Running Your Business Isn’t Just Business. It’s Personal.

Comprehensive transition planning to help make your company – and you – transaction ready

Your company is thriving. When is the right time to start thinking about the next stage or making a transition? At retirement? Five years before? Now?

The decision to transition your business – either by sale or succession plan – is one of the most difficult and emotional decisions you’ll ever have to make. After all, you’ve devoted a significant part of your life to building and growing your company.

We work closely with owners of privately-held businesses to help them create and execute transition plans that provide a seamless and successful exit for themselves, their families, and other stakeholders.

Why start planning now? On average, it can take up to two years from the time you make your transition decision to the time the transaction closes.

Business owners often wonder about the value of their businesses and whether they should extract some or all of it at any given time. We assist business owners in exploring the merits and best options for realizing this value.

Brett Dearing, Partner

Transition Planning Drives Better Outcomes

You likely have big plans for your transaction proceeds—a new business venture, a passion project, an activity-filled retirement. Fulfilling this vision depends on you maximizing the net amount you receive and putting the funds to work for you. That’s where we come in.

Through our exit planning process, we help you:

  • Understand how prospective buyers view and appraise your business
  • Identify, prioritize, and minimize value detractors and other risks
  • Create a plan that maximizes your post-tax proceeds
  • Invest the proceeds in a portfolio that aligns with your goals and financial situation

Preparation. Preparation. Preparation.

Failure to prepare is one of the primary reasons most businesses don’t sell, or sell for substantially less than expected. Our established exit-planning process helps you avoid being one of them. We’re by your side during every stage of the transition—pre-transaction, transaction, and post-transaction.

1

Assessment of Liquidity Options

There are many ways to transition a business such as selling to a family member, a managed buyout, or recapitalization. The best option for you is the one that matches your goals and long-term vision. We help you weigh the positives and negatives of each choice so you can make a sound decision.

2

360° Business Audit and Enterprise Valuation

To secure the best price for your business, you need to enter negotiations with the highest possible valuation. We conduct a thorough analysis of your company to assess its “sale readiness” and identify issues that may make it less attractive to buyers.

3

Business Planning and Implementation

Identifying potential “value detractors” is just the first step. Next, we work with you to develop a 30-,60- and 90-day action plan to resolve the issues that have the greatest impact on offer price.

4

Formation of Transaction Team

Transitioning a business is a complex legal and financial transaction involving investment bankers, M&A attorneys, accountants, and other advisors. We help you identify the right people for your team, negotiate engagement letters, and establish communication workflows.

5

Comprehensive Transaction Management

You don’t have time to worry about the day-to-day activities involving the transaction. We serve as your project manager, working behind the scenes with your investment banker to streamline the flow of information and coordinate other team members.

6

Goals-Based Personal Advice

A successful transition also depends on the owner’s readiness. Are you emotionally prepared for the sale? What are your plans for the future? How will you manage the proceeds? We work with you to create a comprehensive financial plan that gives you the confidence to embark on the next chapter of your life.

Explore Our Offerings for Individuals and Families

Joseph Matus

Principal

Economic and Market Outlooks

What’s on Our Minds

Our outlook for 2026 is cautiously optimistic, driven by fiscal stimulus from the One Big Beautiful Bill Act boosting consumer spending, a likely pause in trade policy tensions ahead of midterm elections, and solid corporate fundamentals despite limited room for further equity valuation expansion.

Ralph Coutant

Senior Principal

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Is the Stock Market Overvalued? What Investors Can Do

The last few years have been a good time for U.S. equity investors. But lately, people are questioning if we’re in another stock market bubble just waiting to burst.

Paul Chmielewski

Partner

Estate Planning

Simple Ways to Help Avoid Probate: Revocable Living Trusts and More

Probate is the legal process through which a deceased person’s estate is administered and distributed. While it serves an important function, it can also be time-consuming, expensive, and emotionally taxing. Fortunately, several strategies can be employed to help avoid probate and ensure a smoother transition of assets to loved ones.

Mariella Foley

Partner

Individuals and Families

Retirement Planning for Single Women: How to Prepare

Women already face gender-specific financial planning challenges. These include a longer life expectancy and a pay gap that results in lower salaries and lower lifetime savings unless they save a greater percentage of their salary.

Adam Sandler

Senior Principal

Individuals and Families

Private Placement Life Insurance

The concept behind PPLI is simple: by investing inside a life insurance policy, you take advantage of the favorable tax treatment granted to life insurance. Learn more.

Individuals and Families

The Year-End Financial Planning Checklist

The end of the year is the perfect time to review your financial plan with your advisor. The following checklist will help you take stock of your savings, investments, retirement planning, tax exposure, and risk management, so you can make more informed decisions about your strategy for the year to come.

Family Office

Webinar Recording: Tax Optimization and Thoughtful Wealth Planning for Liquidity Events

A liquidity event—whether from a business sale, IPO, merger, or other transaction—creates a unique opportunity to design plans that minimize tax exposure and shape a lasting legacy. Watch our webinar to learn more.

Constantine Mulligan

Partner

Corporations

The Role of Private Markets in Defined Contribution Plans

Defined contribution plans have attracted growing interest and media coverage amid recent U.S. Department of Labor actions and a noticeable shift in tone from Washington, D.C., regarding the role of private markets.

Mariella Foley

Partner

Individuals and Families

Splitting Retirement Accounts in Divorce

When going through a divorce, the process of dividing assets can be a frustrating and confusing one. Retirement assets are an important issue in any divorce proceeding, since, after the marital home, they often represent the largest category of marital assets to be divided in a divorce settlement.

Andrejs Pilajevs

Principal

Cross-Border Planning

A Comprehensive Guide for U.S. Expats in France

Few countries capture the imagination quite like France. From sipping coffee at a Parisian café to cycling through Bordeaux’s vineyards to retiring under the Provençal sun, France offers a rare blend of culture, history, cuisine, and quality of life. Relocating, however, involves more than a one-way ticket and a charming apartment. France has one of the world’s most sophisticated tax and legal systems.

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Our weekly “What's on Our Minds” provides a comprehensive overview of key market developments, economic data, and the Investment Office’s perspective.

Investing is a long-term commitment to your financial well-being. It’s about growing and safeguarding your wealth. Our disciplined, goal-oriented approach ensures your portfolio remains resilient in the face of market and economic fluctuations.

Our sophisticated estate and wealth transfer strategies help you preserve your legacy while minimizing tax burdens. Every recommendation is tailored to your specific needs, leveraging our extensive knowledge of estate, trust, gift, and tax regulations.

Successfully navigating the financial challenges that come with wealth necessitates planning, relevant advice, and a financial advisor who’s always in your corner. Cerity Partners provides all three.

Safeguard the financial security you and your loved ones have built. We assess your current risk exposure and develop customized strategies designed to protect the most vulnerable areas of your financial life.

We design and implement tax optimization strategies, including the creation of detailed tax projections and the preparation of personal, trust, and business tax returns.

Our family office services free you to focus on what matters most, providing a coordinated team of specialists dedicated to preserving, growing, and protecting your family's prosperity.

Our integrated retirement plan solutions effectively balance the unique perspectives of your HR and benefits teams, plan fiduciaries, senior leaders, and employees, helping all of them achieve their objectives.

Divorce marks the end of marriage but also the start of your new life. We can help you navigate the financial challenges of divorce and embrace the opportunities for building a thriving, secure future.

Just because your professional life is international doesn’t mean your financial life has to be complicated. Cerity Partners has extensive knowledge of U.S. and global tax laws and regulations, and we will work with you to preserve and grow your wealth here and abroad.