UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

SCHEDULE 14A

(Rule 14a-101)
INFORMATION REQUIRED IN PROXY STATEMENT
SCHEDULE 14A INFORMATION
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Securities Exchange Act of 1934

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oSoliciting Material under §240.14a-12

East Resources Acquisition Company

ABACUS LIFE, INC.
(Name of Registrant as Specified In Its Charter)

(Name of Person(s) Filing Proxy Statement, if other than the Registrant)

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EAST RESOURCES ACQUISITION COMPANY

7777 NW Beacon Square Boulevard

Boca Raton,


picture1.jpg
Abacus Life, Inc.
2101 Park Center Drive, Suite 200
Orlando, Florida 33487

32835

NOTICE OF SPECIALANNUAL MEETING

TO BE HELD ON JANUARY 20, 2023

TO THE OF STOCKHOLDERS OF EAST RESOURCES ACQUISITION COMPANY:

You

To Be Held on June 13, 2024
Dear Stockholder:
We are cordially invitedpleased to invite you to attend the special meeting (the2024 Annual Meeting of Stockholders (including any adjournments, continuations or postponements thereof, thespecial meetingAnnual Meeting”) of stockholders of East Resources Acquisition Abacus Life, Inc., a Delaware corporation (“Abacus”, “Company (the “Company,” “we,” “us or “ourwe”), towhich will be held at 10:the Waldorf Astoria Orlando, 14200 Bonnet Creek Resort Lane, Orlando, FL 32821, on June 13, 2024 at 9:00 a.m. Eastern Time, on January 20, 2023. (Eastern Time). For admission to the Annual Meeting, each stockholder may be asked to present valid picture identification, such as a driver’s license or passport, and proof of stock ownership as of the record date, such as the proxy card or a brokerage statement reflecting stock ownership. Cameras, recording devices and other electronic devices will not be permitted at the Annual Meeting.
The special meetingAnnual Meeting will be held virtually, at https://www.cstproxy.com/eastresources/ext2023. At the special meeting, the stockholders will consider and vote uponfor the following proposals:

1.

To amend (the “Second Extension Amendment”) the Company’s Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation (our “charter”) to extend the date bypurposes, which the Company must consummate a business combination (as defined below) (the “Second Extension”) from January 27, 2023 (the date that is 30 months from the closing date of the Company’s initial public offering of units (the “IPO”)) to July 27, 2023 (the date that is 36 months from the closing date of the IPO) (the “Extended Date”) (the “Second Extension Amendment Proposal”).

2.

A proposal to approve the adjournment of the special meeting to a later date or dates, if necessary, to permit further solicitation and vote of proxies in the event that there are insufficient votes to approve the Second Extension Amendment Proposal or if we determine that additional time is necessary to effectuate the Second Extension (the “Adjournment Proposal”).

Each of the Second Extension Amendment Proposal and the Adjournment Proposal is more fully described in the accompanying proxy statement. Duematerials:

(1)To elect two Class I directors, Sean McNealy and Adam Gusky, to health concerns stemming fromhold office until our annual meeting of stockholders in 2027 and until their successors are duly elected and qualified, or until their earlier death, resignation or removal;
(2)To ratify the selection of Grant Thornton LLP as our independent registered public accounting firm for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2024;
COVID-19(3) pandemic,To consider and vote to supportadopt the healthAmended and Restated Abacus Life, Inc. 2024 Long-Term Equity Incentive Plan; and
well-being(4)To conduct any other business properly brought before the Annual Meeting.
Holders of record of our stockholders, the special meeting will be a virtual meeting. You will be able to attend and participate in the special meeting online by visiting https://www.cstproxy.com/eastresources/ext2023. Please see “Questions and Answers about the Special Meeting — How do I attend the special meeting?” for more information.

THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS UNANIMOUSLY RECOMMENDS A VOTE “FOR” THE SECOND EXTENSION AMENDMENT PROPOSAL AND, IF PRESENTED, THE ADJOURNMENT PROPOSAL.

On August 30, 2022, the Company, LMA Merger Sub, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company and a wholly owned subsidiaryoutstanding shares of the Company (“LMA Merger Sub”), Abacus Merger Sub, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company and a wholly owned subsidiary of the Company (“Abacus Merger Sub”), Longevity Market Assets, LLC, a Florida limited liability company (“LMA”), and Abacus Settlements, LLC, a Florida limited liability company (“Abacus”), entered into an Agreement and Plan of Merger, as amended on October 14, 2022 (as it may be further amended, supplemented or otherwise modified from time to time in accordance with its terms, the “Merger Agreement”), pursuant to which, subject to the satisfaction or waiver of certain conditions precedent in the Merger Agreement, (i) LMA Merger Sub will merge with and into LMA, with LMA surviving such merger as a direct wholly owned subsidiary of the Company, and (ii) Abacus Merger Sub will merge with and into Abacus, with Abacus surviving such merger as a direct wholly owned subsidiary of the Company (the “Business Combination”). The Business Combination is expected to be consummated in the first half of 2023, subject to the fulfillment of certain conditions.

The Company is in the process of preparing and finalizing a proxy statement (as amended from time to time, the “Business Combination Proxy Statement”) with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) for the purpose of soliciting stockholder approval of the proposed Business Combination at a special meeting of the Company’s stockholders as promptly as possible. If the Business Combination is approved at a


special meeting for such purpose, the Company would consummate the Business Combination shortly thereafter. For additional information regarding the Merger Agreement, see the Company’s Current Reports on Form 8-K filed on August 30, 2022 and October 14, 2022, and the Business Combination Proxy Statement.

On July 25, 2022, we amended our charter to extend the date by which the Company must consummate a merger, share exchange, asset acquisition, stock purchase, recapitalization, reorganization or similar business combination involving the Company and one or more businesses (a “business combination”) to January 27, 2023. Concurrently, the Company entered into an extension note with the Sponsor, pursuant to which the Sponsor agreed to contribute to the Company as a loan $0.033 for each public share that was not redeemed in connection with the stockholder vote to approve the extension (which extension was approved at the special meeting of the Company on July 25, 2022), for each month until the earlier of (i) the date of consummation of the Company’s initial business combination and (ii) the date of liquidation of the Company.

The sole purpose of the Second Extension Amendment Proposal is to provide the Company with additional time to complete the proposed Business Combination. The Company’s board of directors (the “Board”) currently believes that there may not be sufficient time before January 27, 2023 to complete the proposed Business Combination (the “Combination Period”). Accordingly, our Board believes that it is in the best interests of our stockholders to further extend the date by which the Company must consummate an initial business combination to the Extended Date in order to provide our stockholders with the opportunity to participate in the proposed Business Combination. If the Second Extension Amendment Proposal is approved, the Company would have until the Extended Date to consummate the proposed Business Combination. The purpose of the Adjournment Proposal is to allow the Company to adjourn the special meeting to a later date or dates if we determine that additional time is necessary to permit further solicitation and vote of proxies in the event that there are insufficient votes to approve the Second Extension Amendment Proposal or if we determine that additional time is necessary to effectuate the Second Extension.

The affirmative vote of 65% of the Company’s outstanding Class A common stock par value $0.0001 per share (“Class A common stock” or the “public sharesCommon Stock”), and Class B common stock, par value $0.0001 per share (“Class B common stock” or the “founder shares” and, together with the public shares, the “common stock”), voting together as a single class, will be required to approve the Second Extension Amendment Proposal. Approval of the Second Extension Amendment Proposal is a condition to the implementation of the Second Extension. In addition, the Company will not proceed with the Second Extension if the number of redemptions of our public shares causes the Company to have less than $5,000,001 of net tangible assets following approval of the Second Extension Amendment Proposal.

Approval of the Adjournment Proposal requires the affirmative vote of the majority of the votes cast by stockholders represented in person (including virtually) or by proxy at the special meeting.

Our Board has fixed the close of business on December 16, 2022 as the record date for determining the Company’s stockholdersApril 24, 2024, are entitled to receive notice of and to vote at the special meeting andAnnual Meeting, or any continuation, postponement or adjournment thereof. Only holders of record of the Company’s common stock on that date are entitled to have their votes counted at the special meeting or any adjournment thereof.Annual Meeting. A complete list of these stockholders of record entitled to vote at the special meeting will be available for ten days beforeopen to the special meetingexamination of any stockholder at the Company’sour principal executive offices for inspection by stockholders during ordinary business hours for any purpose germane to the special meeting.

In connection with the Second Extension Amendment Proposal, holders of public shares (“public stockholders”) may elect to redeem their public sharesat 2101 Park Center Drive, Suite 200, Orlando, Florida 32835 for a per share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account established by the Company in connection with its IPO (the “trust account”) asperiod of two businessten days prior to such approval, including any interest earned on the trust account deposits (which interest shallAnnual Meeting. The Annual Meeting may be net of taxes payable), dividedcontinued or adjourned from time to time without notice other than by the number of then outstanding public shares (the “Election”), regardless of whether such public stockholders vote on the Second Extension Amendment Proposal. However, the Company may not redeem our public shares in an amount that would cause our net tangible assets to be less than $5,000,001. If the Second Extension Amendment Proposal is approved by the requisite vote of stockholders,


holders of public shares that do not make the Election will retain the opportunity to have their public shares redeemed in conjunction with the consummation of a business combination, subject to any limitations set forth in our charter, as amended. In addition, public stockholders who do not make the Election would be entitled to have their public shares redeemed for cash if the Company has not completed a business combination by the Extended Date.

If the Second Extension Amendment Proposal is approved, our sponsor, East Sponsor, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (our “Sponsor”), or its designee, has agreed to advance to us as a loan (i) $0.033 for each public share that is not redeemed in connection with the special meeting plus (ii) $0.033 for each public share that is not redeemed for each subsequent calendar month commencing on February 27, 2023, and on the 27th day of each subsequent month, or portion thereof, that we require to complete a business combination from January 27, 2023 until the Extended Date. For example, if we complete the business combination on April 27, 2023, which would represent three calendar months, our Sponsor or its designee would make aggregate maximum advances of approximately $0.198 per share (assuming no public shares were redeemed). Assuming the Second Extension Amendment Proposal is approved, the initial contribution will be deposited in the trust account promptly following the special meeting. Each additional contribution will be deposited in the trust account on or before the 27th day of such calendar month. Accordingly, if the Second Extension Amendment Proposal is approved and the Second Extension is implemented and we take the full time through the Extended Date to complete a business combination, the redemption amount per shareannouncement at the meeting for such business combination or the Company’s subsequent liquidation will be approximately $10.41 per share, in comparisonAnnual Meeting.

We have elected to the current redemption amount of $10.21 per share. The advances are conditioned upon the implementation of the Second Extension Amendment Proposal and will not occur if the Second Extension Amendment Proposal is not approved or the Second Extension is not completed. The amount of the advances will not bear interest and will be repayable by the Companyprovide internet access to our Sponsor or its designees upon consummationproxy materials, which include the proxy statement for our Annual Meeting (“Proxy Statement”) accompanying this notice, in lieu of mailing printed copies, where permitted. Providing our Annual Meeting materials via the business combination. Atinternet reduces the option of the Sponsor, up to $1,500,000 of the loan may be converted into warrants identical to the warrants sold in the private placement that was consummated simultaneouslycosts associated with our IPO, at $1.50 per warrant. IfAnnual Meeting and lowers our Sponsorenvironmental impact, all without negatively affecting our stockholders’ ability to timely access Annual Meeting materials.
On or its designee advises the Company that it does not intendabout April 29, 2024, we expect to make the advances, then the Second Extension Amendment Proposal and the Adjournment Proposal will not be put before the stockholders at the special meeting and we will dissolve and liquidate in accordance with our charter. Our Sponsor or its designees will have the sole discretion whether to continue extending for additional calendar months until the Extended Date and if our Sponsor determines not to continue extending for additional calendar months, its obligation to make additional advances will terminate.

The Company estimates that the per share price at which the public shares may be redeemed from cash held in the trust account will be approximately $10.21 at the time of the special meeting. The closing price of the Company’s Class A common stock on the Nasdaq Stock Market LLC on December 16, 2022, the record date of the special meeting, was $10.11. Accordingly, if the market price were to remain the same until the date of the special meeting, exercising redemption rights would result in a public stockholder receiving approximately $0.10 more than if such stockholder sold the public shares in the open market. The Company cannot assure public stockholders that they will be able to sell their public shares in the open market, even if the market price per share is higher than the redemption price stated above, as there may not be sufficient liquidity in its securities when such stockholders wish to sell their shares.

The Adjournment Proposal, if adopted, will allow our Board to adjourn the special meeting to a later date or dates, if necessary or appropriate, to permit further solicitation of proxies. The Adjournment Proposal will be presentedmail to our stockholders onlya Notice of Internet Availability of Proxy Materials (“Notice”) containing instructions on how to access the Proxy Statement and our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2023 (“2023 Annual Report”). The Notice provides instructions on how to vote online or by telephone and how to receive a paper copy of your proxy




materials by mail. The Proxy Statement and our 2023 Annual Report can be accessed directly at the internet address www.proxyvote.com using the control number located on the Notice, on your proxy card or in the eventinstructions that there are insufficient for, or otherwise in connection with, the approval of the Second Extension Amendment Proposal.

If the Second Extension Amendment Proposalaccompanied your proxy materials.

Your vote is not approved and the Company does not consummate an initial business combination within the Combination Period, as contemplated by our IPO prospectus and in accordance with our charter, the Company will (i) cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up, (ii) as promptly as reasonably possible but not more than ten business days thereafter, and subject to having lawfully available funds therefor, redeem 100% of the outstanding public shares, at a per share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including any interest earned on the trust account deposits


(which interest shall be net of taxes payable and after setting aside up to $100,000 to pay dissolution expenses), divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, which redemption will completely extinguish public stockholders’ rights as stockholders (including the right to receive further liquidation distributions, if any), subject to applicable law, and (iii) as promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the approval of our remaining stockholders and our Board, in accordance with applicable law, dissolve and liquidate, subject in each case to our obligations under Delaware law to provide for claims of creditors and the requirements of other applicable law. There will be no redemption rights or liquidating distributions with respect to our warrants, including the warrants included in the units sold in the IPO (the “public warrants”), which will expire worthless in the event the Company winds up.

You are not being asked to vote on a business combination at this time. If the Second Extension is implemented and you do not elect to redeem your public shares in connection with the Second Extension, you will retain the right to vote on a business combination when it is submitted to the public stockholders (provided that you are a stockholder on the record date for a meeting to consider a business combination) and the right to redeem your public shares for a pro rata portion of the trust account in the event a business combination is approved and completed or the Company has not consummated a business combination by the Extended Date.

After careful consideration of all relevant factors, our Board has determined that the Second Extension Amendment Proposal and, if presented, the Adjournment Proposal are both advisable and recommends that you vote or give instruction to vote “FOR” both the Second Extension Amendment Proposal and, if presented, the Adjournment Proposal.

Enclosed is the proxy statement containing detailed information concerning the Second Extension Amendment Proposal, Adjournment Proposal and the special meeting.important. Whether or not you plan to attend the special meeting,Annual Meeting, we hope you will vote by internet, telephone or mail as soon as possible to ensure your vote is recorded promptly. Please carefully review the Company urgesinstructions on each of your voting options described in the Proxy Statement, as well as in the accompanying Notice of Internet Availability of Proxy Materials, proxy card or voting instruction form.

Please note, however, that if your shares are held on your behalf by a brokerage firm, bank, or other nominee and you wish to read this material carefully andvote at the Annual Meeting, you may need to obtain a proxy issued in your name from that nominee. Please contact your broker, bank or other nominee for information about specific requirements if you would like to vote your shares.

shares during the Annual Meeting.
By Order of the Board of Directors

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Jay Jackson
Chairman of the Board, President and Chief Executive Officer



ABACUS LIFE, INC.
PROXY STATEMENT FOR 2024 ANNUAL MEETING OF STOCKHOLDERS
TABLE OF CONTENTS
December 30, 2022By Order of the Board of Directors,

/s/ Terrence M. Pegula

Terrence M. Pegula
Chief Executive Officer, President and Chairman

Your vote is important. If you are a stockholder of record, please sign, date and return your proxy card as soon as possible to make sure that your shares are represented at the special meeting. If you are a stockholder of record, you may also cast your vote virtually at the special meeting. If your shares are held in an account at a brokerage firm or bank, you must instruct your broker or bank how to vote your shares, or you may cast your vote virtually at the special meeting by obtaining a proxy from your brokerage firm or bank. Your failure to vote or instruct your broker or bank how to vote will have the same effect as voting against the Second Extension Amendment Proposal, and an abstention will have the same effect as voting against the Second Extension Amendment Proposal. Abstentions will be counted in connection with the determination of whether a valid quorum is established but will have no effect




SPECIAL NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
This Proxy Statement on the outcome of the Adjournment Proposal.

Important Notice Regarding the Availability of Schedule 14A (this “Proxy Materials for the Special Meeting of Stockholders to be held on January 20, 2023: This notice of meeting and the accompanying proxy statement are available at https://www.cstproxy.com/eastresources/ext2023.

TO EXERCISE YOUR REDEMPTION RIGHTS, YOU MUST (1) IF YOU HOLD PUBLIC SHARES THROUGH UNITS, ELECT TO SEPARATE YOUR UNITS INTO THE UNDERLYING PUBLIC SHARES AND PUBLIC WARRANTS PRIOR TO EXERCISING YOUR REDEMPTION RIGHTS WITH RESPECT TO THE PUBLIC SHARES, (2) SUBMIT A WRITTEN REQUEST TO THE TRANSFER AGENT BY 5:00 P.M. ON JANUARY 18, 2023, THE DATE THAT IS TWO BUSINESS DAYS PRIOR TO THE SCHEDULED VOTE AT THE SPECIAL MEETING, THAT YOUR PUBLIC


SHARES BE REDEEMED FOR CASH, INCLUDING THE LEGAL NAME, PHONE NUMBER, AND ADDRESS OF THE BENEFICIAL OWNER OF THE SHARES FOR WHICH REDEMPTION IS REQUESTED, AND (3) DELIVER YOUR SHARES OF CLASS A COMMON STOCK TO THE TRANSFER AGENT, PHYSICALLY OR ELECTRONICALLY USING THE DEPOSITORY TRUST COMPANY’S DWAC (DEPOSIT WITHDRAWAL AT CUSTODIAN) SYSTEM, IN EACH CASE IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE PROCEDURES AND DEADLINES DESCRIBED IN THE ACCOMPANYING PROXY STATEMENT. IF YOU HOLD THE SHARES IN STREET NAME, YOU WILL NEED TO INSTRUCT THE ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE AT YOUR BANK OR BROKER TO WITHDRAW THE SHARES FROM YOUR ACCOUNT IN ORDER TO EXERCISE YOUR REDEMPTION RIGHTS.


PROXY STATEMENT — DATED DECEMBER 30, 2022

EAST RESOURCES ACQUISITION COMPANY

7777 NW Beacon Square Boulevard

Boca Raton, Florida 33487

PROXY STATEMENT FOR THE SPECIAL MEETING OF STOCKHOLDERS

TO BE HELD ON JANUARY 20, 2023

The special meeting of stockholders (the “special meetingStatement”) of East Resources Acquisition Company (the “Company,” “we,” “us” or “our”), a Delaware corporation, will be held at 10:00 a.m. Eastern Time, on January 20, 2023. The special meeting will be held virtually, at https://www.cstproxy.com/eastresources/ext2023. At the special meeting, the stockholders will consider and vote upon the following proposals:

1.

To amend (the “Second Extension Amendment”) the Company’s Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation (our “charter”) to extend the date by which the Company must consummate a business combination (as defined below) (the “Second Extension”) from January 27, 2022 (the date that is 30 months from the closing date of the Company’s initial public offering of units (the “IPO”)) to July 27, 2023 (the date that is 36 months from the closing date of the IPO) (the “Extended Date”) (the “Second Extension Amendment Proposal”).

2.

A proposal to approve the adjournment of the special meeting to a later date or dates, if necessary, to permit further solicitation and vote of proxies in the event that there are insufficient votes to approve the Second Extension Amendment Proposal or if we determine that additional time is necessary to effectuate the Second Extension (the “Adjournment Proposal”).

