Skip to main content

  •  Tel: (217) 525-1111
  •  Fax: (217) 525-1120  SECURE CLIENT PORTAL

  • Home
  • About Us 
    • Our Firm
    • Our Team
  • Client Services 
    • Audit & Assurance Services
    • Tax Services
    • Accounting Services
    • Consulting Services
    • Charitable & Not-For-Profit
    • Wealth Management
  • Resources 
    • Useful Websites
    • Financial Calculators
  • Careers
  • Contact

Our Mission

your success is our only mission

Helping You

manage the changing face of life

Proactive Planning

for a successful future

  Previous   Next

    You are here

  1. Home
  2. Blogs
  3. Business owners: An exit strategy should be part of your tax planning

Business owners: An exit strategy should be part of your tax planning

Submitted by Eck, Schafer & Punke, LLP on December 28th, 2018

Tax planning is a juggling act for business owners. You have to keep your eye on your company’s income and expenses and applicable tax breaks (especially if you own a pass-through entity). But you also must look out for your own financial future.

For example, you need to develop an exit strategy so that taxes don’t trip you up when you retire or leave the business for some other reason. An exit strategy is a plan for passing on responsibility for running the company, transferring ownership and extracting your money from the business.

Buy-sell agreement

When a business has more than one owner, a buy-sell agreement can be a powerful tool. The agreement controls what happens to the business when a specified event occurs, such as an owner’s retirement, disability or death. Among other benefits, a well-drafted agreement:

  • Provides a ready market for the departing owner’s shares,
  • Prescribes a method for setting a price for the shares, and
  • Allows business continuity by preventing disagreements caused by new owners.

A key issue with any buy-sell agreement is providing the buyer(s) with a means of funding the purchase. Life or disability insurance often helps fulfill this need and can give rise to several tax issues and opportunities. One of the biggest advantages of life insurance as a funding method is that proceeds generally are excluded from the beneficiary’s taxable income.

Succession within the family

You can pass your business on to family members by giving them interests, selling them interests or doing some of each. Be sure to consider your income needs, the tax consequences, and how family members will feel about your choice.

Under the annual gift tax exclusion, you can gift up to $15,000 of ownership interests without using up any of your lifetime gift and estate tax exemption. Valuation discounts may further reduce the taxable value of the gift.

With the gift and estate tax exemption approximately doubled through 2025 ($11.4 million for 2019), gift and estate taxes may be less of a concern for some business owners. But others may want to make substantial transfers now to take maximum advantage of the high exemption. What’s right for you will depend on the value of your business and your timeline for transferring ownership.

Plan ahead

If you don’t have co-owners or want to pass the business to family members, other options include a management buyout, an employee stock ownership plan (ESOP) or a sale to an outsider. Each involves a variety of tax and nontax considerations.

Please contact us to discuss your exit strategy. To be successful, your strategy will require planning well in advance of the transition.

Thomson Reuters © 2018

Contact Us

Tell a Friend

227 South 7th Street, Springfield, Illinois 62701 United States

227 South 7th Street
Springfield, Illinois
62701 United States

  •  Tel: (217) 525-1111
  •  Fax: (217) 525-1120
  •  hkern@espwms.com

Securities offered through Avantax Investment ServicesSM, Member FINRA, SIPC 

Investment advisory services offered through Avantax Advisory ServicesSM​.

Insurance Services offered through an Avantax affiliated insurance agency.

Avantax affiliated advisors may only conduct business with residents of the states for which they are properly registered. Please note that not all of the investments and services mentioned are available in every state.

The Avantax family of companies exclusively provide investment products and services through its representatives.  Although Avantax Wealth ManagementSM does not provide tax or legal advice, or supervise tax, accounting or legal services, Avantax representatives may offer these services through their independent outside business. 

This information is not intended as specific tax or legal advice.  Please consult our firm and your legal professional for specific information regarding your individual situation.

Content, links, and some material within this website may have been created by a third-party for use by an Avantax affiliated representative.  This content is for educational and informational purposes only and does not represent the views and opinions of Avantax Wealth MangaementSM or its subsidiaries.  Avantax Wealth ManagementSM is not responsible for and does not control, adopt, or endorse any content contained on any third-party website.

© 2025 Eck, Schafer & Punke, LLP. All rights reserved.

Website Design For Financial Services Professionals