At some point in time, every business owner will need to transition their business to new owners, which could be a business partner or management buy out, a transfer to family members or an outright sale of the business on the open market. Regardless of the expected exit strategy, every business and business-owner should probably …
In a split decision by the U.S. Tax Court (Suzanne J. Pierre v. Comm., 133 T.C. No. 2), the court dealt with the issue as to whether a single-member LLC is to be disregarded for transfer tax purposes (i.e., gift tax purposes), thus treating the gift as a direct gift of the underlying property of …
A recent case in the federal district court highlights the need to have some time elapse between the date of formation and funding of an FLP or FLLC and the date of gifting of interests in the FLP/FLLC. In Heckerman v U.S., the taxpayers (David and Susan Heckerman) took the following steps in gifting of …
We see a lot of tax cases about family limited partnerships (FLPs) and family limited liability companies (FLLCs) that have bad facts that ultimately lead to the loss of any valuation adjustments for estate and gift tax purposes (e.g., discounts for lack of control or lack of marketability). Some of the more common “bad facts” …
We often think of key people with admiration. If it weren’t for them, your business certainly wouldn’t be what it is today. First, what is a key person? A key person is someone, who if they resigned, died, or became disabled, could not be readily replaced and the loss would negatively affect your business. While many …
Value is addressed in the Buy-Sell agreement. It can be a fixed price, a formula to determine value, or a process to determine value. A fixed price is perhaps the easiest to understand and the most at risk of rewarding one party at the expense of another. It may be a reasonable measure of value …
Buy-Sell agreements can be an important part of your business, and should be well thought out. They can have legal, tax and valuation ramifications, so you should consult experts in each of these fields when drafting or modifying a Buy-Sell agreement. Buy-Sell agreements can be used for several purposes. The agreement can provide a market …
Most of your clients come to us for business valuation services because of outside requirements. They need an appraisal for tax compliance, financial reporting, or estate and gift planning among other reasons. While these are all legitimate needs you may face, you should also want an appraisal. If you’re thinking, why do I want an …