In the next two decades, the United States’ financial landscape will undergo a paradigm shift that will impact every American. Baby boomers are expected to transfer a jaw-dropping $30 trillion to younger generations and set off the greatest wealth transfer in history. But this event will be accompanied by significant challenges for the older generation, which will face the difficult decision of whether to sell or transfer their businesses.

There are approximately 12 million small businesses today. Combined with the fact that the success rate of selling is merely 30 percent, it is evident that this will be a retirement-planning hurdle for numerous business owners–many of whom have their net worth tied up in their companies.

MacLean Financial Group, Inc. (MFG) is setting the stage for business owners to efficiently plan this succession, control their exit, and maximize their business value. The company strives to help business owners take up the baton to direct their financial life and devise strategies to enjoy the financial freedom they deserve. Whether it is a small business owner, an investor preparing to retire, or a retiree, MFG’s professional advisors help them identify their most important objectives and devise strategies to accomplish them.
“We take our clients through their journey of growing business, increasing shareholder value, making their business more efficient, and ultimately, easily transferable,” says Hawley MacLean, Founder, President, and CEO of MacLean Financial Group, Inc.

A Comprehensive Suite of Client-centric Services

From investment management to retirement guidance, MFG’s advisors cover the gamut and help their clients integrate their financial objectives into one coherent plan.

MFG offers its clients business financial planning, which focuses on their continued success, whether in transitioning ownership of their company, retaining and rewarding their employees, or improving their corporate benefits. MFG’s advisors enable business owners to analyze financial planning gaps, devise strategies to protect their enterprise against loss of key position holders, and strengthen employee loyalty via custom insurance and 401K retirement plans.

MFG’s risk management services help to ensure the longevity of the client’s families. The insurance experts help business owners protect their most critical assets and future-proof their operations against unforeseen events. The team combines investment management with their unique insurance knowledge, and provide personalized life, long-term care, disability insurance, and more.

Among the myriad assets a business may own, human resources, is the most important one, by far.

Setting up a retention and retirement incentive program is a smart way for businesses to provide for their employees while augmenting operational outcomes. To achieve this, MFG enables its clients to recruit, reward, and retain key employees, and boost their morale. From veteran leadership down to new recruits, MFG’s advisors help businesses structure tailored retirement and retention strategies for their employees.

Whether a business owner is at the pinnacle of success, a couple of years away from retirement, or already evaluating retirement offers, MFG’s advisors prepare them for the future. The advisors enable them to create an investment plan that addresses their short and long-term financial goals and develop a reliable source of income. MFG offers tailored strategies that fit its clients’ current economic stature while providing a foundation for future growth. Their professional advisors offer insurance, develop tax-advantaged college savings plans, and enable business owners to enjoy financial independence. Hawley MacLean and Dan Springer are Certified Exit Planning Advisors (CEPA) with years of experience in the wealth transition domain and suggest strategies and policies that generate valuable business outcomes.

"Business Outcomes Are Not Necessarily Always The Ultimate Goal. What Matters Is Having The Client Know That They Have People On Their Side Who Can Coach Them As They Go Through The Transition Planning"

“Our planning process prepares business owners financially for the next chapter in their lives,” adds MacLean.

Wealth transfer goes beyond the mere transfer of money–it’s the bestowal of essential and lasting values and beliefs to the next generation. MacLean Financial Group’s approach sustains a business owner’s legacy and preserves their foundational principles. The company incorporates its fiduciary responsibility into its estate and succession planning services. It promotes a business’s continuous success, generation after generation, and enables business owners to accumulate assets required to support their desired post-retirement lifestyle.

Financial Stewardship for Uncertain Scenarios

Small and medium-sized businesses (SME) are often more vulnerable in uncertain times. An effective strategy for these businesses is to plan ahead. To assist communities, MFG offers a free financial action checklist to help business owners move forward when challenged.

With these client-centric services, MFG has partnered with numerous SMEs and helped them navigate emerging industry challenges. Since many are family-owned, there is an auxiliary degree of complexity associated with designing a transition plan around the families.

“We build a contingency plan and educate business owners on where their business value lies and how dependent the business is on them,” says Dan Springer, Director of the Wealth Planning Team at MacLean Financial Group. “It’s only then that we build a transition plan and identify the most viable transition for them.”

These services improve the financial health of an organization and eliminate financial bottlenecks, giving business owners the confidence needed to successfully run their operations. MFG also offers a master planning program that aims at optimizing business processes.

In the master planning program, MFG’s professional advisors educate business owners about the shortcomings of their financial planning, provide them with ways to improve and organize their strategies, and optimize them in accordance with their financial goals. The professional advisors support clients throughout their entire process and assist them in whatever way possible. The program is customized according to client requirements during the first year of interaction. As the business grows and needs change, MFG modifies the program and ensures that the client makes the best of it.

“Business outcomes are not always the ultimate goal. What matters is that the client knows that they have people on their side who can coach them as they go through the transition planning,” says Springer.

The cornerstone of MFG’s operations is its holistic approach to engaging with clients. The experts follow the ‘analyze, recommend, implement, and review’ methodology that enhances clients’ operational efficiency and augments business outcomes. MFG’s team spends a great deal of time with their clients to comprehensively understand their requirements and encourage them to start by envisioning their financial goals. The team then analyze their policies to identify deficits. As the team gains a deeper understanding of the client’s operations, they provide appropriate recommendations that are designed for both short- and long-term success. These suggested plans are collaborative, easy-to-follow and clearly define the actions to be taken.

This is followed by routinely reviewing strategies to ensure they satisfy the business owners’ financial objectives. Using this approach, MFG has forged long-term relationships with many clients and provided them with the resources, analysis, and support needed to navigate dynamic financial narratives.

For MacLean Financial Group, fostering a trust-based relationship with clients is the linchpin to its success. MFG’s team abides by its popular motto, ‘FCO–First Class Only,’ offering the most befitting services, building trust, and working with their clients over their lifetime. Hawley MacLean’s real-life experience in owning and operating many successful businesses and growing them to over a billion dollars in net worth reassures clients of the values his company brings to the table.

MacLean is an industry professional who founded MFG in 1990 to help businesses grow and become more profitable by paying lower taxes, retaining key employees, addressing compensation, protecting assets, and planning their succession. Over the last three decades, MacLean put together a team of passionate professionals and accomplished entrepreneurs from diverse backgrounds–legal, tax, investment, insurance, finance, accounts, HR, and more–who holistically address their clients’ challenges.

Looking ahead, MacLean Financial Group aims to continue to offer its services and help its clients preserve their most valuable assets. With its team of advisors on board, MFG remains at the forefront of this transition and facilitates the most significant wealth transfer in the history of America.