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How we work

From first discussion
to a plan you can act on.

You leave knowing what to do next, who does it, and when. We lead the work. Your CPA and attorney keep doing what they do best.

See the planning process Help me get started

Your situation

Which sounds more like you?

Pick one and we’ll take you to the steps, shown for your situation. You can switch any time.

I own a businessA buyer’s call, a family handoff, or a date you’d like to step back.I’m planning for myself or my familyRetirement, investments, an inheritance, or life after a sale.

Showing examples for business owners.Showing examples for individuals and families. Show examples for both

The point

Your life first.
The deal second.

A plan is only worth having if it changes what you do.

A sale, a retirement date, an inheritance: each one touches money, tax, timing and family at once. We put all of it, and the people already advising you, into one conversation, so you can see what works and what doesn’t.

Before anything else

Are we a good fit? Most people can tell in a minute.

Likely a fit

  • A big decision with a deadline or a trigger: a buyer’s call, a retirement date, an inheritance, a sale that just closed.
  • A business, or wealth spread across several accounts, that needs one coordinated plan.
  • You want your CPA and attorney kept in the loop, not replaced.
  • You live in Rochester or Western New York, or split the year between New York and Florida.
  • You want to know what happens at every step, with no surprises along the way.

Probably not a fit

  • You’re shopping for a product, a policy or a stock tip.
  • You want a promised return. We don’t make return promises.
  • You only need a tax return prepared or a single legal task done. That belongs with your CPA or attorney, and we’ll say so.

Somewhere in between? Ask. We’ll tell you straight whether Morrowgate is the right place to start. Specialist legal, tax, valuation or transaction work stays with the professional qualified to do it.

How it works

Step by step. You always know what comes next.

You set the pace, and you can stop after any step. We agree the timing in the first discussion, so nothing comes as a surprise.

Fit

A straight answer on whether we can help.

What happens

Tell us what you’re facing, the timing, and what’s still unresolved. We tell you plainly whether Morrowgate is the right place to help, and if we’re not, we say so.

If you own a businessTell us what’s happening with the business: a buyer’s call, a child who may take over, or a date you’d like to step back. We tell you plainly whether we’re the right place to start.

For you and your familyTell us what’s changing: a retirement date, an inheritance, or accounts that don’t add up to a plan. We tell you plainly whether we’re the right place to start.

What you bring

A few sentences, by email or on a short call: what changed, any deadline, and who already advises you. No statements, account numbers or tax returns yet.

If you own a businessA few sentences, by email or on a short call: what changed, any deadline (a buyer’s timeline, a date on a letter of intent), and who already advises you. No financials yet.

For you and your familyA few sentences, by email or on a short call: what changed, any deadline, and who already advises you. No statements or account numbers yet.

What you get

A clear yes or no, and if it’s a yes, exactly what happens next. No obligation to go further.

At the end of this step, it’s your call
  • ContinueWe lay out exactly what happens next and what it involves, so nothing comes as a surprise.
  • PauseNot the right moment? We agree a date to check back in, so nothing slips.
  • StopIf we’re not the right fit, we say so. Asking a question commits you to nothing.
Organize

Put the whole picture on one page.

What happens

Your accounts, income, spending, debts and the people already advising you go into one view, so nothing gets planned in isolation.

If you own a businessThe company and the household go on one page: what the business is worth to you, how much it relies on you, what you own outside it, and what you spend.

For you and your familyEvery account, income source, debt and policy goes on one page, with what you spend and who depends on you.

What you bring

Recent statements, your latest tax return, and the names of your CPA, attorney and other advisors. We tell you exactly what’s needed.

If you own a businessRecent business financials, ownership documents, personal statements and tax returns, and any offer or letter you’ve received.

For you and your familyRecent statements, your latest tax return, beneficiary designations, insurance policies and any estate documents you have.

What you get

The facts, the assumptions, the missing pieces and the open questions, organized in one place.

At the end of this step, it’s your call
  • ContinueOnce the picture is complete enough to plan on, we move straight to your number.
  • PauseIf a missing piece, like a valuation or an estate document, has to come first, we name who gets it and by when.
  • StopIf seeing everything on one page answers your question.
Define

Set the number and the life it has to fund.

What happens

What does the next chapter cost? We put a number on the spending, family priorities, flexibility and margin for error your plan has to cover.

If you own a businessWhat would a sale or handoff need to leave you with, after debt and estimated taxes, to fund the life you want? And could the company run without you?

For you and your familyWhat does financial independence look like for you, what do you want to do for your family, and how much margin do you want for the unexpected?

What you bring

Your priorities, in your own words, and the people who share the decision.

If you own a businessAn honest answer to how involved you want to stay, and what you and your spouse want life after ownership to look like.

For you and your familyWhat you spend now, what you expect to change, and what you want your money to do for the people you care about.

What you get

A clear target: the number and the goals every option will be measured against.

At the end of this step, it’s your call
  • ContinueWhen the target feels right to you and your family, we test your options against it.
  • PauseIf the people who share the decision need time, we set a date to finish the conversation together.
  • StopIf the number shows the decision can wait. That’s a useful answer too.
Test

Run the paths against the same target.

What happens

Every option you’re weighing is measured against the same target, so you can compare them on equal terms and see the tradeoffs.

