1926 E. Fort Lowell Rd Suite 100
Tucson, AZ 85719
Contact Us
Mon - Thurs: 9:00 - 5:00 AZ
Fri: 9:00 - 3:00 AZ
1926 E. Fort Lowell Rd Suite 100
Tucson, AZ 85719
Contact Us
Mon - Thurs: 9:00 - 5:00 AZ
Fri: 9:00 - 3:00 AZ
For Tucson small business owners with $250K–$5M businesses who want to exit on their terms and retire with confidence
Fee-Based Fiduciary
20+ Years in Tucson
Tucson-Based
Transparent Fees
It’s late at night, and you’re staring at an offer for your business—the company you built from nothing. The number looks good. Maybe even better than good.
But instead of relief, you feel uncertain.
Is this offer actually fair? Will what’s left after taxes be enough to retire on? And if you’re not running this business anymore, who are you?
Business owners who plan their transitions sleep better knowing they got this once-in-a-lifetime decision right.
A smooth business transition means having a comprehensive exit strategy that coordinates sale timing, tax optimization, deal structure, and post-sale wealth management—all aligned with your retirement needs.
Common Misconception: “I just need a good business broker and a solid CPA.”
The Reality: Transitioning your business isn’t just about getting the highest offer. It’s about timing the sale with your retirement readiness, structuring the deal to minimize taxes, ensuring proceeds will actually fund your retirement, and coordinating with your existing retirement accounts.
The difference between a business sale and a business transition is the difference between a transaction and a plan.
Tucson’s economy runs on small businesses—not corporate headquarters. While that creates a vibrant local business community, it also means your exit strategy needs to account for different realities.
The Tucson Advantage: Arizona has no state capital gains tax on business sales, and Tucson’s lower cost of living means your exit dollars stretch further in retirement.
But Tucson Also Creates Unique Challenges:
The exit strategy that works elsewhere doesn’t always work for a Tucson contractor, restaurateur, or service business owner.
How We Help You Transition Your Business Smoothly
Our approach to business transition planning addresses the specific challenges Tucson small business owners face, while helping you avoid costly mistakes.
Exit Readiness Assessment
Before you accept any offer, we help you answer the question your business broker won’t ask: Will this sale actually fund your retirement? We analyze your existing retirement accounts, projected sale proceeds, lifestyle needs, and healthcare costs to determine if you’re financially ready to exit.
Tax-Efficient Deal Structuring
Working alongside your CPA, we help you understand the tax implications of different deal structures before you sign anything. Federal implications, installment sales versus lump sums, asset sales versus stock sales, and timing decisions can make enormous differences in what you keep. Learn more about our Tax Consulting services.
Post-Sale Wealth Management Strategy
The day after closing, you’ll have more liquid wealth than you’ve ever had. We create an investment and withdrawal strategy that turns that lump sum into sustainable retirement income—accounting for your timeline, risk tolerance, and the reality that you can’t go back and earn more if you run out.
Succession Planning Guidance
For family businesses, we help you evaluate whether selling to outsiders or transitioning to the next generation makes more sense. What are the financial implications of each path? How do you equalize inheritance for children not involved in the business? Explore our Business Exit & Succession Consulting approach.
Coordination With Your Professional Team
We work directly with your business broker, attorney, and CPA—asking the financial planning questions they’re not thinking about. What happens to your health insurance after the sale? When should you start Social Security? How does this affect your estate plan?
Contingency Planning
Deals fall apart. Buyers back out. Sales take longer than expected. We help you build backup plans for these scenarios so you’re never caught flat-footed.
A Tucson Business Owner Who Transitioned Successfully
From Confusion to Clarity
A local business owner had spent years building a successful company but had no clear plan for retirement. When offers started coming in, the big questions emerged: Was the valuation fair? Would the proceeds be enough to stop working? How should the sale be structured?
Through our planning process, we helped answer the questions their other advisors weren’t asking. We analyzed whether the sale proceeds would actually fund their retirement, worked with their accountant to explore more tax-efficient structuring options, and coordinated their existing retirement accounts with the business sale strategy.
The result? They made informed decisions about timing, structure, and what they actually needed from the sale. They avoided potential tax inefficiencies and gained confidence that their transition would work.
Most importantly, they approached the sale knowing they were making the right decision—not just hoping it would work out.
Business transition planning makes the most sense for Tucson-area business owners who:
Own a business worth $250K–$5M+ and are considering exit within the next five years
Depend on the business sale to fund most or all of retirement
Want to maximize after-tax sale proceeds through intelligent deal structuring
Are evaluating offers but unsure if they’re actually fair or sufficient
Need to decide between succession to family versus sale to outside buyers
Have existing retirement accounts that need coordination with sale proceeds
Worry about healthcare coverage gaps before Medicare eligibility
Want professional coordination between your broker, CPA, and attorney
Prefer fee-based fiduciary advice over commission-based product sales
Need contingency planning in case deals fall through or take longer than expected
If you’re tired of feeling controlled by money instead of controlling it, financial freedom planning can help you map a realistic path to independence.
Why Tucson Business Owners Trust Ironwood for Transition Planning
Choosing a fiduciary financial planner in Tucson shouldn’t feel like a leap of faith. Here’s what sets Ironwood apart when it comes to comprehensive financial planning:
Fee-Based Fiduciary
We receive no commissions on your business sale. Our only job is giving you objective advice about whether the deal makes sense for your retirement.
20+ Years Tucson Experience
We understand Tucson’s small business landscape and work with local business brokers, attorneys, and CPAs. The advice we give accounts for our local economy.
Comprehensive Transition Planning
We don’t just manage money after the sale—we help you plan the entire transition from business owner to retiree, including all the questions your broker and CPA won’t think to ask.
No-Pressure Consulting Approach
Our initial business transition consultation comes at no cost. You get to understand our approach before you commit to anything. We only charge for implementation if you decide to work together.
We help you keep more of your retirement savings working for you throughout retirement.
Your CPA and attorney are essential—but they typically focus on their specific domains. Your CPA handles tax compliance; your attorney handles legal documentation. Neither one is usually asking whether the sale proceeds will fund your retirement, or how this coordinates with your existing accounts. We work with your existing professionals to address the planning questions that fall between their responsibilities.
Ideally three to five years before you want to sell, which gives you time to optimize things tax-efficiently. But we work with owners at every stage. Even if you’ve already received an offer, planning can still help you avoid costly mistakes before signing.
This is why contingency planning matters. We help you understand: Can you afford to keep running the business longer? Should you pivot to succession planning instead? What other retirement income sources exist? You need a Plan B before you need it.
Our initial consultation is complimentary. After understanding your situation, we explain our fee structure so you can decide if the value matches the investment.
No. We’re fee-based, which means we’re compensated for advice and managing your investable assets—not product sales. If we’re not the right fit for managing your wealth post-sale, we’ll tell you.
You’ve built something valuable. Make sure your exit protects both your legacy and your retirement.
No pressure • No product sales • Just honest guidance about your transition
This is one of the biggest financial decisions you'll ever make.
You can’t afford to get it wrong, and you only get one chance to get it right.
Schedule your complimentary consultation today.
