Business context. Personal priorities.
Connect the demands of running a practice with the personal goals supported by your work.
A place to begin
Use these guides to prepare questions for professionals familiar with your industry.
Owner disability planning asks what would happen if illness or injury limited your ability to work. There are several separate needs: household income, business expenses, operating decisions and a possible ownership transition. A plan connects those needs without assuming a single policy, document or family member can handle them all.
A buy-sell agreement sets rules for an ownership transfer when an agreed event occurs. It can address who may buy, how the price is determined, how payment works and what happens during the transition. The agreement and its funding need to work together. Having a signed document does not, by itself, mean a future purchase will be affordable.
A company retirement plan is both an employee benefit and part of the owner's personal wealth plan. Choosing one means comparing contribution opportunities with employee costs, cash-flow commitments and administration. Start with the people and business you have today, then consider how hiring, profits and ownership may change.
A cash balance plan is a defined benefit pension plan that expresses a promised benefit as an account-like balance. It can be considered alongside other retirement savings arrangements, but it is not simply a larger 401(k). The decision depends on employee demographics, funding capacity, plan design and the owner's long-term goals.
A business valuation is an informed opinion of value for a particular ownership interest, purpose and date. It helps turn an uncertain number on your personal balance sheet into a question you can examine. A useful valuation explains the reasoning and assumptions behind the result. It is not a promise that a buyer will pay that amount.
The best exit path depends on what you need the transition to achieve. A family transfer, a sale to employees and an outside sale can produce very different outcomes for control, cash, timing and the people involved. Compare those outcomes before narrowing the discussion to price or a favored buyer.
Hypothetical illustration · Not a client story
Consider an owner who wants to spend less time in the business. The conversation starts with who can take responsibility, how cash flow might change and what the household needs. A valuation alone would not answer all three questions. The team first agrees what information to gather and who will assess each part.
Your next step
Tell us about your business and priorities. We review your application for a possible introduction to a participating advisor. You decide whether to proceed.
Participating advisors fund the introduction model. Compensation and conflicts.
Content reviewed: October 20, 2026 · General education
Educational information only, not personal financial, tax, legal or insurance advice.
