Business Exit Planning
in Wilmette, 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 Wilmette.
Wilmette's professional community includes a meaningful number of business owners in healthcare, law, financial services, and specialty retail who have built enterprises while living in the community they serve. When these owners approach a sale, we coordinate the pre-sale tax planning, deal structure review, and retirement income transition that turns business equity into a sustainable North Shore retirement, accounting for Wilmette's above-average cost of living from day one.
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 Wilmette.
Many Wilmette residents are long-tenured professionals in downtown Chicago who commuted via Metra for decades. As they retire, they want to maintain their lifestyle in the community they love, which requires careful planning given Wilmette's higher cost of living.
Things Wilmette families ask.
Down the shore.
Talk to a Wilmette
advisor.
One free conversation about business exit planning, at your kitchen table, our Evanston office, or a video call.