Each of the Second Extension Amendment Proposal and the Adjournment Proposal is more fully described herein. Due to health concerns stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic, and to support the health and well-being of our stockholders, the special meeting will be a virtual meeting. You will be able to attend and participate in the special meeting online by visiting https://www.cstproxy.com/eastresources/ext2023. Please see “Questions and Answers about the Special Meeting — How do I attend the special meeting?” for more information.

On August 30, 2022, the Company, LMA Merger Sub, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company and a wholly owned subsidiary of the Company (“LMA Merger Sub”), Abacus Merger Sub, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company and a wholly owned subsidiary of the Company (“Abacus Merger Sub”), Longevity Market Assets, LLC, a Florida limited liability company (“LMA”), and Abacus Settlements, LLC, a Florida limited liability company (“Abacus”), entered into an Agreement and Plan of Merger, as amended on October 14, 2022 (as it may be further amended, supplemented or otherwise modified from time to time in accordance with its terms, the “Merger Agreement”), pursuant to which, subject to the satisfaction or waiver of certain conditions precedent in the Merger Agreement, (i) LMA Merger Sub will merge with and into LMA, with LMA surviving such merger as a direct wholly owned subsidiary of the Company, and (ii) Abacus Merger Sub will merge with and into Abacus, with Abacus surviving such merger as a direct wholly owned subsidiary of the Company (the “Business Combination”). The Business Combination is expected to be consummated in the first half of 2023, subject to the fulfillment of certain conditions.

The Company is in the process of preparing and finalizing a proxy statement (as amended from time to time, the “Business Combination Proxy Statement”) with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) for the purpose of soliciting stockholder approval of the proposed Business Combination at a special meeting of the Company’s stockholders as promptly as possible. If the Business Combination is approved at a special meeting for such purpose, the Company would consummate the Business Combination shortly thereafter. For additional information regarding the Merger Agreement, see the Company’s Current Reports on Form 8-K filed on August 30, 2022 and October 14, 2022, and the Business Combination Proxy Statement.

On July 25, 2022, we amended our charter to extend the date by which the Company must consummate a merger, share exchange, asset acquisition, stock purchase, recapitalization, reorganization or similar business combination involving the Company and one or more businesses (a “business combination”) to January 27,


2023. Concurrently, the Company entered into an extension note with the Sponsor, pursuant to which the Sponsor agreed to contribute to the Company as a loan $0.033 for each public share that was not redeemed in connection with the stockholder vote to approve the extension (which extension was approved at the special meeting of the Company on July 25, 2022), for each month until the earlier of (i) the date of consummation of the Company’s initial business combination and (ii) the date of liquidation of the Company.

The sole purpose of the Second Extension Amendment Proposal is to provide the Company with additional time to complete the proposed Business Combination. The Company’s board of directors (the “Board”) currently believes that there may not be sufficient time before January 27, 2023 to complete the proposed Business Combination (the “Combination Period”). Accordingly, our Board believes that it is in the best interests of our stockholders to further extend the date by which the Company must consummate an initial business combination to the Extended Date in order to provide our stockholders with the opportunity to participate in the proposed Business Combination. If the Second Extension Amendment Proposal is approved, the Company would have until the Extended Date to consummate the proposed Business Combination. The purpose of the Adjournment Proposal is to allow the Company to adjourn the special meeting to a later date or dates if we determine that additional time is necessary to permit further solicitation and vote of proxies in the event that there are insufficient votes to approve the Second Extension Amendment Proposal or if we determine that additional time is necessary to effectuate the Second Extension.

The affirmative vote of 65% of the Company’s outstanding Class A common stock (“Class A common stock” or the “public shares”) and Class B common stock (“Class B common stock” or the “founder shares” and, together with the public shares, the “common stock”), voting together as a single class, will be required to approve the Second Extension Amendment Proposal. Approval of the Second Extension Amendment Proposal is a condition to the implementation of the Second Extension. In addition, the Company will not proceed with the Second Extension if the number of redemptions of our public shares causes the Company to have less than $5,000,001 of net tangible assets following approval of the Second Extension Amendment Proposal.

Approval of the Adjournment Proposal requires the affirmative vote of the majority of the votes cast by stockholders represented in person (including virtually) or by proxy at the special meeting.

Our Board has fixed the close of business on December 16, 2022 as the record date for determining the Company’s stockholders entitled to receive notice of and vote at the special meeting and any adjournment thereof. Only holders of record of the Company’s common stock on that date are entitled to have their votes counted at the special meeting or any adjournment thereof. A complete list of stockholders of record entitled to vote at the special meeting will be available for ten days before the special meeting at the Company’s principal executive offices for inspection by stockholders during ordinary business hours for any purpose germane to the special meeting.

In connection with the Second Extension Amendment Proposal, holders of public shares (“public stockholders”) may elect to redeem their public shares for a per share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account established by the Company in connection with its IPO (the “trust account”) as of two business days prior to such approval, including any interest earned on the trust account deposits (which interest shall be net of taxes payable), divided by the number of then outstanding public shares (the “Election”), regardless of whether such public stockholders vote on the Second Extension Amendment Proposal. However, the Company may not redeem our public shares in an amount that would cause our net tangible assets to be less than $5,000,001. If the Second Extension Amendment Proposal is approved by the requisite vote of stockholders, the holders of public shares that do not make the Election will retain the opportunity to have their public shares redeemed in conjunction with the consummation of a business combination, subject to any limitations set forth in our charter, as amended. In addition, public stockholders who do not make the Election would be entitled to have their public shares redeemed for cash if the Company has not completed a business combination by the Extended Date.

If the Second Extension Amendment Proposal is approved, our sponsor, East Sponsor, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (our “Sponsor”), or its designee, has agreed to advance to us as a loan (i) $0.033 for each


public share that is not redeemed in connection with the special meeting plus (ii) $0.033 for each public share that is not redeemed for each subsequent calendar month commencing on February 27, 2023, and on the 27th day of each subsequent month, or portion thereof, that we require to complete a business combination from January 27, 2023 until the Extended Date. For example, if we complete the business combination on April 27, 2023, which would represent three calendar months, our Sponsor or its designee would make aggregate maximum advances of approximately $0.198 per share (assuming no public shares were redeemed). Assuming the Second Extension Amendment Proposal is approved, the initial contribution will be deposited in the trust account promptly following the special meeting. Each additional contribution will be deposited in the trust account on or before the 27th day of such calendar month. Accordingly, if the Second Extension Amendment Proposal is approved and the Second Extension is implemented and we take the full time through the Extended Date to complete a business combination, the redemption amount per share at the meeting for such business combination or the Company’s subsequent liquidation will be approximately $10.41 per share, in comparison to the current redemption amount of $10.21 per share. The advances are conditioned upon the implementation of the Second Extension Amendment Proposal and will not occur if the Second Extension Amendment Proposal is not approved or the Second Extension is not completed. The amount of the advances will not bear interest and will be repayable by the Company to our Sponsor or its designees upon consummation of the business combination. At the option of the Sponsor, up to $1,500,000 of the loan may be converted into warrants identical to the warrants sold in the private placement that was consummated simultaneously with our IPO, at $1.50 per warrant. If our Sponsor or its designee advises the Company that it does not intend to make the advances, then the Second Extension Amendment Proposal and the Adjournment Proposal will not be put before the stockholders at the special meeting and we will dissolve and liquidate in accordance with our charter. Our Sponsor or its designees will have the sole discretion whether to continue extending for additional calendar months until the Extended Date and if our Sponsor determines not to continue extending for additional calendar months, its obligation to make additional advances will terminate.

The withdrawal of funds from the trust account in connection with the Election will reduce the amount held in the trust account following the Election, and the amount remaining in the trust account after such withdrawal may be only a fraction of the $98,901,978.84 (including interest, but less the funds used to pay taxes) that was in the trust account as of the record date. In such event, the Company may still seek to obtain additional funds to complete a business combination, and there can be no assurance that such funds will be available on terms acceptable to the parties or at all.

The Company estimates that the per share price at which the public shares may be redeemed from cash held in the trust account will be approximately $10.21 at the time of the special meeting. The closing price of the Company’s Class A common stock on the Nasdaq Stock Market LLC (“NASDAQ”) on December 16, 2022, the record date of the special meeting, was $10.11. Accordingly, if the market price were to remain the same until the date of the special meeting, exercising redemption rights would result in a public stockholder receiving approximately $0.10 more than if such stockholder sold the public shares in the open market. The Company cannot assure public stockholders that they will be able to sell their public shares in the open market, even if the market price per share is higher than the redemption price stated above, as there may not be sufficient liquidity in its securities when such stockholders wish to sell their shares.

The Adjournment Proposal, if adopted, will allow our Board to adjourn the special meeting to a later date or dates, if necessary or appropriate, to permit further solicitation of proxies. The Adjournment Proposal will be presented to our stockholders only in the event that there are insufficient votes for, or otherwise in connection with, the approval of the Second Extension Amendment Proposal.

If the Second Extension Amendment Proposal is not approved and the Company does not consummate an initial business combinationcontains forward-looking statements within the Combination Period, as contemplated by our IPO prospectus and in accordance with charter, the Company will (i) cease all operations except for the purposemeaning of winding up, (ii) as promptly as reasonably possible but not more than ten business days thereafter, and subject to having lawfully available funds therefor, redeem 100%Section 27A of the outstanding public shares, at a per share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including any interest earned on the trust account deposits (which interest shall be net of taxes payable and after setting aside up to $100,000 to pay dissolution expenses),


divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, which redemption will completely extinguish public stockholders’ rights as stockholders (including the right to receive further liquidation distributions, if any), subject to applicable law, and (iii) as promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the approval of our remaining stockholders and our Board in accordance with applicable law, dissolve and liquidate, subject in each case to our obligations under Delaware law to provide for claims of creditors and the requirements of other applicable law. There will be no redemption rights or liquidating distributions with respect to our warrants, which will expire worthless in the event the Company winds up.

Our Sponsor, officers and directors (altogether the “initial stockholders”) have agreed to waive their redemption rights with respect to their founder shares and public shares in connection with a stockholder vote to approve an amendment to the Company’s charter.

Our Sponsor has agreed that it will be liable to the Company if and to the extent any claims by a third party for services rendered or products sold to the Company, or a prospective target business with which the Company has entered into a written letter of intent, confidentiality or similar agreement or business combination agreement, reduce the amount of funds in the trust account to below the lesser of (i) $10.00 per public share and (ii) the actual amount per public share held in the trust account as of the date of the liquidation of the trust account, if less than $10.00 per share due to reductions in the value of the trust assets, less taxes payable, provided that such liability will not apply to any claims by a third party or prospective target business who executed a waiver of any and all rights to the monies held in the trust account (whether or not such waiver is enforceable) nor will it apply to any claims under the Company’s indemnity of the underwriters of the IPO against certain liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended. However, we have not asked our Sponsor to reserve for such indemnification obligations, nor have we independently verified whether our Sponsor has sufficient funds to satisfy its indemnity obligationsamended (the “Securities Act”), and believe that our Sponsor’s only assets are securitiesSection 21E of the Company. Therefore, we cannot assure that its Sponsor would be able to satisfy those obligations.

Under the Delaware General Corporation LawSecurities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “DGCLExchange Act”), stockholderswhich statements involve substantial risks and uncertainties. Forward-looking statements generally relate to future events or our future financial or operating performance and may be held liable for claimsinclude statements concerning, among other things, our business strategy, our governance initiatives and impacts of our compensation program.

In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by third parties against a corporation towords such as “anticipate,” “believe,” “consider,” “continue,” “could,” “estimate,” “expect,” “intend,” “may,” “plan,” “predict,” “should” or “will” or the extentnegative or plural of distributions received by them in a dissolution. If the corporation complies with certain procedures set forth in Section 280these words or other similar terms or expressions. All statements other than statements of historical fact are forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the DGCL intended to ensure that it makes reasonable provision for all claims against it, including a 60-day notice period during which any third-party claims can be brought against the corporation, a 90-day period during which the corporation may reject any claims brought, and an additional 150-day waiting period before any liquidating distributionsdate they are made, to stockholders, any liabilityand are not guarantees of stockholders with respect tofuture performance.
These forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve a liquidating distribution is limited to the lesser of such stockholder’s pro rata share of the claim or the amount distributed to the stockholder, and any liability of the stockholder would be barred after the third anniversary of the dissolution.

However, because the Company will not be complying with Section 280 of the DGCL, Section 281(b) of the DGCL requires the Company to adopt a plan, based on facts known to the Company at such time that will provide for our payment of all existing and pending claims or claims that may be potentially brought against the Company within the subsequent ten years following our dissolution. However, because the Company is a blank check company, rather than an operating company, and our operations have been limited to searching for prospective target businesses to acquire, the only likely claims to arise would be from our vendors (such as lawyers, investment bankers, etc.) or prospective target businesses.

If the Second Extension Amendment Proposal is approved, such approval will constitute consent for the Company to (i) remove from the trust account an amount (the “Withdrawal Amount”) equal to the number of public shares properly redeemed multiplied by the per share price, equalassumptions, risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to the aggregate amount thendiffer materially from expected results. As a result, you should not put undue reliance on depositany forward-looking statement. These forward-looking statements are included throughout this Proxy Statement. Factors that could cause our actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied in the trust account as of two business days prior to such approval, including any interest earned on the trust account deposits (which interest shall be net of taxes payable), divided by the number of then outstanding public shares and (ii) deliver to the holders of such redeemed public shares their portion of the Withdrawal Amount. The remainder of such funds shall remain in the trust account and be available for use by the Company to complete a business combination on or before the Extended Date. Holders of public shares who do not redeem their public shares now will retain their redemption rights and their ability to vote on a business combination through the Extended Date if the Second Extension Amendment Proposal is approved.


Our Board has fixed the close of business on December 16, 2022 as the date for determining the Company stockholders entitled to receive notice of and vote at the special meeting. Only record holders of the Company’s common stock at the close of business on the record date are entitled to vote or have their votes cast at the special meeting. On the record date, there were 9,718,972 outstanding shares of the Company’s Class A common stock and 8,625,000 outstanding shares of the Company’s Class B common stock, which vote together as a single class with respect to the Second Extension Amendment Proposal. The Company’s warrants do not have voting rights in connection with either the Second Extension Amendment Proposal or, if presented, the Adjournment Proposal.

This proxy statement contains important information about the special meeting and the proposals to be voted on at the special meeting. Please read it carefully and vote your shares.


TABLE OF CONTENTS

Page

FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

1

QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS ABOUT THE SPECIAL MEETING

3

THE SPECIAL MEETING

17

Date, Time, Place and Purpose of the Special Meeting

17

Voting Power; Record Date

17

Votes Required

17

Voting

18

Revocability of Proxies

18

Attendance at the Special Meeting

19

Solicitation of Proxies

19

No Right of Appraisal

19

Other Business

19

Principal Executive Offices

19

THE SECOND EXTENSION AMENDMENT PROPOSAL

20

Background

20

The Second Extension Amendment

21

Reasons for the Proposal

21

If the Second Extension Amendment Proposal is Not Approved

22

If the Second Extension Amendment Proposal is Approved

22

Redemption Rights

23

Interests of the Company’s Directors and Executive Officers

25

U.S. Federal Income Tax Considerations

26

U.S. Holders

28

Information Reporting and Backup Withholding

30

Non-U.S. Holders

30

Information Reporting and Backup Withholding

32

Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act

33

Required Vote

33

Recommendation

34

THE ADJOURNMENT PROPOSAL

35

Overview

35

Consequences if the Adjournment Proposal is Not Approved

35

Required Vote

35

Recommendation

35

PRINCIPAL STOCKHOLDERS

36

DELIVERY OF DOCUMENTS TO STOCKHOLDERS

38

WHERE YOU CAN FIND MORE INFORMATION

38

ANNEX A

A-1

i


FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

The statements contained in this proxy statement that are not purely historical are forward-looking statements.” Our forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements regardingthe potential impact of our orbusiness relationships, including with our management team’s expectations, hopes, beliefs, intentions or strategies regarding the future. In addition, any statements that refer to projections, forecasts or other characterizations of future events or circumstances,employees, customers and competitors; changes in general economic, business and political conditions, including any underlying assumptions, are forward-looking statements. The words “anticipate,” “believe,” “continue,” “could,” “estimate,” “expect,” “intends,” “may,” “might,” “plan,” “possible,” “potential,” “predict,” “project,” “should,” “would” and similar expressions may identify forward-looking statements, but the absence of these words does not mean that a statement is not forward-looking. Forward-looking statements in this proxy statement may include, without limitation, statements about:

our ability to select an appropriate target business or businesses;

our ability to complete our initial business combination;

our ability to consummate an initial business combination due to the uncertainty resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic (“COVID-19”) and economic uncertainty and volatilitychanges in the financial markets, including as a resultmarkets; weakness or adverse changes in the level of the military conflict in Ukraine;

our expectations around the performance of the prospective target business or businesses;

our success in retaining or recruiting, or changes requiredactivity in our officers, key employees or directors following our initial business combination;

our officers and directors allocating their time to other businesses and potentially having conflicts of interest with our business or in approving our initial business combination, as a result of which they would then receive expense reimbursements;

our potential ability to obtain additional financing to complete our initial business combination;

our pool of prospective target businesses;

failure to maintain the listing on,sector or the delistingsector of our securities from, NASDAQaffiliated companies, which may be caused by, among other things, high and increasing interest rates, or an inability to havea weak U.S. economy; significant competition that our securities listed on NASDAQ or another national securities exchange following our initial business combination;

operating subsidiaries face; compliance with extensive government regulation; and the ability of our officers and directors to generate a number of potential acquisition opportunities;

our public securities’ potential liquidity and trading;

the lack of a market for our securities;

the use of proceeds not held in the trust account or available to us from interest income on the trust account balance;

the trust account not being subject to claims of third parties;

our financial performance;

our ability to anticipate any event, change or other circumstances that could give rise to the termination of the Merger Agreement or any other agreement, as described in the Business Combination Proxy Statement; or

our ability to meet the closing conditions to the Business Combination, including approval by stockholders of ERES and Abacus and LMA on the expected terms and schedule.

The forward-looking statements contained in this proxy statement are based on our current expectations and beliefs concerning future developments and their potential effects on us. There can be no assurance that future developments affecting us will be those that we have anticipated. These forward-looking statements involve a

number of risks uncertainties (some of which are beyond our control) or other assumptions that may cause actual results or performance to be materially different from those expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, those factors describedset forth under the heading “Risk Factors” in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the period from May 22, 2020 (inception) throughfiscal year ended December 31, 20202023, which was filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) on March 26, 202121, 2024 (our “2023 Annual Report”) or elsewhere therein and subsequent periodicin our other public filings with the SEC. Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or should any of our assumptions prove to be incorrect, our actual results may vary in material respects from those projectedwhat we may have expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. We may not actually achieve the plans, intentions, or expectations disclosed in these our forward-looking statements, and we caution that you should not place undue reliance on any of our forward-looking statements. Any forward-looking statement made by us in this Proxy Statement speaks only as of the date on which we make it. We undertake no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, statement, whether as a result of new information, future eventsdevelopments or otherwise, except as may be required underby applicable securities laws.

QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS ABOUT THE SPECIAL MEETING

These Questions and Answers are only summaries of the matters they discuss. They do not contain all of the information that may be important to you. You should read carefully the entire document, including the annexes to this proxy statement.

Why am I receiving this proxy statement?

This proxy statement and the enclosed proxy card are being sent to you in connection with the solicitation of proxies by our Board for use at the special meeting, or at any adjournments thereof. This proxy statement summarizes the information that you need to make an informed decision on the proposals to be considered at the special meeting.

The Company is a blank check company formed in 2020 for the purpose of entering into a merger, share exchange, asset acquisition, stock purchase, recapitalization, reorganization or other similar business combination with one or more businesses or entities. On July 27, 2020, the Company consummated its IPO of 30,000,000 units (the “initial units”). On August 25, 2020, the Company consummated the full exercise of the underwriters’ 4,500,000 unit over-allotment option (together with the initial units, the “units”). Each unit consists of one share of Class A common stock (the “public shares”) and one-half of one redeemable warrant (the “public warrants”). The units were sold at an offering price of $10.00 per unit, generating gross proceeds of $345,000,000. Simultaneously with the closing of the IPO, the Company consummated the sale of an aggregate of 8,000,000 private placement warrants (the “initialprivate placement warrants”) at a price of $1.00 per warrant in a private placement to our Sponsor, generating gross proceeds to the Company of $8,000,000. Simultaneously with the consummation of the full exercise of the underwriters’ over-allotment option, the Company consummated a sale of an additional 900,000 private placement warrants (the “additional private placement warrants” and together with the initial private public warrants, the “private placement warrants”) our sponsor generating additional proceeds of $900,000.

