Business Succession Planning Answer Book (2016)

The Business Succession Planning Answer Book (2016) explores the issues that arise when the current owners of a family business wish to retire or otherwise transfer ownership of the business. These issues include ensuring that the owners have enough money to retire on, providing for what will happen to the business – whether there will there be a transfer of ownership or whether the business will dissolve, providing for who will take over the management of the business and how ownership will be transferred. Discussing and resolving these issues within the family can also be complicated and contentious, depending on the family dynamics. Advice is often needed from a professional on how best to resolve these issues and set up a smooth transition of the business. Essentially, business succession can be broken down into three main categories: management, ownership and taxes. This publication discusses the distinction between management and ownership, exploring the possibility of transferring the responsibility for managing the business to one child while transferring equal shares of business ownership to all children. Business succession planning also looks at the minimization of taxes upon death. This may involve asset transfer tax strategies, for example freezing the value of the business while transferring the ownership. This publication explains how to accomplish these goals.