November 14, 2016

Many entrepreneurs have one thing in common: they tend to like to do everything by themselves, at least when the company is started. Over time, however, what tends to separate the extremely successful from the barely surviving is being able to tap into other resources and surrounding the entrepreneurial journey with a team of professional advisors who help him or her implement short and long-term strategy. 

Entrepreneurs have unique estate planning needs. In addition to thinking about the future of their own assets, it’s equally important to consider the future of the business, too. Finding the right estate planning attorney can have a big impact on an entrepreneur’s ability to plan. There are five primary tools that most entrepreneurs should consider when putting together their estate and their long-term business planning. Meeting with the right lawyer can help to identify the best opportunities to move forward with estate planning while keeping the future of the company in mind as well.

The top six tools that can help an entrepreneur include:

• A trust
• A buy-sell agreement
• A trust
• Power of attorney
• A will
• A succession plan

In many cases, the estate planning for an entrepreneur may be infused with both individual and business plans. This is why it’s so crucial to identify an attorney who understands that and works to create a comprehensive and personalized plan for the business owner. Having to suddenly exit the business due to incapacity, for example, can raise a lot of questions for the entrepreneur about who is empowered to make medical or financial decisions for the business owner but also how the company will be handled, whether it’s a short or long-term absence.

Entrepreneurs frequently pour their heart and soul into founding and growing a company. Determining the most appropriate way to protect it is equally important. Make sure you identify an estate planning lawyer with experience helping individuals as well as business owners with estate planning and succession planning needs. The right lawyer can give you a lot of peace of mind about the future.