Following the closing of the IPO on July 27, 2020, an amount of $300,000,000 ($10.00 per unit) from the net proceeds of the sale of the units in the IPO and the sale of the initial private placement warrants was placed in the trust account. Following the full exercise of the underwriter’s over-allotment option, an amount of $45,000,000 ($10.00 per unit) from the net proceeds of the over-allotment and the sale of the additional private placement warrants was placed in the trust account. The trust account was invested in U.S. government securities, within the meaning set forth in Section 2(a)(16) of the Investment Company Act, with a maturity of 185 days or less or in money market funds meeting certain conditions under Rule 2a-7 promulgated under the Investment Company Act which invest only in direct U.S. government treasury obligations, until the earlier of: (a) the completion of the Company’s initial business combination, (b) the redemption of any public shares properly submitted in connection with a stockholder vote to amend the Company’s charter, and (c) the redemption of the Company’s public shares if the Company is unable to complete the initial business combination within the Combination Period. In our case such certain date is January 27, 2023 pursuant to the charter amendment filed on July 25, 2022 to first extend the date by which the Company must complete a business combination. In June 2022, the Company liquidated all investments held in the trust account to thereafter be held in the form of cash in the trust account.

On July 25, 2022, the Company entered into an extension note with the Sponsor, pursuant to which the Sponsor agreed to contribute to the Company as a loan $0.033 for each public share that was not redeemed in connection with the stockholder vote to approve the extension of the date by which the Company must complete an initial business combination from July 27, 2022 to January 27, 2023 (which extension was approved at the special meeting of the Company on July 25, 2022), for each month until the earlier of (i) the date of consummation of the Company’s initial business combination and (ii) the date of liquidation of the Company. Such contributions will be deposited into the trust account. Additionally, in connection with the stockholder approval of such extension in July 2022, certain stockholders elected to redeem an aggregate of 24,781,028

public shares, or approximately 71.83% of the then outstanding public shares. Such redemption demands have been completed and such shares have been redeemed and, in relation thereto, we paid cash from the trust account in the aggregate amount of approximately $248,087,256.06, or approximately $10.01 per share, to redeeming stockholders. As a result, approximately $97,939,800.60 remained in the trust account after paying such redeeming holders in connection with the first extension stockholder vote. As of the record date, there is $98,901,978.84 remaining in the trust account, which includes an aggregate of $1,603,630.40 deposited pursuant to the first extension.

After consummation of the Business Combination, the funds in the trust account will be used to pay holders of the public shares who exercise redemption rights, to pay fees and expenses incurred in connection with the Business Combination and for the post-combination company’s working capital and general corporate purposes.

On August 30, 2022, the Company, LMA Merger Sub, Abacus Merger Sub, LMA and Abacus entered into the Merger Agreement, as amended on October 14, 2022, pursuant to which, subject to the satisfaction or waiver of certain conditions precedent in the Merger Agreement, (i) LMA Merger Sub will merge with and into LMA, with LMA surviving such merger as a direct wholly owned subsidiary of the Company, and (ii) Abacus Merger Sub will merge with and into Abacus, with Abacus surviving such merger as a direct wholly owned subsidiary of the Company, such mergers constituting the Business Combination. The Business Combination is expected to be consummated in the first half of 2023, subject to the fulfillment of certain conditions.

The Company is in the process of preparing and finalizing the Business Combination Proxy Statement with the SEC for the purpose of soliciting stockholder approval of the proposed Business Combination at a special meeting of the Company’s stockholders as promptly as possible. If the Business Combination is approved at a special meeting for such purpose, the Company would consummate the Business Combination shortly thereafter. For additional information regarding the Business Combination, see the Company’s Current Reports on Form 8-K filed on August 30, 2022understanding that our actual future results, performance, and October 14, 2022,events and the Business Combination Proxy Statement.

Our Board has determined that it is in the best interests of the Company to amend the Company’s charter to extend the date we have to consummate a business combination to July 27, 2023 in order to allow the Company more time to complete the proposed Business Combination. Therefore, our Board is submitting the proposals described in this proxy statement for the stockholders to vote upon.

What is being voted on?

You are being asked to vote on each of the Second Extension Amendment Proposal and, if presented, the Adjournment Proposal. Both proposals are listed below:

1.

Second Extension Amendment Proposal: To amend our charter to extend the date by which the Company must consummate a business combination from January 27, 2023 (the date that is 30 months from the closing date of the IPO) to July 27, 2023 (the date that is 36 months from the closing date of the IPO).

2.

Adjournment Proposal: A proposal to approve the adjournment of the special meeting to a later date or dates, if necessary, to permit further solicitation and vote of proxies in the event that there are insufficient votes to approve the Second Extension Amendment Proposal or if we determine that additional time is necessary to effectuate the Second Extension.

What are the purposes of the Second Extension Amendment Proposal and the Adjournment Proposal?

The sole purpose of the Second Extension Amendment Proposal is to provide the Company with sufficient time to complete the proposed Business Combination. On July 25, 2022, we amended our charter to extend the date by which the Company must consummate a business combination to January 27, 2023. While we entered into the Merger Agreement with LMA and Abacus on August 30, 2022 and the Company is in the process of preparing and finalizing the Business Combination Proxy Statement, our Board currently believes that there may

not be sufficient time within the Combination Period to complete an initial business combination. Accordingly, our Board believes that it is in the best interests of our stockholders to further extend the date by which the Company must consummate an initial business combination to the Extended Date in order to provide our stockholders with the opportunity to participate in the proposed Business Combination. If the Second Extension Amendment Proposal is approved, the Company would have until the Extended Date to consummate the proposed Business Combination. For additional information regarding the Business Combination, see the Company’s Current Reports on Form 8-K filed on August 30, 2022 and October 14, 2022, and the Business Combination Proxy Statement. The purpose of the Adjournment Proposal is to allow the Company to adjourn the special meeting to a later date or dates if we determine that additional time is necessary to permit further solicitation and vote of proxies in the event that there are insufficient votes to approve the Second Extension Amendment Proposal or if we determine that additional time is necessary to effectuate the Second Extension.

Approval of the Second Extension Amendment Proposal is a condition to the implementation of the Second Extension. The Company will not proceed with the Second Extension if redemptions of our public shares cause the Company to have less than $5,000,001 of net tangible assets following approval of the Second Extension Amendment Proposal.

If the Second Extension is implemented, such approval will constitute consent for the Company to remove the Withdrawal Amount from the trust account, deliver to the holders of redeemed public shares their portion of the Withdrawal Amount and retain the remainder of the funds in the trust account for the Company’s use in connection with consummating a business combination on or before the Extended Date.

If the Second Extension Amendment Proposal is approved and the Second Extension is implemented, the removal of the Withdrawal Amount from the trust account in connection with the Election will reduce the amount held in the trust account following the Election. The Company cannot predict the amount that will remain in the trust account after such withdrawal if the Second Extension Amendment Proposal is approved and the amount remaining in the trust accountcircumstances may be only a fractionmaterially different from what we expect.




ABACUS LIFE, INC.
2101 Park Center Drive, Suite 200
Orlando, Florida 32835
PROXY STATEMENT
FOR THE 2024 ANNUAL MEETING OF STOCKHOLDERS
To Be Held on June 13, 2024 at 9:00 a.m. (Eastern Time)
General Information
Our board of the $98,901,978.84 (including interest but less the funds used to pay taxes) that was in the trust account as of the record date. In such event, the Company may still seek to obtain additional funds to complete a business combination, and there can be no assurance that such funds will be available on terms acceptable to the parties or at all.

If the Second Extension Amendment Proposaldirectors is not approved and the Company has not consummated an initial business combination within the Combination Period, the Company will (i) cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up, (ii) as promptly as reasonably possible but not more than ten business days thereafter, and subject to having lawfully available funds therefor, redeem 100% of the outstanding public shares, at a per share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including any interest earned on the trust account deposits (which interest shall be net of taxes payable and after setting aside up to $100,000 to pay dissolution expenses), divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, which redemption will completely extinguish public stockholders’ rights as stockholders (including the right to receive further liquidation distributions, if any), subject to applicable law, and (iii) as promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the approval of our remaining stockholders and our Board, in accordance with applicable law, dissolve and liquidate, subject in each case to our obligations under Delaware law to provide for claims of creditors and the requirements of other applicable law. There will be no redemption rights or liquidating distributions with respect to our warrants, which will expire worthless if we fail to complete an initial business combination within the Combination Period.

The Adjournment Proposal will be presented at the special meeting only if there are not sufficient votes to approve the Second Extension Amendment Proposal.

The initial stockholders have agreed to waive their redemption rights with respect to their founder shares and public shares in connection with a stockholder vote to approve an amendment to the charter.

Why is the Company proposing the Second Extension Amendment Proposal and the Adjournment Proposal?

The Company’s charter provides for the return of the IPO proceeds held in trust to the holders of shares of common stock sold in the IPO if there is no qualifying business combination(s) consummated within the Combination Period. While we entered into the Merger Agreement with LMA and Abacus on August 30, 2022 and the Company is in the process of preparing and finalizing the Business Combination Proxy Statement, the Board currently believes that there will not be sufficient time within the Combination Period to complete the proposed Business Combination. Accordingly, the Company has determined to seek stockholder approval to extend the date by which the Company has to complete the business combination.

The sole purpose of the Second Extension Amendment Proposal is to provide the Company with sufficient time to complete a business combination, which our Board believes is in the best interest of our stockholders. The Company believes that given the Company’s expenditure of time, effort and money on searching for potential business combination opportunities, negotiating the proposed Business Combination and preparing and finalizing the Business Combination Proxy Statement, as amended, circumstances warrant providing public stockholders an opportunity to consider the proposed Business Combination. The purpose of the Adjournment Proposal is to allow the Company to adjourn the special meeting to a later date or dates if we determine that additional time is necessary to permit further solicitation and vote of proxies in the event that there are insufficient votes to approve the Second Extension Amendment Proposal or if we determine that additional time is necessary to effectuate the Second Extension. Accordingly, our Board is proposing the Second Extension Amendment Proposal and, if necessary, the Adjournment Proposal to extend the Company’s corporate existence until the Extended Date.

You are not being asked to vote on any proposed business combination at this time. If the Second Extension is implemented and you do not elect to redeemsoliciting your public shares now, you will retain the right to vote on any proposed business combination when and if one is submitted to the public stockholders (provided that you are a stockholder on the record date for a meeting to consider a business combination) and the right to redeem your public shares for a pro rata portion of the trust account in the event a proposed business combination is approved and completed or the Company has not consummated a business combination by the Extended Date.

Why should I vote for the Second Extension Amendment Proposal?

Our Board believes stockholders will benefit from the Company consummating the proposed Business Combination and is proposing the Second Extension Amendment Proposal to extend the date by which the Company must complete the proposed Business Combination until the Extended Date. The Second Extension would give the Company the opportunity to complete the proposed Business Combination, which our Board believes is in the best interests of the stockholders. The Second Extension would allow our stockholders the benefit of voting for the proposed Business Combination, and the opportunity to remain a stockholder in the post-business combination company.

Our charter provides that if our stockholders approve an amendment to our charter that would affect the substance or timing of the Company’s obligation to redeem 100% of the Company’s public shares if the Company does not complete a business combination within the Combination Period, the Company will provide our public stockholders with the opportunity to redeem all or a portion of their shares of common stock upon such approval at a per share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account as of two business days prior to such approval, including any interest earned on the trust account deposits (which interest shall be net of taxes payable), divided by the number of then outstanding public shares. This charter provision was included to protect the Company’s stockholders from having to sustain their investments for an unreasonably long period if the Company failed to find a suitable business combination in the timeframe contemplated by the charter. The Company also believes, however, that given the Company’s expenditure of time, effort and money on pursuing a business combination, negotiating the proposed Business Combination and

preparing and finalizing the Business Combination Proxy Statement, as amended, circumstances warrant providing those who believe they might find the proposed Business Combination to be an attractive investment with an opportunity to consider such transaction.

For additional information regarding the Merger Agreement, see the Company’s Current Reports on Form 8-K filed on August 30, 2022 and October 14, 2022, and the Business Combination Proxy Statement.

Our Board recommends that you vote in favor of the Second Extension Amendment Proposal, but expresses no opinion as to whether you should redeem your public shares.

Why should I vote for the Adjournment Proposal?

If the Adjournment Proposal is presented and not approved by our stockholders, our Board may not be able to adjourn the special meeting to a later date in the event that there are insufficient votes for, or otherwise in connection with, the approval of the Second Extension Amendment Proposal.

Our Board recommends that you vote in favor of the Adjournment Proposal.

What amount will holders receive upon consummation of a subsequent business combination or liquidation of the Second Extension Amendment Proposal is approved?

If the Second Extension Amendment Proposal is approved, our Sponsor, or its designee, has agreed to advance to us as a loan (i) $0.033 for each public share that is not redeemed in connection with the special meeting plus (ii) $0.033 for each public share that is not redeemed for each subsequent calendar month commencing on February 27, 2023, and on the 27th day of each subsequent month, or portion thereof, that we require to complete a business combination from January 27, 2023 until the Extended Date. For example, if we complete the business combination on April 27, 2023, which would represent three calendar months, our Sponsor or its designee would make aggregate maximum advances of approximately $0.198 per share (assuming no public shares were redeemed). Assuming the Second Extension Amendment Proposal is approved, the initial contribution will be deposited in the trust account promptly following the special meeting. Each additional contribution will be deposited in the trust account on or before the 27th day of such calendar month. Accordingly, if the Second Extension Amendment Proposal is approved and the Second Extension is implemented and we take the full time through the Extended Date to complete a business combination, the redemption amount per share at the meeting for such business combination or the Company’s subsequent liquidation will be approximately $10.41 per share, in comparison to the current redemption amount of $10.21 per share. The advances are conditioned upon the implementation of the Second Extension Amendment Proposal and will not occur if the Second Extension Amendment Proposal is not approved or the Second Extension is not completed. The amount of the advances will not bear interest and will be repayable by the Company to our Sponsor or its designees upon consummation of the business combination. At the option of the Sponsor, up to $1,500,000 of the loan may be converted into warrants identical to the warrants sold in the private placement that was consummated simultaneously with our IPO, at $1.50 per warrant. If our Sponsor or its designee advises the Company that it does not intend to make the advances, then the Second Extension Amendment Proposal and the Adjournment Proposal will not be put before the stockholders at the special meeting and we will dissolve and liquidate in accordance with our charter. Our Sponsor or its designees will have the sole discretion whether to continue extending for additional calendar months until the Extended Date and if our Sponsor determines not to continue extending for additional calendar months, its obligation to make additional advances will terminate.

When would the Board abandon the Second Extension Amendment Proposal?

Our Board will abandon the Second Extension Amendment if our stockholders do not approve the Second Extension Amendment Proposal. In addition, notwithstanding stockholder approval of the Second Extension Amendment Proposal, our Board will retain the right to abandon and not implement the Second Extension Amendment at any time without any further action by our stockholders.

How do the Company insiders intend to vote their shares?

The initial stockholders and their respective affiliates are expected to vote any common stock over which they have voting control (including any public shares owned by them) in favor of both of the proposals.

The initial stockholders are not entitled to redeem the founder shares or any public shares held by them. On the record date, the initial stockholders beneficially owned and were entitled to vote 8,625,000 founder shares, which represents approximately 47% of the Company’s issued and outstanding common stock.

In addition, the Company’s initial stockholders or advisors, or any of their respective affiliates, may purchase public shares in privately negotiated transactions or in the open market prior to or following the special meeting, although they are under no obligation to do so. Such public shares purchased by the Company or our Sponsor would be (a) purchased at a price no higher than the redemption price for the public shares, which is currently estimated to be $10.21 per share and (b) would not be (i) voted by the initial stockholders or their respective affiliates at the special meeting and (ii) redeemable by the initial stockholders or their respective affiliates. Any such purchases that are completed after the record date for the special meeting may include an agreement with a selling stockholder that such stockholder, for so long as it remains the record holder of the shares in question, will vote in favor of the Second Extension Amendment Proposal and/or will not exercise its redemption rights with respect to the shares so purchased. The purpose of such share purchases and other transactions would be to increase the likelihood that the proposals to be voted upon at the special meeting are approved by the requisite number of votes and to reduce the number of public shares that are redeemed. In the event that such purchases do occur, the purchasers may seek to purchase shares from stockholders who would otherwise have voted against the Second Extension Amendment Proposal and elected to redeem their shares for a portion of the trust account. Any such privately negotiated purchases may be effected at purchase prices that are below or in excess of the per share pro rata portion of the trust account. Any public shares held by or subsequently purchased by our affiliates may be voted in favor of the Second Extension Amendment Proposal. None of the initial stockholders, advisors or their respective affiliates may make any such purchases when they are in possession of any material non-public information not disclosed to the seller or during a restricted period under Regulation M under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”).

Does the Board recommend voting for the approval of the Second Extension Amendment Proposal and, if presented, the Adjournment Proposal?

Yes. After careful consideration of the terms and conditions of the proposals, the Board has determined that the Second Extension Amendment Proposal and, if presented, the Adjournment Proposal are in the best interests of the Company and its stockholders. The Board unanimously recommends that stockholders vote “FOR” both the Second Extension Amendment Proposal and, if presented, the Adjournment Proposal.

What vote is required to adopt the Second Extension Amendment Proposal?

Approval of the Second Extension Amendment Proposal will require the affirmative vote of holders of 65% of the Company’s outstanding Class A common stock and Class B common stock, voting together as a single class, including those shares held as a constituent part of our units, on the record date.

If the Second Extension Amendment Proposal is approved, any holder of public shares may redeem all or a portion of their public shares at a per share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account as of two business days prior to such approval, including any interest earned on the trust account deposits (which interest shall be net of taxes payable), divided by the number of then outstanding public shares. However, the Company may not redeem our public shares in an amount that would cause our net tangible assets to be less than $5,000,001.

What vote is required to adopt the Adjournment Proposal?

If presented, the Adjournment Proposal requires the affirmative vote of the majority of the votes cast by stockholders represented in person (including virtually) or by proxy at the special meeting.

What happens if I sell my public shares or units before the special meeting?

The December 16, 2022 record date is earlier than the date of the special meeting. If you transfer your public shares, including those shares held as a constituent part of our units, after the record date, but before the special meeting, unless the transferee obtains from you a proxy to vote those shares, you will retain your right to vote at the special meeting. If you transfer your public shares prior to2024 Annual Meeting of Stockholders (including any adjournments, continuations or postponements thereof, the record date, you will have no right to vote those shares at the special meeting. If you acquired your public shares after the record date, you will still have an opportunity to redeem them if you so decide.

What if I don’t want to voteAnnual Meeting”) of Abacus Life, Inc., for the Second Extension Amendment Proposal and/or the Adjournment Proposal?

If you do not want the Second Extension Amendment Proposal to be approved, you must abstain, not vote, or vote against the proposal. If the Second Extension Amendment Proposal is approved, and the Second Extension is implemented, then the Withdrawal Amount will be withdrawn from the trust account and paid to the redeeming holders.

If you do not want the Adjournment Proposal to be approved, you must vote against the proposal. Abstentions will be counted in connection with the determination of whether a valid quorum is established but will have no effect on the outcome of the Adjournment Proposal.

Will you seek any further extensions to liquidate the trust account?

Other than the extension until the Extended Date as described in this proxy statement, the Company does not currently anticipate seeking any further extension to consummate its initial business combination, although it may determine to do so in the future.

What happens if the Second Extension Amendment Proposal is not approved?

If the Second Extension Amendment Proposal is not approved and the Company has not consummated an initial business combination within the Combination Period, the Company will (i) cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up, (ii) as promptly as reasonably possible but not more than ten business days thereafter, and subject to having lawfully available funds therefor, redeem 100% of the outstanding public shares, at a per share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including any interest earned on the trust account deposits (which interest shall be net of taxes payable and after setting aside up to $100,000 to pay dissolution expenses), divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, which redemption will completely extinguish public stockholders’ rights as stockholders (including the right to receive further liquidation distributions, if any), subject to applicable law, and (iii) as promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the approval of our remaining stockholders and our Board, in accordance with applicable law, dissolve and liquidate, subject in each case to our obligations under Delaware law to provide for claims of creditors and the requirements of other applicable law. There will be no redemption rights or liquidating distributions with respect to our warrants, which will expire worthless if we fail to complete an initial business combination within the Combination Period.

