Hypothetical: a manufacturing owner considering a sale
A hypothetical illustration. Not an actual client and not a representation of any result.
The situation
An owner has run a manufacturing company for several decades. Most of the family's net worth is tied up in the business. A competitor has expressed interest. The owner's accountant handles the company return, and the owner has an investment account managed elsewhere. There is a will from many years ago and an unfunded trust.
What a coordinated review would examine
- Whether the owner's post sale income requirement has been defined at all.
- Whether the CPA has modeled after tax proceeds under alternative deal structures.
- Which planning approaches would close once a letter of intent is signed.
- Whether the business could operate without the owner during a transition period.
- Whether the estate documents and beneficiary designations reflect current intent.
- What the owner intends to do after closing, and whether that has been discussed at home.
Who would be involved
- A transaction attorney for deal structure and documents.
- The CPA for tax modeling, engaged before negotiations advance.
- A broker or M&A advisor for market process.
- An estate attorney to update documents and fund the trust.
- A wealth strategist to keep the owner's personal objective visible across all of it.
The point of the illustration
- Nobody in this hypothetical did anything wrong.
- The gaps appear between the professionals, not inside any one of their work.
- Timing determines how many of those gaps can still be addressed.
Important disclosure
This is a hypothetical illustration created for educational purposes. It does not describe an actual client, does not represent any actual outcome, and is not a guarantee or prediction of results. No specific figures, returns or tax savings are stated or implied. Individual circumstances differ substantially.
Last reviewed 2026-08-09 by Tim Parnell.
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