A business owner plans the handover

A long-time owner of a small-to-medium business whose family assets and company shares had grown deeply intertwined, now weighing retirement and succession.

Company shares, personal real estate and investment accounts were tangled together, with no clear answers on who takes over, how to hand off, or what the tax picture looks like. The longer the decision waited, the narrower the options became.

Our wealth planning team led the engagement, working with the client's accountant and lawyer to untangle the ownership structure before designing a staged succession path. The financing team reviewed loan structures on the business and its properties in parallel, keeping funds uninterrupted through the transition — cash flow is the lifeline.

Restructured shareholdings and set the succession plan — with meaningful tax savings.