What Every Business Owner Needs Now… Live Every Day As If It Could Be Your Last

01 - LIVING TRUST

Putting your company in a customized and thoughtfully prepared Revocable Living Trust is one of the best ways to ensure your business’s continued success upon your eventual death or in the event of your incapacity, as long as that Trust is updated over time, and your business assets are correctly titled in the name of your Trust.

A living Trust is an agreement you make with a Trustee to hold title to the shares or membership interests of your business.  A Trust agreement is then used to document what will happen to your business when you can no longer run it yourself due to incapacity or death. Unlike when you use a Will to transfer assets at your death,  assets properly held by the Trust agreement do not go through the court process of probate. Instead, those assets are promptly transferred to the person, or persons, of your choice in the event of your death or incapacity. In this way, a Trust allows for the smooth transition of control of your company, without the time, expense, and potential conflict associated with probate or, in the event of your incapacity before death, a guardianship or conservatorship.

Using a Trust agreement, you choose the individual(s) you want to run your company in your absence, whether that absence is permanent (your death) or merely temporary (your incapacity). Plus, Trusts are not open to the public, so your company’s affairs and its assets would remain private, and transfer of ownership can occur in your lawyer’s office, not a courtroom. 

02 - BUY-SELL AGREEMENT

If you share ownership of your business with one or more other people, you’ll want to establish a buy-sell agreement. A buy-sell agreement ensures that upon certain conditions—such as your death or permanent incapacity—the other owners can purchase your business shares or stipulate that your shares will pass to your heirs.

An adequately prepared buy-sell agreement can prevent your family members from getting stuck owning a business they don’t want and can’t sell. And it also protects your surviving partners from being forced to deal with new owners they never planned on. The key to ensuring a buy-sell agreement works is to make sure it’s funded, usually with life insurance, and that it’s customized to meet the needs of your unique partnership.

One-size fits all buy-sell agreements, sometimes provided by life insurance professionals, are insufficient to adequately protect your family's interest in the event of your death. Instead, your buy-sell agreement should be customized specifically for you, your business partner or partners, and your respective families' needs. 

03 - LIFE INSURANCE

Unless your business generates significant revenue—and will continue to do so upon your death—that income might not be enough to support the ongoing operation after your death and financially provide for your family. By purchasing and properly structuring your life insurance, you can offer your family, team, and clients a financial safety net. In contrast, your loved ones finalize your affairs, and your successor assumes company control.

If your business has multiple owners, you can pair life insurance policies on each partner with your buy-sell agreement. By doing so, your remaining partners can buy out your shares at a previously agreed-upon price, and the life insurance can help pay for the buyout without leaving the business bankrupt.

04 - SUCCESSION PLANNING

If you hope to pass control of your company to a loved one or team member, you’ll need to create a comprehensive business succession plan to ensure the company doesn’t fall apart when you die. Beyond merely naming your successor, a proper succession provides stability and security by allowing you to lay out explicit instructions for how the company should be run once you are no longer around.

From specifying how ownership should be transferred and providing rules for the compensation of partners and team members to establishing dispute resolution procedures, an effective succession plan can provide the new owner with a detailed roadmap for your company’s continued success and growth.

DON’T PUT YOUR BUSINESS & FAMILY AT RISK

Estate planning is every bit—if not more—essential to your company’s (and family’s) continued survival and success as any other issue facing your business. If you’ve yet to put your estate plan in place, consult with us, your Personal Family Lawyer® with family business planning experts today to help you take care of this vital responsibility.

And even if you have an existing plan, you should have us review it to ensure you’ve covered all of your bases and that your plan has been appropriately updated. We have a 50-point assessment to look at your plan, which needs to be updated to consider changes in your life, assets, and the law. These actions will not only help shield your company and family from unforeseen tragedy but also give you the peace of mind needed to take your business to the next level. Schedule your appointment today to get your planning handled.

This article is a service of Sky Unlimited Legal Advisory PC, Personal Family Lawyer® .  We're not your traditional law firm, we stand apart from the rest by helping you make informed and empowered decisions on how to deal with your business throughout life and in the event of an emergency. We offer a complete spectrum of legal services, including a New Business Planning Session or an Existing Business Review Session, which includes a review of all the legal, insurance, financial, and tax systems you need for your business. You can begin by calling our office at (650) 761-0992 today or book online to schedule a Business Planning Session and mention this article to find out how to get this $950 session at no charge.