Unique Assets Require Unique Planning For Risk Management

Not so fast: With unique assets, things aren't always straightforward. More specifically, owners of unique assets – such as family businesses, legacy real estate and valuable art, coin and other collections – need to consider specialized risk management.

When you own a small business, and especially if you and your family are the sole owners of a not-so-small business, it’s important to remember that personal planning and financial planning are not separate activities. Unique assets call for comprehensive planning; whether legacy real estate or a valuable collection, but this is especially true if the asset is a business.

Financial Planning recently ran a piece on this very issue and I thought it was worth passing along. According to the author, you likely practice some form of risk management in your business. In fact, you probably know all too well that things don’t always go along as planned, and, when Murphy’s Law strikes, there’s a great deal at stake. An even greater source of risk is personal when your business life, personal and family lives are one and the same. In short, you need a risk management plan for your business, yourself and your family in the form of comprehensive estate and succession planning.

The original article has much more to say on the topic, with some stories that sound all too familiar.

Reference: Financial Planning (October 1, 2011) “To Collect and Protect”