The October 3, 2011 Employee Ownership Update is online and discusses the following:

As you may know from your financial planning and estate planning efforts, business owners can build a significant amount of wealth in the company they have invested their life creating and growing.  Unfortunately this value is accumulated in an otherwise illiquid asset, preventing a business owner from enjoying the fruits of his or her labor.  There is also the risk of having a large portion of wealth tied up in a single concentrated stock position. 

We recently discussed how the DOL Will Re-Propose DOL Regulation to Change the Definition of Fiduciary.  The fact that the DOL is even re-proposing the regulation is due to the hard work of the ESOP community.  It is also due to the negative ramifications the proposal would have had on IRAs and 401(k) plans and the significant lobbying power of their respective industries.  Be Respectful: But Be Respected as Well reviews the ability of the ESOP community to respond quickly and discusses how the ESOP community has at times been overlooked by members of Congress.  It suggests sending a second letter to your Congressional representatives to clarify your ESOP-specific concerns: 

The IRS has announced the 2012 pension plan limits, including the following:

The September 15, 2011 Employee Ownership Update is online and discusses the following:

In our discussion on how Selling to an ESOP Creates an Internal Market and Built-In Buyer I mentioned how an ESOP transaction can be closed in as soon as 60-90 days.  While a more realistic time frame is three to six months, a properly planned straightforward ESOP transaction can take place in 60-90 days if the seller is committed to selling to an ESOP and is willing and able to respond quickly and make timely decisions.  A tight deadline will make it that much more important to have assembled a competent and experienced team of ESOP experts to close the deal.  The ESOP consultant that will be coordinating the ESOP implementation efforts will need ESOP expertise and strong time and project management skills to keep the transaction moving forward on schedule.  If timing is a concern and there is not enough time to complete the ESOP transaction by the desired deadline, there are ways to structure a transaction so the company and business owner are able to maximize the financial benefits while a deal is being finalized.

7 Unusual Ways to Motivate Your Employees shares seven employee motivation best practices:

The September 1, 2011 Employee Ownership Update is online and discusses the following:

Are you beginning to consider your business transition alternatives?  Whether you are looking for an exit strategy in the near future or are satisfying your succession planning responsibilities, all business owners will eventually need to find a buyer for your business.  The lack of a qualified buyer creates a problem for many business owners, especially in our current economic environment.  This can especially be a problem for small business and businesses located in rural areas.  An ESOP creates an internal market and “built-in buyer” that is able and ready to purchase some or all of the stock of the company from the business owner at fair market value.  While each situation is different, an ESOP transaction could take place as soon as 60-90 days after starting the process.