The Long Term Investor

How to Evaluate an ETF for a 351 Exchange: The Checklist to Get It Right (EP.247)

7 snips
Mar 11, 2026
Clear explanation of what a 351 exchange is and why ETFs are suitable for it. A practical checklist for evaluating ETFs with no track record. Risks of new funds, why many fail early, and what survival looks like. Which investor situations make a 351 exchange useful and how to decide if seeding a fund fits your long-term plan.
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ANECDOTE

PlanCorp's Exclusive 351 Opportunity

  • PlanCorp had exclusive access to a large 351 exchange opportunity and planned to participate in Q2.
  • Lazaroff notes they've done 351 exchanges before and felt excited because they were the only RIA with access.
INSIGHT

How A 351 Exchange Preserves Cost Basis

  • A 351 exchange lets investors contribute individual stocks or ETFs into a newly formed ETF without triggering capital gains.
  • Peter Lazaroff explains cost basis carries into the new ETF, so a $1M stock contribution becomes $1M in ETF shares with the same basis.
INSIGHT

351 Exchanges Solve Diversification Without Taxes

  • The investor benefit is moving from concentrated or legacy holdings to a diversified ETF without a taxable sale today.
  • Lazaroff frames common use cases: concentrated single-stock holders or owners of legacy ETFs who want alignment with a long-term plan.
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