A Comprehensive Guide to Understanding Business Entity Types and Their Implications

Starting a business is tough! There are lots of decisions to be made and things to think about. You may feel like you have a great idea. You have done your marketing research, developed a prototype, and even looked at locations for your new office. Then it dawns on you…what type of entity do I need to be?
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Is there really an advantage to choosing one entity type over the other? In this class, we will dig into the differences between entity types – from taxes to liability. We will even say some things about which entity types are harder to get set up!Â

CPA, CFP, CLU, CPCU, MST, MBA
David Peters is the Founder and Owner of Peters Professional Education in Richmond, VA. He is registered with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) as an Investment Advisor Representative (IAR) with Peters Financial LLC. He brings over 20 years of experience in financial services, including three years in the hedge fund industry and six years in insurance. David was the first Chief Financial Officer of Compare.com, where he served for more than three years. He holds four master’s degrees, contributes frequently to professional publications, and is a nationally recognized CPE instructor and discussion leader for Surgent seminars and a former instructor for Don Farmer. David received the AICPA Outstanding Facilitator Award in 2021, 2023, and 2024 as well as Surgent's Outstanding Discussion Leader awards in 2019 and 2022. He also co-authored the Virginia CPA Ethics course in 2018, 2019, and 2020, which is a requirement for all CPAs licensed in Virginia. Through Peters Professional Education, David is the author and instructor for over 125 recorded on-demand CPE courses and leads private trainings, in-person tax seminars, and quarterly live tax update webinars. His areas of instruction include accounting, finance, insurance, financial planning, and ethics, and he regularly teaches professionals across the United States.