If you own a businessSell now, sell later, hand it to family, keep it, or step back. Timing, deal terms and what you would actually keep are tested against your personal plan.

For you and your familyRetire now or later, spend more or less, pay down debt, give during life or later. Income, investment risk, taxes and liquidity are tested against your target.

What you bring

The choices you’re weighing and the outcomes that would worry you most.

If you own a businessAny offers, term sheets or valuations, and the options you’ve already ruled in or out.

For you and your familyThe choices you’re weighing and the outcomes that would worry you most.

What you get

Visible tradeoffs and a clear view of which paths work against your target, with tax estimates for your CPA to confirm.

At the end of this step, it’s your call
  • ContinueChoose the path that fits your target, and we bring in the specialists.
  • PauseWaiting on a number, like an offer or an appraisal? We rerun the test the day it arrives.
  • StopStop with a clear picture of your options, even if you decide not to act.
Coordinate

Give each specialist a clear question.

What happens

Your CPA, attorney and other specialists each get the questions and deadlines that belong to them, and everyone works from the same facts.

If you own a businessYour CPA, attorney, valuation professional and deal team each get the questions and deadlines that belong to them, and everyone works from the same facts.

For you and your familyYour CPA, estate attorney and insurance professional each get the questions that belong to them, and we bring everyone together when a decision needs all of you.

What you bring

Permission to talk with your advisors, and their contact details.

If you own a businessPermission to talk with your CPA, attorney and any banker, broker or valuation professional involved.

For you and your familyPermission to talk with your CPA, estate attorney and insurance agent.

What you get

A list of next steps showing who is responsible for each one and what has to happen first.

At the end of this step, it’s your call
  • ContinueWhen each specialist has what they need and their answers fit the plan, we write it up.
  • PauseIf a specialist’s answer changes the plan, we go back and retest before anything moves.
  • StopIf your own team can carry it from here.
Act

Leave with a written action list.

What happens

What happens now, what can wait, who owns each item, and when you’ll come back to it.

If you own a businessYou prepare, negotiate, hand off or keep building, based on the evidence and the path you chose. We keep the personal plan in step with the business.

For you and your familyThe plan is put to work: accounts organized, income set up, risks reviewed, and assumptions revisited as life changes.

What you bring

Your decisions on the action list, and a heads-up when something in your life changes.

If you own a businessYour decisions, and a heads-up the moment a buyer, a partner or a family member changes the picture.

For you and your familyYour decisions, and a heads-up when life changes: a move, a marriage, a new grandchild, a death in the family.

What you get

A written action plan with named responsibilities and a date to review it.

At the end of this step, it’s your call
  • ContinueKeep working with us on an ongoing basis, under a written agreement, and we keep the plan current.
  • PauseAct on the list now. The review date is set before you leave, so nothing drifts.
  • StopTake the action list and carry it out with your own team.

For business owners, the first engagement is usually the Transition Readiness Review. It ends with your number, your options and your next 90 days, in writing.

Own a business? See where we fit in a sale

For business owners

Where we fit in a sale.

Most owners sell a business once. Here’s what we do at each stage, and what to read when you get there.

  1. Years before

    We put a number on what a sale needs to leave you, and line up the business and personal plan while there’s still time to change things.

    Preparing a business for sale, three years out

  2. A buyer calls

    We help you slow down, keep the conversation open, and know your number before anyone names a price.

    When a buyer calls

  3. Letter of intent

    We show what the proposed terms would leave your household, using estimates your CPA confirms, so you and your attorney negotiate from the same numbers.

    What to review before you sign

  4. Diligence

    While your deal team answers the buyer’s requests, we keep your personal plan, cash needs and tax timing in step with the deal.

    What to share with a buyer

  5. Closing

    We plan where the proceeds go before the wire arrives: money set aside for taxes, cash for the next few years, and a job for the rest.

    What you keep from a sale

  6. After the sale

    We manage the wealth, keep your CPA and attorney working from the same plan, and help you settle into what comes next.

    The first 90 days after a sale

Somewhere on this line right now? Tell us where you are

After the first plan

The plan is the start.
Keeping it current is the work.

Markets move, tax law changes, children grow up, a business sells. How often we meet is set in your agreement, around what’s happening in your life, and we keep the follow-through moving between meetings.

Early in the year

Tax documents to your CPA, estimated payments planned, and cash set aside for the bill.

Through the year

Titling and beneficiaries checked against the estate plan, insurance and risk reviewed, and your CPA and attorney brought together when a decision needs all of you.

Before year-end

Investments reviewed against their jobs. Year-end tax moves, Roth conversions and charitable gifts decided while there is still time to act.

Whenever life changes

An offer on the business, a move to Florida, a marriage, a new grandchild, a death in the family. The plan is revisited when it matters, not only on the calendar.

See everything we coordinate →See a sample family balance sheet →

Still a fit?

If these three are true, we should talk.

All three? Then the next step is small.

Want more detail first? Fees and fit Common questions Questions to ask any advisor

Send us your question A couple of sentences is enough. We reply by email, usually within one business day. No meeting needed to start.
Rather talk it through?Pick a time for a short call, on a day that suits you.Schedule a call

Or call (585) 204-6690