Business Owner and
Transaction Advisory
Planning for the business, and what comes after it.
For many business owners, the company is more than an asset. It is a source of income, a significant concentration of wealth, and often the product of decades of work.
Cleros connects decisions about the business with the wealth plan that exists around it: before, during, and after a transition.
- YEARS BEFORE
- PREPARING
- TRANSACTION
- LIQUIDITY
- WHAT COMES NEXT
What we deliver
Pre-transaction planning
A business sale can affect taxes, estate planning, charitable giving, liquidity, investments, and the structure of an owner’s wealth.
We help owners consider those implications before a transaction whenever possible, when there may be more flexibility to evaluate ownership, estate, tax, charitable, and personal wealth-planning decisions.
Transaction scenario analysis
A full sale is not the only possible outcome. Owners may be considering a partial sale, recapitalization, succession, retained equity, or another path.
We model different scenarios to understand how proceeds, continued ownership, taxes, future cash flow, and risk may affect the owner’s broader financial life.
Tax and liquidity planning
The amount a business sells for and the amount ultimately available to the owner are not the same.
We incorporate potential tax obligations, transaction proceeds, near-term spending, liabilities, and other capital needs into the wealth plan and coordinate with the owner’s tax professionals.
A strategy for investing transaction proceeds
A transaction can turn a significant operating asset into substantial financial assets in a relatively short period of time.
We build the investment strategy around what those proceeds now need to accomplish, including taxes, liquidity, spending, future ventures, family objectives, philanthropy, and long-term wealth preservation.
Estate and charitable coordination
A transaction can materially change the size, composition, and liquidity of an owner’s estate.
We work with estate counsel and tax professionals to evaluate how business interests, transaction proceeds, trusts, charitable objectives, and future wealth transfers fit together.
A plan for what comes next
A transaction is often the beginning of a new financial chapter rather than the end of one.
We help owners establish a plan for spending, investing, giving, family wealth, and future opportunities so the capital created by the business has a defined role after the transaction.
FAQs about business owner and transaction advisory
Ideally, planning begins well before a transaction is underway. More time can create more flexibility to evaluate estate, tax, charitable, ownership, and personal wealth decisions.
We model the transaction within the owner’s broader financial life, including expected proceeds, taxes, liquidity needs, investments, estate objectives, charitable plans, and future spending. We also coordinate with the other professionals involved in the transaction.
The portfolio may take on responsibilities previously served by the business, including providing liquidity and supporting long-term spending. We build the investment strategy around those new requirements while considering other assets, future ventures, and long-term objectives.
We incorporate potential tax consequences into transaction and wealth planning and work with the client’s tax professionals on strategies that require tax advice. Timing matters, which is why these conversations can be particularly important before a transaction is finalized.
For owners with charitable intentions, a transaction can be an important time to evaluate different giving strategies. We can model how various approaches fit within the broader wealth plan and coordinate with tax and legal advisors on implementation.
A transaction can materially change the size, composition, and liquidity of an estate. Reviewing the estate plan beforehand can help determine whether ownership structures and wealth-transfer strategies still align with the owner’s objectives.
Yes. A partial sale or recapitalization creates its own questions around liquidity, continued ownership, concentration, taxes, and future cash flow. We model those tradeoffs within the owner’s broader wealth plan.
Cleros Wealth Partners works with a limited number of clients.
We are thoughtful about the clients we serve, seeking relationships where our approach can support their needs today and well into the future.
Clients looking for a highly personal advisory relationship are invited to write to us directly.
