Episode 87: Preserving Your Family Business through an Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP)

Episode 87: Preserving Your Family Business through an Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP) TNCFB Our guest today is Kelly O. Finnell, J.D., CLU, AIF®. Kelly is one of the nation’s premier ESOP consultants, having spent more than 40 years helping business owners design and execute ESOPs. Kelly is one of the most sought-after speakers about ESOPs, with experience presenting at more than 300 conferences and meetings throughout the U.S. and abroad in London and Sydney. An accomplished writer, Kelly wrote the preeminent ESOP book, The ESOP Coach: Using ESOPS in Ownership Succession Planning in 2010 and this work remains the most comprehensive guide to ESOPs today. Kelly has also published dozens of articles on the use of ESOPs in Ownership Succession Planning, An active member of the National Center for Employee Ownership (NCEO) and The ESOP Association, Kelly is a consistent pillar of leadership in the ESOP community. Kelly has also served in leadership roles in numerous professional and community activities, including President of the Memphis Chapter of the Society of Financial Services Professionals, Vestry Member and Treasurer of his church, President of Family Services of Memphis, as a member of the Board of Directors of Renasant Bank and the Economic Club of Memphis and on the Dean’s Advisory Council at the Christian Brothers University School of Business. Kelly graduated magna cum laude from the University of Memphis and from the Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law. He earned the Accredited Investment Fiduciary professional designation, awarded by the Center for Fiduciary Studies at the University of Pittsburgh. In this episode of Family Business Today, you will learn: Why an ESOP is an important option for family businesses Insights into the pros and cons of developing an ESOP for your family business The misconceptions surrounding ESOPs and the family’s ownership of their business How ESOPs impact key employees and company culture The factors that contribute to the long-term success of an ESOP for a family business And more… To learn more about Kelly, his book, or his company Execfin, visit At the Tennessee Center for Family Business our passion is to help business owners create a positive environment in which their family THRIVES , their business performs and working together they create a lasting family legacy. To learn more about the Tennessee Center for Family Business visit . If you are considering a transition in your family business contact us today for a FREE Transition Assessment (follow link) and receive a one-on-one review of your business transition preparedness with a family business consultant. Until next time, There’s No Business Like a Family Business…. We Know!

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Episode 87: Preserving Your Family Business through an Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP) is an episode from Family Business Today by Greg Lewis.

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This episode was published on Jul 8, 2025.

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