From pre-IPO to post-liquidity
The advisor who understands your equity is as important as the attorney who drafted it.
A liquidity event is the most complex financial moment of a founder's life - and the most consequential. The decisions made in the 12 months before a transaction closes determine whether you keep the majority of what you built or hand a significant portion back in taxes. We work with founders before, during, and after the exit.
Most of your net worth is in one stock
Concentrated equity is both your greatest asset and your greatest risk. Without a plan, diversification means a large, avoidable tax bill.
The tax window closes before the deal does
QSBS qualification, charitable structures, and income timing strategies must be in place before a term sheet is signed. Advisors who engage at close arrive too late.
Post-liquidity wealth is a different discipline
Going from illiquid equity to $5M–$50M in liquid assets requires a completely different planning framework - one most advisors never encounter.
QSBS / Section 1202 Planning
Section 1202 of the tax code allows founders who hold qualifying C-corporation stock for more than five years to exclude up to $10 million - or 10× their cost basis - from federal capital gains tax. We help founders confirm eligibility, structure around the exclusion, and model the after-tax outcome under multiple exit scenarios.
Exchange Funds & Diversification
Exchange funds allow founders to contribute concentrated positions into a diversified fund structure and receive a pro-rata interest - deferring capital gains that would otherwise be triggered by a direct sale. We model exchange fund eligibility alongside collars, systematic sales, and charitable remainder trusts (CRTs) to identify the optimal path for each client.
Pre-Transaction Structuring
The structure of a deal - asset vs. equity sale, installment treatment, earnout design - has major tax implications that are largely locked in once a letter of intent is signed. We work alongside your M&A counsel to model tax outcomes and identify optimization opportunities before the process begins.
Charitable Remainder Trusts (CRTs)
A CRT allows a founder to contribute appreciated stock to a trust before a sale, avoid immediate capital gains recognition on the contribution, receive an income stream over time, and take a partial charitable deduction. For founders with philanthropic intent, the math often makes a CRT the most tax-efficient exit structure available.
Post-Event Wealth Management
After a liquidity event, the portfolio becomes the business. We build post-liquidity investment strategies that balance growth, tax efficiency, estate planning, and lifestyle - ensuring the wealth that took a decade to build compounds rather than erodes.
Equity & exit review
We review your cap table, option/warrant structure, QSBS eligibility, and anticipated exit timeline to identify planning opportunities and immediate action items.
Pre-transaction structuring
We model the tax outcome of your exit under multiple scenarios - sale price, deal structure, timing - and coordinate with your attorney and accountant on any structures that need to be in place before close.
Closing coordination
We stay engaged through the transaction process, helping you make decisions about stock elections, escrow, earnout structure, and reinvestment of initial proceeds.
Post-liquidity wealth plan
Once proceeds arrive, we build the long-term investment and planning strategy - asset allocation, tax-loss harvesting, estate planning integration, and ongoing wealth management.
QSBS Eligibility Estimator
Enter your basis, expected exit value, and holding period to estimate your Section 1202 exclusion and potential federal tax savings.
Your exit deserves a specialist.
A 30-minute discovery call is the fastest way to understand whether your equity structure is set up correctly - and what, if anything, should change before your event.