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M&A

5 articles about m&a, written to help normal people read contracts with more confidence. Product comparisons now live in /compare.

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Guide
Diligence guide
Step 1
Know what matters
Focus on the handful of clauses that change the deal.
Step 2
See it in operator terms
Translate the legal language into a real decision.
Step 3
Sign, review, or walk
Use the guide to decide what to do next.
Best use
Before you agree
The right time to understand a contract is before the signature.
Featured in M&AMay 27, 20265 min read

How Common Are Earnouts, and How Should They Be Structured? (2025 Data)

What a market-standard earnout looks like in an SMB acquisition, using 2025 SRS Acquiom data. How often earnouts appear, typical size and length, offset rights, and the protections a searcher should insist on.

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Guide
Diligence guide
Step 1
Know what matters
Focus on the handful of clauses that change the deal.
Step 2
See it in operator terms
Translate the legal language into a real decision.
M&A5 min read

How Long Should Indemnification Survival Last? (2025 Data)

What a market-standard survival period looks like in an SMB acquisition, using 2025 ABA and SRS Acquiom data. Why 12 months is the median, when no-survival deals happen, and what a searcher should push for.

Diligence Guide
Diligence guide
Term
Market-Standard Indemnification Cap
The clause name people search for first.
Meaning
What it really does
The practical consequence, not law-firm wording.
M&A5 min read

What Is a Market-Standard Indemnification Cap? (2025 Data)

What a market-standard indemnification cap looks like in an SMB acquisition, using the 2025 ABA and SRS Acquiom deal-terms data. Median caps, how rep and warranty insurance changes the number, and what a searcher should push for.

Guide
Diligence guide
Step 1
Know what matters
Focus on the handful of clauses that change the deal.
Step 2
See it in operator terms
Translate the legal language into a real decision.
M&A9 min read

The 12 Clauses That Kill SMB Acquisitions

The 12 contract clauses that quietly destroy SMB acquisitions. Customer concentration, indemnification basket structure, MAC carve-outs, and the working capital adjustment language searchers miss most often.

Guide
Diligence guide
Step 1
Know what matters
Focus on the handful of clauses that change the deal.
Step 2
See it in operator terms
Translate the legal language into a real decision.
M&A8 min read

Reading an Asset Purchase Agreement: A Searcher's Checklist

How to read an Asset Purchase Agreement as a self-funded searcher. Section-by-section checklist covering purchase price, allocation, working capital, indemnity, seller notes, closing conditions, and disclosure schedules.

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