Estate Planning & Business Protection: w/ M.Schutz, R.Hugos, J.Larsen, E. Quanaim, S. Sessa

Strategic Value Masters: Estate Planning & Business Protection Most business owners wait for a crisis—death, disability, or divorce—before thinking about what happens next. This panel breaks down why that’s the costliest mistake you can make, and how to protect your business and your family before life forces your hand. Key Topics: 📋 The Four Buckets Framework Ownership, control, incapacity, and death—every business succession plan must address all four. Miss one and you’ve got a gap that becomes a crisis. 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Community Property Reality Check Your spouse may own 50% of a business they’ve never operated. Without proper planning, that creates chaos at the worst possible time. 📄 Documents That Must Sing Together Your estate plan and business documents can’t exist in silos. Operating agreements, buy-sell provisions, powers of attorney, and trusts must align—or they’ll conflict when it matters most. 🤖 What AI Can’t Do Online forms and AI tools don’t ask about family relationships, substance issues, or creditor problems. The human element is where things get messy—and where real planning happens. 💼 Build Your Team Early Estate planner, financial advisor, CPA, valuator—you are the hub, they are the spokes. Find one you trust, then let them help you assemble the rest. 🔁 Review Every 3-5 Years Fixed valuations go stale. Family dynamics shift. Markets change. A plan that worked five years ago may be a liability today. Featured Panelists: Marlyn Schutz – Estate Lawyer Jennifer Larsen – Financial Advisor Rob Hugos – Estate Lawyer Elizabeth Quanaim – Insurance/Risk Stephanie Sessa – Austin Charity Fund Bill Thompson – Associate Director, Texas State SBDC Moderated by Dr. Jana Minifie, Certified Business Valuator “Nobody’s getting out of this alive. Planning for incapacity and end of life as a guaranteed event is the only real plan.”