In an ideal world, every seller of a privately-held company would leave the closing table with enough cash to enjoy the “golden years.” But we live in the real world and unless your company is worth well in excess of $10 million and you find a buyer who is willing and able to pay all cash, you may receive part of the consideration for your company in a form other than cash. If you transfer your company to an insider (co-owner,
In a strong Merger & Acquisition (M&A) market, buyers compare the relative strength of your company’s value drivers to those of your competitors. In today’s M&A market, however, buyers want companies that possess all of the characteristics of a well-run business. Additionally, tighter credit forces buyers to use more of their own capital to buy businesses so they look for acquisitions that carry minimal business risk. Companies with strong value drivers in place carry less risk.
When creating an effective, tax-efficient wealth transfer strategy, you should focus on three basic issues that should be resolved for successful wealth preservation planning to occur. These issues include:
Fixing your financial objectives before considering a wealth transfer.
Steve Smith was no different than millions of other baby-boomer business owners in that the thought of leaving his business was never far from his mind, no matter how far away his exit might have been. He daydreamed about transferring the business to his oldest daughter and perhaps to a member of his management team, yet he couldn’t gauge their passion for owning a business and hadn’t tested their management skills.
