PlumBot: Bot: Creating new article from JSON

2026-03-13T12:15:52Z

Bot: Creating new article from JSON

New page

🤝 '''Cross-purchase agreement''' is a contractual arrangement commonly used in business succession planning, in which the individual owners of a business agree to purchase each other's ownership interest upon a triggering event such as death, disability, or retirement — and fund that obligation through [[Definition:Life insurance | life insurance]] or [[Definition:Disability insurance | disability insurance]] policies. In the insurance industry context, cross-purchase agreements are both a product sold by life and disability carriers and a planning tool used internally by insurance agencies, [[Definition:Managing general agent (MGA) | MGAs]], and brokerage partnerships to ensure orderly ownership transitions. Each owner purchases and owns a policy on the life or disability of every other owner, with the [[Definition:Death benefit | death benefit]] or [[Definition:Insurance proceeds | insurance proceeds]] providing the liquidity needed to buy out the departing owner's share at a pre-agreed valuation.

📋 The mechanics hinge on the number of owners and the policies required. With two partners, only two policies are needed — each partner owns a policy on the other. As the number of owners grows, the required policies multiply according to the formula n × (n − 1), which can become administratively burdensome for firms with many partners. To address this complexity, a trusteed cross-purchase arrangement sometimes places the policies within a trust that manages premium payments and executes the buyout on behalf of the surviving owners. The [[Definition:Premium | premiums]] paid by each owner reflect the age, health, and insured amount of the partner they are covering, meaning costs are not evenly distributed. Valuations of each ownership stake are typically established through a formula or periodic appraisal written into the agreement, and the insurance coverage amounts must be periodically reviewed to keep pace with changes in the business's fair market value.

💼 For insurance professionals selling into the business market, cross-purchase agreements represent a high-value planning case that brings together [[Definition:Life insurance | life]], [[Definition:Disability buyout insurance | disability buyout]], and sometimes [[Definition:Key person insurance | key person]] coverages in a single engagement. The tax treatment often makes cross-purchase structures attractive compared to entity-purchase (stock redemption) alternatives: in the United States, for example, surviving owners who purchase a deceased partner's share generally receive a stepped-up cost basis, reducing future [[Definition:Capital gains tax | capital gains]] exposure — an advantage not available in entity-redemption plans. Tax implications differ in other jurisdictions, so agents and advisors serving multinational partnerships must account for local rules. Beyond tax efficiency, these agreements provide certainty to all parties — surviving owners retain control, the departing owner's heirs receive fair value, and the business avoids disruption — making them a cornerstone of the commercial life insurance market.

'''Related concepts:'''
{{Div col|colwidth=20em}}
* [[Definition:Buy-sell agreement]]
* [[Definition:Key person insurance]]
* [[Definition:Life insurance]]
* [[Definition:Disability buyout insurance]]
* [[Definition:Business succession planning]]
* [[Definition:Entity-purchase agreement]]
{{Div col end}}

Definition:Cross-purchase agreement - Revision history

PlumBot: Bot: Creating new article from JSON