The initial stockholders have agreed to waive their redemption rights with respect to their founder shares and public shares in connection with a stockholder vote to approve an amendment to the charter. There will be no distribution from the trust account with respect to our warrants, which will expire worthless in the event we wind up.

If the Second Extension Amendment Proposal is approved, what happens next?

If the Second Extension Amendment Proposal is approved, the Company will continue to attempt to consummate the proposed Business Combination until the Extended Date.

If the Second Extension Amendment Proposal is approved, the Company will file an amendment to the charter with the Secretary of State of the State of Delaware in the form of Annex A hereto. The Company will remain a reporting company under the Exchange Act, and its units, public shares, and public warrants will remain publicly traded.

If the Second Extension Amendment Proposal is approved, the removal of the Withdrawal Amount from the trust account will reduce the amount remaining in the trust account and increase the percentage interest of the Company’s common stock held by our initial stockholders through the founder shares.

If I do not redeem my shares now, would I still be able to vote on the proposed Business Combination and exercise my redemption rights with respect to an initial business combination?

Yes. If you do not redeem your shares in connection with the Second Extension Amendment Proposal, then, assuming you are a stockholder as of the record date for voting on the proposed Business Combination, you will be able to vote on the proposed Business Combination when it is submitted to stockholders. You will also retain your right to redeem your public shares upon consummation of the proposed Business Combination, subject to any limitationspurposes set forth in this Proxy Statement. This Proxy Statement includes information that we are required to provide to you under the charter, as amended.

Whenrules of the SEC and wherethat is the special meeting?

designed to assist you in voting your shares. The special meetingAnnual Meeting will be held in person, at 10:the Waldorf Astoria Orlando, 14200 Bonnet Creek Resort Lane, Orlando, FL 32821, on June 13, 2024 at 9:00 a.m. Eastern Time,(Eastern Time). The Notice of Internet Availability of Proxy Materials (the “Notice”) containing instructions on January 20,how to access this Proxy Statement and our 2023 in virtual format. The Company’s stockholders may attend, vote and examine the list ofAnnual Report is first being released on or about April 29, 2024 to all stockholders entitled to vote at the special meeting by visiting https://www.cstproxy.com/eastresources/ext2023 and entering the control number found on their proxy card, voting instruction form or notice included in their proxy materials. You may also attend the special meeting telephonically by dialing 1 800-450-7155 (toll-free within the United States and Canada) or +1 857-999-9155 (outsideAnnual Meeting. If you held shares of our Common Stock as of the United States and Canada, standard rates apply). The pin number for telephone access is 4817163#, but please note thatclose of business on April 24, 2024 (the “Record Date”), you will not be ableare entitled to vote on the proposals described in this Proxy Statement.

In this Proxy Statement, we refer to Abacus Life, Inc. as “Abacus,” “we,” “usor ask questions if you chooseour” and the board of directors of Abacus as “our board of directors.” We have elected to participate telephonically. In lightprovide access to our proxy materials over the internet under the SEC’s “notice and access” rules. We will furnish proxy materials to all of public health concerns regardingour stockholders via the COVID-19 pandemic,internet in order to expedite stockholders’ receipt of proxy materials while lowering the special meeting will be held in virtual meeting format only. You will not be ablecost of delivery and reducing the environmental impact of our Annual Meeting. Accordingly, we are mailing to attendour stockholders of record and beneficial owners the special meeting physically.

How do I attendNotice, which provides instructions on how to access the virtual special meeting,accompanying proxy statement and will I be ableour 2023 Annual Report via the Internet and how to ask questions?

If you are a registered stockholder, you received a proxy card from the Company’s transfer agent, Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company (“transfer agent”).vote online. The formNotice also contains instructions on how to attendobtain the virtualproxy materials in printed form.

The information provided in the “question and answer” format below is for your convenience only and is merely a summary of the information contained in this Proxy Statement. You should read this entire Proxy Statement carefully. Information contained on, or that can be accessed through, our website is not intended to be incorporated by reference into this Proxy Statement and references to our website address in this Proxy Statement are inactive textual references only.

Questions and Answers
What am I voting on?
There are three matters scheduled for a vote at the Annual Meeting:
Proposal One:  Election of two Class I directors, Sean McNealy and Adam Gusky, to hold office until our annual meeting of stockholders in 2027 and until their successors are duly elected and qualified, or until their earlier death, resignation or removal;
Proposal Two:  Ratification of the selection of Grant Thornton LLP (“Grant Thornton”) as our independent registered public accounting firm for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2024; and
Proposal Three:  Approval of the Amended and Restated Abacus Life, Inc. 2024 Long-Term Equity Incentive Plan (the “Amended and Restated 2024 Plan”).
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What are the voting recommendations of our board of directors?
Our board of directors recommends that you vote “FOR” the director nominees named in Proposal One, “FOR” the ratification of the selection of Grant Thornton as our independent registered public accounting firm as described in Proposal Two, and “FOR” the approval of the Amended and Restated 2024 Plan as described in Proposal Three.
Why did I receive a notice regarding the availability of proxy materials on the internet?
Pursuant to rules adopted by the SEC, we have elected to provide access to our proxy materials, including this Proxy Statement and our 2023 Annual Report, to our stockholders over the URL address, along with your control number. Youinternet where permitted. Accordingly, if we have sent you the Notice, you will need your control number for access. If you do not have your control number, contact the transfer agent at the phone number or e-mail address below. The transfer agent support contact information is as follows: (917) 262-2373, or email proxy@continentalstock.com.

You can pre-register to attend the virtual meeting starting January 15, 2023 at 10:00 a.m. Eastern Time (five business days prior to the special meeting date). Enter the URL address into your browser https://www.cstproxy.com/eastresources/ext2023, enter your control number, namereceive a printed copy of this Proxy Statement and email address. Once you related materials (the “pre-registerproxy materials you can vote or enter questions”) in the chat box. Atmail unless you specifically request them. All stockholders have the startability to access the proxy materials on the website referred to in the Notice or to request a printed set of the special meeting you will needproxy materials. Instructions on how to re-logaccess the proxy materials over the internet or to request a printed copy may be found in using your control number and will also be promptedthe Notice.

We intend to enter your control number if you vote duringrelease the special meeting.

Beneficial holders, who own their investments through a bankNotice on or broker, will needabout April 29, 2024 to contact the transfer agent to receive a control number. If you planall stockholders of record entitled to vote at the special meeting you will need to have a legal proxy from your bank or broker or if you would like to join and not vote, the transfer agent will issue you a guest

Annual Meeting.

control number with proof of ownership. Either way you must contact the transfer agent for specific instructions on how to receive the control number. We can be contacted at the number or email address above. Please allow up to 72 hours prior to the special meeting for processing your control number.

If you do not have internet capabilities, you can listen only to the special meeting by dialing 1 800-450-7155, within the U.S. and Canada, or +1 857-999-9155 (standard rates apply) outside the U.S. and Canada; when prompted enter the pin number 4817163#. This is listen only, you will not be able to vote or enter questions during the special meeting.

How do I vote?

If you are a holder of record of Company common stock, including those shares held as a constituent part of our units, you may vote virtually at the special meeting or by submitting a proxy for the special meeting. Whether or not you plan to attend the special meeting virtually, the Company urges you to vote by proxy to ensure your vote is counted. You may submit your proxy by completing, signing, dating and returning the enclosed proxy card in the accompanying pre-addressed postage paid envelope. You may still attend the special meeting and vote virtually if you have already voted by proxy.

If your shares of Company common stock, including those shares held as a constituent part of our units, are held in “street name” by a broker or other agent, you have the right to direct your broker or other agent on how to vote the shares in your account. You are also invited to attend the special meeting. However, since you are not the stockholder of record, you may not vote your shares virtually at the special meeting unless you request and obtain a valid proxy from your broker or other agent.

How do I change my vote?

If you have submitted a proxy to vote your shares and wish to change your vote, you may do so by delivering a later-dated, signed proxy card prior to the date of the special meeting or by voting virtually at the special meeting. Attendance at the special meeting alone will not change your vote. You also may revoke your proxy by sending a notice of revocation to the Company at 7777 NW Beacon Square Boulevard, Boca Raton, Florida, 33487, Attn: John Sieminski.

How are votes counted?

Votes will be counted by the inspector of election appointed for the special meeting, who will separately count “FOR” and “AGAINST” votes, abstentions and broker non-votes for the Second Extension Amendment Proposal. Because approval of the Second Extension Amendment Proposal requires the affirmative vote of the stockholders holding at least 65% of the shares of Class A common stock and Class B common stock outstanding on the record date, voting together as a single class, abstentions and broker non-votes will have the same effect as votes against the Second Extension Amendment Proposal.

Approval of the Adjournment Proposal requires the affirmative vote of the majority of the votes cast by stockholders represented in person (including virtually) or by proxy at the special meeting. Abstentions will be counted in connection with the determination of whether a valid quorum is established but will have no effect on the outcome of the Adjournment Proposal. Since the Adjournment Proposal is considered a routine matter, brokers shall be entitled to vote on the Adjournment Proposal absent voting instructions, and thus there should be no broker non-votes with respect to the Adjournment Proposal.

If my shares are held in “street name,” will my broker automatically vote them for me?

No. Under the rules governing banks and brokers who submit a proxy card with respect to shares held in street name, such banks and brokers have the discretion to vote on routine matters, but not on non-routine matters. The approval of the Second Extension Amendment Proposal is a non-routine matter, while the Adjournment Proposal, if presented, will be considered a routine matter.

For non-routine matters such as the Second Extension Amendment Proposal, your broker can vote your shares only if you provide instructions on how to vote. You should instruct your broker to vote your shares. Your broker can tell you how to provide these instructions. If you do not give your broker instructions, your shares will be treated as broker non-votes with respect to the Second Extension Amendment Proposal. Broker non-votes will have the same effect as a vote AGAINST the Second Extension Amendment Proposal; however, since the Adjournment Proposal is considered a routine matter, brokers shall be entitled to vote on the Adjournment Proposal absent voting instructions, and thus there should be no broker non-votes with respect to the Adjournment Proposal.

What is a quorum requirement?

A quorum of stockholders is necessary to hold a valid meeting. A quorum will be present if at least a majority of the outstanding shares of common stock on the record date, including those shares held as a constituent part of our units, are represented virtually or by proxy at the special meeting.

Your shares will be counted towards the quorum only if you submit a valid proxy (or one is submitted on your behalf by your broker, bank or other nominee) or if you vote virtually at the special meeting. Abstentions and broker non-votes will be counted towards the quorum requirement. If there is no quorum, the presiding officer of the special meeting may adjourn the special meeting to another date.

Who can vote at the special meeting?

Only holders of record of the Company’s common stock, including those shares held as a constituent partAnnual Meeting?

Holders of our units, atCommon Stock as of the close of business on December 16, 2022, arethe Record Date will be entitled to have their vote counted at the special meeting and any adjournments or postponements thereof.Annual Meeting. As of the record date, 9,718,972 public shares and 8,625,000April 24, 2024, there were 63,920,316 shares of Class B common stock were outstanding andour Common Stock outstanding. Holders of our Common Stock will vote on all matters described in this Proxy Statement for which your vote is being solicited. Each share of Common Stock is entitled to vote.

one vote on each proposal.

Stockholder of Record: Shares Registered in Your Name. If, as of the close of business on the record dateRecord Date, your shares or units were registered directly in your name with the Company’sour transfer agent, Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company, then you are a stockholder of record. As a stockholder of record, you may vote virtually atin person during the special meetingAnnual Meeting or vote by proxy.proxy in advance. Whether or not you plan to attend the special meeting virtually, the Company urgesAnnual Meeting, we urge you to fill outvote your shares by proxy in advance of the Annual Meeting through the internet, by telephone or by completing and return the enclosedreturning a printed proxy card if one is mailed to ensure your vote is counted.

you.

Beneficial Owner: Shares Registered in the Name ofHeld on Your Behalf by a BrokerBrokerage Firm, Bank or BankOther Nominee. If, as of the close of business on the record dateRecord Date, your shares or units were held not in your name, but rather in an account aton your behalf by a brokerage firm, bank dealer, or other similar organization,nominee, then you are the beneficial owner of shares held in “street name” and these proxy materials arethe Notice is being forwarded to you by that organization.nominee. Those shares will be reported as being held by the nominee (e.g., your brokerage firm) in the system of record used for identifying stockholders. As a beneficial owner of the shares, you are invited to attend the Annual Meeting, and you have the right to direct your brokerbrokerage firm, bank or other agent onnominee regarding how to vote the shares in your account. You are also invited

Will a list of stockholders of record as of the Record Date be available?
A list of all stockholders entitled to attendvote at the special meeting virtually. However, sinceAnnual Meeting will be available for examination at our principal executive offices at 2101 Park Center Drive, Suite 200, Orlando, Florida 32835 for ten days before the Annual Meeting. If you would like to schedule an appointment to examine the stockholder list during this period, please email legal@abacuslife.com.

How do I vote?
Stockholder of Record: Shares Registered in Your Name. If you are not thea stockholder of record, you may vote (i) in person during the Annual Meeting or (ii) in advance of the Annual Meeting by proxy through the internet, by telephone or by using a proxy card. Whether or not you plan to attend the Annual Meeting, we urge
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you to vote by proxy to ensure your vote is counted. Even if you have submitted a proxy before the meeting, you may still attend in person and vote during the meeting. In such case, your previously submitted proxy will be disregarded. For more information, see the question below titled “—Can I change my vote or revoke my proxy after submitting a proxy?
To vote in advance of the Annual Meeting (i) through the internet, go to www.proxyvote.com to complete an electronic proxy card, or (ii) by telephone, call 1-800-690-6903. You will be asked to provide the control number from the Notice, proxy card or instructions that accompanied your proxy materials. Votes over the internet or by telephone must be received by 11:59 p.m. (Eastern Time) on June 12, 2024 to be counted.
To vote in advance of the Annual Meeting using a printed proxy card, simply complete, sign and date the proxy card and return it promptly in the envelope provided. If you return your signed proxy card to us by the close of business on the day prior to the Annual Meeting, we will vote your shares virtuallyas you direct.
To vote in person, attend and vote at the special meeting unlessAnnual Meeting.
Beneficial Owner: Shares Held on Your Behalf by a Brokerage Firm, Bank, or Other Nominee. If you request and obtainare a valid proxy frombeneficial owner of shares held on your broker or other agent.

What interests do the Company’s directors and executive officers have in the approval of the Second Extension Amendment Proposal?

The Company’s directors and executive officers have interests in the Second Extension Amendment Proposal that may be different from, or in addition to, your interests as a stockholder. These interests include ownershipbehalf by them or their affiliates of founder shares, and warrants that may become exercisable in the future, loans by them that will not be repaid in the event of our winding up and the possibility of future compensatory arrangements. See the section entitled “The Second Extension Amendment — Interests of the Company’s Directors and Officers.”

What if I object to the Second Extension Amendment Proposal and/or the Adjournment Proposal? Do I have appraisal rights?

Stockholders do not have appraisal rights in connection with either the Second Extension Amendment Proposal or, if presented, the Adjournment Proposal under the DGCL.

What happens to the Company’s warrants if the Second Extension Amendment Proposal is not approved?

If the Second Extension Amendment Proposal is not approved and the Company has not consummated the proposed Business Combination within the Combination Period, the Company will (i) cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up, (ii) as promptly as reasonably possible but not more than ten business days thereafter, and subject to having lawfully available funds therefor, redeem 100% of the outstanding public shares, at a per share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including any interest income earned on the trust account (which interest shall be net of taxes payable and after setting aside up to $100,000 to pay dissolution expenses), divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, which redemption will completely extinguish public stockholders’ rights as stockholders (including the right to receive further liquidation distributions, if any), subject to applicable law, and (iii) as promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the approval of our remaining stockholders and our Board, in accordance with applicable law, dissolve and liquidate, subject in each case to our obligations under Delaware law to provide for claims of creditors and the requirements of other applicable law. There will be no distribution from the trust account with respect to our warrants, which will expire worthless in the event the Company winds up.

What happens to the Company warrants if the Second Extension Amendment Proposal is approved?

If the Second Extension Amendment Proposal is approved, the Company will continue its efforts to consummate the proposed Business Combination until the Extended Date and will retain the blank check company restrictions previously applicable to it. The warrants will remain outstanding in accordance with their terms.

How are funds in the trust account currently being held?

With respect to the regulation of special purpose acquisition companies like the Company (“SPACs”), on March 30, 2022, the SEC issued proposed rules (the “SPAC Rule Proposals”) relating to, among other items, disclosures in business combination transactions involving SPACs and private operating companies; the condensed financial statement requirements applicable to transactions involving shell companies; the use of projections by SPACs in SEC filings in connection with proposed business combination transactions; the potential liability of certain participants in proposed business combination transactions; and the extent to which SPACs could become subject to regulation under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, including a proposed rule that would provide SPACs a safe harbor from treatment as an investment company if they satisfy certain conditions that limit a SPAC’s duration, asset composition, business purpose and activities.

With regard to the SEC’s investment company proposals included in the SPAC Rule Proposals, while the funds in the trust account have, since the Company’s initial public offering, been held only in U.S. government treasury bills with a maturity of 185 days or less or in money market funds investing solely in U.S. Treasuries, to mitigate the risk of being viewed as operating an unregistered investment company (including pursuant to the subjective test of Section 3(a)(1)(A) of the Investment Company Act of 1940), on June 22, 2022, the Company instructed Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company, the trustee managing the trust account, to hold all funds in the trust account in cash until the earlier of consummation of the business combination and liquidation of the Company. Accordingly, in June 2022, the Company liquidated all investments held in the trust account to thereafter be held in the form of cash in the trust account.

How do I redeem my public shares?

If the Second Extension is implemented, each public stockholder may seek to redeem all or a portion of his or her public shares at a per share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account as of two business days prior to the approval of the Second Extension, including any interest earned on the trust account deposits (which interest shall be net of taxes payable), divided by the number of then outstanding public shares. You will also be able to redeem your public shares in connection with any stockholder vote to approve the proposed Business Combination, or if the Company has not consummated a business combination by the Extended Date.

Pursuant to our charter, a public stockholder may request that the Company redeem all or a portion of such public stockholder’s public shares for cash if the Second Extension Amendment Proposal is approved. You will be entitled to receive cash for any public shares to be redeemed only if you:

(i)

(a) hold public shares or (b) hold public shares through units and you elect to separate your units into the underlying public shares and public warrants prior to exercising your redemption rights with respect to the public shares; and

(ii)

prior to 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time, on January 18, 2023 (two business days prior to the scheduled vote at the special meeting), (a) submit a written request, including the name, phone number, and address of the beneficial owner of the shares for which redemption is requested, to Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company, the Company’s transfer agent, at Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company, 1 State Street, 30th Floor, New York, New York 10004, Attn: Mark Tumulty, that the Company redeem your public shares for cash and (b) deliver your public shares to the transfer agent, physically or electronically through The Depository Trust Company (“DTC”).

Holders of units must elect to separate the underlying public shares and public warrants prior to exercising redemption rights with respect to the public shares. If holders hold their units in an account at a brokerage firm, bank or bank, holdersother nominee, you should receive a Notice containing voting instructions from that nominee rather than from us. To vote in person during the Annual Meeting, you must notify their broker or bank that they elect to separatefollow the units intoinstructions from such nominee.


Who will count the underlying public sharesvotes?
Broadridge Financial Services will tabulate and public warrants, or if a holder holds units registered in its own name,certify the holder must contactvotes. A representative of Abacus may serve as an inspector of election.

How many votes do I have?
Holders of our Common Stock will have one vote per share held as of the transfer agent directly and instruct it to do so. Public stockholders may elect to redeem all or a portionclose of their public shares regardless of whether they vote for or against the Second Extension Amendment Proposal and regardless of whether they hold public sharesbusiness on the record date.

Record Date. Holders of our Common Stock will vote on all matters described in this Proxy Statement for which your vote is being solicited.


