You sold the business. Now how do you retire with confidence?

When you’ve spent decades building a business, the eventual sale isn’t just a financial event – it's a life transition. For many owners, their company has been their greatest investment, their primary source of income, and a meaningful part of their identity. So when the time comes to step away, one question often rises to the surface:

How can my personal and business wealth work together to fund the life I want after the sale?

Answering this well requires more than projections or product discussions. It requires an advanced, integrated plan built collaboratively with the professionals who know you and your business best.

A plan that connects everything

Many business owners have pieces of a financial picture (like investments and insurance), but no single plan that ties everything together.

Our role is to create clarity. We integrate your personal and corporate wealth into one comprehensive plan that models:

• The impact of a future business sale
• The cash flow needed to sustain your lifestyle in retirement
• The tax implications of withdrawing or reinvesting capital
• Your long-term family and legacy goals.
   

When everything is connected, you can make informed decisions about when to step back, how much you can comfortably spend, and what your success can support in the years ahead.

Planning in collaboration

No two business sales are alike, and neither are the tax and estate implications that follow. That’s why collaboration is central to our process.

We work directly with your existing professionals to ensure every assumption in your plan is accurate and aligned.

Together with your tax advisor, we work to understand and incorporate into your plan:

• Whether the capital gains exemption applies.
• Whether the transaction will be an asset sale or a share sale.
• Where the post-sale proceeds will be held (personally, corporately, or both).
• Whether there is a shareholder loan to factor in.
   

Accurately modelling these elements is essential. Too often, we see situations where an advisor hasn’t taken the time to understand the tax assumptions, resulting in plans that don’t reflect where you are today, or what’s possible for your future.

Working with your legal advisor, we review:

• If you have a shareholders agreement, and whether or not it contemplates death or disability.
• Whether your will is current and reflects your wishes.
• How assets are held across your operating, holding, and investment companies.
• Whether there is a family trust, and if so, when it expires.
• Whether you've thought of creating testamentary trusts (trusts that are established in your will and come into effect when you die).
   

When your tax, legal, and financial planning work together, the result is an accurate, reliable roadmap for your future.

Starting with the plan, always

Many advisors lead with products or transactions. We start with the plan.

This gives you clarity around:

• Your after-tax proceeds from the sale
• How much you can sustainably draw as retirement income over time
• What happens if markets fluctuate, tax laws change, or health issues arise
• How your estate will ultimately transition to the next generation
   

The plan becomes a living roadmap: one that adapts as life evolves, while always reflecting your values and priorities.

Common planning areas we cover with clients and their advisors

Every client’s situation is unique, but some key areas consistently drive long-term success after a business sale. In collaboration with your professional team, we help address:

• Tax-efficient use of sale proceeds: Modelling corporate and personal tax implications to determine when and how to draw income.
• Income structure after sale: Ensuring predictable, sustainable income that supports your lifestyle while managing tax exposure.
• Asset dedication and diversification: Balancing security, growth, and flexibility once the business is no longer your main investment.
• Wealth transition and estate planning: Structuring assets to achieve your legacy and philanthropic goals.
• Contingency planning: Stress-testing scenarios such as market volatility, illness, or early death to ensure financial resilience.
   

Each of these areas supports one overarching goal: giving you clarity and confidence as you move from business owner to your next chapter.

Your business is only part of the story

Selling your business closes one chapter. But with the right plan, it sets the foundation for a new one. Your success can support the lifestyle you’ve envisioned, your family’s future, and the impact you want to make in your community.

We’re here to help you see the full picture – and bring it all together.

Let’s start with a conversation about what matters most to you.