**Your Stocks Get Bought Too—Here's the Deal**

Company getting acquired? Your shares might be heading somewhere new.

**What actually happens?** Depends on the deal structure. All-cash deal = your shares disappear, you get cash deposited. All-stock deal = you swap for acquirer's shares (usually not 1:1 ratio). Most deals mix both—so it's complicated.

**The timeline**: Acquisition announced → shareholder vote → regulatory approval → transaction closes → your shares convert to cash/new stock. You don't have to do anything—it's automatic.

**The upside**: Target company shareholders usually see a price bump right after announcement since buyers pay premium. Quick scalp for traders.

**Tax reality**: You'll owe capital gains tax on profits regardless. Hold over a year? Long-term rates apply. That's the one thing you *do* need to think about.

**Bottom line**: Most acquisitions go smoothly, but read the deal terms carefully. Your shares won't disappear into the void—they'll just transform into something else.