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Business Planning

Estate Tax, Business & Wealth Preservation Planning

Protect Your Business and Legacy with Business Planning

Business Planning helps business owners create a clear path for their company, family, and legacy. From business formation and business succession planning to coordinating your business with your estate plan, We’ll help protect what you’ve built and prepare for whatever comes next.

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What it does

Build a Business Plan That Lasts Beyond You

Business Planning helps owners put the right legal structure and succession plan in place so their business can continue, transfer, or wind down according to their wishes. For many clients, that includes forming or updating a business, coordinating business interests with an estate plan, and deciding who will manage the business if the owner becomes incapacitated or passes away. A well-designed business plan can help protect assets, reduce conflict among family members or business partners, and ensure the business is managed in a way that reflects the owner’s financial goals and personal values. It can also help prevent the business from becoming tied up in probate, uncertainty, or disputes when your loved one’s need clarity most.

Who it’s for

Is Business Planning Right for You?

Business Estate Planning may be the right choice if you:
  • Want to put your wishes in writing, choose who inherits your assets, or name a personal representative to administer your estate.
  • Want to name a guardian for your minor children or other dependents instead of leaving that decision to the courts.
  • Are an Arizona homeowner, an unmarried partner, or part of a blended family and don’t want important decisions left to Arizona probate laws.
  • Have an estate below Arizona’s probate threshold ($200,000 in personal property or $300,000 in real estate) and are comfortable with beneficiaries receiving their inheritance outright.
  • Are creating a trust-based estate plan and need a pour-over will to help direct assets left outside your trust.

How it works

Our Six-Step Process

  • 1

    Schedule Your Free Consultation

    Meet with one of our attorneys to discuss your business, ownership structure, individual goals, and estate planning needs. We’ll learn about your situation and help identify the business estate planning strategies that best fit your goals.

  • 2

    Review Your Business & Estate Plan

    If you already have existing business documents and an estate plan, we’ll review your existing documents, business structure, organizational documents, asset ownership, and current estate plan to understand how everything works together.

  • 3

    Identify Risks & Opportunities

    We’ll identify potential liability, probate, succession, tax, and family-conflict risks that could affect your business, your family, or your long-term goals.

  • 4

    Develop Your Business Planning Strategy

    We’ll educate you on the right business and estate planning strategies for your situation, which may include business planning, trust coordination, or business succession planning.

  • 5

    Prepare & Coordinate Your Documents

    We’ll prepare or update the necessary legal documents and coordinate them with your estate plan so every part of your plan works together.

  • 6

    Keep Your Plan Up to Date

    As your business, assets, family, or Arizona laws change, we’ll help you review and update your plan so it continues to support your goals.

45+
Years Serving Arizona
9
Offices Statewide
3rd
Generation Family Firm
100%
Estate Planning Focus

What's included

Documents you receive.

  • LLC Formation

    Create the right legal structure to help protect your personal assets and support your long-term business goals.

  • Operating Agreements

    Define ownership, management responsibilities, and decision-making for your business.

  • Business Succession Planning

    Create a plan for transferring, selling, or continuing your business according to your wishes.

  • Trust & Business Coordination

    Coordinate your business interests with your trust and estate plan so every part of your plan works together.

  • Rental Property & Real Estate Planning

    Help protect rental properties and investment real estate as part of your overall estate plan.

  • Asset Protection Planning

    Use business entities and trust-based planning to help protect personal assets and reduce unnecessary liability.

  • Estate Tax & Wealth Transfer Planning

    Plan for business transfers, gifting strategies, and long-term wealth preservation for future generations.

Why Phelps LaClair

Where Business Planning Meets Estate Planning

Phelps LaClair integrates business planning with estate planning, so the client’s business, trust, family goals, incapacity plan, and legacy plan work together rather than sitting in separate silos.

The firm has more than 45 years of Arizona estate planning experience and publicly emphasizes helping business owners preserve their legacy for future generations.

Jeffrey LaClair brings experience in estate planning, taxation, wealth preservation, and business succession planning, with a focus on using trusts and business entities to preserve assets, minimize taxes, and avoid probate.

Phelps LaClair’s LLC planning is designed for practical Arizona needs, including family businesses, storefronts, professional practices, rental properties, and real estate investors.

What it costs

Transparent Pricing You Can Count On

Custom Quote

Pricing depends on your business, your estate planning needs, and the strategies required to accomplish your goals. We’ll provide a flat-fee quote during your free consultation, so you’ll know the cost before you decide how you wish to proceed.

Common questions

Your Business Planning Questions, Answered

  • Yes. If you own a business, your estate plan should address who can manage it if you become incapacitated, who receives it after your death, and whether the business should be transferred, sold, or continued according to your wishes.

  • An LLC can help separate business liabilities from your personal assets when it is properly formed and maintained. For many Arizona business owners, an LLC is an important part of a comprehensive Business Planning strategy.

  • That depends on your goals, liability concerns, financing, tax considerations, and overall estate plan. Many clients benefit from coordinated planning that helps protect rental properties while integrating them into their overall estate plan.

  • Without a business succession plan, your business interest may become part of your probate estate, leaving your family or business partners without clear authority or direction. Planning ahead can help reduce confusion and provide a smoother transition for everyone involved.

  • Maybe. If you own a business, your estate plan should be coordinated with your business interests. Business Planning helps ensure your business ownership, succession goals, and estate plan work together instead of creating unnecessary complications.

  • You should review your business planning strategy whenever your business structure, ownership, assets, family circumstances, or Arizona laws change. Regular reviews help ensure your plan continues to reflect your goals.

This information is educational and not a substitute for advice from a licensed Arizona attorney.

Often paired with

Related Estate & Business Planning Services

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Personalized Guidance Starts Here

Meet with one of our attorneys to discuss your situation, your assets, and what matters most to you. We'll answer your questions and provide clear, upfront pricing with no obligation.

Schedule your consultation