Business Planning

Integrated business and personal planning

Comprehensive business planning strategies

Transition may be inevitable for every business—but every business has a unique path to follow. We understand the importance of integrating your personal goals and finances with your business performance, so you can feel confident in exiting on your own terms.

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2025 Beyond Wealth Report
Confidently bridge personal and business wealth

53%

The percentage of business owners who have an exit strategy already planned

38%

The percentage of experienced business owners who leverage private equity and venture capital—compared to just 18% of first-time owners

$1.8 million

The amount business owners have saved for retirement—a $300,000 increase over non-owners

A Business Planning Checklist
What's your vision for the future?

Strategic business planning begins with an examination of your current and future goals. Alongside your CPA, attorneys and other advisors, these steps can help ensure your business and personal plans are fully integrated.

  • Define your vision for your personal life and business
  • Assess the financial health of your business through an informal valuation
  • Evaluate your personal financial health to identify gaps
  • Consider options and strategies to grow or exit your business
  • If growing, create a plan to drive business value and improve future marketability
  • If exiting, explore options to sell or transfer your business
  • Build a transition plan and communicate regularly with partners, employees and stakeholders
Martin's Distribution and First Citizens Wealth video

Martin's Distribution: Preserving a family legacy for generations

Martin Prieto, CEO, Martin's Distribution: When we started our business, we hoped to build a better future for our family. We didn't always know how we were going to get there.

First Citizens Wealth™ x Martin's Distribution: Meeting your ambition at every stage

Martin: Our team at First Citizens helped us grow and improve our business in many ways. We started working with Juan first. Juan connected us with the Wealth team. They showed me a really clear picture of where we stand financially.

Allen Lockwood Jr, SVP, Wealth Consultant, First Citizens Wealth: We sat down with Martin, asked him very specific questions. You know, "Hey, Martin, do you know what the value of your business is? Is it as healthy as the business can possibly be? Are you putting the right processes and people in place to help drive the value of that business?"

So through our business advisory services, we conducted a business assessment. I think it was very eye opening for Martin. It allowed him to really dig in and implement some different strategies. As a result, we helped them increase their market share and increase the value of their business.

Martin: First Citizens Bank helped me see there are more things we can do so our hard work pays off for generations to come. As we follow their advice, I feel more secure about our family's future.

First Citizens Wealth™

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Our Approach
A three-part assessment

Every business goes through the transition process, and planning with the end in mind is a critical strategy—regardless of your business stage.

How prepared are you to step away from your business?

We'll help you define your goals for life after the sale and support you with a range of financial solutions, including strategies to preserve your legacy and protect your assets.

How are your business and personal finances connected?

Together, we'll analyze your personal and business finances to define your unique income needs in preparation for your transition. We'll help you stress test your retirement plan, guide you through tax-advantaged strategies and review your asset allocation and risk tolerance.

How prepared is your business for your transition?

An informal business assessment and valuation can provide a strong foundation to build the attractiveness of your business. We'll help you explore opportunities to increase valuation, review next-level management retention approaches and discuss unique gifting and transition strategies aligned with your larger goals.

Business Planning FAQ
People often ask us

While every situation is unique, the process can take anywhere from 6 to 12 months. We'll start with a few in-depth discussions, then move into a cycle of implementing changes we've identified and reviewing opportunities to adjust.

As a business owner, your personal and company finances are complex—and intertwined. Understanding your personal goals post-exit can help you define what a successful financial transition looks like to you and provide confidence as you enter the next stage of life.

Business Planning Insights
A few insights for business planning

Podcasts

Business ownership in 2025: Navigating change

Learn from 2025 survey findings on how business owners are navigating change, adapting to uncertainty and planning for the future.
Business owners are adapting with confidence, and many are even investing in growth.
Business Planning

Survey: The state of business ownership in 2025

Discover key insights from our survey of 500 business owners on the forces shaping entrepreneurship in 2025.
Even as economic pressures mount, business owners are continuing to demonstrate confidence, control and resilience.

Nerre Shuriah

JD, LLM, CM&AA, CBEC® | Senior Director of Wealth Planning and Knowledge

Business Planning

From family legacy to lasting growth

Sisters Andi Shaughnessy and Danielle Carter joined First Citizens Wealth's Building More Than Business podcast live in Boston to share lessons in growth, purpose and legacy.
Andi and Danielle work with the First Citizens Wealth team of financial partners dedicated to helping ExpressIt navigate change and implement sound financial solutions.
Explore more business owner interest insights

Links to third-party websites may have a privacy policy different from First Citizens Bank and may provide less security than this website. First Citizens Bank and its affiliates are not responsible for the products, services and content on any third-party website.

This material is for informational purposes only and is not intended to be an offer, specific investment strategy, recommendation or solicitation to purchase or sell any security or insurance product, and should not be construed as legal, tax or accounting advice. Please consult with your legal or tax advisor regarding the particular facts and circumstances of your situation prior to making any financial decision. While we believe that the information presented is from reliable sources, we do not represent, warrant or guarantee that it is accurate or complete.

Third parties mentioned are not affiliated with First-Citizens Bank & Trust Company.

Your investments in securities and insurance products and services are not insured by the FDIC or any other federal government agency and may lose value.  They are not deposits or other obligations of, or guaranteed by any bank or bank affiliate and are subject to investment risks, including possible loss of the principal amounts invested. There is no guarantee that a strategy will achieve its objective.

About the Entities, Brands and Services Offered: First Citizens Wealth® (FCW) is a registered trademark of First Citizens BancShares, Inc., a bank holding company. The following affiliates of First Citizens BancShares are the entities through which FCW products are offered. Brokerage products and services are offered through First Citizens Investor Services, Inc. ("FCIS"), a registered broker-dealer, Member FINRA and SIPC. Advisory services are offered through FCIS, First Citizens Asset Management, Inc. and SVB Wealth LLC, all SEC registered investment advisors. Certain brokerage and advisory products and services may not be available from all investment professionals, in all jurisdictions or to all investors. Insurance products and services are offered through FCIS, a licensed insurance agency. Banking, lending, trust products and services, and certain insurance products and services are offered by First-Citizens Bank & Trust Company, Member FDIC and an Equal Housing Lender icon: sys-ehl, and First Citizens Delaware Trust Company.

For more information about FCIS, FCAM or SVBW and its investment professionals, visit FirstCitizens.com/Wealth/Disclosures.

See more about First Citizens Investor Services, Inc. and our investment professionals at FINRA BrokerCheck.