An attorney, a banker, and a CPA cover the transaction. A fiduciary advisor covers what happens to the proceeds — and the planning window closes earlier than most owners expect.
Most owners assemble a deal team the moment a sale becomes real: an M&A advisor to run the process, an attorney to paper it, a CPA to handle the return. That team is built to close the transaction. It is not built to answer what the proceeds are supposed to do afterward.
The planning that matters most tends to expire quietly. Trust structures, staged sale timing, and charitable vehicles generally need to be in place well before a letter of intent. Once terms are signed, the menu narrows sharply.
Bringing a fiduciary advisor in early does two things. It keeps the after-tax outcome in view while the structure is still negotiable, and it means the portfolio, the estate plan, and the family's cash needs are already designed when the wire arrives.