Family vs. third-party transition
The succession path matters. Family transitions, internal sales to management, ESOPs, and third-party sales each have different tax, valuation, and timeline effects.
Business succession planning across family transitions, owner buyouts, ESOPs, and the personal financial plan that lives on the other side. For South Florida owners planning the next chapter.
The succession path matters. Family transitions, internal sales to management, ESOPs, and third-party sales each have different tax, valuation, and timeline effects.
What does the owner's life look like financially after the business is no longer producing income? That's the planning conversation most succession discussions skip.
Succession is a team effort. We're the financial planning piece, coordinated with your business attorney, your CPA, and any investment banker involved.
Tax positioning, governance changes, key-person planning, and valuation work all benefit from a 2 to 5 year runway. We start early when we can.
We meet on a real cadence, usually quarterly. The plan flexes as your life and the tax code change. Most relationships span decades.
Offices in Boca Raton and Plantation, plus licensed in all 50 states. Existing clients keep us when they move.
Three things that shape how we deliver business succession for South Florida clients.
Business Succession doesn't sit alone. The investment plan, the tax plan, and the estate plan reference each other. We coordinate all three so decisions match.
No off-the-shelf model portfolios or boilerplate plans. The recommendations match your specific income, tax bracket, family situation, and timeline.
We meet on a quarterly cadence to adjust the plan as your life and the tax code change. The relationship is long-term by design.
For owners 2 to 5 years out from a transition, this is the window where the planning matters most. The pre-sale tax positioning, the charitable structures, the gifting strategy, and the family governance conversations all benefit from real-time runway.
We aren't investment bankers, business brokers, or M&A attorneys. We don't run the sale process, don't represent the buyer or seller in the transaction, and don't draft the purchase agreement. We're the personal financial planning piece, coordinated with the team that does run those parts.
Business succession ties to many other planning areas:
The sibling page. Third-party sale planning, post-sale wealth strategy.
See business exit planning →The audience-parent page. The full picture of working with business owners.
See financial planning for business owners →Pre-transition tax positioning is the highest-value tax planning work most owners ever do.
See tax planning →Business succession planning fits owners in these situations:
"We were 18 months out from transitioning the business to our daughter. The gifting strategy alone, plus the family governance work, made a real difference in how smoothly the transition went."
"I sold my company to my management team over a 5-year earnout. Beth coordinated the pre-sale tax positioning and the post-sale wealth plan. It made the difference between a good outcome and a great one."
"Beth was honest about what she does and doesn't do. She isn't the investment banker, not the M&A attorney. She is the personal financial plan that ties it all together. That's exactly what we needed."
Posts our wealth advisors have put together on this topic.
Ideally 3 to 5 years before the transition. The pre-transition tax positioning, the gifting strategy, the governance work, and the personal financial readiness all benefit from real runway. Many owners come to us 12 to 18 months out, which is still workable but tighter.
Succession usually refers to a transition where the business continues with new ownership (family, management, employees). Exit usually refers to a transition where the owner cashes out via a third-party sale. The planning work overlaps but the structure differs. See the Business Exit Planning page for the sale-specific work.
No. We aren't investment bankers, brokers, or M&A attorneys. We're the personal financial planning piece, coordinated with the team that runs the actual transaction. We help the owner understand the financial side and prepare for the life after.
Family transitions add several layers: gifting strategy across multiple years, governance decisions about decision-making and ownership, the dynamics around active vs. non-active family members, and the personal financial plan for the transitioning owner. We coordinate with your business attorney on the governance documents and handle the financial planning.
An Employee Stock Ownership Plan transitions company ownership to a trust held for the benefit of employees. ESOPs are powerful for owners who want to preserve company culture, reward employees, and access tax-advantaged exit treatment. They're also complex to set up and ongoing to maintain. Worth a serious conversation if your situation has the right characteristics.
The first meeting is a conversation, not a sales pitch. We'll talk about where you are, what you're working through, and whether Intercoastal is the right fit. In person in Boca Raton or Plantation, or by video from anywhere.