Financial Planning for Founders
Cap table planning, pre-IPO cash flow, QSBS, and liquidity modeling — built for founders, not retirees.
Founder financial planning does not look like retirement planning. Your net worth is concentrated in illiquid private stock, your income can swing from $0 to eight figures in a single year, and the decisions that matter most (exercise timing, residency, trust structure, secondary sales) happen years before the liquidity event that funds the rest of your life. Frame is a financial planning platform built specifically for that reality.
What founder financial planning actually covers
A real founder plan connects the parts of your financial life that traditional planning software treats as separate. Frame is organized around the decisions founders actually face.
- Cap table planning — import your grants and model exit scenarios
- Pre-IPO cash flow — plan runway, taxes, and cash needs before liquidity
- QSBS tracking — monitor eligibility, the 5-year clock, and stacking
- Concentration risk — model diversification without wrecking QSBS
- Trust and estate — coordinate transfers before valuations spike
- Post-exit deployment — turn a liquidity event into a durable plan
Why traditional planning software falls short
Off-the-shelf planning tools assume a W-2 income, a 401(k), and a 30-year retirement horizon. They cannot model an ISO exercise, a tender offer, a QSBS trust structure, or a state residency change. Founders end up either doing it in spreadsheets or paying a family office for something they do not yet need.
Who Frame is built for
Founders, early operators, and equity-heavy employees at venture-backed companies — from Series A through post-exit. If your net worth is mostly private stock and your next 24 months include an exercise decision, a secondary, or a liquidity event, Frame is built for you.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a financial planner if I have a cap table platform?
Cap table platforms track ownership; they do not model your personal tax, cash flow, or trust picture. Frame connects the cap table to the plan.
Is Frame a replacement for a human advisor?
No. Frame is the intelligence layer that gets you ready. When you want a human advisor, SecureMatch™ pairs you with vetted RIAs, CPAs, and attorneys who specialize in founder wealth.
How much does Frame cost?
Frame is free to start. Premium tiers unlock deeper modeling, decision history, and advisor matching. See the Pricing page for current plans.
What data do I need to get started?
The minimum is your grant summary — company, share count, strike price, and vesting. Cap table CSV or OCF import gets you the fullest picture, but you can start with a single grant.