What Is Your Succession Plan?
10 Key Questions for the Closely-held Business Owner
- Have you had your business valued recently by a professional, accredited business appraiser?
- Have you defined your personal goals and vision for the transfer of ownership and management?
- Have you identified a successor and are they ready in place?
- For family owned businesses, is your successor a qualified candidate or have you appointed him
or her only because they are family?
- Do you have a buy/sell agreement in place?
- Do you have a contingency plan should you become temporarily or permanently disabled?
- Do you have enough liquidity to avoid the forced sale of the business?
- Have you considered other corporate structures or stock transfer techniques to help achieve
succession goals?
- Are you currently using techniques to reduce or eliminate estate and gift taxes?
- Are your personal retirement savings sufficient enough to fund your retirement cash flow needs?