Tom and Mary are in their late 40s, married, and have three children; two are in college and one is in high school. Tom is an equal partner in a business he has co-owned for many years. The couple’s net worth primarily consists of the value of the business, but they have also been able to build a $2 million investment portfolio. Tom and his partner expect to sell the business within the next 10 years.
Problems & Concerns:
- Tom and Mary have different ideas about how they would like to leave their wealth to their children.
- They have concerns about being in the stock market after experiencing substantial volatility in their current investment accounts.
- They want to ensure that they have a well-designed plan to invest the significant amount of cash they will receive upon the sale of their business.
- Tom wants to ensure that the life insurance policy he currently has in place properly funds his buy/sell agreement.
Solutions:
- We helped foster a discussion for Tom and Mary to agree upon a compromise as to how their wealth should be left to their children.
- We constructed a diversified, low-cost investment portfolio to limit volatility and create a greater level of comfort around investing in the markets.
- We established a plan to invest the proceeds from the sale of Tom’s business to provide cash flow for them to maintain their pre-sale lifestyle.
- A review of Tom’s current insurance policy concluded that it did not adequately meet the needs of his buy/sell agreement. We collaborated with his insurance agent to increase his coverage.
Ongoing relationship:
- Tom and Mary are now confident that the short-term and long-term plans will meet their ongoing needs as well as allow them to maintain their standard of living upon the sale of the business.
- They feel secure that their estate plan will meet the needs of their children, while also providing motivation for them to succeed on their own.
- Our communication is frequent and ongoing, and includes a comprehensive biannual review of all their affairs.