Who We Serve
Business Owners – Mark, the Goal-Oriented Founder
After launching an unfulfilling career in the healthcare industry, Mark successfully launched his own company and was enjoying his fifth year of double-digit earnings growth. Mark sought out Rockwood because he was displeased with his former advisor’s lack of proactivity, poor grasp of advanced planning for business owners, and the absence of a comprehensive view of how the value of his business needed to be integrated into his future cash flow planning and legacy planning. Mark knew that if his advisor did not understand his unique needs, then the advisor would be of limited value in helping him achieve his long-term goals.
During the Mutual Discovery Meeting, Mark outlined his concerns about his retirement trajectory, upcoming college expenses, the increased complexity of his tax return, the lack of coordination in his asset protection program, his stalled business succession plan, and his desire for the preservation of his estate. Mark was missing crucial opportunities to optimize his financial resources and lacked the clarity and advisory partnership needed to transition his business to the next generation while fueling it for the next stage of growth.
Now in a productive advisory relationship, Mark has established a business succession plan with appropriate buy/sell life insurance provisions, opened a Donor-Advised Fund to improve the tax efficiency of his charitable giving, and modernized his family’s estate planning documents to provide for thoughtful trust structures for his daughters. He has also implemented an improved profit-sharing retirement plan for his business, optimized his compensation structure to take advantage of the Qualified Business Income deduction, and established customized 529 college savings accounts to ensure his daughters’ education expenses are met in a tax-efficient manner.
The process of working with Rockwood to develop and continuously update his comprehensive wealth management plan has offered Mark renewed confidence in the attainment of his goals and has reinvigorated his businesses.
The storylines above approximate subcategories of the broad client demographic with whom we work. These parables are intended to reflect a typical client relationship; however, nothing contained herein represents a statement of a client’s experience with or endorsement of our firm.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you integrate the value of my business into my personal wealth plan?
A: We weave your business’s projected value directly into your long-term plan so that your succession, liquidity event, and legacy goals align with your personal cash flow needs. In doing so, we help you make decisions (e.g., reinvest vs. sell, timing, structure) that serve both your business and your life.
How do I choose the right 401(k) plan for my small or mid-sized business?
A: We review your business goals, employee profile, cost sensitivity, and IRS rules to recommend retirement plan structures that work for both you and your team. Because we are a fee-only firm, we don’t push proprietary plans. We aim to match you with providers and designs that are competitive, transparent, and well-suited to your business.
Will you help me design pre-liquidity strategies to reduce taxes or protect value?
A: Yes. Before a business sale, there are advanced strategies—like installment sales, grantor trusts, charitable lead trusts, or rollover equity structures—that may manage tax exposure or preserve more wealth for you and your heirs. We bring together legal, tax, and transaction advisors to build a plan that helps tailor those strategies to your situation.