Grow Your Wealth. Preserve Your Legacy. Succeed with Intention.
For business owners, estate planning is not just about distributing assets. It is about protecting the value you have built, minimizing tax exposure, and ensuring your business transitions smoothly to the next generation or future ownership.
At Bateman MacKay LLP, we approach estate planning as a strategic, forward-looking process. Not an afterthought but an international plan that integrates your corporate structure, personal wealth, and long-term objectives into one cohesive plan.
Why Estate Planning Requires a Different Approach for Business Owners
Traditional estate planning often focuses on personal assets. That approach falls short for business owners.
Your estate is more complex. It may include:
- Privately held company shares
- Retained earnings and investment portfolios
- Real estate and holding companies
- Family members both involved and uninvolved in the business
- Future sale or succession plans
Without proper planning, this complexity can lead to:
- Significant tax liabilities on sale or death (including deemed disposition)
- Liquidity challenges for your estate
- Family disputes or unclear ownership transitions
- Erosion of business value during transfer
A well-structured estate plan ensures continuity, clarity, and tax efficiency.
Our Approach to Estate Planning
We take a coordinated, advisory-led approach that aligns your estate plan with your broader business strategy.
- Understanding Your Business and Personal Objectives
We begin by identifying:
- Your long-term goals for the business (retain, transition, or sell)
- Family involvement and succession intentions
- Desired outcomes for wealth preservation and distribution
- Structuring for Tax Efficiency
We evaluate and implement strategies designed to minimize tax exposure, including:
- Estate freezes
- Use of family trusts
- Corporate reorganizations
- Capital gains planning
- Ensuring Liquidity and Continuity
We help ensure your estate can meet its obligations without disrupting the business by:
- Planning for tax liabilities at death
- Reviewing insurance strategies where appropriate
- Structuring ownership to support continuity
- Coordinating with Your Advisory Team
Estate planning does not happen in isolation. We work closely with your:
- Legal advisors
- Wealth managers
- Insurance specialists
This ensures your plan is integrated, executable, and aligned across all disciplines.
How We Can Serve YOU!
Mature & Stable Business
Well-established companies with a consistent market presence and reliable revenue streams.
- $10million + in revenue
- Multiple entity structure
Mature & Stable Businesses
Growing Business
Growing while focusing on increasing market share, scaling operations, and possibly exploring new markets
- $2-10 million
- a need for increased infrastructure, workforce expansion
- managing new product lines or services
Growing Businesses
Small Business
Smaller enterprises, often with a localized market focus and a lean operational model.
- Less than $2 million
- a simple organizational structure, with fewer employees and limited requirements.
Startups & Small Businesses
Regulated Professional
Medical professionals, lawyers and others operating in professions governed by regulatory standards and ethical codes.
Accounting for Regulated Professionals
200+
Audits Completed
47
Industry Experts
100%
In-House Capabilities
Award Winning CPA Firm
Bateman MacKay has been recognized by Great Place to Work and Inside Public Accounting, honours that reflect the pillars of our success. Combined, they highlight our ability to create a great place to work and holding ourselves to the highest industry stands while running a successful, growing business.
Estate Planning Strategies for Business Owners
Every plan is tailored, but common strategies we advise on include:
Estate Freezes
Lock in the current value of your business while allowing future growth to pass to the next generation in a tax-efficient manner.
Family Trusts
Enable income splitting opportunities, asset protection, and controlled wealth transfer.
Succession Planning
Define how ownership and leadership transition over time, reducing uncertainty and protecting business value.
Post-Mortem Tax Planning
Implement strategies that minimize double taxation and preserve estate value.
Featuring Krista Burch TEP, CPA, CA
Estate planning requires both technical precision and practical judgment.
Krista Burch plays a key role in helping clients navigate this complexity.
Krista uses her formal training Trust and Estate Practitioner (TEP) and first hand experience with business owners as a CPA, CA and tax expert to:
- Translate long-term goals into actionable planning strategies
- Identify tax-efficient structures that align with evolving business needs
- Coordinate across advisory teams to ensure seamless execution
Her approach reflects how we work at Bateman MacKay: proactive, collaborative, and grounded in over 40 years of experience.
When Should You Start Estate Planning?
The short answer is earlier than most business owners think, especially if a business event like a sale or ownership transition is on the horizon. Delaying planning limits your options. Early planning creates flexibility.
You should consider estate planning if:
- Your business has accumulated meaningful value
- You are approaching a transition point (sale, succession, retirement)
- You are retaining significant earnings within your corporation
- You want greater certainty around how your wealth will be transferred
How Estate Planning Fits into Your Broader Strategy
Estate planning is not a standalone exercise. It connects directly to:
- Tax Planning → minimizing lifetime and post-mortem tax exposure
- Business Advisory → aligning ownership with long-term strategy
- Mergers & Acquisitions → preparing for a future sale or transition
- Corporate Structuring → optimizing how assets are held and transferred
This is where many individuals or smaller firms fall short. They treat these areas separately.
We integrate them.
Why Work with Bateman MacKay LLP
Business owners do not need more fragmented advice. They need a coordinated strategy.
At Bateman Mackay, we provide:
- Deep experience with privately owned businesses
- Integrated tax, accounting, and advisory expertise
- Proactive planning that evolves with your business
- A relationship-driven approach focused on long-term outcomes
We are not just preparing plans. We are helping you protect what you have built and position it for the future.
Take the Next Step
Our Services
Bateman MacKay LLP is a full-service accounting firm offering corporate tax planning and compliance, accounting and assurance, and business advisory services, with clients from small businesses to growing and mature enterprises.
With offices in the west Greater Toronto Area, we serve companies across Canada.
Assurance and Accounting
The details of your business matter. As a CPA-led service, Accounting and Assurance allows you to attain clear, impactful financial data, offering fiscal awareness to gain a deeper understanding of your business operations and how to take them to the next level.
Accounting Solutions
Tax Services
Our Tax Consultants create and execute customized tax solutions and corporate tax planning tailored to each client’s unique needs. Let Bateman MacKay provide strategic tax planning, guidance, and mentorship to help you grow, protect, and preserve your business.
Tax Planning & Consulting
Mergers and Acquisitions
Our team offers a comprehensive suite of M&A advisory services addressing the myriad complexities of Mergers and Acquisitions with strategic tax planning, business valuations, and financing strategy.
M&A Advisory Services
Business Advisory and Consulting Services
Our experienced business advisors identify strengths and weaknesses, address opportunities, and work with you to build a foundation that supports today’s business goals and establishes a target for the future.
Business Advisory Services
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Business Mileage Tracking: A Small Habit That Can Reduce Your Tax Bill
Written by Chris Pickard
