For Business Owners
Owners and partners whose business and personal financial situations are intertwined, and whose planning needs to address continuation, key-person exposure, and succession.
What we typically help with
Business owners face planning needs that overlap personal and business interests. Common areas where we add value:
- Key-person insurance to protect the business from the loss of essential people. Estimate the coverage with our key-person needs calculator.
- Buy-sell agreement funding — life insurance, disability buy-out — coordinated with the partnership or shareholder agreement. Estimate the funding with our buy-sell funding calculator.
- Business continuation and succession planning, integrated with the owner's estate plan and the business attorney's work.
- Personal protection structures (life, disability, long-term care) that account for the owner's reliance on business income.
- SBA and lender-required life insurance — the collateral assignment condition handled correctly, including complex-underwriting cases, plus a written review of any policy placed under a closing deadline. See SBA loan insurance.
- Tax-efficient accumulation strategies that work alongside the business's own retirement plan structures.
If your buy-sell was written before mid-2024, it deserves a fresh look
Two things changed recently for closely held businesses. In Connelly v. United States (2024), the Supreme Court held unanimously that when a company owns life insurance to redeem a deceased owner's shares, the proceeds count toward the company's value for estate tax — and the redemption obligation does not offset them. And as of January 1, 2026, the federal estate exemption is $15 million per person, which changes the math in both directions: some owners who worried in 2024 are comfortably clear, while owners of larger businesses may be closer to the line than they think.
The screening question takes ten seconds: who owns the policies in your buy-sell? If the answer is "the company," the agreement is worth reviewing against the new numbers — with your CPA and attorney at the table before anyone talks about insurance. Sometimes that review ends in a restructured agreement. Often, under the new exemption, it ends in "you're fine — confirmed, in writing." Both are good outcomes. Read the full explanation: Connelly, the 2026 exemption, and your buy-sell agreement.
How engagements usually start
The first conversation explores:
- Business structure, age, partner situation, and the existing buy-sell or continuation arrangements.
- Existing insurance — personal and business — and where the real exposures are.
- Your CPA, business attorney, and any other advisors we would coordinate with.
- What's prompting the conversation now — a specific event, a strategic review, or a recognition that planning has been deferred.
No commitments are made in a first conversation. The goal is to determine whether a structured engagement makes sense.
Already know you want straightforward term coverage? The fast path for a decision you have already made — no discovery process required.
Request a term life quoteWant to discuss your specific situation?
A first conversation is exploratory and at no cost. We'll discuss what you're considering and whether our practice is the right fit.
Schedule a ConsultationOr start smaller: get a second opinion on a pitch or policy you already have.