Succession, shareholder agreements, cross-generational tax planning, and the conversations most owners have been putting off. Coordinated with your accountant and your lawyer, not running in parallel to them.
Most owners I sit with have a clear picture of what they want for their family and their business. Getting that picture onto paper, into conversations, and into the right legal structures is what this work is for. Three patterns show up in almost every first meeting.
The plan lives in the owner's head. Everyone in the family has a rough idea of what might happen. When the moment comes, rough ideas turn into a forced sale for less than the business is worth.
One child has worked in the business for 20 years. Two have not. The will splits everything three ways, leaving unresolved feelings that hurt the next generation of family.
Deemed disposition at death, triggered on shares that were never structured for transfer. The capital gains bill lands in the same month the next generation is trying to keep the doors open. A lifetime of work funds the government instead of the family.
Family business planning is not a single meeting. It is a sequence of conversations that need to happen in a specific order, at a pace the family can actually absorb.
Thirty minutes, no charge. We talk about the business, the family, what has been done, and what has been put off. If the work is not a fit, I say so.
Corporate structure, shareholder list, existing shareholder agreement if there is one, personal and corporate tax positions, insurance, real estate, and the way money moves between the business and the family.
Separate meetings, first with you, then with your spouse, then with each of your adult children. The same questions, answered privately. What do you want, what do you expect, and what have you never said out loud.
Three to five scenarios, each with tax impact, ownership implications, and a clear description of how it would play out for every person involved.
Your complete estate and succession plan, in one document. Assets, obligations, wishes, named executors, contingencies, and the specific instructions for what happens to the business, by person and by scenario.
The workbook becomes the instruction manual for your lawyer (wills, shareholder agreement, trust structures if needed) and your accountant (tax planning, estate freeze if applicable).
Every twelve months. Half a day, in person or online. We walk through what has changed, what needs updating, and whether the plan still fits the family and business you have now.
The hard part of this work is not producing documents. The hard part is getting the family to a place where the documents actually reflect what everyone agreed to. If we do the work properly, both happen.
Complete written plan. What you own, what you owe, who gets what, who is responsible, and what happens if any of that changes. Printed, bound, delivered in person.
Drafted by your lawyer, with instructions that reflect the scenarios the family has already walked through. Your lawyer bills for their work. I make sure the instructions match what you actually decided.
For businesses with multiple owners. We review what is in place, flag what is missing, and work with your lawyer to update it so it actually covers what happens if one of the shareholders is not in the picture anymore.
Every registered investment account, insurance policy, pension, and shareholder document checked and updated. The most common source of estate surprises, and the cheapest one to prevent.
A private document for the person who will be carrying the estate. What they are being asked to do, in what order, and who to call. Given to them while you are still here to answer their questions.
The date on the calendar. The questions we will walk through. The documents we will refresh. The thing that turns a plan into a living plan.
We talk about the business, the family, and what has been put off. If the work fits, we take a next step. If it does not, you leave with a clearer idea of what you actually need.