
A Guide to Retiring as a Business Owner
Business owners must plan their retirement differently—because exiting the company is both a financial and emotional decision.

Business owners must plan their retirement differently—because exiting the company is both a financial and emotional decision.

Stay the course. Don’t overreact. Think long-term.

People approaching retirement ponder numerous questions. However, I’ve found that many of the most important questions revolve around the word ‘when.’

Talk to just about any financial adviser, and they will urge you to enter retirement without debt. However, while a goal of beginning your golden years in the black is laudable, the reality can be very different.

It is a longtime investor’s worst fear: retiring into a bear market. A downturn in stocks can be a blessing in disguise when you are still working and saving for retirement, because you are able to buy shares ‘on sale.’

Inflation hurts everyone. It seems to reach every sector, product and business in one way or another, whether it raises the cost of heating your home, lunches or road trips. However, if you’re a retiree, you may be particularly worried about inflation because your spending habits and income sources might be disproportionately exposed to inflation.

Lawmakers in recent days took the first steps in ensuring that veterans receive a cost-of-living boost in their federal benefits later this year, introducing legislation that would guarantee the veterans’ checks see the same increase as Social Security payouts.

A common and often costly mistake when it comes to business succession planning is not starting the process early enough.

Sometimes only taking the minimum IRA distribution can be a costly mistake. When deciding how much to withdraw this year, you need to consider the big picture. For some people, it makes sense to go big.

However, if you are retired and no longer generating employment income, you should make sure you weigh the financial implications of any potential move.