Curated for business owners
After years of hard work and stress, you’re probably looking forward to having the freedom to do whatever you want. To reach that point, you’ll need to sell your company or transfer it to the next generation.
Do you have a transition plan in place? If you don’t have a plan yet, you are not alone. Two-thirds of U.S. business owners are over 50, yet 53 percent of them don’t have a transition plan—probably because they haven’t had time to get started. That’s where a wealth management firm can make all the difference. Capstone Wealth, a registered investment advisor (RIA) firm in Billings, Montana, helps business owners, farmers, and ranchers make the transition from ownership to retirement. 
“Many of our clients are approaching the single greatest financial event of their lives—the sale of their business in the next few years,” explains Mark Thomas, founder and owner of Capstone Wealth. “Our clients have created wealth through years of determination, commitment, and hard work. We partner with them to maximize the profits from the sale of their business, ranch, or farm and help them manage the liquidity over the long term.”
Capstone Wealth provides a private family office experience to financially established families, acting as a fiduciary in addressing their risk management needs. The value of the businesses sold by Capstone’s clients ranges from $5 million to more than $50 million.
Capstone’s team focuses on helping business owners before, during, and after the sale. Their expertise ranges from estimating the current and potential value of a business to evaluating the tax impact of the sale, mapping future cash flow, managing liquidity, preparing for unanticipated scenarios, and identifying the most effective ways to transfer wealth to family members and charitable organizations.
Working collaboratively with each family’s attorneys and accountants, Capstone Wealth takes a comprehensive approach to wealth management. Capstone’s team helps clients understand their current financial situation and implement a plan that pays attention to three crucial “buckets.” Bucket 1 is the cash flow required to maintain the client’s lifestyle after the sale. Bucket 2 covers potential “what if” scenarios so that clients will be equipped to deal with unanticipated challenges. Bucket 3 takes care of “what’s left” in ways that will minimize taxes.
Clients often find their way to Capstone Wealth through referrals from their accountant or from other clients. They are happy with the outcomes they’ve achieved from partnering with the firm. One husband and wife expressed appreciation for Capstone’s help in managing multiple aspects of selling their company. They said, “In addition to helping us understand the valuation of our business, they recommended a few things we could do to increase its value. The buyers ended up being two of our key employees, and Capstone also guided them through each step of the sale, explaining everything and making the process as simple as possible.”
Another couple said, “Capstone helped us understand our future cash flow with greater clarity. This clarity gave us greater confidence in engaging industry buyers based on our knowledge of what would be needed from the sale to provide for our lifestyle. After the sale, Capstone and our accountant helped us think through tax strategies, and the Capstone team shared suggestions for reducing the impact of taxes on our investments. Thanks to Capstone’s advice, we were able to use both our tax savings and some of the proceeds from our sale to fund our philanthropic wishes with confidence.”
Capstone Wealth’s experienced team focuses on delivering a family office experience
If you are interested in exploring how Capstone Wealth’s team of advisors can help you make a smooth transition from business ownership to retirement, visit
www.capstoneretire.com
