In this episode of Merger She Wrote, host Paloma Goggins, owner of Nocturnal Legal, interviews asset-protection and estate-planning attorney Sherrie Prince about how entrepreneurs can align their business plans with their estate plans to “build a moat” around personal and company assets. Sherry explains that planning starts with the end goal—what retirement and an eventual exit look like—and should account for both external risks (like slip-and-fall claims that insurance may not fully cover) and internal risks such as employee disputes, partner conflicts, and divorce. Paloma and Scherrie discuss why operating agreements should be as protective as if partners were strangers, including community property concerns where a spouse may gain ownership rights. Scherrie also notes that tools like business trusts, holding companies, and entity structures are goal- and industry-dependent and should be coordinated with a “money team” of insurance, tax, and M&A professionals. Scherrie explains that she learned the importance of written agreements after starting a business at 21 without documents and unexpected obstacles along the way.