You've built your wealth management practice from the ground up. Taking some or all of your chips off the table after years of dedication may seem difficult, especially while business is booming. However, holding on for too long can cause more harm than good — and potentially cost you and your family hundreds of thousands of hard-earned dollars.
As an entrepreneur, I've sat on both sides of the table and understand the psychological obstacles of monetizing your business and giving up total control of "your baby."
You built it from scratch and worked long, hard hours making it successful — the idea of making such a drastic change can be overwhelming. From experience, I can tell you that facing the inevitable head-on will bring you, your clients and your staff more peace of mind and monetary reward in the long run.
Wealth management firm owners must recognize the right time to sell, and for many who have spent decades building their businesses, that time is now. Here's why the current environment presents a great opportunity to put the for-sale sign on your firm.
Taxes are the lowest they've ever been.
And they're not headed any lower with a new administration in command. President Joe Biden has proposed increasing the corporate income tax rate from 21% to 28% and the long-term capital gains tax rate from 20% to 39.6% on income above $1 million. Putting your business on the market ahead of forthcoming tax hikes could prevent its profits and value from deteriorating in the future.
The market is at an all-time high.
After nose diving in March 2020, the market has staged an incredible rebound and is back to historically high levels. Don't push your luck though. No one knows when the next downturn will occur, and it may not be as short-lived as the last. For instance, it took eight years for the S&P 500 to recover following the 2000 dot-com bubble burst and about six years for the S&P 500 to recoup its losses after the 2008 market crash.
The point is, wouldn't you rather sell your business now while valuations are sky-high and buyers are willing to pay top dollar? If you sell too early, you may miss a few points. If you sell too late, however, you may miss out astronomically and have to wait years for your business to fully bounce back.
Stuart Silverman is the president of Bluespring Wealth Partners, a company focused exclusively on acquiring registered investment adviser and wealth management firms through streamlined and unique succession strategies.
