Selling or handing on a business.
For many owners, the business is most of the family's wealth. A sale or handover turns it into something else: cash, a new structure, or a stake held by the next generation. The plan for what comes after is worth making well before the day it happens.
Plan the proceeds before the sale, not after.
The best outcomes usually come from planning two to five years ahead, not after a buyer appears. Decide what the family needs from the sale, who should own the proceeds and in which structure, and how the money will be invested once it arrives. Your accountant and lawyer lead on the sale itself. We focus on the plan for the proceeds and the family's long-term wealth.
What the family needs
What you will live on afterwards, what you want to do next, and what the sale needs to achieve for the family.
Sale or handover
A sale to a third party or to management, or a handover to the next generation, all at once or over several years. Each leads to a different plan.
Who owns the proceeds
Individuals, a family trust, a company or super. Your accountant and lawyer lead on the structure, and we make sure it suits the investment plan.
A plan before the money arrives
Where the proceeds go on settlement, what is held in cash, and how the rest is invested over time, rather than decisions made under time pressure.
Fairness in the family
For a family handover, how to be fair to children who are not in the business, and how that is recorded.
One asset becomes many choices.
A sale changes the job your wealth has to do. Three things change at once.
Income
The business paid you a salary and dividends. Now the portfolio has to provide the income.
Concentration
Wealth held in one business can be spread across many assets, managers and markets.
Decisions
Choices once made inside the business are now made about a portfolio, and they need a process.
When it is time for advice.
Owners usually bring us in when one of these is true.
A sale is a few years away
Early enough to shape the structure and the plan around it.
An offer has arrived
The timing and form of payment, whether cash, shares or an earn-out, all affect the plan for the proceeds.
The next generation is taking over
Handing on the business while keeping the family fair, and funding your own retirement.
A plan for life after the business.
We are not constrained by any one product, manager or asset class. The plan is built around what the family needs from the sale, and what comes next.
A written plan
Prepared for your family, covering structure, asset allocation, timing and how each part is handled. It is personal advice, prepared for your circumstances.
Implementation, done for you
We put the plan in place: accounts, transfers, sales and the portfolio itself.
A broad choice of managers
Access to a wide range of fund managers and asset classes, chosen for your plan rather than for any one product.
Your advisers, coordinated
We work with your accountant and lawyer, so each decision is checked against the whole picture.
Regular reviews
Online access to your portfolio, and a review each year and whenever markets or life change.
We work with your accountant.
A sale involves your accountant, your lawyer and often a corporate adviser or business broker. Each decision is checked against the whole picture before it is made.
Murdoch Gatti
Founder and Private Wealth Adviser. In financial markets and wealth management since 2006. Master of Commerce (Finance) and Diploma of Financial Services (Financial Planning). Host of The Rate of Change podcast, in conversation with fund managers, economists and business leaders. You work directly with Murdoch.
Authorised Representative No. 001007979 · About York
Your accountant
Looks after the accounts, the structure of the sale and your tax returns. We work with them on how and when the proceeds are invested.
Your lawyer and corporate adviser
The sale contract and the sale process: the buyer, the terms and the documents.
York
The plan for the proceeds, the portfolio behind it, and how the pieces fit together.
Selling or handing on a business.
The questions we are asked most often by owners planning a sale or a handover.
When should I start planning to sell my business?
Earlier than feels necessary. The best outcomes usually come from planning two to five years ahead, not after a buyer appears. That leaves time for your accountant and lawyer to review the structure, and for a plan for the proceeds to be in place before settlement.
What should I do before selling my business?
Decide what the family needs from the sale and what you will live on afterwards. Have your accountant and lawyer review the structure early, because some changes take time. And have a written plan for the proceeds before the money arrives.
How do I hand the business to my children fairly?
Fair is not always equal. Children in the business may receive it, or a share of it, while those outside it receive other assets. Writing down the reasons, and keeping your will, any family trust and the shareholder arrangements consistent, prevents most disputes. Your lawyer prepares the documents. We plan how the rest of the family's wealth is used to balance it.
What should I do with the money from selling my business?
Nothing rushed. Hold the proceeds in cash while the plan is finalised, set aside what you need for the next few years, and invest the rest over time according to a written plan. The order and timing of investing matter as much as what you buy.
How do I replace the income the business paid me?
The portfolio takes over that job. Work out what you need each year, hold the next few years in cash and defensive assets, and invest the rest for income and growth. It is the same discipline as planning retirement income.
What about tax on the sale of my business?
Capital gains tax can apply when a business or its assets are sold, and concessions are available to some small businesses. Your accountant advises on your position, and we work with them so the investment plan fits.
Do you value or sell businesses?
No. A valuer and a corporate adviser or business broker handle the valuation and the sale. We work alongside them on what happens to the proceeds and the family's long-term wealth.
Do I need a financial adviser when I sell my business?
Not always. If the proceeds are modest and your needs are simple, it may be straightforward. Advice adds most when the business is most of the family's wealth, when several structures or family members are involved, or when the money has to fund the rest of your life.
How are your fees set?
Fees are agreed in writing before any work begins. A first conversation is complimentary and carries no obligation. Details are in our Financial Services Guide.
General information only. This page has been prepared without taking into account your objectives, financial situation or needs. Before acting on it, consider whether it is appropriate to you in light of your objectives, financial situation and needs. York does not provide tax advice; we work with your accountant on your own position.
Three steps, at your pace.
There is no obligation at any stage, and no recommendation is made until you engage us in writing.
01 A first conversation
Twenty to thirty minutes, complimentary, to understand the business, the family and the timing. A rough picture is enough.
02 A written plan
If we proceed, we agree the fee in writing first, then prepare a written plan for the proceeds and the family.
03 Put in place, and reviewed
We implement the plan when the proceeds arrive, and review it with you each year and whenever markets or life change.
Start with a conversation.
If you are considering a long-term advisory relationship, the first step is a 20–30 minute conversation to understand whether we are the right fit for you and your family.
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