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You have spent years building something valuable. When it’s time to turn that into durable wealth, you need an advisor who is paid only by you and is legally required to put your interests first. No commissions, no product agenda, no split loyalties.
Croak Capital works with business owners, executives, and families with $2 million or more in investable assets. Many of our Ann Arbor clients are working through business exits, equity compensation, inheritances, retirement transitions, and other high-stakes financial decisions that cannot be left to chance.
What it means to work with a fiduciary advisor
“Fiduciary” is not a marketing term. It’s a legal standard that requires financial advisors to prioritize their clients’ interests over their own compensation and to fully disclose conflicts of interest.
A legal standard that puts your interests first
Fiduciary investment advisors are required to recommend strategies that serve your goals, not the firm’s revenue. That is different from a broker held only to a “suitability” standard, where an investment needs to be acceptable, not necessarily the best option available.
Fee-only vs. commission-based compensation
Fee-only firms are paid directly by clients, with no commissions or sales incentives, unlike commission-based firms that earn more for recommending specific products.
Croak Capital is a fee-only wealth management firm. Our compensation is transparent and tied to the work we do on your behalf, rather than products sold.
Why Ann Arbor business owners have unique planning needs
Ann Arbor’s economy is built around innovation, healthcare, and advanced manufacturing. That creates specific financial planning challenges that many generalist advisors aren’t equipped to handle.
University, healthcare, and technology ecosystems
Faculty and researchers often hold a mix of university retirement planning accounts, such as TIAA, as well as equity in spinout companies or startups, and real estate or side businesses.
University retirement and startup equity coordination
These pieces are rarely optimized together. Retirement assets might be invested conservatively for a long time horizon, while company equity creates concentrated risk in a single sector or employer.
Physician and practice owner complexity
Physicians and practice owners face a similar dynamic. Practice ownership, hospital benefits, outside investments, and real estate all sit on separate statements, despite relying on the same income and risk tolerance.
Our role in the Ann Arbor ecosystem
Our job is to sit above these moving parts. In Ann Arbor, we map retirement planning, equity holdings, business or practice value, and outside investments into one coordinated strategy.
That lets you make informed decisions about liquidity, taxes, and risk with a full picture, not in isolation.
Start exit planning years before you sell
Most owners begin planning a sale 6 to 12 months before a transaction. By that point, many of the best tax, estate, and structuring opportunities have already passed.
A 3- to 5-year exit planning window
A more effective timeline starts 3 to 5 years ahead of a potential exit. That window can allow for restructuring ownership, evaluating qualified small business stock (QSBS) opportunities, and coordinating with your CPA and attorney on how a transaction will be taxed.
Planning early does not mean you must sell on a fixed date. It means that if the right buyer appears, you’re prepared.
Building the advisory team before pressure hits
High-quality exits are rarely managed by one person, and typically require a tax professional who understands complex entity structures, an attorney who can negotiate terms, and a fiduciary advisor who can model outcomes and deploy proceeds.We help assemble and coordinate this team well before closing, meaning roles are clear and decisions can be made calmly.
Deploying capital after a liquidity event
Once a sale closes or a large payout hits your account, you’ll need to make decisions quickly. Banks, product providers, and well-meaning contacts may all have ideas for how you should invest.
Avoiding rushed investment decisions
After a sale, your goal isn’t to invest everything immediately, but rather to move from a one-time event into a sustainable plan.
For many, this means setting aside an appropriate cash reserve, paying down high-cost debt where appropriate, and planning a disciplined schedule for putting the remaining capital to work.
A thoughtful deployment plan typically runs 12 to 24 months, not 12 to 24 days.
Systematic deployment with ongoing oversight
At Croak Capital, we deploy post-exit capital using a disciplined, rule-based approach. Portfolios are adjusted monthly so we can spread entry points over time, coordinate with your tax plan, and respond to changing markets without deviating from the overall strategy.
Executive compensation and concentrated stock
For many founder-executives, equity is where most of the wealth sits. Stock options, RSUs, performance shares, and direct holdings can all point to the same company or industry.
Managing concentration risk
Concentration risk is exposure that comes from having a large percentage of your net worth tied to a single stock or sector. It can work in your favor in good years and be punishing in down cycles.
A comprehensive financial planning approach often includes a clear inventory of all grants, vesting schedules, and tax treatment, pre-scheduled selling plans designed to reduce emotional decision-making, and tax-aware diversification strategies that consider brackets, carryforward losses, and charitable goals.
Exchange funds and other advanced tools
Exchange funds can be a tool for diversification. These vehicles pool concentrated stock holdings from multiple investors and provide a diversified basket of securities without triggering immediate capital gains taxes.
Eligibility and holding requirements
Exchange funds typically require minimum contributions in the range of several hundred thousand dollars and long holding periods — often around seven years.
We help clients evaluate whether an exchange fund is appropriate and how it complements more straightforward strategies, such as staged selling and charitable giving.
Navigating inheritances and sudden wealth
Wealth that arrives quickly does not feel the same as wealth built gradually. A business sale, inheritance, legal settlement, or equity payout can create a mix of opportunity and pressure.
The psychology of sudden wealth
Common reactions to sudden wealth include pressure to make fast decisions, guilt around having “too much,” fear of losing what has been gained, and conflicting input from family members or friends.A structured process can create space to think. Often, the first step is to slow decisions down, not speed them up.
