SUCCESSION PLANNING​

The process of exit planning and business succession has grown increasingly more complicated. The once simple transfer of ownership and control has become a web of legal and financial complexities. For owners of family-owned companies, intentional and detailed succession planning is no longer an option, it is a necessity.

Gray, Gray & Gray gives you the power to determine the future of your business by developing and helping implement a well-designed succession plan that follows a logical process and is sensitive to the needs of all of the individuals involved. With our help, succession planning can become an opportunity not only for a business to continue and flourish, but also for a family to grow closer together.

Choosing the Right Path
There are many considerations involved in finding the right succession plan for your situation and wishes. Succession planning can mean transferring a life’s work to family heirs, the sale of a business to key employees, or the positioning of a company for outside sale. Much depends on your future plans, the availability (and desire) of children to take over the business, and market conditions influencing the sale of the company.

Once decided which path is the right one for your business and your family, we go on addressing issues such as restructuring the business including financial reporting, tax consequences, and retirement income projections.  And we are also acutely aware of and sensitive to the many personal issues that affect any family business situation. Our goal is to structure a succession plan that meets the needs of all generations. If a transfer to the children will it be in the form of a gift? A sale? Or a combination of gift and sale?  Your situation will determine it.

Planning for Your Own Future
The decision on how to structure your exit must be based on a solid financial plan for your own future. With the help of Gray Private Wealth, LLC, our wealth management affiliate, we can determine your current net worth and develop projections for how much you will need in retirement. We take into account everything from planned life activities, philanthropical giving, family legacy, and estimated life expectancy. We also factor in contingencies for the unexpected, such as health issues and long-term care needs.

Based on this projection of your future needs and wishes we can determine the best way for you to exit your business, whether it is passing it along to the next generation or selling it.

Gray, Gray & Gray has helped to create and execute exit strategies for multiple generations of family-owned businesses. We work closely with clients to facilitate communication and identify the most appropriate candidates for leadership positions. Our regular meetings regarding the scope of the plan keep participants informed about business operations and assets. We also provide financial projections, financial statements and support for business valuations that are an integral part of the planning process.