| Home · Online Publications · Journal of Accountancy · Online Issues · October 1999 · By the Numbers |
|
A survey of 300 privately
held businesses revealed some of the decisions
owners must make when they're thinking about selling.
| The top-rated succession objectives of business owners were | ||
| Ranking | Goal | |
| 1 | Maximizing financial return | |
| 2 | Minimizing tax liability | |
| 3 | Protecting the company's future viability | |
| 4 | Minimizing risk to themselves | |
| 5 | Protecting employees' jobs | |
| Owners who had a succession plan in place said its most important element was | ||
| Ranking | Element | |
| 1 | Creating a buy-sell agreement among shareholders | |
| 2 | Arranging to transfer ownership to a child or children after the owner retires or dies | |
| 3 | Establishing a family trust to transfer company stock through gifts over time | |
| The most common methods owners used to sell their businesses were |
