Question 1

When should I start planning my exit?

Accepted Answer

The optimal time to begin exit planning is 3-5 years before your anticipated sale. This timeline allows us to systematically address value gaps, optimize tax structures, and coordinate your advisory team—work that, in our experience, can help preserve significantly more wealth than last-minute planning. That said, even if you're 12-18 months out, coordinated architecture can still deliver meaningful outcomes compared to fragmented advice.

Question 2

What makes Exit Architecture different from traditional wealth management?

Accepted Answer

Traditional wealth managers focus on investment allocation after liquidity. Exit Architecture coordinates tax strategy, deal structure, estate planning, and wealth preservation before you sign—addressing the leakage that can occur when advisors work in silos. We orchestrate your CPA, M&A attorney, estate planner, and valuation expert around a unified strategy, designed to help ensure every decision compounds rather than conflicts.

Question 3

Do I need to have sold my practice already to work with you?

Accepted Answer

No. In fact, engaging before the sale is when we create the most value. Once proceeds hit your account, your tax and structural options narrow dramatically. Our clients typically engage 2-5 years before exit, though we also work with dental entrepreneurs who've recently sold and need coordinated wealth management designed to help protect what they've built.

Question 4

Who is Exit Architecture designed for?

Accepted Answer

Exit Architecture is built for dental entrepreneurs whose exit will be the largest financial event of their career. The complexity of coordinating multi-entity tax structures, charitable vehicles, estate planning, and deal negotiation support requires a certain level of practice value and personal wealth to justify the engagement. An exploratory conversation will clarify whether our model is the right fit for your situation.

Question 5

How do you charge for your services?

Accepted Answer

We use a transparent, assets-under-management (AUM) fee structure aligned with industry standards for comprehensive wealth management. Fees are disclosed in detail during our exploratory call and formalized in writing before engagement. There are no commissions, hidden charges, or transaction-based incentives—our compensation is aligned with seeking to grow and help protect your wealth.

Question 6

What if I already have a financial advisor?

Accepted Answer

Many of our clients come to us with existing advisors. The question isn't whether your current advisor is competent—it's whether they're coordinating with your CPA, attorney, and estate planner around a unified exit strategy. If your advisors aren't actively collaborating on deal structure, tax optimization, and wealth transfer, you may be leaving significant value on the table. We either integrate with your existing team or help you assemble the right specialists.

Question 7

Do you help find buyers for my practice?

Accepted Answer

We don't broker practice sales, but we coordinate closely with M&A advisors and brokers who specialize in dental transitions. Our role is to help coordinate the deal structure, tax strategy, and post-exit wealth plan before you sign. We've seen too many sellers focus exclusively on purchase price, only to see significant value erode through taxes and poor structuring. We work to align the entire transaction with your long-term wealth objectives.

Question 8

What happens if I decide to keep practicing after we start working together?

Accepted Answer

Exit planning isn't just about selling—it's about building optionality. If you decide to delay your exit, the work we've done (value enhancement, tax optimization, wealth diversification, estate planning) still serves you. Many clients initially plan to sell within 3 years but extend their timeline once they've de-risked their wealth and created financial independence. The architecture we build works whether you exit next year or in a decade.

Question 9

How involved will I need to be in the planning process?

Accepted Answer

Initially, expect 3-5 hours of focused work: discovery meetings, document review, and strategic planning sessions. Once your exit architecture is in place, ongoing involvement is minimal—quarterly reviews, annual strategy updates, and proactive coordination when major decisions arise (deal negotiations, tax law changes, family events). We handle the complexity so you can focus on your practice, your patients, and your family.

Question 10

How do I know if my practice is large enough to benefit from Exit Architecture?

Accepted Answer

If your exit involves enough complexity that you need coordinated tax strategy, deal structuring, estate planning, and wealth management working together — not in silos — then our model is likely a fit. The exploratory call is designed to clarify that. We work with dental entrepreneurs across a range of practice sizes, and the deciding factor is complexity, not a single number.

Question 11

Do you work with dental entrepreneurs outside of practice exits?

Accepted Answer

Yes. While exit planning is our core expertise, we also serve dental entrepreneurs who've already sold and need ongoing wealth coordination, as well as high-income practitioners building toward financial independence. If you want institutional-grade wealth management without the institutional minimums (typically $25M+), we can help.

Question 12

What credentials and experience do you bring to exit planning?

Accepted Answer

Tim McNeely holds the CFP®, CIMA®, CEPA®, and CPFA® designations—one of fewer than 300 advisors nationally with this combination. He hosts The Dental Wealth Nation Show, one of the longest-running financial education programs in the dental industry, and speaks regularly at ADA conferences and state dental associations. More importantly, he's built a network of M&A attorneys, CPAs, and estate planners who specialize in dental transitions—so you're not just hiring an advisor, you're accessing an entire ecosystem.

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