by johnireland | Business Builder
An owner says the business sold for four million. What actually completed was two and a half, with the rest depending on profits over three years. That is an earn-out, and it appears in a large share of private company sales. Why they exist. Sellers price on what the...
by johnireland | The Book Shelf
Finish Big by Bo Burlingham asks a question most business books ignore: not what your company sold for, but whether you were glad afterwards. Burlingham interviewed dozens of owners who had exited. The ones who were content had usually started preparing three to eight...
by johnireland | Estate Planning Essentials
This is the decision parents postpone longest. Fees and Executors get dealt with quickly; the question of who would raise the children if both parents could not is left open for years — which leaves it to be settled by other people at the worst possible moment. What...
by johnireland | Legal Spotlight
Estates used to be found in a filing cabinet. A great deal of the modern estate exists only as a login, protected by security designed to keep everyone out — including the Executor who is legally entitled to deal with it. Digital assets fall into four groups. Things...
by johnireland | Tax Talk
Business Property Relief used to be unlimited. Qualifying business assets passed free of Inheritance Tax whatever they were worth, which is why so many family firms survived the death of their founder intact. Since 6 April 2026, that is no longer the position. The...
