Amy and Scott: Planning for the Next Chapter

Amy and Scott have spent the past 25 years building a successful and profitable retail business together. Their shared dedication has paid off, and they are justifiably proud of what they’ve accomplished.

The COVID-19 pandemic, however, brought about a whirlwind of challenges and forced them to make tough decisions. As they navigated these complexities side by side, it led them to start thinking more intentionally about their future—what they want to do, and when they want to do it.

After a thoughtful meeting with their estate planner, Amy and Scott realized it was time to begin transitioning from business ownership into retirement. They knew their business held considerable value and were confident it could fund a comfortable retirement.

But they also understood that selling a business isn’t as simple as putting a “For Sale” sign in the window. The uncertainties surrounding the process left them feeling overwhelmed. Fortunately, their estate planner had seen the impact we’ve had on other clients and introduced them to Diversified Investment Strategies LLC.

As they began to consider the logistics of selling their business, Amy and Scott were also bombarded with headlines about:

• Inflation
  
  
• Rising interest rates
  
  
• Stock market fluctuations
  
  

Understandably, this added another layer of stress. Our first step was to help them identify their retirement and legacy goals and create a time-segmented plan for the proceeds from their business sale. Simultaneously, we connected them with the right investment bankers and transactional business attorneys to guide the sale process from start to finish.

Amy and Scott approached this transition with intelligence and care, knowing that the successful execution of both their business sale and retirement plan was critical. In addition to funding their ideal retirement lifestyle, they had two other important goals:

• Leaving a legacy for their family
  
  
• Creating meaningful charitable impact through planned giving
  
  

We developed a personalized Retirement Income Distribution Plan that accounted for their life goals, financial concerns, and market variables—giving them a clear path forward.

The plan we built for Amy and Scott did more than just help them exit their business. It gave them:

• Confidence in their retirement income
  
  
• A framework for charitable contributions
  
  
• A strategy for tax-efficient gifting* to children and grandchildren
  
  

Above all, we positioned all their assets strategically—so if the market declined, a goal was in place to work toward protecting their long-term wealth while still providing access to the funds they need today.

*Specific individualized tax advice not provided. We suggest that you discuss your specific situation with a qualified tax advisor.