Exit Planning & M&A Strategy for Founders

3 in 4 founders regret sale within a year. New frameworks emphasize personal advisory teams, earnout mechanics, and post-sale wealth planning (five-stage model). Practical guides on pre-sale tax planning, 1031 exchanges, CRTs, and perpetual purpose trusts. Lower middle-market LOI data (6-6.25x multiple, 69% cash/25% rollover/6% earnout) provides benchmarking. Nine blind spots advisors overlook include delayed estate planning, concentration, and carry as strategic asset. New: Gift tax annual exclusion $19K, lifetime $15M permanent, medical/tuition direct-payment loophole.