Whether you are growing, preparing your own retirement runway, or positioning for an eventual exit, the financial decisions you make today determine what you keep tomorrow. We work with business owners across the full lifecycle.
The same decisions that make your business more profitable today make it more valuable when you are ready to transition. Smart operators build personal wealth, reduce tax drag, and create optionality years before they need it.
Most business owners know their business revenue but not their personal financial independence number. We build the bridge from business income to portfolio income so you can see your runway clearly, whether retirement is 3 years out or 15.
The right plan structure can shelter $60K-$300K+ per year in tax-advantaged retirement savings. Most owners are under-contributing because they are in the wrong plan.
Salary vs. distribution splits, S-corp election timing, reasonable comp analysis, and quarterly estimated tax strategy. Small structural changes compound into six-figure savings over a decade.
Your business liquidity is not your personal liquidity. We build a cash management framework that protects operating reserves, funds your personal goals, and prevents the cycle of reinvesting everything back into the business.
Estate planning, education funding, insurance adequacy, and investment management for the wealth that lives outside your company. Your family's financial plan should not depend on the business performing every quarter.
The Exit Planning Institute identifies five involuntary triggers that force business owners out of their companies. Any one of them can happen without warning. Owners who plan ahead protect their families, their employees, and the value they have built.
Without a funded buy-sell agreement and estate plan, your family inherits a business they may not be able to run or sell.
A serious illness or injury can remove you from daily operations. If the business cannot function without you, value deteriorates fast.
Marital dissolution can force a sale or divide ownership at the worst possible time. A proper agreement and valuation process protects the business.
Partner disputes, family conflicts, or shareholder friction can paralyze a business. Operating agreements and buy-sell provisions prevent deadlock.
Market downturns, industry disruption, or financial distress can force a sale under pressure. Preparation and diversification are the best insurance.
Research cited by the Exit Planning Institute has suggested that business owners can lose 30-40% of potential value in poorly planned exits due to taxes, deal structure, and preparation gaps.*
Plan Your TransitionWhether you are transitioning to the next generation or preparing for a third-party sale, the planning starts years before the event. Different paths require different strategies, but both demand the same level of preparation.
Internal transfers to family, partners, or key employees require years of preparation. We help structure buy-sell agreements, financing terms, and ownership transitions that work for both sides.
Passing a business to the next generation involves more than legal documents. It requires developing leadership, defining roles, and creating governance structures that survive the transition.
Gifting strategies, grantor trusts, installment sales to intentionally defective trusts, and valuation discounts can transfer significant value while minimizing transfer taxes. Timing and structure matter.
If you are keeping the business in the family, your retirement income needs to come from somewhere other than a sale. We model the cash flow, consulting agreements, and portfolio income that replace your W-2.
What a business is worth depends on how it is presented. Clean financials, documented processes, diversified revenue, and a management team that can operate independently all drive higher multiples.
Asset vs. stock sale, installment agreements, opportunity zone placement, and charitable planning can shift hundreds of thousands in tax liability. We model every structure so you understand the real economics.
The 2-5 years before a sale are where value is created or destroyed. Reducing key-person risk, building recurring revenue, and documenting operations are the highest-ROI investments a business owner can make.
Sudden liquidity is its own problem. We guide investment of proceeds, estate restructuring, income replacement, and the psychological transition from operator to investor.
Our CEPA-certified team uses a structured process to move business owners from uncertainty to clarity. Whether you are keeping, selling, or still deciding, the framework is the same.
We assess where you are today across personal readiness, business value drivers, financial independence, and estate structure. No assumptions. Just data and honest conversation.
We close the gaps identified in discovery. This is where value is created: reducing risk, building transferable systems, and aligning your personal and business balance sheets.
When the time is right, you choose your path with clarity. Keep it, sell it, or transition gradually. We coordinate the advisors, the deal structure, and the life that comes after.
Score your business across five readiness dimensions. Select the answer that best fits, then rate it 1-6 using the Common Sense Scale. Your overall score maps to an attractiveness band that indicates how prepared your business is for a successful exit.
This questionnaire is modeled from the Exit Planning Institute "Set for Life" framework and is provided for educational purposes only. It does not constitute investment advice, a business valuation, an offer to buy or sell, or a recommendation of any kind. Results are self-reported and unverified. Your actual exit readiness depends on factors this tool cannot assess. Consult qualified legal, tax, and financial professionals before making business exit decisions. Full disclosures
Enter your info below to access the full 25-question Set for Life Questionnaire.
Your results will be emailed to you when you complete the questionnaire. We will not share your information.
Your score highlights where to focus before going to market. A CEPA-certified advisor can help you close the gaps and capture full value.
Discuss Your ResultsThis assessment is an educational planning tool modeled from the Exit Planning Institute "Set for Life" framework and is not affiliated with or endorsed by EPI. It does not estimate business value, generate investment advice, or constitute a recommendation of any kind. Scores are based entirely on self-reported answers and have not been verified. Your actual exit readiness depends on business-specific, legal, tax, and market factors that this tool cannot assess. Consult qualified legal, tax, and financial professionals before making any business exit decisions. FamilyVest is a trade name used by Todd Sensing, an investment adviser representative of Farther Finance Advisors, LLC (CRD #302050), an SEC-registered investment adviser. Full disclosures
Whether you are building, transitioning, or deciding what comes next, the planning starts with a conversation. No pressure, no sales pitch. Just an honest look at where you are and what it will take to get where you want to go.
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Retirement plans, tax-efficient compensation, and runway modeling for business owners still in the game.
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A structured framework for evaluating your transition options: succession, sale, or gradual handoff.
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