What if another matter is properly brought before the Annual Meeting?
Our board of directors does not intend to bring any other matters to be voted on at the Annual Meeting, and currently knows of no other matters that will be presented for consideration at the Annual Meeting. If you holdany other matters are properly brought before the Annual Meeting, your proxy holder (one of the individuals named on your proxy card) will vote your shares through a bank or broker, you must ensure your bank or broker complies withusing his best judgment.

Can I vote my shares by filling out and returning the requirements identified herein, including submitting a written request that your sharesNotice?
No.  The Notice identifies the items to be redeemed for cash to the transfer agent and delivering your shares to the transfer agent prior to 5:00 p.m. Eastern Timevoted on January 18, 2023 (two business days before the scheduled vote at the special meeting). You will only be entitledAnnual Meeting, but you cannot vote by marking the Notice and returning it. The Notice provides instructions on how to receive cashvote by proxy in connection with a redemption of these shares if you continue to hold them until the effective dateadvance of the Second Extension Amendment and Election.

Through DTC’s DWAC (Deposit/Withdrawal at Custodian) System, this electronic delivery process can be accomplished by the stockholder, whether or not it is a record holder or its shares are held in “street name,” by contacting the transfer agent or its broker and requesting delivery of its sharesAnnual Meeting through the DWAC system. Delivering shares physically may take significantly longer. In order to obtaininternet, by telephone, using a physical stock certificate, a stockholder’s broker and/printed proxy card or clearing broker, DTC, andin person during the Company’s transfer agent will need to act together to facilitate this request. There is a nominal cost associated with the Annual Meeting.

above-referenced
tendering process and the act of certificating the shares or delivering them through the DWAC system. The transfer agent will typically charge the tendering broker $100 and the broker would determine whether or not to pass this cost on to the redeeming holder. It is the Company’s understanding that stockholders should generally allot at least two weeks to obtain physical certificates from the transfer agent. The Company
3


What does not have any control over this process or over the brokers or DTC, and it may take longer than two weeks to obtain a physical stock certificate. Such stockholders will have less time to make their investment decision than those stockholders that deliver their

shares through the DWAC system. Stockholders who request physical stock certificates and wish to redeem may be unable to meet the deadline for tendering their shares before exercising their redemption rights and thus will be unable to redeem their shares.

Certificates that have not been tendered in accordance with these procedures prior to the vote on the Second Extension Amendment Proposal will not be redeemed for cash held in the trust account. In the event that a public stockholder tenders its shares and decides prior to the vote at the special meeting that it does not want to redeem its shares, the stockholder may withdraw the tender. If you delivered your shares for redemption to our transfer agent and decide prior to the vote at the special meeting not to redeem your public shares, you may request that our transfer agent return the shares (physically or electronically). You may make such request by contacting our transfer agent at the address listed above. In the event that a public stockholder tenders shares and the Second Extension Amendment Proposal is not approved, these shares will not be redeemed and the physical certificates representing these shares will be returned to the stockholder promptly following the determination that the Second Extension Amendment Proposal will not be approved. The Company anticipates that a public stockholder who tenders shares for redemption in connection with the vote to approve the Second Extension would receive payment of the redemption price for such shares soon after the completion of the Second Extension Amendment. The transfer agent will hold the certificates of public stockholders that make the election until such shares are redeemed for cash or returned to such stockholders.

If I am a unit holder, can I exercise redemption rights with respect to my units?

No. Holders of outstanding units must separate the underlying public shares and public warrants (as defined below) prior to exercising redemption rights with respect to the public shares.

If you hold units registered in your own name, you must deliver the certificate for such units to Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company, our transfer agent, with written instructions to separate such units into public shares, and public warrants. This must be completed far enough in advance to permit the mailing of the public share certificates back to you so that you may then exercise your redemption rights upon the separation of the public shares from the units. See “How do I redeem my public shares?” above.

What should I domean if I receive more than one set of voting materials?

You mayNotice?

If you receive more than one set of voting materials, including multiple copies of this proxy statement and multiple proxy cards or voting instruction cards, ifNotice, your shares aremay be registered in more than one name or are registered in different accounts. For example, if you hold your shares in more than one brokerage account, you will receive a separatePlease follow the voting instruction card for each brokerage account in which you hold shares. Please complete, sign, date and return each proxy card and voting instruction cardinstructions on the Notices to ensure that you receive in order to cast a vote with respect to all of your shares are voted.
Can I change my vote or revoke my proxy after submitting a proxy?
Yes.  If you are a stockholder of common stock.

record, you can change your vote or revoke your proxy at any time before your proxy is voted at the Annual Meeting in any one of the following ways:

Submit another properly completed proxy card with a later date.
Grant a subsequent proxy by telephone or through the internet.
Send a timely written notice that you are revoking your proxy to our Corporate Secretary at 2101 Park Center Drive, Suite 200, Orlando, Florida 32835, Attention: Corporate Secretary.
Attend the Annual Meeting and vote in person during the meeting. Simply attending the Annual Meeting will not, by itself, change your vote or revoke your proxy. Even if you plan to attend the Annual Meeting, we recommend that you also submit your proxy or voting instructions or vote in advance of the Annual Meeting by telephone or through the internet so that your vote will be counted if you later decide not to attend the Annual Meeting.
If you are a beneficial owner and your shares are held in “street name” on your behalf by a brokerage firm, bank or other nominee, you should follow the instructions provided by that nominee.
Your most recent proxy card or internet or telephone proxy is the one that is counted. Your attendance at the Annual Meeting by itself will not revoke your proxy unless you give written notice of revocation to the Corporate Secretary before your proxy is voted or you vote in person at the Annual Meeting.

If I am a stockholder of record and I do not vote, or if I return a proxy card or otherwise vote without giving specific voting instructions, what happens?
If you are a stockholder of record and do not vote through the internet, by telephone, by completing a proxy card or in person during the Annual Meeting, your shares will not be voted.
If you return a signed and dated proxy card or otherwise vote without marking voting selections, your shares will be voted in accordance with our board of directors’ recommendations:
FOR” the election of the two Class I director nominees;
FOR” the ratification of the selection of Grant Thornton as our independent registered public accounting firm for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2024; and
FOR” the approval of the Amended and Restated 2024 Plan.
If any other matter is properly presented at the Annual Meeting, your proxy holder (one of the individuals named on your proxy card) will vote your shares using his best judgment.

If I am a beneficial owner of shares held in “street name” and I do not provide my brokerage firm, bank or other nominee with voting instructions, what happens?
If you are a beneficial owner and do not instruct your brokerage firm, bank or other nominee how to vote your shares, your shares will be considered “uninstructed” and the question of whether your nominee will still be able to vote your shares depends on whether, pursuant to stock exchange rules, the particular proposal is
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deemed to be a “routine” matter. Brokerage firms, banks and other nominees can use their discretion to vote “uninstructed” shares with respect to matters that are considered to be “routine,” but not with respect to “non-routine” matters. Under applicable rules and interpretations, “non-routine” matters are matters that may substantially affect the rights or privileges of stockholders, such as elections of directors (even if not contested), mergers, stockholder proposals, executive compensation and certain corporate governance proposals, even if management-supported. The only routine matter to be presented at our Annual Meeting is the proposal to ratify the appointment of Grant Thornton as our independent registered public accounting firm for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2024 (Proposal Two). The election of the two Class I directors (Proposal One) and the approval of the Amended and Restated 2024 Plan (Proposal three) are non-routine matters.
Accordingly, your brokerage firm, bank or other nominee may vote your shares on Proposal Two, which is considered “routine,” without your instructions. Your brokerage firm, bank or other nominee may not, however, vote your shares on Proposal One or Proposal Three without your instructions, which would result in a “broker non-vote” and your shares would not be counted as having been voted on Proposal One and Proposal Three. Please instruct your brokerage firm, bank or other nominee to ensure that your vote will be counted. As Proposal Two is considered a “routine” matter, we do not expect “broker non-votes” to exist in connection with this proposal.
If you are a beneficial owner of shares held in street name, and you do not plan to attend the Annual Meeting, in order to ensure your shares are voted in the way you would prefer, you must provide voting instructions to your brokerage firm, bank or other nominee by the deadline provided in the materials you receive from your nominee.

What are “broker non-votes”?
As discussed above, when a beneficial owner of shares held in “street name” does not give instructions to the brokerage firm, bank or other nominee holding the shares as to how to vote on matters deemed to be “non-routine,” the brokerage firm, bank or other nominee cannot vote the shares. These unvoted shares are counted as “broker non-votes.”

How many votes are needed to approve each proposal?
Proposal One.  Directors are elected by a plurality vote. “Plurality” means that the two Class I director nominees who receive the largest number of votes cast “FOR” such nominees will be elected as directors. As a result, any shares not voted “FOR” a particular nominee, whether as a result of a “WITHHOLD” vote or a broker non-vote (in other words, where a brokerage firm has not received voting instructions from the beneficial owner and for which the brokerage firm does not have discretionary power to vote on a particular matter), will not be counted in such nominee’s favor and will have no effect on the outcome of the election. You may vote “FOR” or “WITHHOLD” on the two Class I director nominees.
Proposal Two.  The ratification of the selection of Grant Thornton as our independent registered public accounting firm for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2024 requires the majority of the votes cast by the stockholders present in person or represented by proxy at the meeting and entitled to vote thereon. Abstentions represent a stockholder’s affirmative choice to decline to vote on a proposal. Abstentions will not be treated as votes cast for or against the proposal, and thus, will have no effect on the outcome of this proposal. Because this is a “routine” proposal, no broker non-votes are expected to result from this proposal.
Proposal Three.  The approval of the Amended and Restated 2024 Plan requires the majority of the votes cast by the stockholders present in person or represented by proxy at the meeting and entitled to vote thereon. Abstentions and broker non-votes will not be treated as votes cast for or against the proposal, and will have no effect on the outcome of the proposal.
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What is the quorum requirement?
A quorum of stockholders is necessary to hold a valid Annual Meeting. A quorum will be present if stockholders holding at least a majority of the voting power of the outstanding shares of Common Stock entitled to vote at the Annual Meeting are present in person at the Annual Meeting either by in-person attendance or by proxy.
Your shares will be counted as present only if you submit a valid proxy (or one is submitted on your behalf by your brokerage, bank or other nominee) or if you attend the Annual Meeting. Abstentions and broker non-votes are counted as present or represented and entitled to vote for purposes of determining a quorum. If there is no quorum, the chairperson of the Annual Meeting may adjourn the Annual Meeting to another date.
How can I find out the results of the voting at the Annual Meeting?
We expect that voting results will be announced at the Annual Meeting. In addition, final voting results will be published in a Current Report on Form 8-K that we expect to file within four business days after the Annual Meeting.
When are stockholder proposals and director nominations due for next year’s annual meeting?
Requirements for stockholder proposals to be considered for inclusion in our proxy materials for the 2025 annual meeting of stockholders. To be considered for inclusion in next year’s proxy materials, stockholder proposals submitted pursuant to Rule 14a-8 under the Exchange Act must be submitted in writing by December 30, 2024, to our Corporate Secretary at 2101 Park Center Drive, Suite 200, Orlando, Florida 32835, Attention: Corporate Secretary.
Requirements for stockholder proposals or nominations to be brought before the 2025 annual meeting of stockholders. Our amended and restated bylaws provide that, for stockholder proposals and nominations that are not to be included in next year’s proxy materials to be considered at an annual meeting, stockholders must give timely advance written notice thereof to our Corporate Secretary at 2101 Park Center Drive, Suite 200, Orlando, Florida 32835, Attention: Corporate Secretary. In order to be considered timely under our bylaws and, for director nominations, under Rule 14a-19 under the Exchange Act, notice of a proposal or a director nomination for consideration at the 2025 annual meeting of stockholders that is not to be included in next year’s proxy materials must be received by our Corporate Secretary in writing not later than the close of business on March 15, 2025 nor earlier than the close of business on February 13, 2025. However, if our 2025 annual meeting of stockholders is not held between May 14, 2025 and August 12, 2025, the notice must be received not earlier than the close of business on the 120th day prior to the 2025 annual meeting of stockholders, and not later than the later of the close of business on (x) the 90th day prior to the 2025 annual meeting of stockholders or (y) the 10th day following the day on which public announcement of the date of the 2025 annual meeting is first made. Any such notice to our Corporate Secretary must include the information required by our amended and restated bylaws.
In addition, stockholders who intend to solicit proxies in support of director nominees other than Abacus’ nominees must also comply with the additional requirements of Rule 14a-19(b) and (c).
Who is paying for this proxy solicitation?

The Company

We will pay for the entire cost of soliciting proxies.  The Company has engaged Morrow Sodali LLC (“Morrow Sodali”) to assist in the solicitation of proxies for the special meeting. The Company has agreed to pay Morrow Sodali a fee of $15,000. The Company will also reimburse Morrow Sodali for reasonable and customary out-of-pocket expenses. In addition to these mailed proxy materials, our directors and executive officersemployees may also solicit proxies in person, by telephone or by other means of communication. These partiesDirectors and employees will not be paid any additional compensation for soliciting proxies. The CompanyWe may also reimburse brokerage firms, banks and other agentsnominees for the cost of forwarding proxy materials to beneficial owners.

Where do I find If you choose to access the voting resultsproxy materials and/or vote over the internet, you are responsible for any internet access charges you may incur.

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PROPOSAL ONE:
ELECTION OF DIRECTORS
In accordance with our second amended and restated certificate of incorporation and amended and restated bylaws, the number of directors on our board of directors will be determined from time to time by our board of directors. Each class consists, as nearly equal in number as possible, of one-third of the special meeting?

Wetotal number of directors, and each class has a staggered three-year term. At each annual meeting of stockholders, the successors to directors whose terms then expire will announce preliminary voting resultsbe elected to serve from the time of election until the third annual meeting following the election and until his or her successor is duly elected and qualified, or until his or her earlier death, resignation or removal.

Our board of directors currently consists of seven members and is divided into three classes as follows:
the Class I directors are Adam Gusky and Sean McNealy, whose terms will expire at the special meeting. The final voting resultsupcoming Annual Meeting;
the Class II directors are Cornelis Michiel van Katwijk, Mary Beth Schulte and Karla Radka, whose terms will expire at the annual meeting of stockholders to be held in 2025; and
the Class III directors are Jay Jackson and Thomas W. Corbett, Jr., whose terms will expire at the annual meeting of stockholders to be held in 2026.
At the recommendation of our Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee, Sean McNealy and Adam Gusky have been nominated for reelection to serve as Class I directors and have agreed to stand for reelection at the Annual Meeting. Our management has no reason to believe that either Sean McNealy or Adam Gusky will be tallied byunable to serve. If elected at the inspectorAnnual Meeting, Sean McNealy and Adam Gusky would serve until the annual meeting of electionstockholders to be held in 2027 and published inuntil their successors have been duly elected and qualified, or until their earlier death, resignation, or removal.
Set forth below is biographical information for the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K, which the Company is required to file with the SEC within four business days following the special meeting.

Who can help answer my questions?

If you have questions about the proposals or if you need additional copies of the proxy statement or the enclosed proxy card you should contact:

East Resources Acquisition Company

7777 NW Beacon Square Boulevard

Boca Raton, Florida 33487

Attn: Katelyn Morris

Email: info@eastresources.com

You may also contact the Company’s proxy solicitor at:

Morrow Sodali LLC

333 Ludlow Street, 5th Floor, South Tower

Stamford, CT 06902

Tel: (800) 662-5200 (toll-free) or

(203) 658-9400 (banks and brokers can call collect)

Email: ERES.info@investor.morrowsodali.com

You may also obtaintwo Class I director nominees. For additional information about these nominees, see the section titledInformation Regarding the Board of Directors and Corporate Governance.”


Class I Directors – Nominees for Election at the Annual Meeting
Sean McNealy is the Co-Founder and President of Abacus. Mr. McNealy has been a leader in the life settlements industry for over 16 years with extensive industry experience in marketing and capital markets. Along with the other two Managing Partners, he co-founded Abacus Settlements, LLC (“Abacus Settlements”) in 2004, and has served as Co-Founder and President of Abacus since that date. Mr. McNealy has written numerous articles about the life settlement industry that have been published in various trade magazines, and has presented to many large insurance broker consortiums, producer groups and key national accounts. In 1991, he graduated from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor of Science in Marketing. We believe that Mr. McNealy is qualified to serve on the board of directors of the Company from documents filed with the SEC by following the instructionsdue to his current role as President of Abacus and experience in the section entitled “Where You Can Find More Information.”

life settlement industry.

THE SPECIAL MEETING

Date, Time, PlaceAdam Guskyhas served as the Chief Investment Officer of East Management Services, LP, an affiliate of East Sponsor, LLC, since the inception of East Management Services in 2010. At East Management Services, Mr. Gusky is responsible for all financial due diligence for acquisitions, and Purposehe is in charge of the Special Meeting

The special meeting will be held at 10:00 a.m. Eastern Time, on January 20, 2023. The special meeting will be held virtually, at https://www.cstproxy.com/eastresources/ext2023. Atreserve-based lending facility. He also developed and implemented the special meeting, the stockholders will consider and vote upon the following proposals.

1.

The Second Extension Amendment Proposal: To amend our charter to extend the date by which the Company must consummate a business combination from January 27, 2023 (the date that is 30 months from the closing date of the IPO), to July 27, 2023 (the date that is 36 months from the closing date of the IPO).

2.

The Adjournment Proposal: A proposal to approve the adjournment of the special meeting to a later date or dates, if necessary, to permit further solicitation and vote of proxies in the event that there are insufficient votes to approve the Second Extension Amendment Proposal or if we determine that additional time is necessary to effectuate the Second Extension.

Voting Power; Record Date

You will be entitled to vote or direct votes to be cast at the special meeting if you owned our common stock, including as a constituent part of a unit, at the close of business on December 16, 2022, the record date for the special meeting. You will have one vote per share for each share of common stock you owned at that time. Our warrants do not carry voting rights.

At the close of businesscorporate hedging strategy. Mr. Gusky currently serves on the record date, there were 18,343,972 outstanding sharesBoard of common stock, eachDirectors of which entitles its holderRand Capital Corporation, a publicly traded business development company, where East Asset Management made a control investment. Mr. Gusky received his Bachelor of Arts in History and his MBA from Duke University. We believe that Mr. Gusky is qualified to cast one vote per share. The warrants do not carry voting rights.

Votes Required

Approvalserve on the board of directors of the Second Extension Amendment Proposal will requireCompany due to his role as the affirmative voteChief Investment Officer of holders of 65% of the Company’s Class A common stockEast Management Services and Class B common stock, voting togetherhis history as an investor in both public and private companies.

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Directors are elected by a single class, outstanding on the record date.

Approval of the Adjournment Proposal requires the affirmative vote of the majorityplurality of the votes cast on the election of directors. Accordingly, the nominees receiving the highest number of “FOR” votes will be elected. Shares represented by stockholders represented in person (including virtually)executed proxies will be voted, if authority to do so is not withheld, for the election of the nominees named above. If Sean McNealy and Adam Gusky become unavailable for election as a result of an unexpected occurrence, shares that would have been voted for Sean McNealy and Adam Gusky may instead be voted for the election of substitute nominees proposed by our board of directors, or by proxy at the special meeting.

If you doour board of directors may choose to reduce its size. A “WITHHOLD” vote or a broker non-vote will not vote (i.e., you “abstain” from voting), your action will have the same effect as an “AGAINST” vote with regards to the Second Extension Amendment Proposal. Abstentions will be counted in connection with the determination of whether a valid quorum is established butsuch nominee’s favor and will have no effect on the outcome of the Adjournment Proposal. Broker election.

