explore our SMSF advice and wealth creation services, or book a free first meeting. You can also read about the Division 296 super tax.
General advice warning: This article is general information only and does not take into account your objectives, financial situation or needs. It is not tax, legal or lending advice. Strategies involving SMSFs and borrowing carry risks and are not suitable for everyone. Consider whether it is appropriate for you and obtain personal advice from appropriately qualified professionals before acting. Information is current as at November 2026 and may change. Jonas Wealth Management is a trading name of TTJ Capital Pty Ltd (ABN 74 648 477 221). Tyson Jonas is an Authorised Representative (No. 1252754) of Bluewater Financial Pty Ltd, AFSL 411846.
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