Business Exit Planning
in Barrington, IL.
You built something worth selling. Now make the proceeds last.
For most business owners, the sale is the retirement plan. The proceeds have to replace the salary, the benefits, and the income stream you've depended on for decades. That's a high-stakes transition, and it requires more than just a financial advisor who handles 401(k)s.
At our firm, we've guided business owners in Chicago's Northern Suburbs through exits and liquidity events for nearly 50 years. We know the questions to ask before you sign, and the mistakes to avoid after the wire hits.
What this looks like in Barrington.
Barrington has a strong business owner community, particularly in professional services, specialty retail, and the agricultural and equestrian industries that define the surrounding countryside. Business exit planning for Barrington owners involves the specific county context (Cook or Lake, depending on the property location) and the particular income structure needed to sustain a Barrington lifestyle post-sale, including the property maintenance costs that are higher here than in more urban Northern Suburbs communities.
The county details.
Cook County business sellers face a tax environment with two important state-level considerations. Illinois taxes capital gains at the flat 4.95% rate with no preferential capital gains treatment, adding to the federal capital gains tax on the full gain. On a $3 million gain, the Illinois tax alone is approximately $148,500. The Illinois estate tax is equally important: business sale proceeds that substantially increase net worth can push a Cook County family well above the $4 million Illinois exemption, making pre- and post-sale estate planning essential. We address both the Illinois capital gains exposure and the post-sale estate tax picture before any deal closes.
Why Barrington.
Barrington sits at the intersection of four counties (Cook, Lake, Kane, and McHenry), which creates unique property tax and estate planning considerations depending on where exactly a client lives. Many Barrington clients are business owners or executives with above-average wealth and a strong desire to remain in the community, which makes income planning around local cost of living a priority.
Things Barrington families ask.
Down the shore.
Talk to a Barrington
advisor.
One free conversation about business exit planning, at your kitchen table, our Evanston office, or a video call.