OUR BOARD OF DIRECTORS RECOMMENDS A VOTE “FOR” THE ELECTION OF THE CLASS I
DIRECTOR NOMINEES NAMED ABOVE.
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non-votes
INFORMATION REGARDING THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS
AND CORPORATE GOVERNANCE
The following table sets forth, for the Class I nominees for election at the Annual Meeting and our other directors who will havecontinue in office after the same effectAnnual Meeting, their ages, independence and position or office held with us as “AGAINST” votes with respect toof April 29, 2024:
NameAgeIndependentTitle
Class I director nominees(1)
Sean McNealy58Co-Founder and President; Director
Adam Gusky49üDirector
Class II directors(1)
Cornelis Michiel van Katwijk(2)
57üDirector
Mary Beth Schulte(3)
58üDirector
Karla Radka(4)
55üDirector
Class III directors(1)
Jay Jackson51Chief Executive Officer and Director
Thomas W. Corbett, Jr. (5)
74üDirector
(1)The Class I director nominees are standing for election at the Second Extension Amendment Proposal; however, sinceAnnual Meeting and, if elected, will continue in office until the Adjournment 2027 annual meeting of stockholders. The Class II directors will continue in office until the 2025 annual meeting of the stockholders, and the Class III directors will continue in office until the 2026 annual meeting of stockholders.
(2)Member of our Audit Committee and Compensation Committee.
(3)Member and Chair of our Audit Committee and Compensation Committee. Member of our Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee.
(4)Member and Chair of our Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee. Member of our Audit Committee and Compensation Committee.
(5)Member of our Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee.
Set forth below is biographical information for each person whose term of office as a director will continue after the Annual Meeting. Biographical information for the two Class I director nominees is set forth under the heading “Proposal is considered a routine matter, brokers shall be entitled to voteOne: Election of Directors” above.

Class II Directors – Continuing in Office Until the 2025 Annual Meeting of Stockholders
Cornelis Michiel van Katwijk is the former Chief Financial Officer, Treasurer, Director & Executive Vice President at Transamerica Life Insurance Co. (Iowa) and the former Treasurer & Senior Vice President at Transamerica Advisors Life Insurance Company of New York where he was employed from September 2012 through September 2021. He also served on the Adjournment Proposal absent voting instructions,board of Transamerica Advisors Life Insurance Co. He previously held the position of Group Treasurer at Aegon NV and thus there should be no broker Chief Financial Officer at AEGON USA LLC (a subsidiary of Aegon NV). Mr. van Katwijk received an MBA from the University of Rochester and an undergraduate degree from Nyenrode Business Universiteit. We believe that Mr. van Katwijk is qualified to serve on the board of directors of the Company due to his former roles as the Chief Financial Officer of Transamerica and financial leadership positions at Aegon NV and AEGON USA LLC.
non-votesMary Beth Schulte with respecthas been a Certified Public Accountant for over 30 years and is currently the Chief Executive Officer of The Strategic CFO LLC since March 2024. In this role, Ms. Schulte is responsible for providing CFO strategy and accounting services to early stage and privately held companies. Ms. Schulte formerly served as a Consulting Chief Financial Officer of Attivo Partners from 2022 to 2024, Director & Partner at Anders CPAs & Advisors until 2022, as well as a Principal at UHY Advisors MO, Inc. from 2015 to 2020. Ms. Schulte also currently serves on the Adjournment Proposal.

If you do not wantBoard of Directors of Richard A. Chaifetz School of Business – St. Louis University, Capital Innovators, Cultivation Capital and Arch Grants. Ms. Schulte received her MBA and Bachelor of Science in Business Administration for Accounting from the Second Extension Amendment ProposalRichard A. Chaifetz School of Business – St. Louis University. We believe that Ms. Schulte is qualified to be approved, you must abstain, not vote, or vote againstserve on the proposal. Theboard of directors of

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the Company anticipates thatdue to her prior experience as a Chief Financial Officer of a public stockholder who tenders sharescompany and a Certified Public Accountant.
Karla Radkahas been the President and Chief Executive Officer of Senior Resource Alliance, a non-profit agency for redemptionthe Florida Department of Elder Affairs, since 2019. Ms. Radka previously held leadership roles at Goodwill Industries of Central Florida, where she served as Chief Operating Officer from 2015 through 2019, Florida Family Care, and Community Based Care of Central Florida, a child welfare non-profit. She also founded Public Allies Central Florida, a nationally recognized program, and served as its executive director until 2014. Ms. Radka received her Bachelor of Science and Master of Science in connection withCounseling from Central Christian University. She also later received a mini-MBA at Rollins College Crummer Graduate School of Business. We believe that Ms. Radka is qualified to serve on the vote to approve the Second Extension Amendment Proposal would receive paymentboard of directors of the redemption price for such shares soon afterCompany due to her relevant experience as the completionChief Executive Officer of Senior Resource Alliance, a non-profit that assists seniors in everyday living and a division of the Second Extension Amendment.

If you do not wantDepartment of the Adjournment ProposalElder Affairs in Florida.


Class III Directors – Continuing in Office Until the 2026 Annual Meeting of Stockholders
Jay Jacksonis the President and Chief Executive Officer of Abacus. He joined Abacus Settlements in 2016 as President & Chief Executive Officer and has also served as Chief Executive Officer of Longevity Market Assets, LLC (“LMA”), one of the two principal operating subsidiaries of Abacus along with Abacus Settlements, since June 2019. His strategic business development and creation of innovative new processes and efficiencies has propelled Abacus forward. Mr. Jackson is an industry thought leader relating to be approved, you must vote againstlongevity and senior finances; he co-authored the proposal. Abstentions will be counted in connection withbook “Pursuing Wealthspan.” Mr. Jackson also serves as a current member of the determinationOrlando Mayor’s Committee on Livability and Healthy Aging and serves as an Executive Board Member for the Senior Resource Alliance, an agency of whetherthe Florida Department of Elder Affairs. Mr. Jackson began his career at Franklin Templeton Investments, where he served as vice president for more than a valid quorumdecade. Prior to joining Abacus, Mr. Jackson co-founded and managed the Fayerweather Street Life Fund, as well as the Cambridge Life Management origination platform for FDO Partners, a $3 billion quantitative investment firm founded by Harvard Business School Professor Ken Froot. We believe that Mr. Jackson is established but will have no effectqualified to serve on the outcomeboard of directors of the Adjournment Proposal. Since the Adjournment Proposal is considered a routine matter, brokers shall be entitledCompany due to vote on the Adjournment Proposal absent voting instructions,his current role as Chief Executive Officer of Abacus and thus there should be no broker non-votes with respect to the Adjournment Proposal.

Voting

You can vote your shares at the special meeting by proxy or virtually.

You can vote by proxy by having one or more individuals who will be at the special meeting vote your shares for you. These individuals are called “proxies” and using them to cast your vote at the special meeting is called voting “by proxy.”

If you wish to vote by proxy, you must (i) complete the enclosed form, called a “proxy card,” and mail ithis 20 years of experience in the envelope provided or (ii) submit your proxy by telephone or overfinancial services and life settlement industries.


Thomas W. Corbett, Jr.has been the Internet (if those options are availableprincipal member of Corbett Consulting, LLC since 2015 and, from 2011 to you) in accordance with2015, served as the instructions on the enclosed proxy card or voting instruction card.

If you complete the proxy card and mail it in the envelope provided or submit your proxy by telephone or over the InternetGovernor of Pennsylvania. He has also served as described above, you will designate Gary Hagerman, Jr. and John Sieminski to act as your proxy at the special meeting. One of them will then vote your shares at the special meeting in accordance with the instructions you have given them in the proxy card or voting instructions, as applicable, with respect to the proposals presented in this proxy statement. Proxies will extend to, and be voted at, any adjournment(s) of the special meeting.

Alternatively, you can vote your shares in person by attending the special meeting virtually.

A special note for those who plan to attend the special meeting and vote virtually: if your shares or units are held in the name of a broker, bank or other nominee, please follow the instructions you receive from your broker, bank or other nominee holding your shares. You will not be able to vote at the special meeting unless you obtain a legal proxy from the record holder of your shares.

Our Board is asking for your proxy. Giving our Board your proxy means you authorize it to vote your shares at the special meeting in the manner you direct. You may vote for or against any proposal or you may abstain from voting. All valid proxies received prior to the special meeting will be voted. All shares represented by a proxy will be voted, and where a stockholder specifies by means of the proxy a choice with respect to any matter to be acted upon, the shares will be voted in accordance with the specification so made. If no choice is indicated on the proxy, the shares will be voted “FOR” both the Second Extension Amendment Proposal and, if presented, the Adjournment Proposal,Pennsylvania’s Attorney General and as the proxy holders may determineUS Attorney for the Western District of Pennsylvania. Mr. Corbett received a Bachelor of Arts in their discretion with respectpolitical science from Lebanon Valley College and a Juris Doctor from St. Mary’s University Law School. He was a member of the board of directors for Composites Consolidation Company LLC from 2015 to any other matters that may properly come before2016 and was a member of the special meeting.

Stockholders who have questions or need assistance in completing or submitting their proxy cards should contact our proxy solicitor, Morrow Sodali, at (203) 658-9400 (call collect), (800) 662-5200 (call toll-free), or by sending an email to ERES.info@investor.morrowsodali.com.

Stockholders who hold their shares in “street name,” meaning the nameboard for Animal Friends of a broker or other nominee who is the record holder, must either direct the record holder of their shares to vote their shares or obtain a legal proxy from the record holder to vote their shares at the special meeting.

Revocability of Proxies

Any proxy may be revoked by the person giving it at any time before the polls close at the special meeting. A proxy may be revoked by filing with John Sieminski, at East Resources Acquisition Company, 7777 NW Beacon Square Boulevard, Boca Raton, Florida 33487, either a written notice of revocation bearing a date later than the date of such proxy or a subsequent proxy relating to the same shares or by attending the special meeting and voting virtually.

Simply attending the special meeting will not constitute a revocation of your proxy. If your shares are held in the name of a broker or other nominee who is the record holder, you must follow the instructions of your broker or other nominee to revoke a previously given proxy.

Attendance at the Special Meeting

Only holders of common stock, their proxy holders and guests the Company may invite may attend the special meeting. If you wish to attend the special meeting virtually but you hold your shares or units through someone else, suchPittsburgh until 2019. Mr. Corbett has served as a broker, please follow the instructions you receive from your broker, bank or other nominee holding your shares. You must bring a legal proxy from the broker, bank or other nominee holding your shares, confirming your beneficial ownershipmember of the shares and giving you the right to vote your shares.

Solicitationboard of Proxies

Your proxy is being solicited by our Boarddirectors of Abacus since July 2020. In addition, he currently serves on the proposals being presented to the stockholders at the special meeting. The Company has agreed to pay Morrow Sodali a fee of $15,000. The Company will also reimburse Morrow Sodali for reasonable and customary out-of-pocket expenses. In addition to these mailed proxy materials, our directors and executive officers may also solicit proxies in person, by telephone or by other means of communication. These parties will not be paid any additional compensation for soliciting proxies. The Company may also reimburse brokerage firms, banks and other agents for the cost of forwarding proxy materials to beneficial owners. You may contact Morrow Sodali at:

Morrow Sodali LLC

333 Ludlow Street, 5th Floor, South Tower

Stamford, CT 06902

Tel: (800) 662-5200 (toll-free) or

(203) 658-9400 (banks and brokers can call collect)

Email: ERES.info@investor.morrowsodali.com

The cost of preparing, assembling, printing and mailing this proxy statement and the accompanying form of proxy, and the cost of soliciting proxies relating to the special meeting, will be borne by the Company.

Some banks and brokers have customers who beneficially own common stock listed of record in the names of nominees. The Company intends to request banks and brokers to solicit such customers and will reimburse them for their reasonable out-of-pocket expenses for such solicitations. If any additional solicitationboard of the holdersVariety Club, The Children’s Charity Pittsburgh. We believe that Mr. Corbett is qualified to serve on the board of our outstanding common stock is deemed necessary, the Company (through our directors and executive officers) anticipates making such solicitation directly.

No Right of Appraisal

The Company’s stockholders do not have appraisal rights under the DGCL in connection with the proposals to be voted on at the special meeting. Accordingly, our stockholders have no right to dissent and obtain payment for their shares.

Other Business

The Company is not currently aware of any business to be acted upon at the special meeting other than the matters discussed in this proxy statement. The form of proxy accompanying this proxy statement confers discretionary authority upon the named proxy holders with respect to amendments or variations to the matters identified in the accompanying Notice of Special Meeting and with respect to any other matters which may properly come before the special meeting. If other matters do properly come before the special meeting, or at any adjournment(s) of the special meeting, the Company expects that the shares of common stock represented by properly submitted proxies will be voted by the proxy holders in accordance with the recommendations of our Board.

Principal Executive Offices

Our principal executive offices are located 7777 NW Beacon Square Boulevard, Boca Raton, Florida 33487. Our telephone number at such address is (561) 826-3620.

THE SECOND EXTENSION AMENDMENT PROPOSAL

Background

We are a blank check company whose business purpose is to effect a merger, capital stock exchange, asset acquisition, stock purchase reorganization or similar business combination with one or more businesses. We were incorporated in Delaware on May 22, 2020. In connection with our formation, we issued an aggregate of 8,625,000 founder shares to our Sponsor for an aggregate purchase price of $25,000.

On July 27, 2020, we consummated our IPO of 30,000,000 units. On August 25, 2020, we consummated the full exercise of the underwriters’ 4,500,000 unit over-allotment option. Each unit consists of one share of Class A common stock and one-half of one redeemable public warrant, with each whole warrant entitling the holder thereof to purchase one share of Class A common stock for $11.50 per share. The units were sold at a price of $10.00 per unit, generating gross proceeds of $345,000,000. Simultaneously with the consummation of the IPO, we completed the private sale of an aggregate of 8,000,000 private placement warrants to our Sponsor at a price of $1.00 per warrant, generating gross proceeds of $8,000,000. Simultaneously with the consummation of the full exercise of the underwriters’ over-allotment option, we completed the private sale of an additional 900,000 private placement warrants to our Sponsor at a price of $1.00 per warrant, generating additional gross proceeds of $900,000.

A total of $345,000,000 of the net proceeds from our initial public offering (including the over-allotment) and the private placement with the Sponsor were deposited in a trust account established for the benefit of the Company’s public stockholders.

On July 25, 2022, the Company entered into an extension note with the Sponsor, pursuant to which the Sponsor agreed to contribute to the Company as a loan $0.033 for each public share that was not redeemed in connection with the stockholder vote to approve the extension of the date by which the Company must complete an initial business combination from July 27, 2022 to January 27, 2023 (which extension was approved at the special meeting of the Company due to his extensive leadership and risk management experience as former Governor of Pennsylvania and former Pennsylvania State Attorney General, as well as his past service on July 25, 2022), forother public company boards of directors.


Board Diversity
Based upon voluntary self-identification by each month untilmember of our board of directors, the earliertable below sets forth the diversity composition of (i) the dateour board of consummationdirectors as of April 12, 2024. Each of the Company’s initial business combination and (ii)categories listed in the date of liquidationtable below has the meaning set forth in listing rule 5605(f) of the Company. Such contributionsNasdaq Stock Market LLC (“Nasdaq”).
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Board Diversity Matrix (As of April 12, 2024)
Total Number of Directors7
FemaleMaleNon-BinaryDid not Disclose
Gender
Part 1: Gender Identity
Directors25
Part 2: Demographic Background
African American or Black
Alaskan Native or Native American
Asian
Hispanic or Latinx1
Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander
White15
Two or More Races or Ethnicities
LGBTQ+
Did Not Disclose Demographic Background

Director Independence
Our Common Stock is listed on Nasdaq and under the listing rules of Nasdaq subject to specified exceptions, independent directors must comprise a majority of a listed company’s board of directors, and each member of a listed company’s audit, compensation, and nominating and corporate governance committees must be independent. Under Nasdaq listing rules, a director will be deposited intoonly qualify as an “independent director” if, among other things, the trust account. Additionally,listed company’s board of directors affirmatively determines that the director does not have a relationship which, in connectionthe opinion of the listed company’s board of directors, would interfere with the stockholder approvalexercise of such extensionindependent judgment in July 2022, certain stockholders elected to redeem an aggregatecarrying out the responsibilities of 24,781,028 public shares, or approximately 71.83%a director.
Our board of directors has undertaken a review of the then outstanding public shares. Such redemption demands have been completedindependence of each director. Based on information provided by each director concerning his or her background, employment and such shares have been redeemedaffiliations, our board of directors has affirmatively determined that each of Adam Gusky, Thomas W. Corbett, Jr., Mary Beth Schulte, Karla Radka and Cornelis Michiel van Katwijk is an “independent director” (as defined in relation thereto, we paid cash from the trust accountNasdaq listing rule 5605(a)(2)).

Corporate Governance
Our corporate governance is structured in the aggregate amount of approximately $248,087,256.06, or approximately $10.01 per share, to redeeming stockholders. As a result, approximately $97,939,800.60 remained in the trust account after paying such redeeming holders in connection with the first extension stockholder vote. As of the record date, there is $98,901,978.84 remaining in the trust account, which includes an aggregate of $1,603,630.40 deposited pursuant to the first extension.

On August 30, 2022,manner the Company LMA Merger Sub, Abacus Merger Sub, LMAbelieves closely aligns our interests with those of our stockholders. Notable features of this corporate governance include:

our audit, compensation and Abacus entered intonominating and corporate governance committees consist entirely of independent directors, and our independent directors meet regularly in executive session without the Merger Agreement,presence of our corporate officers or non-independent directors;
at least one of our directors qualifies as amended on October 14, 2022, pursuant to which, subject toan “audit committee financial expert” as defined by the satisfaction or waiverSEC; and
we have implemented a range of certain conditions precedent inother corporate governance best practices, including implementing a director education program, hosting regular meetings between Audit Committee members and financial and accounting management and establishing an online board portal that contains a document library.
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Board Leadership
Mr. Jackson serves as the Merger Agreement, (i) LMA Merger Sub will merge withChairman of our board of directors (the “Chairman”) and into LMA, with LMA surviving such merger as a direct wholly owned subsidiarythe Chief Executive Officer (“CEO”) of the Company and (ii) Abacus Merger Sub will merge with and into Abacus, with Abacus surviving such merger aswe do not currently have a direct wholly owned subsidiarylead independent director. Our board of the Company, such mergers constituting the Business Combination. The Business Combination is expected to be consummated in the first half of 2023, subject to the fulfillment of certain conditions.

The Company is in the process of preparing and finalizing the Business Combination Proxy Statement with the SEC for the purpose of soliciting stockholder approval of the proposed Business Combination at a special meeting of the Company’s stockholders as promptly as possible. If the Business Combination is approved at a special meeting for such purpose, the Company would consummate the Business Combination shortly thereafter. For additional information regarding the Business Combination, see the Company’s Current Reports on Form 8-K filed on August 30, 2022 and October 14, 2022, and the Business Combination Proxy Statement.

After consummation of the Business Combination, the funds in the trust account will be used to pay holders of the public shares who exercise redemption rights, to pay fees and expenses incurred in connection with the Business Combination and for the post-combination company’s working capital and general corporate purposes.

The Second Extension Amendment

The Company is proposing to amend its charter to extend the date by which the Company must consummate a business combination to the Extended Date.

The sole purpose of the Second Extension Amendment Proposal is to provide the Company with sufficient time to complete an initial business combination. Approval of the Second Extension Amendment Proposal is a condition to the implementation of the Second Extension.

On August 30, 2022, the Company, LMA Merger Sub, Abacus Merger Sub, LMA, and Abacus entered into the Merger Agreement, as amended on October 14, 2022, pursuant to which, subject to the satisfaction or waiver of certain conditions precedent in the Merger Agreement, (i) LMA Merger Sub will merge with and into LMA, with LMA surviving such merger as a direct wholly owned subsidiary of the Company, and (ii) Abacus Merger Sub will merge with and into Abacus, with Abacus surviving such merger as a direct wholly owned subsidiary of the Company.

If the Second Extension Amendment Proposal is not approved and the Company has not consummated an initial business combination within the Combination Period, the Company will (i) cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up, (ii) as promptly as reasonably possible but not more than ten business days thereafter, and subject to having lawfully available funds therefor, redeem 100% of the outstanding public shares, at a per share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including any interest earned on the trust account deposits (which interest shall be net of taxes payable and after setting aside up to $100,000 to pay dissolution expenses), divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, which redemption will completely extinguish public stockholders’ rights as stockholders (including the right to receive further liquidation distributions, if any), subject to applicable law, and (iii) as promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the approval of our remaining stockholders and our Board, in accordance with applicable law, dissolve and liquidate, subject in each case to our obligations under Delaware law to provide for claims of creditors and the requirements of other applicable law. There will be no redemption rights or liquidating distributions with respect to our warrants, which will expire worthless if we fail to complete an initial business combination within the Combination Period.

A copy of the proposed amendment to the Company’s charter is attached to this proxy statement as Annex A.

