Plan for liquidity. Align business and personal priorities.
Business value and personal financial flexibility do not always move together. We provide senior-led owner liquidity planning for high-net-worth business owners, connecting distributions, diversification and gifting with their tax position and longer-term goals. Pre-liquidity planning brings those decisions into view before a sale or ownership change takes shape.
Owner liquidity planning at a glance
Connect business value with personal priorities.
The starting point is your ownership position and what you want it to support. Current distributions, personal cash needs, family objectives, and any proposed transaction help determine which decisions need attention now and which you can plan over time.
Liquidity planning can matter while you continue to own and operate the business. A distribution, partial sale or change in ownership may affect both the company's capital needs and your personal tax position. We connect those questions so the next decision reflects the business you are building and the life it supports.
What we consider
Distributions in the context of the business
We consider a proposed distribution alongside operating commitments, ownership arrangements, and personal cash requirements. We review the tax implications and timing with your finance team, bringing business cash needs and the owner's position into one plan.
Pre-liquidity planning before terms take shape
A sale or recapitalization can change when and how you access business value. We consider ownership, proposed structure and after-tax proceeds while decisions remain open. Where business exit planning is underway, this work connects the transaction with the owner's personal financial priorities.
Diversification beyond concentrated company equity
For many owners, a substantial share of personal wealth remains tied to one business. We examine how a proposed liquidity event changes that concentration and what the tax implications mean for the next stage. Coordination with your investment advisors helps connect the planning with your broader portfolio goals.
Gifting alongside ownership and family plans
Gifting decisions can affect ownership, family expectations and future liquidity. We consider proposed gifts alongside tax projections and the transaction timetable, coordinating with your estate and legal advisors on the arrangements that require their input.
From owner priorities to a coordinated plan
The engagement follows the decisions ahead, whether you are considering ongoing distributions or preparing for an ownership change. Scope and timing reflect the business, your personal position and the advisors already involved.
Assess
Clarify ownership, personal priorities and the liquidity decision under consideration. Identify the records, commitments and deadlines that establish the starting point.
Model
Evaluate proposed distributions or transaction scenarios within the agreed scope. Connect tax projections and expected proceeds with personal cash requirements and business needs.
Coordinate
Bring the relevant questions to your finance, transaction, investment and legal advisors. Clarify dependencies so related decisions can be addressed in the appropriate sequence.
Prepare
Set out the agreed actions, responsibilities and follow-up priorities. Revisit the plan as terms, timing or ownership circumstances change.
Owner liquidity planning in context
These hypothetical situations illustrate decisions an owner liquidity engagement may explore. They are not accounts of client work or assurances of financial results.
A distribution with competing demands
Growth has increased a business's cash reserves, and its owner is considering a larger distribution for personal commitments. The company also needs capital for expansion. Reviewing the proposed amount, timing and tax implications alongside the operating plan helps clarify how the distribution fits both sets of priorities.
A partial sale with continuing ownership
An owner is considering selling part of the business while retaining a meaningful stake. The expected proceeds would create new personal flexibility, but much of the owner's wealth would remain in the company. Modeling the proposed transaction helps connect after-tax proceeds, retained ownership and future cash expectations.
Family gifting before a potential transaction
Several family members hold interests in a company that may attract a buyer. One owner wants to explore gifting before transaction discussions advance. Reviewing the ownership records and timetable with tax and legal advisors helps identify questions that need attention before any transfer is made.
Preparing for wealth beyond the business
Years of reinvestment have left a founder's personal wealth concentrated in company equity. A potential sale would substantially change that position. Pre-liquidity planning connects expected proceeds and tax obligations with the founder's cash needs and discussions with investment advisors about the next stage.
Explore Business Performance advisory.Questions about owner liquidity planning
Common questions about owner liquidity planning — when to begin, whether a sale is required, what to bring, and coordinating with your existing advisors.
Bring the next liquidity decision into view.
Discuss the distribution, ownership change or potential transaction you are considering with a senior practitioner. We can establish the starting point and identify how the decision connects with your tax position, personal priorities and longer-term plans.