Business Growth and Exit Planning for Florida Business Owners

Decisions made inside the company affect retirement funding and estate planning. We look at them in the same conversation as the personal plan.

Your CPA, attorney and other advisors handle the tax, legal and transaction work. We coordinate with them on how those decisions fit the rest of your financial life.

What business exit planning covers

A future transition can take several forms, such as a sale to an outside buyer, a transfer to family, or a sale to partners. Each one raises different questions.

Our part sits at the intersection of the business and the household: what the proceeds need to do afterward, and how that changes the personal plan.

Questions we often work through with owners:

• How much of your net worth is tied to the business today
• What income you will need after a transition, and where it will come from
• How the timing of a sale fits with your retirement plan and Social Security decisions
• How proceeds might be invested once they are no longer concentrated in one company
• What your CPA and estate attorney will want to review before a transaction

Why exit planning often starts years before a sale

Planning for a sale is usually easier when it starts years ahead of one.

Deal structure, how proceeds are characterized, and what has happened inside the business in the years before it goes to market can all affect what an owner keeps.

Starting the conversation early generally leaves more room to address structure and preparation than starting after a buyer is at the table.

While the business is still growing

Growth decisions and exit decisions are often the same decisions, made at different times.

How you pay yourself, what retirement plan the business sponsors, and how much of your wealth stays in the company are worth reviewing each year.

Our guide to business-owner tax planning before year end outlines questions about compensation, retirement plans and a potential business transition.

Business owners across Florida

Our advisors serve clients from five Florida offices, in Tavares, The Villages, Winter Park, Jacksonville and Boca Raton.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does a financial advisor do in business exit planning?

An advisor looks at how a future transition fits the rest of your financial life, including retirement income, investments, estate goals and how much of the household is concentrated in one company. Your CPA and attorney handle the tax, legal and transaction work, and we coordinate with them.

How far in advance should I plan for selling my business?

Owners and their advisors often begin several years ahead. Deal structure and the condition of the business going into a sale both affect the outcome, and those are easier to influence before a buyer is at the table.

Do I need both a CPA and a financial advisor?

They do different work. Your CPA handles the return and the tax questions specific to your situation. An advisor looks at how the business fits into the overall financial picture and coordinates the pieces. The two working together generally produces fewer surprises.

Do you only work with owners who are ready to sell?

No. Many of the owners we work with are somewhere between building the business and thinking about what comes after it.