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 business owners selling their companies who need a fiduciary to coordinate deal structure, tax strategy, reinvestment planning, and post-exit income—so your life’s work transitions smoothly and your wealth works for the rest of your life.
Fee-Based Fiduciary
20+ Years in Tucson
Tucson-Based
Transparent Fees
Selling a business isn’t just a transaction. It’s the end of one chapter and the beginning of another—and most owners aren’t prepared for what comes after the check clears.
You’ve spent decades building something from the ground up. Your business wasn’t just your income—it was your identity, your security, and probably the single largest asset you’ll ever own.
But here’s what most business owners don’t realize until it’s too late: the complexity of a business sale isn’t just about getting the best price. It’s about making sure that decision doesn’t create problems you can’t undo.
The pieces don’t connect.
Your broker is focused on closing the deal. Your accountant is handling this year’s tax return. Your attorney is reviewing contracts. But who’s asking the hard questions?
These aren’t small questions. They’re the difference between a confident transition and sleepless nights wondering if you made the right call.
In Tucson, our economy is built on small businesses—contractors, professional practices, service companies, family-owned operations. Arizona’s flat income tax, reinvestment decisions, and the reality of replacing business income with portfolio withdrawals all create planning considerations that need to be addressed before you sign anything.
One Tucson business owner came to us after receiving an offer for his contracting company. He had a broker pushing him to close quickly and a CPA focused on minimizing his current-year tax bill. But no one was helping him answer the question that kept him up at night: “Can I actually live off this?”
We modeled his post-sale cash flow, stress-tested it against market downturns and inflation, coordinated tax strategies with his accountant, and designed a retirement income plan that gave him the confidence to move forward.
That’s what comprehensive business exit consulting does. It coordinates all the moving pieces—deal structure, tax efficiency, reinvestment strategy, and income planning—so your business sale serves your life, not just creates a taxable event.
Business Exit & Succession Consulting is the financial, tax, and wealth management strategy that wraps around your business sale—before, during, and after the deal closes.
It’s not about selling the business (that’s your broker). It’s not just tax preparation (that’s your CPA). And it’s not legal contracts (that’s your attorney).
It’s the strategic coordination layer that makes sure every decision supports what you’re actually trying to accomplish: a smooth transition from business owner to whatever comes next, with enough income to live the life you want.
“My broker handles everything.”
Brokers are skilled at negotiating deals. But their job ends at closing. They’re not designing your retirement income plan or stress-testing whether the proceeds will last thirty years.
“My CPA will tell me the tax strategy.”
CPAs are essential for tax compliance. But most focus on this year’s return, not multi-year tax modeling or deal structure scenarios. We work with your CPA—we don’t replace them—to model tax-efficient strategies before you commit.
“I’ll figure out what to do with the money after it hits my account.”
Post-exit planning should start well before closing. Waiting until the wire arrives often leads to rushed decisions or missed tax-planning opportunities that can’t be recovered.
“Succession planning is only for multi-million dollar companies.”
If your business is funding your retirement, you need an exit plan. The stakes are the same: getting it right the first time.
Estate consulting means your financial reality matches your legal documents—reviewed regularly, stress-tested, and coordinated across your full financial plan.
Tucson’s economy runs on small businesses—contractors, medical practices, professional services, family-owned operations. Here’s where comprehensive exit consulting makes a practical difference:
1. Small business deal dynamics
Most Tucson exits fall in a range where traditional M&A advisory fees don’t make sense, but the financial complexity is still significant. You need tax strategy, income planning, and reinvestment coordination.
2. Tax efficiency in Arizona’s flat-tax environment
Deal structure matters. Asset sale versus stock sale, installment payments, and timing of income recognition can all shift your after-tax proceeds. Arizona’s flat income tax means you need to model carefully.
3. Replacing your business income
For most Tucson owners, the business was both their paycheck and their retirement account. The critical question isn’t just “Did I get a good price?”—it’s “Can I generate income from this for the rest of my life?”
4. Coordinating professionals who don’t talk to each other
You’ll work with a broker, a CPA, and an attorney. Someone needs to coordinate the strategy so tax moves, deal structure, and wealth management align.
5. Reinvestment strategy and risk management
Going from business equity to liquid assets creates new risks. Sudden liquidity after decades of value locked in your company can lead to emotional decisions during market volatility.
6. The identity transition no one talks about
Selling your business is a life change, not just a financial event. We help you build a post-exit plan that addresses both the money and the “now what?”
Business exit consulting is a coordinated process that starts before you list your company and continues through reinvestment and income planning. Here’s what we do:
1. Pre-Sale Financial Modeling & Readiness Assessment
We model whether the expected proceeds support your retirement goals. We stress-test scenarios against spending needs, inflation, healthcare costs, and market volatility—so you enter negotiations knowing your walk-away number.
