Sold My Business: Financial Advice to Secure the Proceeds

Turning Business Proceeds Into Long-Term Financial Security

If you’ve just sold your business, financial advice is no longer optional—it’s essential. The right planning at this stage can help you minimise tax, preserve your windfall, and turn a one-off event into a lasting legacy.

Selling your business is one of the most pivotal financial and emotional milestones you’ll ever experience. Whether the deal is already done or you’re in the final stages of exit planning, there’s a deceptively simple question that now looms large:

Whether you’ve completed the sale or are preparing to exit, you may now be asking a deceptively simple question:

“What do I do next?”

After years—often decades—of building something valuable, you’ve now crystallised wealth. That wealth needs a plan. Because without one, even an eight-figure exit can erode quickly through taxation, poor structuring, or misaligned investments.

This post outlines what every business owner should consider in the weeks and months following a sale—and how we help you preserve and grow what you’ve created.

Photo by Eric Prouzet on Unsplash

1. Capital Gains Tax: What’s Already Done—and What Can Still Be Planned

You may have benefited from Business Asset Disposal Relief (BADR)—formerly Entrepreneurs’ Relief—paying just 10% CGT on the first £1 million of lifetime gains.

But above that, 20% CGT typically applies, and for many, the planning doesn’t stop at completion.

We help you:

• Review the structure of proceeds (lump sum, deferred consideration, earn-out)

• Explore spousal transfers or settlement into trust if applicable pre-sale

• Coordinate with your accountant and solicitor to ensure tax efficiency isn’t left on the table

• Understand what’s taxable now—and what’s still deferrable

Even post-sale, you may have options to defer tax or mitigate exposure depending on how funds are handled.

2. Structuring the Proceeds: From Liquidity to Longevity

A successful exit often leads to a large cash event—and with it, new challenges:

• Where to hold the funds

• How to avoid unnecessary tax drag

• How to invest safely without putting capital at risk

Our clients typically use a mix of the following:

• Offshore bonds – for gross roll-up, income deferral, and control over timing of tax events

• General Investment Accounts (GIAs) – liquid and flexible, with structured drawdown options

• ISAs – tax-free wrapper for UK residents (limited in size, but useful annually)

• SIPPs – efficient for pension top-ups if age-appropriate

• Family Investment Companies (FICs) – for control, income splitting, and IHT planning

We tailor these to your timeline, risk appetite, and longer-term objectives—whether that’s retirement, reinvestment, philanthropy, or legacy.

3. Inheritance Tax Exposure: You’ve Likely Just Lost Business Relief

While your company may have qualified for Business Relief, the cash proceeds from your sale likely do not.

This means your estate may now face 40% inheritance tax on the full value unless you act.

We advise on:

• Excluded property trusts (especially for non-doms)

• Loan trusts and discounted gift schemes

• Whole-of-life insurance to create liquidity on death

• Gifting strategies and trust wrappers for generational planning

• FICs and other controlled entities for longer-term estate structuring

Acting early after a liquidity event opens up more options than waiting until retirement or later in life.

4. Investment Planning: Caution Without Paralysis

Having just de-risked your life, many sellers become naturally risk-averse. That’s understandable.

But inactivity has its own risks: inflation, opportunity cost, and failing to build a sustainable income plan.

We take a conservative, staged approach:

• Short-term cash management for near-term liquidity

• Medium-term portfolios aligned with your risk and income needs

• Long-term growth planning tailored to your retirement, lifestyle, or future ventures

We work with discretionary fund managers, tax specialists, and legal counsel to coordinate your plan across all touchpoints.

5. What Comes Next? Structuring Life After the Sale

For many former business owners, the question isn’t just financial—it’s personal:

• Do you want to work again?

• Do you want income or growth?

• Are you planning a sabbatical, relocation, or reinvention?

• What does “enough” look like, and how do you protect it?

We guide clients through these questions—not just with numbers, but with clarity and intention.

Final Word: You Sold the Business. Now Secure the Legacy.

Your business exit may have been the final chapter of one journey—but it’s also the first chapter of another.

Whether you’ve sold for £1 million or £50 million, what happens next can either secure your future—or put it quietly at risk.

We specialise in helping successful entrepreneurs structure their post-exit wealth—tax efficiently, transparently, and with care.

Book a Confidential Planning Call

If you’ve sold your business—or are about to—we’re here to help.

👉 Click here to book your confidential discovery meeting

You’ve built something extraordinary. Now let’s make sure it lasts.