Reasons for the Proposal

The Company’s charter, as amended on July 25, 2022, provides that the Company has until the last day of the Combination Period to complete a business combination. The sole purpose of the Second Extension Amendment Proposal is to provide the Company with additional time to complete the proposed Business Combination. The Companydirectors believes that given the Company’s expenditure of time, effort and money on searching for potential business combination opportunities, negotiating the proposed Business Combination and preparing and finalizing the Business Combination Proxy Statement, as amended, circumstances warrant providing public stockholders an opportunity to consider the proposed Business Combination. Accordingly, since the Company is unlikely to be able to complete the proposed Business Combination within the Combination Period, the Company has determined to seek stockholder approval to extend the time for closing a business combination beyond the last day of the Combination Period to the Extended Date. The Company and its officers and directors agreed that they would not seek to amend the Company’s charter to allow for a longer period of time to complete a business combination unless the Company provided holders of public shares with the right to seek conversion of their public shares in connection therewith.

If the Second Extension Amendment Proposal is Not Approved

Stockholder approval of the Second Extension Amendment Proposal is required for the implementation of our Board’s plan to extend the date by which we must consummate an initial business combination. Therefore, our Board will abandon and not implement the Second Extension Amendment unless our stockholders approve the Second Extension Amendment Proposal.

If the Second Extension Amendment Proposal is not approved and the Company does not consummate an initial business combination within the Combination Period, as contemplated by our IPO prospectus and in accordance with our charter, the Company will (i) cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up, (ii) as promptly as reasonably possible but not more than ten business days thereafter, and subject to having lawfully available funds therefor, redeem 100% of the outstanding public shares, at a per share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including any interest earned on the trust account deposits (which interest shall be net of taxes payable and after setting aside up to $100,000 to pay dissolution expenses), divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, which redemption will completely extinguish public stockholders’ rights as stockholders (including the right to receive further liquidation distributions, if any), subject to applicable law, and (iii) as promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the approval of our remaining stockholders and our Board, in accordance with applicable law, dissolve and liquidate, subject in each case to our obligations under Delaware law to provide for claims of creditors and the requirements of other applicable law. There will be no redemption rights or liquidating distributions with respect to our warrants, which will expire worthless in the event the Company winds up.

The holders of the founder shares have waived their rights to participate in any liquidation distribution with respect to such shares. There will be no distribution from the trust account with respect to the Company’s warrants, which will expire worthless in the event the Second Extension Amendment Proposal is not approved. The Company will pay the costs of liquidation from its remaining assets outside of the trust account. If such funds are insufficient, our Sponsor has agreed to advance it the funds necessary to complete such liquidation and has agreed not to seek repayment of such expenses.

If the Second Extension Amendment Proposal is Approved

If the Second Extension Amendment Proposal is approved, the Company will file an amendment to the charter with the Secretary of State of the State of Delaware in the form of Annex A hereto to extend the time it has to complete a business combination until the Extended Date. The Company will remain a reporting company under the Exchange Act, and its units, common stock and public warrants will remain publicly traded. The Company will then continue to work to consummate a business combination by the Extended Date.

You are not being asked to vote on a business combination at this time. If the Second Extension is implemented and you do not elect to redeem your public shares in connection with the Second Extension, you will retain the right to vote on a business combination when it is submitted to the public stockholders (provided that you are a stockholder on the record date for a meeting to consider a business combination) and the right to redeem your public shares for a pro rata portion of the trust account in the event a business combination is approved and completed or the Company has not consummated a business combination by the Extended Date.

If the Second Extension Amendment Proposal is approved and the Second Extension is implemented, the removal of the Withdrawal Amount from the trust account in connection with the Election will reduce the amount held in the trust account following the Election. The Company cannot predict the amount that will remain in the trust account after such withdrawal if the Second Extension Amendment Proposal is approved and the amount remaining in the trust account may be only a fraction of the $98,901,978.84 (including interest but less the funds used to pay taxes) that was in the trust account as of the record date. In such event, the Company may still seek to obtain additional funds to complete the proposed Business Combination, and there can be no

assurance that such funds will be available on terms acceptable to the parties or at all. We will not proceed with the Second Extension if redemptions or repurchases of our public shares cause us to have less than $5,000,001 of net tangible assets following approval of the Second Extension Amendment Proposal.

Redemption Rights

If the Second Extension Amendment Proposal is approved, and the Second Extension is implemented, public stockholders may elect to redeem their shares for a per share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account as of two business days prior to such approval, including any interest earned on the trust account deposits (which interest shall be net of taxes payable), divided by the number of then outstanding public shares. However, the Company may not redeem our public shares in an amount that would cause our net tangible assets to be less than $5,000,001. If the Second Extension Amendment Proposal is approved by the requisite vote of stockholders, the remaining holders of public shares will retain the opportunity to have their public shares redeemed in conjunction with the consummation of a business combination, subject to any limitations set forth in our charter, as amended. In addition, public stockholders who vote for the Second Extension Amendment Proposal and do not make the Election would be entitled to have their shares redeemed for cash if the Company has not completed a business combination by the Extended Date.

If the Second Extension Amendment Proposal is approved, our Sponsor, or its designee, has agreed to advance to us as a loan (i) $0.033 for each public share that is not redeemed in connection with the special meeting plus (ii) $0.033 for each public share that is not redeemed for each subsequent calendar month commencing on February 27, 2023, and on the 27th day of each subsequent month, or portion thereof, that we require to complete a business combination from January 27, 2023 until the Extended Date. For example, if we complete the business combination on April 27, 2023, which would represent three calendar months, our Sponsor or its designee would make aggregate maximum advances of approximately $0.198 per share (assuming no public shares were redeemed). Assuming the Second Extension Amendment Proposal is approved, the initial contribution will be deposited in the trust account promptly following the special meeting. Each additional contribution will be deposited in the trust account on or before the 27th day of such calendar month. Accordingly, if the Second Extension Amendment Proposal is approved and the Second Extension is implemented and we take the full time through the Extended Date to complete a business combination, the redemption amount per share at the meeting for such business combination or the Company’s subsequent liquidation will be approximately $10.41 per share, in comparison to the current redemption amount of $10.21 per share. The advances are conditioned upon the implementation of the Second Extension Amendment Proposal and will not occur if the Second Extension Amendment Proposal is not approved or the Second Extension is not completed. The amount of the advances will not bear interest and will be repayable by the Company to our Sponsor or its designees upon consummation of the business combination. At the option of the Sponsor, up to $1,500,000 of the loan may be converted into warrants identical to the warrants sold in the private placement that was consummated simultaneously with our IPO, at $1.50 per warrant. If our Sponsor or its designee advises the Company that it does not intend to make the advances, then the Second Extension Amendment Proposal and the Adjournment Proposal will not be put before the stockholders at the special meeting and we will dissolve and liquidate in accordance with our charter. Our Sponsor or its designees will have the sole discretion whether to continue extending for additional calendar months until the Extended Date and if our Sponsor determines not to continue extending for additional calendar months, its obligation to make additional advances will terminate.

TO EXERCISE YOUR REDEMPTION RIGHTS, YOU MUST ENSURE YOUR BANK OR BROKER COMPLIES WITH THE REQUIREMENTS IDENTIFIED HEREIN, INCLUDING SUBMITTING A WRITTEN REQUEST THAT YOUR SHARES BE REDEEMED FOR CASH TO THE TRANSFER AGENT AND DELIVERING YOUR SHARES TO THE TRANSFER AGENT PRIOR TO 5:00 P.M. EST ON JANUARY 18, 2023 (TWO BUSINESS DAYS BEFORE THE SCHEDULED VOTE AT THE SPECIAL MEETING). YOU WILL ONLY BE ENTITLED TO RECEIVE CASH IN CONNECTION WITH A REDEMPTION OF THESE SHARES IF YOU CONTINUE TO HOLD THEM UNTIL THE EFFECTIVE DATE OF THE SECOND EXTENSION AMENDMENT PROPOSAL AND ELECTION.

Pursuant to our charter, a public stockholder may request that the Company redeem all or a portion of such public stockholder’s public shares for cash if the Second Extension Amendment Proposal is approved. You will be entitled to receive cash for any public shares to be redeemed only if you:

(i)

(a) hold public shares or (b) hold public shares through units and you elect to separate your units into the underlying public shares and public warrants prior to exercising your redemption rights with respect to the public shares; and

(ii)

prior to 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time, on January 18, 2023 (two business days prior to the scheduled vote at the special meeting), (a) submit a written request, including the name, phone number, and address of the beneficial owner of the shares for which redemption is requested, to Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company, the Company’s transfer agent, at Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company, 1 State Street, 30th Floor, New York, New York 10004, Attn: Mark Tumulty, that the Company redeem your public shares for cash and (b) deliver your public shares to the transfer agent, physically or electronically through DTC.

Holders of units must elect to separate the underlying public shares and public warrants prior to exercising redemption rights with respect to the public shares. If holders hold their units in an account at a brokerage firm or bank, holders must notify their broker or bank that they elect to separate the units into the underlying public shares and public warrants, or if a holder holds units registered in its own name, the holder must contact the transfer agent directly and instruct it to do so. Public stockholders may elect to redeem all or a portion of their public shares regardless of whether they vote for or against the Second Extension Amendment Proposal and regardless of whether they hold public shares on the record date.

Through DTC’s DWAC (Deposit/Withdrawal at Custodian) System, this electronic delivery process can be accomplished by the stockholder, whether or not it is a record holder or its shares are held in “street name,” by contacting the transfer agent or its broker and requesting delivery of its shares through the DWAC system. Delivering shares physically may take significantly longer. In order to obtain a physical stock certificate, a stockholder’s broker and/or clearing broker, DTC, and the Company’s transfer agent will need to act together to facilitate this request. There is a nominal cost associated with the above-referenced tendering process and the act of certificating the shares or delivering them through the DWAC system. The transfer agent will typically charge the tendering broker $100 and the broker would determine whether or not to pass this cost on to the redeeming holder. It is the Company’s understanding that stockholders should generally allot at least two weeks to obtain physical certificates from the transfer agent. The Company does not have any control over this process or over the brokers or DTC, and it may take longer than two weeks to obtain a physical stock certificate. Such stockholders will have less time to make their investment decision than those stockholders that deliver their shares through the DWAC system. Stockholders who request physical stock certificates and wish to redeem may be unable to meet the deadline for tendering their shares before exercising their redemption rights and thus will be unable to redeem their shares. Certificates that have not been tendered in accordance with these procedures prior to the vote on the Second Extension Amendment will not be redeemed for cash held in the trust account on the redemption date. In the event that a public stockholder tenders its shares and decides prior to the vote at the special meeting that it does not want to redeem its shares, the stockholder may withdraw the tender. If you delivered your shares for redemption to our transfer agent and decide prior to the vote at the special meeting not to redeem your public shares, you may request that our transfer agent return the shares (physically or electronically). You may make such request by contacting our transfer agent at the address listed above. In the event that a public stockholder tenders shares and the Second Extension Amendment Proposal is not approved, these shares will not be redeemed and the physical certificates representing these shares will be returned to the stockholder promptly following the determination that the Second Extension Amendment will not be approved. The Company anticipates that a public stockholder who tenders shares for redemption in connection with the vote to approve the Second Extension would receive payment of the redemption price for such shares soon after the completion of the Second Extension Amendment. The transfer agent will hold the certificates of public stockholders that make the election until such shares are redeemed for cash or returned to such stockholders.

If properly demanded, the Company will redeem each public share for a per share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including any interest earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released to us to pay our franchise and income taxes, divided by the number of then outstanding public shares. The Company estimates that the per share price at which the public shares may be redeemed from cash held in the trust account will be approximately $10.21 at the time of the special meeting. The closing price of the public shares on NASDAQ on December 16, 2022, the record date, was $10.11. Accordingly, if the market price were to remain the same until the date of the special meeting, exercising redemption rights would result in a public stockholder receiving approximately $0.10 more than if such stockholder sold the public shares in the open market. The Company cannot assure public stockholders that they will be able to sell their public shares in the open market, even if the market price per share is higher than the redemption price stated above, as there may not be sufficient liquidity in its securities when such stockholders wish to sell their shares.

If you exercise your redemption rights, you will be exchanging your shares of the Company’s common stock for cash and will no longer own the shares. You will be entitled to receive cash for these shares only if you properly demand redemption and tender your stock certificate(s) to the Company’s transfer agent prior to 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time on January 18, 2023 (two business days before the scheduled vote at the special meeting). The Company anticipates that a public stockholder who tenders shares for redemption in connection with the vote to approve the Second Extension Amendment would receive payment of the redemption price for such shares soon after the completion of the Second Extension Amendment.

Interests of the Company’s Directors and Executive Officers

When you consider the recommendation of our Board, you should keep in mind that the Company’s executive officers and directors, and their affiliates, have interests that may be different from, or in addition to, your interests as a stockholder. These interests include, among other things:

If the Second Extension Amendment Proposal is not approved and the Company does not consummate an initial business combination within the Combination Period, in accordance with our charter, the 8,625,000 founder shares, which were acquired by our Sponsor directly from the Company for an aggregate investment of $25,000, or approximately $0.003 per share, will be worthless (as the initial stockholders have waived liquidation rights with respect to such shares). The founder shares had an aggregate market value of approximately $87,198,750 based on the last sale price of $10.11 on NASDAQ on December 16, 2022 (the record date);

If the Second Extension Amendment Proposal is not approved and the Company does not consummate an initial business combination within the Combination Period, in accordance with our charter, the 8,900,000 private placement warrants purchased by our Sponsor for an aggregate investment of $8,900,000, or $1.00 per warrant, will be worthless, as they will expire. The private placement warrants had an aggregate market value of $1,691,000 based on the last sale price of $0.19 on the NASDAQ on December 16, 2022 (the record date);

Even if the trading price of the Class A common stock were as low as $0.003 per share, the aggregate market value of the founder shares alone (without taking into account the value of the private placement warrants) would be approximately equal to the initial investment in the Company by our Sponsor. As a result, if an initial business combination is completed, the initial stockholders are likely to be able to make a substantial profit on their investment in us even at a time when the Class A common stock has lost significant value. On the other hand, if the Second Extension Amendment Proposal is not approved and the Company liquidates without completing its initial business combination before January 27, 2023, the initial stockholders will lose their entire investment in us.

Our Sponsor has agreed that it will be liable to us, if and to the extent any claims by a vendor for services rendered or products sold to us, or a prospective target business with which the Company has discussed entering into a transaction agreement, reduce the amount of funds in the trust account to below: (i) $10.00 per public share; or (ii) such lesser amount per public share held in the trust account as of the date of the liquidation of the trust account due to reductions in the value of the trust assets, in

each case, net of the interest which may be withdrawn to pay taxes, except as to any claims by a third party who executed a waiver of any and all rights to seek access to the trust account and except as to any claims under our indemnity of the underwriters of the IPO against certain liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended;

All rights specified in the charter relating to the right of officers and directors to be indemnified by the Company, and of the Company’s executive officers and directors to be exculpated from monetary liability with respect to prior acts or omissions, will continue after a business combination. If a business combination is not approved and the Company liquidates, the Company will not be able to perform its obligations to its officers and directors under those provisions;

All of the current members of our Board are expected to continue to serve as directors at least through the date of the special meeting to approve a business combination and some are expected to continue to serve following a business combination as discussed above and receive compensation thereafter; and

The Company’s executive officers and directors, and their affiliates are entitled to reimbursement of out-of-pocket expenses incurred by them in connection with certain activities on the Company’s behalf, such as identifying and investigating possible business targets and business combinations. As of the date hereof, the Company has received a total of $3,000,000 in loans from our Sponsor (the “SponsorLoans”), and the Sponsor Loans remain outstanding as of the date of this proxy statement. However, if the Company fails to obtain the Second Extension and consummate a business combination, they will not have any claim against the trust account for reimbursement. Accordingly, the Company will most likely not be able to reimburse these expenses, including the Sponsor Loans, if a business combination is not completed.

Additionally, if the Second Extension Amendment Proposal is approved and we consummate an initial business combination, our Sponsor, officers and directors may have additional interests as will be described in the proxy statement for the business combination.

Material U.S. Federal Income Tax Consequences

The following discussion is a summary of the material U.S. federal income tax considerations for U.S. Holders and Non-U.S. Holders (each as defined below, and together, “Holders”) of public shares (i) of the Second Extension Amendment Proposal and (ii) that elect to have their public shares redeemed for cash if the Second Extension Amendment Proposal is approved. The effects of other U.S. federal tax laws, such as estate and gift tax laws, and any applicable state, local or non-U.S. tax laws are not discussed. This discussion is based on the U.S. Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”), Treasury Regulations promulgated thereunder, judicial decisions, and published rulings and administrative pronouncements of the U.S. Internal Revenue Service (the “IRS”), in each case in effect as of the date hereof. These authorities may change or be subject to differing interpretations. Any such change or differing interpretation may be applied retroactively in a manner that could adversely affect the tax consequences discussed below. We have not sought and will not seek any rulings from the IRS regarding the matters discussed below. There can be no assurance the IRS or a court will not take a contrary position to that discussed below regarding the tax consequences of the transactions contemplated by the Second Extension Amendment (including any redemption of the public shares in connection therewith) with respect to any public shares held through the units (including alternative characterizations of the units).

This discussion is limited to Holders that hold their public shares as a “capital asset” within the meaning of Section 1221 of the Code (generally, property held for investment). This discussion does not address all U.S. federal income tax consequences relevant to a Holder’s particular circumstances, including the impact of the alternative minimum tax or the Medicare contribution tax on net investment income. In addition, it does not address consequences relevant to Holders subject to special rules, including, without limitation:

banks;

certain financial institutions;

regulated investment companies or real estate investment trusts;

insurance companies;

brokers, dealers or traders in securities;

traders in securities that elect mark to market;

tax-exempt organizations or governmental organizations;

U.S. expatriates or former citizens or long-term residents of the United States;

persons that hold their public shares as part of a straddle, constructive sale, hedge, wash sale, conversion or other integrated or similar transaction;

persons that actually or constructively own ten percent or more (by vote or value) of the Company’s shares (except as specifically provided below);

“controlled foreign corporations,” “passive foreign investment companies,” and corporations that accumulate earnings to avoid U.S. federal income tax;

S corporations, partnerships or other entities or arrangements treated as partnerships for U.S. federal income tax purposes (and investors therein);

persons deemed to sell the Company’s public shares under the constructive sale provisions of the Code;

persons who acquired their public shares pursuant to the exercise of any employee stock option or otherwise as compensation;

tax-qualified retirement plans; and

“qualified foreign pension funds” as defined in Section 897(l)(2) of the Code and entities all of the interests of which are held by qualified foreign pension funds.

If an entity or arrangement treated as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes holds public shares, the tax treatment of an owner of such an entity or arrangement will depend on the status of the owner, the activities of the entity or arrangement and certain determinations made at the owner level. Accordingly, entities or arrangements treated as partnerships for U.S. federal income tax purposes holding public shares and the owners in such entities or arrangements should consult their tax advisors regarding the U.S. federal income tax consequences to them of the Second Extension Amendment Proposal and the exercise of their redemption rights with respect to their public shares in connection therewith.

THIS DISCUSSION IS ONLY A SUMMARY OF CERTAIN U.S. FEDERAL INCOME TAX CONSIDERATIONS ASSOCIATED WITH THE SECOND EXTENSION AMENDMENT PROPOSAL AND THE EXERCISE OF REDEMPTION RIGHTS IN CONNECTION THEREWITH. EACH HOLDER SHOULD CONSULT ITS OWN TAX ADVISOR WITH RESPECT TO THE PARTICULAR TAX CONSEQUENCES TO SUCH HOLDER OF THE SECOND EXTENSION AMENDMENT PROPOSAL AND THE EXERCISE OF REDEMPTION RIGHTS, INCLUDING THE APPLICABILITY AND EFFECTS OF U.S. FEDERAL NON-INCOME, STATE AND LOCAL AND NON-U.S. TAX LAWS.

Tax Treatment of Non-Redeeming Stockholders

A Holder who does not elect to redeem their public shares (including any Holder who votes in favor of the Second Extension Amendment) will continue to own its public shares, and will not recognize any income, gain or loss for U.S. federal income tax purposes solely as a result of the Second Extension Amendment Proposal.

