1. When robbing the bank, kill the hostages. Yes, KILL THEM. You want SWAT to come after you.
2. Make sure only one person is holding all the cash. This way the probability of losing cash from someone getting shot falls down as there is only 1 important target. The person holding the money also has 3 support.
3. If the person holding the cash takes things slow and is careful, it’s very easy for the team to get to the Lectros with $1.25 million.
4. After everyone gets on a bike, look at my map. ONE person takes the blue path (preferably the guy not holding money), AKA the path the game wants you to take, and the others stay parked on their motorcycles at the start location. Because you killed the hostages a SWAT vehicle will be parked right in the middle of the road even closer than the trash dumpster that everyone wants to ramp off of. Take the SWAT vehicle back to the motorcycles and pick everyone up.
5. The hard part is over. Take the red path and make sure the two guys sitting at the back of the vehicle don’t shoot out. There will be many road blocks and you will have to drive carefully but it’s still easier, faster, and safer than the motorcycle method.
6. After you get to the Dinghy be aware; you won’t lose the cops until after you beat the mission (about 45 seconds more of playing). The 3 support will kill the cops around the Dinghy then everyone will get on the boat. Drive under the bridge like you normally would. BEWARE – you will still get shot at during this point. Have a guy or two stand in the Dinghy and use their rifles on the cops on the shore.
   

I’ve done this method on hard many times and my take at the end is always around $1.15 – $1.21 million. I’m sure I could get all $1.25 with a good team. Getting SWAT after you really doesn’t change anything either if you always go for headshots which you should. There are other methods of doing this finale; going into your garage to get an armored vehicle so you don’t have to kill SWAT, steal a helicopter, etc. but this method is a sure way to do it right every time without any complications. I hope this method becomes standard knowledge eventually so people don’t waste so much time dying over and over again on bikes.