How Advisors Can Spot When Business Clients Need Estate Planning

Good Planning Protects the Business You’ve Worked So Hard to Build

Business owners spend years—sometimes decades—building their life’s work. But without proper estate planning, everything they’ve built can become vulnerable overnight: to lawsuits, taxes, family conflict, or leadership gaps.

As a trusted advisor, you’re often the first to see the warning signs. Recognizing key triggers allows you to bring in estate planning at the right time—so your client’s business remains protected, stable, and positioned to thrive for the next generation.

1. Ownership Changes or Rapid Growth: New Structures, New Risks

When clients bring on new partners, restructure, or experience rapid growth, their risk landscape changes. An outdated plan—or no plan—can leave ownership unclear, trigger tax surprises, or complicate future transfers.

• Why it matters: Estate planning aligns ownership, governance, and tax strategies to protect the business from disruption.
  
• Advisor cue: “Your structure has evolved—let’s make sure your estate plan keeps up.”
  

2. Wealth Locked Inside the Business

For many owners, the business is the estate. But if all the value sits inside the company with no plan for transition, incapacity or death can put both the family and the business at risk.

• Why it matters: Proper planning creates liquidity, sets leadership protocols, and prevents the business from being forced into a fire sale.
  
• Advisor cue: “If something happened tomorrow, how would the business keep running?”
  

3. Family Dynamics: Who’s In, Who’s Out

When some family members are active in the business and others aren’t, lack of planning can lead to conflict that destabilizes operations. Clear governance, trusts, or succession plans can prevent disputes and keep the business on solid ground.

• Why it matters: Thoughtful estate planning protects the business from internal conflict and ensures leadership continuity.
  
• Advisor cue: “How do you see ownership and leadership passing to the next generation?”
  

4. Preparing for Exit or Succession

Whether the goal is a sale, retirement, or transition to heirs, estate planning ensures that the business remains intact through the handoff. Coordinating business succession with personal estate goals reduces taxes, provides clarity, and preserves business value.

• Why it matters: A strong estate plan turns a business handoff from a potential point of vulnerability into a smooth, strategic transition.
  
• Advisor cue: “Is your estate plan aligned with your succession strategy?”
  

5. Changing Tax Laws: A Narrow Window of Opportunity

With the estate tax exemption scheduled to drop in 2026, many business owners who were once “safe” may suddenly face significant exposure. Strategic planning now can lock in today’s higher exemptions and safeguard the business from future tax burdens.

• Why it matters: Planning early can mean the difference between preserving the business for heirs or selling assets to pay taxes.
  
• Advisor cue: “This is a critical window to protect the business from future tax liabilities.”
  

The Bottom Line: Estate Planning Is Business Protection

Estate planning isn’t just about wills and trusts—it’s about fortifying the business itself. As an advisor, you have a unique opportunity to spot vulnerabilities before they become crises. By raising the conversation at the right time, you help clients:

• Shield their business from taxes, lawsuits, and leadership gaps
  
• Ensure a smooth transition during incapacity or death
  
• Preserve family harmony and the company’s legacy
  

Call to Action:

Encourage your business-owner clients to get a “Business WellCheck”—a strategic assessment that identifies risks, opportunities, and planning gaps so their business stays protected, no matter what.