{"id":113412,"date":"2023-07-13t11:54:18","date_gmt":"2023-07-13t15:54:18","guid":{"rendered":"\/\/www.g005e.com\/?p=113412"},"modified":"2024-08-27t17:01:56","modified_gmt":"2024-08-27t21:01:56","slug":"how-partner-buyouts-work","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"\/\/www.g005e.com\/2023\/07\/13\/how-partner-buyouts-work\/","title":{"rendered":"how partner buyouts work"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/a>three big issues must be decided.<\/strong><\/p>\n by marc rosenberg<\/i> one of the benefits that new partners receive in exchange for their buy-in is that they will receive a buyout when they<\/strong> retire. this amount can be in excess of a million dollars at many firms. receiving a retirement buyout is one of the major reasons becoming a partner is so lucrative.<\/p>\n more: <\/b>11 best practices for partner compensation<\/a> | fifteen steps to new partner buy-in<\/a> | what buying in actually means<\/a> | why buying into a firm is such a great investment<\/a> | four philosophies for managing a cpa firm<\/a> | how partner and staff actions impact profits<\/a> | the business side of cpa firms<\/a> the flip side of this is that new partners must agree to buy out older partners when their day comes. therefore, any plan for bringing in new partners must include a provision for a partner retirement\/buyout plan. no, it\u2019s not a ponzi scheme<\/strong><\/p>\n many new partners, when hearing how partner buyout plans work, fear they sound dangerously close to ponzi schemes. new partners pay out one partner after another after another, with their own payday feeling like a foggy uncertainly because it\u2019s decades away?<\/p>\n while i can see how new partners without any experience operating a cpa firm buyout plan might be a tad apprehensive, let me seek to provide some comfort and show that this fear is greatly exaggerated.<\/p>\n to start with, here are a few statistics from the rosenberg map survey:<\/p>\n the point: new partners can take solace in the fact that the vast majority of cpa firms have a buyout plan in place and therefore it is a best practice.<\/p>\n in addition to the statistical evidence that buyout plans are sound practices, new partners should be comforted knowing that properly written plans have several features that protect the firm\u2019s cash flow by limiting any burdens the buyout obligations may cause:<\/p>\n one final piece of reassurance to new partners: in my 20 years of consulting to cpa firms, i\u2019ve never heard one firm that found the buyout obligations to be unaffordable. however, it is true that when firms feel their future is uncertain because of impending partner retirements, including situations when too many partners plan to retire at the same time, they usually sell out to address this concern.<\/p>\n now that we\u2019ve showed that the buyout plan will not become an onerous obligation, let\u2019s look at ways cpa firms customarily operate that should reassure their partners that the buyout plan is viable.<\/p>\n new partners, along with current partners, need to proactively contribute to the firm\u2019s efforts to develop staff into future partners. a new partner cannot possibly afford to pay the buyouts of all older partners if he or she is the only one left to make the payments.<\/p>\n however, even in this worst-case scenario, properly written buyout plans require proactive transition of client relationships for the departed partner to be eligible for buyout payments. if a reasonably decent effort is made at client transition, the vast majority of firms have a very strong client retention rate when partners retire, even when transition efforts are less than expected.<\/p>\n if all of these ducks are in a row, there is little reason for new partners to fear the buyout plan becoming a ponzi scheme.<\/p>\n the buyout plan: three big issues to decide<\/strong><\/p>\n goodwill valuation rates<\/strong><\/p>\n there was a time when cpa firms routinely sold for 100 percent of revenue, and internal buyout plans used the same valuation percentage. but times have changed. for many years now, the average goodwill valuation rate used for partner buyout plans has hovered around 80 percent. why the decrease?<\/p>\n cpas have become more conservative, feeling that the world we live in has become increasingly precarious. the cpa profession in particular faces a never-ending series of challenges such as tax reform, technology reducing compliance work, and the need to replace retiring rainmakers. valuing goodwill at a lower amount eases the discomfort over the future that younger partners may feel.<\/p>\n with some important exceptions, firms are generally willing to continue paying buyouts to retired partners despite losing some of the retiree\u2019s clients. the difference between a 100 percent and 80 percent valuation essentially amounts to a bad-debt reserve for client loss.<\/p>\n even though 80 percent may be the average, there are still many firms at 100 percent of fees. there are also many firms well below<\/strong> 80 percent. virtually all of the top 100 firms are at 80 percent or less. every firm needs to select a goodwill valuation rate the partners are comfortable with. most firms err on the side of being conservative.<\/p>\n the two cadillac systems for computing partners\u2019 buyouts are heavily linked to their compensation \u2013 which, we hope, is performance-based and therefore a measure of what they contributed to building the value of the firm. if a firm\u2019s partner compensation system is not<\/strong> performance-based (if it is based on ownership percentage, pay-equal or seniority), then there is great risk that individual partners may receive buyouts in excess of what they deserve or earned, in the eyes of those who will write the buyout checks.<\/p>\n if this is not the case, then the plan may not be financially viable.<\/p>\n let\u2019s illustrate an ideal scenario where the math works. assume the following:<\/p>\n summary of the annual cash flow (or, how the math works<\/strong>)<\/em>:<\/p>\n +\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 saved compensation of retiring partner\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 $350,000<\/p>\n –\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 retirement benefits\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 (100,000)<\/p>\n –\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 salary\/benefits of experienced person\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 (150,000)<\/u><\/p>\n +\u00a0\u00a0 net additional income to remaining partners\u00a0\u00a0 $100,000<\/u><\/p>\n cpa firm retirement plans are quite different. designed to encourage partners to stay with the firm for the long haul, they strictly limit departed partners\u2019 ability to withdraw benefits if they leave early in their tenure with the firm. there are two reasons for this:<\/p>\n to ensure that a partner buyout plan does not function like a savings plan, cpa firms typically adopt several restrictions on making buyout payments.<\/p>\n here is an example:<\/p>\n
\nhow to bring in new partners<\/i><\/a><\/p>\n
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\nthe basis for these buyouts is the clear and substantial value of a cpa firm and the relative ease with which it can be sold to other firms at an attractive price. the main basis for this price is the value of a firm\u2019s client base, which for cpa firms, is largely annuity-based. it\u2019s considered an intangible value because it\u2019s almost never included in the firm\u2019s balance sheet. partner agreements routinely provide for the interest of departed partners to be purchased by the firm to avoid the need to liquidate the practice to generate funds to pay the buyouts.<\/p>\n\n
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buyout best practices and key concepts<\/h3>\n
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