Succession Planning

Few events in your life are as critical, visible, or stressful as when you transfer ownership or leadership in your business. When succession enters the picture for closely-held businesses, proper planning can reduce pain, uncertainty and destructive tax liabilities for you, your family and your business, and reduce the risks of disputes arising in the future.

AAF Wealth Management, in conjunction with our affiliate AAFCPAs, offers a team-approach to succession planning that helps ensure that your business remains profitable after a transition, and personal finances continue to support your financial and life goals.

AAF Wealth Management and AAFCPAs’ Succession Planning solutions include:

  • In-depth discussions to identify your financial needs and goals for succession, resources and debts, and values
  • Business valuations to identify what your business is truly worth
  • Strategic planning and restructuring so the business is better positioned to achieve objectives
  • Due diligence processes to ensure the succession plan will meet your financial and business goals
  • Customized buy-sell agreements and transaction structure analysis
  • Key employee compensation programs
  • Employee stock ownership plan (ESOP) implementation or valuation
  • Counseling and/or mediation to facilitate participant negotiations
  • Management skills assessment and leadership development to ensure that successors are capable
  • Guidance on improving the governance of the business
  • Cash flow projections from the exchange
  • Analysis and advice on tax implications and costs
  • Retirement and estate planning to minimize estate and gift taxes, provide liquidity to the estate, and provide for surviving family members

In addition to the practical and technical aspects, we understand that human dynamics and issues are a major component of your succession plan, especially when the plan involves consensus-building among family members or key employees. Often, the desire to avoid conflict defers planning until it is too late. The sooner you begin planning for the management and ownership succession for your business, the more options you have for assuring that your goals are achieved.

AAF Wealth Management and affiliate AAFCPAs has helped deliver successful transition solutions since our inception in 1973. We have over 40 years of experience in helping business owners create sustainable and transferable value in their business, and achieve a well-prepared and successful exit.