For owners who want to sell someday
Most of what you own is the business. What happens when you sell?
You've put years into it, and someday you'd like to step away. But you don't know what a sale would actually leave you with once taxes are paid, whether that would be enough to live on, or what you should be doing now to get ready.
Most of the time, nobody is asking you those questions. Everyone around you is asking about this quarter.
What we do about it
We plan the personal side of selling: what the sale means for your retirement, your taxes and your family.
We start years before you sign anything, while there's still time to make choices.
What we'll work on together
If I sold, would it be enough to retire on?
Retirement planning that treats the business as one piece of your picture, not the whole of it.
How much of a sale would I keep after taxes?
Dana Field, our CPA, works on the tax side years ahead of a sale, when planning can still change things.
Am I saving anything outside the business?
We look at what you've set aside for yourself beyond the company, and what to do about it if the answer is "not much."
What happens to my family if something happens to me?
We work with your attorney on your estate plan, so the business and your household are both accounted for.
Can we still put the kids through college while I keep investing in the business?
College savings, planned alongside what the business needs from you.
What we don't do
We don't value businesses, find buyers or negotiate sales. When the time comes, you'll want a business broker or another advisor who handles sales, plus your attorney, for that part. We plan everything on your side of the table: your money, your taxes, your family, your life after.
Why owners come to us
Our CPA is on staff.
The tax side of a future sale sits in the same office as your plan, not in a separate appointment once a year.
We work with your attorney.
Your plan and your legal documents end up saying the same thing.
We're not paid on the sale.
We're fee-only, and planning starts at a flat $4,800 a year. Nothing about our pay depends on when you sell, whether you sell, or for how much.
What to bring to the first hour
If they're handy: a rough sense of when you'd like to step away, and your recent personal and business tax returns.
You don't need a date. "Someday" is a fine place to start.
Start with one free hour.
One hour, free, at our office on the isthmus or by video. We listen, ask about your goals, and send you a one-page summary within a week.