Building a framework before making big moves
Our approach with sudden wealth typically includes establishing a safe cash buffer and short-term plan for the first year, clarifying personal and family priorities before committing to major gifts or investments, and gradually integrating new assets into a broader investment and estate plan.
The objective is to respect the significance of the event while avoiding costly, irreversible choices made under pressure.
Tax optimization for post-exit entrepreneurs
Tax planning after a liquidity event is not limited to the year of the sale. The way you structure and deploy capital can also affect your lifetime tax bill and the after-tax wealth your family keeps.
Strategies may include spreading gains over time through installment sales, charitable planning with donor-advised funds or charitable remainder trusts, and evaluating qualified opportunity zone investments when appropriate.
We don’t replace your CPA — we work with them to model trade-offs between cash flow, risk, taxes, and legacy.
Family office-level coordination for $2M+ families
Many Ann Arbor families want the benefits of a family office without building one from scratch or hiring an internal team. Croak Capital acts as a central point of accountability for your financial life.
A single point of accountability
Our financial planning services help coordinate investment strategy and portfolio execution, tax planning in collaboration with your CPA, estate planning in collaboration with your attorney, and planning for children, trusts, and family entities.
Instead of managing separate conversations with multiple advisors, you have one team responsible for making sure the pieces work together.
Reducing implementation gaps
We don’t replace trusted advisors who already know your situation. We sit on the same side of the table and help prepare for meetings with CPAs and attorneys, follow through on agreed-upon strategies, and keep documentation aligned with your current plan.This reduces the risk that good ideas are discussed but never implemented.
Private markets and institutional-grade tools
For many high-net-worth clients, thoughtful allocation to private markets can complement a core public markets portfolio. Subject to suitability and qualification standards, clients may access private equity and growth equity strategies, private credit, and institutional-quality real estate.
Access beyond public stocks and bonds
These are not product shelves. They’re tools that can be used when they strengthen a well-designed plan and avoided when they do not.
Strategic philanthropy: Aligning values and tax planning
For many clients, giving is a central part of using their wealth. Done well, philanthropy can also be an effective tax and estate planning tool.
Choosing the right charitable structures
Depending on your goals, charity might include donor-advised funds for flexible, ongoing giving, private foundations for families seeking more control and involvement, and charitable trusts that can provide income streams and future gifts.
We help define the role of philanthropy in your overall plan and work with your tax and legal advisors to implement the right structures.
How to evaluate a fiduciary partner
Selecting the right advisor after a business exit or major financial event is a high-impact decision, and your choice significantly influences how your experience will look.
Questions to ask prospective advisors
Before making a decision, some questions you’ll want to ask include:
- “How are you paid?” Are you fee-only, or do you receive commissions or revenue sharing on products?
- “What is your experience with situations like mine?” Ask for specific examples involving business exits, equity compensation, or concentrated stock.
- “How do you coordinate with my CPA and attorney?” Look for a clear process rather than occasional emails.
- “What credentials do you hold?” Look for certified professionals with designations such as CFP (Certified Financial Planner) or CFA (Chartered Financial Analyst).
- “How often will we review things?” Ensure there is a cadence for both portfolio management and planning.
- “What will I see as a client?” Ask about reporting, access to your team, and how recommendations are documented.
A strong answer to these questions should leave you with a clear understanding of how decisions will be made and how your advisor is accountable to you.
Frequently asked questions:
Croak Capital typically works with individuals and families who have $2 million or more in investable assets.
We charge a transparent advisory fee based on assets under management. We do not receive commissions on investment products or private offerings.
Fiduciary advisors are legally obligated to put client interests first and to disclose conflicts of interest.
Ideally, exit planning begins 3 to 5 years before a potential sale. Owners who start planning only 6 to 12 months in advance often face higher taxes and fewer estate planning options.
We help inventory all your equity exposure, then design a plan that can include staged selling, tax-aware diversification, charitable strategies and, where appropriate, tools such as exchange funds.
An exchange fund is an investment vehicle that lets eligible investors contribute concentrated stock and receive a diversified basket of securities in return, generally without triggering immediate capital gains taxes.
We coordinate closely with your CPA, estate attorney, and other professionals. Our role is to help align tax, investment, and legal strategies and follow through on implementation.
For qualified clients, we may incorporate private equity, private credit, and institutional-quality real estate strategies alongside core public markets exposure.
Portfolios are monitored and adjusted throughout the year, with a disciplined monthly process guiding changes. Clients receive regular touchpoints during the year and a comprehensive annual review.
Yes. We regularly work with clients who have received inheritances or other sudden wealth. Our process addresses both the technical and emotional sides of the transition.
Conclusion
Managing wealth after a business exit, equity payout, or inheritance requires more than a generic plan. It requires a coordinated fiduciary team that understands how your business, balance sheet, and family all fit together.
If you’re a business owner or executive in Ann Arbor with $2 million or more in investable assets, we invite you to start a conversation.Schedule a consultation at croakcapital.com, call (419) 464-7000, or email hello@croakcapital.com to discuss your situation in confidence.
Also Read:
How to invest $5M+ after selling my company: Do I need a family office
Risks of keeping $5M+ in one bank: how do UHNW families manage wealth safely
What a Fiduciary Approach Means for Post-Exit Entrepreneurs and High-Net-Worth Families