2. Deal Structure & Tax Strategy Coordination
We work alongside your CPA to evaluate asset versus stock sales, installment structures, and timing strategies. The goal is to help you keep more of what you’ve built by modeling scenarios before you commit.
3. Liquidity Event Transition Planning
We map the timeline from letter of intent through closing, identify tax-planning windows, and coordinate with your attorney and accountant so critical steps don’t fall through the cracks.
4. Post-Exit Portfolio Design & Reinvestment Strategy
We build a diversified investment strategy aligned to your income needs and risk tolerance. We stress-test for sequence risk, avoid concentration, and set guardrails to prevent emotional decisions.
5. Retirement Income Architecture & Replacement Strategy
Your business was your paycheck. We design a sustainable withdrawal approach, coordinate Social Security timing, and model income scenarios so you’re not making withdrawal decisions based on anxiety.
6. Ongoing Reviews & Behavioral Coaching
Post-exit life is a transition. We meet regularly to adjust the plan, educate you on market conditions, and help you stay calm during volatility.
What You Receive:
After three decades building a successful Tucson business, this entrepreneur in his mid-60s faced a critical decision: sell now for immediate proceeds, or invest time in a strategic exit that could fundamentally change his retirement security. He was the last partner standing, the business represented his entire retirement nest egg, and he’d never planned the exit strategy—he’d focused on making the business successful. Without proper planning, he risked leaving significant value on the table.
We started with questions, not products. What did retirement actually need to look like? How much was truly necessary? Then we mapped a strategic five-year exit approach. We developed the tax strategy, modeled deal structures to minimize tax concentration, identified Roth conversion windows, and helped quarterback his full team—business broker, CPA, and attorney—ensuring every decision aligned with both maximizing value and supporting his long-term income needs.
The patient, structured approach significantly enhanced the business’s value compared to a quick sale. The tax planning meant he kept substantially more of what he’d built. He gained confidence he wasn’t rushing into a decision he’d regret or leaving opportunities undiscovered. Months after closing, he reflected that taking the time to plan properly changed everything—both in proceeds and in retirement security.
Read the full story:
Not every business owner needs deep exit planning. But if any of these situations sound familiar, this service can help:
You’re considering selling your business or have received an offer
You’re within three to eighteen months of a potential exit
Your business represents your primary retirement asset
You want to structure the transaction to minimize taxes
You need coordination between your broker, CPA, and attorney
You’re a Tucson-based business owner transitioning toward retirement
You want a fiduciary to help reinvest proceeds and design post-exit income
If these describe your situation, estate consulting ensures your dollars and documents work together—reviewed regularly, coordinated with specialists, built around protecting your family.
Why Tucson Business Owners Trust Ironwood for Exit Planning
Choosing who guides your IRA strategy matters because mistakes are expensive and often irreversible. Here’s what sets Ironwood apart:
Fiduciary, not product-driven
Our recommendations are built around your goals, not investment or insurance commissions.
Coordination with your existing team
We work alongside your broker, CPA, and attorney—ensuring all the pieces connect.
Pre-sale modeling, not post-sale cleanup
We help you model retirement readiness before you accept an offer—so you negotiate from knowledge.
Tucson small business expertise
We’ve worked with contractors, medical practices, and locally owned businesses. We understand Tucson’s economy.
Tax-smart coordination
We collaborate with CPAs to model deal structure scenarios and timing strategies before you sign agreements.
Post-exit income planning
We help you build a retirement income plan so the proceeds support your life for decades.
Ongoing relationship, not one-time advice
We stay with you through portfolio design, income planning, and market volatility—with regular reviews.
We coordinate estate complexity into clarity—working with your specialists, adapting as your life changes, focused on protecting your family.
Ideally twelve to eighteen months before listing (or as soon as you’re seriously considering a sale). That allows us to model scenarios, coordinate tax strategies, and help you set a realistic walk-away number. But if you’re further along, we can still add value.
They sell the business and negotiate the transaction. We focus on the financial strategy: “Will these proceeds support retirement?” “How should I structure this to reduce taxes?” “What do I do with the money afterward?”
No. We work with them. Your CPA handles tax preparation. Your attorney manages contracts. We coordinate the financial and tax strategy and ensure everything aligns with your retirement objectives.
We assist with pre-sale planning and deal coordination, and charge a fee based on assets under management if you want us to manage proceeds post-exit. Everything is transparent and disclosed in writing. No product sales.
Business sales collapse more often than people expect. If that happens, the financial modeling we’ve completed still serves you. It clarifies your retirement readiness and creates a roadmap for the future.
Selling your business is one of the most significant financial decisions you’ll make. You don’t need to navigate it alone—or rely on scattered advice from professionals who don’t coordinate.
The easiest way to start is a conversation with a fiduciary who understands Tucson’s business landscape and can map your exit strategy clearly.
What you can expect: An honest assessment of your readiness, pre-sale financial modeling, and a clear outline of how we’d coordinate with your broker, CPA, and attorney—no sales pitch.
