Robert S. Keebler

Michelle Ward is a partner at Keebler & Associates in Green Bay, Wis. Michelle received her bachelor's degree from the University of Wisconsin- Madison and her law degree from University of Wisconsin-Madison Law School and is scheduled to receive her LLM in estate planning from Western New England College of Law in 2011. Her professional affiliations include the State Bar of Wisconsin and the Green Bay Estate Planning Forum.

The sale of a business can be a ­pivotal event in an entrepreneur’s life—years of hard work can produce a big payday for the business owner, his/her heirs…and the IRS. Business owners selling their companies are understandably focused on finding buyers and negotiating terms, but they should consider the tax consequences, too. Business sales can generate massive capital gains and/or income tax bills and possibly future estate taxes.

Many taxpayers have incurred huge losses in their IRAs because of the alleged or admitted fraud of Bernard L.