Tax Treatment of Redeeming Stockholders

U.S. Holders

As used herein, a “U.S. Holder” is a beneficial owner of a public share who or that is, for U.S. federal income tax purposes:

an individual who is a citizen or resident of the United States;

a corporation (or other entity taxable as a corporation) that is created or organized (or treated as created or organized) in or under the laws of the United States or any state thereof or the District of Columbia;

an estate whose income is subject to U.S. federal income tax regardless of its source; or

a trust if (1) a U.S. court can exercise primary supervision over the administration of such trust and one or more United States persons (within the meaning of Section 7701(a)(30) of the Code) have the authority to control all substantial decisions of the trust or (2) it has a valid election in place to be treated as a United States person.

Generally

The U.S. federal income tax consequences to a U.S. Holder of public shares that exercises its redemption rights with respect to its public shares to receive cash in exchange for all or a portion of its public shares will depend on whether the redemption qualifies as a sale of public shares under Section 302 of the Code. If the redemption qualifies as a sale of public shares by a U.S. Holder, the tax consequences to such U.S. Holder are as described below under the section entitled “—Taxation of Redemption Treated as a Sale of Public Shares.” If the redemption does not qualify as a sale of public shares, a U.S. Holder will be treated as receiving a corporate distribution with the tax consequences to such U.S. Holder as described below under the section entitled “—Taxation of Redemption Treated as a Distribution.”

Whether a redemption of public shares qualifies for sale treatment will depend largely on the total number of shares of the Company’s stock treated as held by the redeemed U.S. Holder before and after the redemption (including any stock of the Company treated as constructively owned by the U.S. Holder as a result of owning public warrants) relative to all of the stock of the Company outstanding both before and after the redemption. The redemption of public shares generally will be treated as a sale of public shares (rather than as a corporate distribution) if the redemption (1) is “substantially disproportionate” with respect to the U.S. Holder, (2) results in a “complete termination” of the U.S. Holder’s interest in the Company or (3) is “not essentially equivalent to a dividend” with respect to the U.S. Holder. These tests are explained more fully below.

In determining whether any of the foregoing tests result in a redemption qualifying for sale treatment, a U.S. Holder takes into account not only shares of the Company’s stock actually owned by the U.S. Holder, but also shares of the Company’s stock that are constructively owned by it under certain attribution rules set forth in the Code. A U.S. Holder may constructively own, in addition to stock owned directly, stock owned by certain related individuals and entities in which the U.S. Holder has an interest or that have an interest in such U.S. Holder, as well as any stock that the U.S. Holder has a right to acquire by exercise of an option, which would generally include public shares which could be acquired pursuant to the exercise of public warrants.

In order to meet the substantially disproportionate test, the percentage of the Company’s outstanding voting stock actually and constructively owned by the U.S. Holder immediately following the redemption of public shares must, among other requirements, be less than eighty percent (80%) of the percentage of the Company’s outstanding voting stock actually and constructively owned by the U.S. Holder immediately before the redemption (taking into account redemptions by other Holders of public shares). There will be a complete termination of a U.S. Holder’s interest if either (1) all of the public shares actually and constructively owned by the U.S. Holder are redeemed or (2) all of the public shares actually owned by the U.S. Holder are redeemed and the U.S. Holder is eligible to waive, and effectively waives in accordance with specific rules, the attribution of

stock owned by certain family members and the U.S. Holder does not constructively own any other public shares (including any stock constructively owned by the U.S. Holder as a result of owning public warrants). The redemption of public shares will not be essentially equivalent to a dividend if the redemption results in a “meaningful reduction” of the U.S. Holder’s proportionate interest in the Company. Whether the redemption will result in a meaningful reduction in a U.S. Holder’s proportionate interest in the Company will depend on the particular facts and circumstances. However, the IRS has indicated in a published ruling that even a small reduction in the proportionate interest of a small minority stockholder in a publicly held corporation where such stockholder exercises no control over corporate affairs may constitute such a “meaningful reduction.”

If none of the foregoing tests is satisfied, then the redemption of public shares will be treated as a corporate distribution to the redeemed U.S. Holder and the tax effects to such a U.S. Holder will be as described below under the section entitled “—Taxation of Redemption Treated as a Distribution.” After the application of those rules, any remaining tax basis of the U.S. Holder in the redeemed public shares will be added to the U.S. Holder’s adjusted tax basis in its remaining shares of the Company’s stock or, if it has none, to the U.S. Holder’s adjusted tax basis in its public warrants or possibly in other shares of the Company’s stock constructively owned by it.

Taxation of Redemption Treated as a Distribution

If the redemption of a U.S. Holder’s public shares is treated as a corporate distribution, as discussed above under the section entitled “—Generally,” the amount of cash received in the redemption generally will constitute a dividend for U.S. federal income tax purposes to the extent paid from the Company’s current or accumulated earnings and profits, as determined under U.S. federal income tax principles.

Distributions in excess of the Company’s current and accumulated earnings and profits will constitute a return of capital that will be applied against and reduce (but not below zero) the U.S. Holder’s adjusted tax basis in its public shares. Any remaining excess will be treated as gain realized on the sale of public shares and will be treated as described below under the section entitled “—Taxation of Redemption Treated as a Sale of Public Shares.”

Any dividends received by corporate U.S. Holders will be taxable at regular corporate tax rates and will generally be eligible for the dividends received deduction if the requisite holding period is satisfied. With respect to non-corporate U.S. Holders and with certain exceptions, dividends may be “qualified dividend income,” which is taxed at the lower applicable long-term capital gain rate provided that the U.S. Holder satisfies certain holding period requirements and the U.S. Holder is not under an obligation to make related payments with respect to positions in substantially similar or related property. It is unclear whether the redemption rights with respect to the Company’s public shares may prevent a U.S. Holder from satisfying the applicable holding period requirements with respect to the dividends received deduction or the preferential tax rate on qualified dividend income, as the case may be. If the holding period requirements are not satisfied, then non-corporate U.S. Holders may be subject to tax on such dividends at regular ordinary income tax rates instead of the preferential rate that applies to qualified dividend income.

Taxation of Redemption Treated as a Sale of Public Shares

If the redemption of a U.S. Holder’s public shares is treated as a sale, as discussed above under the section entitled “—Generally,” a U.S. Holder generally will recognize capital gain or loss in an amount equal to the difference between the amount of cash received in the redemption and the U.S. Holder’s adjusted tax basis in the public shares redeemed. Any such capital gain or loss generally will be long-term capital gain or loss if the U.S. Holder’s holding period for the public shares so disposed of exceeds one year. It is unclear, however, whether the redemption rights with respect to the Company’s public shares may suspend the running of the applicable holding period for this purpose. If the running of the holding period is suspended, then non-corporate U.S. Holders may not be able to satisfy the one-year holding period requirement for long-term capital gain

treatment, in which case any gain on a sale or taxable disposition of the shares or warrants would be subject to short-term capital gain treatment and would be taxed at regular ordinary income tax rates. Long-term capital gains recognized by non-corporate U.S. Holders generally will be eligible to be taxed at reduced rates. The deductibility of capital losses is subject to limitations.

U.S. Holders who hold different blocks of public shares (including as a result of holding different blocks of public shares purchased or acquired on different dates or at different prices) should consult their tax advisors to determine how the above rules apply to them.

U.S. Holders who actually or constructively own at least five percent (5%) by vote or value (or, if the public shares are not then considered to be publicly traded, at least one percent (1%) by vote or value) or more of the total outstanding Company stock may be subject to special reporting requirements with respect to a redemption of public shares, and such U.S. Holders should consult with their tax advisors with respect to their reporting requirements.

ALL U.S. HOLDERS ARE URGED TO CONSULT THEIR TAX ADVISORS AS TO THE TAX CONSEQUENCES TO THEM OF A REDEMPTION OF ALL OR A PORTION OF THEIR PUBLIC SHARES PURSUANT TO AN EXERCISE OF REDEMPTION RIGHTS.

Information Reporting and Backup Withholding

Payments of cash to a U.S. Holder as a result of the redemption of public shares may be subject to information reporting to the IRS and possible U.S. backup withholding. Backup withholding will not apply, however, to a U.S. Holder who furnishes a correct taxpayer identification number and makes other required certifications, or who is otherwise exempt from backup withholding and establishes such exempt status.

Backup withholding is not an additional tax. Amounts withheld as backup withholding may be credited against a U.S. Holder’s U.S. federal income tax liability, and the U.S. Holder generally may obtain a refund of any excess amounts withheld under the backup withholding rules by timely filing the appropriate claim for refund with the IRS and furnishing any required information.

Non-U.S. Holders

As used herein, a “Non-U.S. Holder” is a beneficial owner of a public share who or that is, for U.S. federal income tax purposes:

a non-resident alien individual;

a foreign corporation; or

a foreign estate or trust.

Generally

The U.S. federal income tax consequences to a Non-U.S. Holder of public shares that exercises its redemption rights to receive cash from the trust account in exchange for all or a portion of its public shares will depend on whether the redemption qualifies as a sale of the public shares redeemed, as described above under “Tax Treatment of Redeeming Stockholders—U.S. Holders—Generally.” If such a redemption qualifies as a sale of public shares, the U.S. federal income tax consequences to the Non-U.S. Holder will be as described below under “—Taxation of Redemption Treated as a Sale of Public Shares.” If such a redemption does not qualify as a sale of public shares, the Non-U.S. Holder will be treated as receiving a corporate distribution, the U.S. federal income tax consequences of which are described below under “—Taxation of Redemption as a Distribution.”

Because it may not be certain at the time a Non-U.S. Holder is redeemed whether such Non-U.S. Holder’s redemption will be treated as a sale of shares or a corporate distribution, and because such determination will depend in part on a Non-U.S. Holder’s particular circumstances, the applicable withholding agent may not be able to determine whether (or to what extent) a Non-U.S. Holder is treated as receiving a dividend for U.S. federal income tax purposes. Therefore, the applicable withholding agent may withhold tax at a rate of thirty percent (30%) (or such lower rate as may be specified by an applicable income tax treaty) on the gross amount of any consideration paid to a Non-U.S. Holder in redemption of such Non-U.S. Holder’s public shares, unless (a) the applicable withholding agent has established special procedures allowing Non-U.S. Holders to certify that they are exempt from such withholding tax and (b) such Non-U.S. Holders are able to certify that they meet the requirements of such exemption (e.g., because such Non-U.S. Holders are not treated as receiving a dividend under the Section 302 tests described above under the section entitled “Tax Treatment of Redeeming Stockholders—U.S. Holders—Generally”). However, there can be no assurance that any applicable withholding agent will establish such special certification procedures. If an applicable withholding agent withholds excess amounts from the amount payable to a Non-U.S. Holder, such Non-U.S. Holder generally may obtain a refund of any such excess amounts by timely filing an appropriate claim for refund with the IRS. Non-U.S. Holders should consult their own tax advisors regarding the application of the foregoing rules in light of their particular facts and circumstances and any applicable procedures or certification requirements.

Taxation of Redemption as a Distribution

In general, any distributions made to a Non-U.S. Holder of public shares, to the extent paid out of the Company’s current or accumulated earnings and profits (as determined under U.S. federal income tax principles), will constitute dividends for U.S. federal income tax purposes and, provided such dividends are not effectively connected with the Non-U.S. Holder’s conduct of a trade or business within the United States, the Company will be required to withhold tax from the gross amount of the dividend at a rate of thirty percent (30%) of the gross amount of the dividends (or such lower rate specified by an applicable income tax treaty, provided the Non-U.S. Holder furnishes a valid IRS Form W-8BEN or W-8BEN-E (or other applicable documentation) certifying qualification for the lower treaty rate). A Non-U.S. Holder that does not timely furnish the required documentation, but that qualifies for a reduced treaty rate, may obtain a refund of any excess amounts withheld by timely filing an appropriate claim for refund with the IRS. Non-U.S. Holders should consult their tax advisors regarding their entitlement to benefits under any applicable income tax treaty. In addition, if we determine that we are likely to be classified as a “United States real property holding corporation” (see “—Taxation of Redemption as a Sale of Public Shares” below), the Company will withhold 15% of any distribution that exceeds the Company’s current and accumulated earnings and profits, including a distribution in redemption of public shares.

If dividends paid to a Non-U.S. Holder are effectively connected with the Non-U.S. Holder’s conduct of a trade or business within the United States (and, if required by an applicable income tax treaty, the Non-U.S. Holder maintains a permanent establishment in the United States to which such dividends are attributable), the Non-U.S. Holder will be exempt from the U.S. federal withholding tax described above. To claim the exemption, the Non-U.S. Holder must furnish to the applicable withholding agent a valid IRS Form W-8ECI, certifying that the dividends are effectively connected with the Non-U.S. Holder’s conduct of a trade or business within the United States.

Any such effectively connected dividends will be subject to U.S. federal income tax on a net income basis at the regular graduated rates. A Non-U.S. Holder that is a corporation also may be subject to a branch profits tax at a rate of 30% (or such lower rate specified by an applicable income tax treaty) on such effectively connected dividends, as adjusted for certain items. Non-U.S. Holders should consult their tax advisors regarding any applicable tax treaties that may provide for different rules.

Taxation of Redemption as a Sale of Public Shares

A Non-U.S. Holder generally will not be subject to U.S. federal income or withholding tax in respect of gain recognized on a redemption of public shares that is treated as a sale as described above under “—Generally,” unless:

(i)

the gain is effectively connected with the conduct by the Non-U.S. Holder of a trade or business within the United States (and, if required by an applicable income tax treaty, the Non-U.S. Holder maintains a permanent establishment in the United States to which such gain is attributable);

(ii)

the Non-U.S. Holder is a nonresident alien individual present in the United States for 183 days or more during the taxable year of the disposition and certain other requirements are met; or

(iii)

the Company is or has been a “United States real property holding corporation” for U.S. federal income tax purposes at any time during the shorter of the five-year period ending on the date of disposition or the period that the Non-U.S. Holder held public shares and, in the case where the Company’s public shares are treated as regularly traded on an established securities market, the Non-U.S. Holder has owned, directly or constructively, more than five percent (5%) of the Company’s public shares at any time within the shorter of the five-year period preceding the disposition or such Non-U.S. Holder’s holding period for the public shares. There can be no assurance that the Company’s public shares will be treated as regularly traded on an established securities market for this purpose.

Gain described in the first bullet point above generally will be subject to U.S. federal income tax on a net income basis at the regular graduated rates applicable to a U.S. Holder, unless an applicable tax treaty provides otherwise. A Non-U.S. Holder that is a corporation also may be subject to a branch profits tax at a rate of 30% (or such lower rate specified by an applicable income tax treaty) on such effectively connected gain, as adjusted for certain items.

Gain described in the second bullet point above will be subject to U.S. federal income tax at a rate of 30% (or such lower rate specified by an applicable income tax treaty), which may be offset by U.S. source capital losses of the Non-U.S. Holder (even though the individual is not considered a resident of the United States), provided the Non-U.S. Holder has timely filed U.S. federal income tax returns with respect to such losses.

If the third bullet point above applies to a Non-U.S. Holder, gain recognized by such Non-U.S. Holder will be subject to tax at generally applicable U.S. federal income tax rates. In addition, the Company may be required to withhold U.S. federal income tax at a rate of fifteen percent (15%) of the amount realized upon such redemption. The Company will be classified as a “United States real property holding corporation” if the fair market value of its “United States real property interests” equals or exceeds 50% of the sum of the fair market value of its worldwide real property interests plus other assets used or held for use in a trade or business, as determined for U.S. federal income tax purposes. It is not expected that the Company would be a United States real property holding corporation in the immediate foreseeable future. However, such determination is factual in nature and subject to change and no assurance can be provided as to whether the Company would be treated as a United States real property holding corporation in any year.

Non-U.S. Holders should consult their tax advisors regarding potentially applicable income tax treaties that may provide for different rules.

Information Reporting and Backup Withholding

Information returns will be filed with the IRS in connection with payments of dividends on, and the proceeds from a sale of, public shares. A Non-U.S. Holder may have to comply with certification procedures to establish that it is not a U.S. person in order to avoid information reporting and backup withholding requirements. The certification procedures required to claim a reduced rate of withholding under a treaty generally will satisfy the certification requirements necessary to avoid the backup withholding as well.

Backup withholding is not an additional tax. The amount of any backup withholding from a payment to a Non-U.S. Holder generally will be allowed as a credit against such Non-U.S. Holder’s U.S. federal income tax liability and may entitle such Non-U.S. Holder to a refund, provided that the required information is timely furnished to the IRS.

Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act

Sections 1471 through 1474 of the Code and the Treasury Regulations and administrative guidance promulgated thereunder (commonly referred to as the “Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act” or “FATCA”), impose withholding of thirty percent (30%) on payments of dividends (including constructive dividends) on public shares to “foreign financial institutions” (which is broadly defined for this purpose and in general includes investment vehicles) and certain other non-U.S. entities unless various U.S. information reporting and due diligence requirements (generally relating to ownership by U.S. persons of interests in or accounts with those entities) have been satisfied by, or an exemption applies to, the payee (typically certified as to by the delivery of a properly completed IRS Form W-8BEN-E). Foreign financial institutions located in jurisdictions that have an intergovernmental agreement with the United States governing FATCA may be subject to different rules. Under certain circumstances, a Non-U.S. Holder might be eligible for refunds or credits of such withholding taxes, and a Non-U.S. Holder might be required to file a U.S. federal income tax return to claim such refunds or credits. While withholding under FATCA would have applied also to payments of gross proceeds from the sale or other disposition public shares on or after January 1, 2019, proposed Treasury Regulations eliminate FATCA withholding on payments of gross proceeds entirely. Taxpayers generally may rely on these proposed Treasury Regulations until final Treasury Regulations are issued.

Non-U.S. Holders should consult their tax advisors regarding the effects of FATCA on their redemption of public shares.

Required Vote

The affirmative vote by holders of 65% of the Company’s outstanding Class A common stock and Class B common stock, voting together as a single class, is required to approve the Second Extension Amendment. If the Second Extension Amendment Proposal is not approved, the Second Extension Amendment will not be implemented and the Company will be required by its charter to (i) cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up, (ii) as promptly as reasonably possible but not more than ten business days thereafter, and subject to having lawfully available funds therefor, redeem 100% of the outstanding public shares, at a per share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including any interest earned on the trust account deposits (which interest shall be net of taxes payable and after setting aside up to $100,000 to pay dissolution expenses), divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, which redemption will completely extinguish public stockholders’ rights as stockholders (including the right to receive further liquidation distributions, if any), subject to applicable law, and (iii) as promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the approval of our remaining stockholders and our Board in accordance with applicable law, dissolve and liquidate, subject in each case to our obligations under Delaware law to provide for claims of creditors and the requirements of other applicable law.

All of the Company’s directors, executive officers and their affiliates are expected to vote any common stock owned by them in favor of the Second Extension Amendment. On the record date, the initial stockholders beneficially owned and were entitled to vote 8,625,000 founder shares, representing approximately 47% of the Company’s issued and outstanding common stock.

In addition, the Company’s initial stockholders or advisors, or any of their respective affiliates, may purchase public shares in privately negotiated transactions or in the open market prior to or following the special meeting, although they are under no obligation to do so. Such public shares purchased by the Company or our Sponsor would be (a) purchased at a price no higher than the redemption price for the public shares, which is

currently estimated to be $10.21 per share and (b) would not be (i) voted by the initial stockholders or their respective affiliates at the special meeting and (ii) redeemable by the initial stockholders or their respective affiliates. Any such purchases that are completed after the record date for the special meeting may include an agreement with a selling stockholder that such stockholder, for so long as it remains the record holder of the shares in question, will vote in favor of the Second Extension Amendment Proposal and/or will not exercise its redemption rights with respect to the shares so purchased. The purpose of such share purchases and other transactions would be to increase the likelihood that the proposals to be voted upon at the special meeting is approved by the requisite number of votes and to reduce the number of public shares that are redeemed. In the event that such purchases do occur, the purchasers may seek to purchase shares from stockholders who would otherwise have voted against the Second Extension Amendment Proposal and elected to redeem their shares for a portion of the trust account. Any such privately negotiated purchases may be effected at purchase prices that are below or in excess of the per share pro rata portion of the trust account. Any public shares held by or subsequently purchased by our affiliates may be voted in favor of the Second Extension Amendment. None of the initial stockholders, advisors or their respective affiliates may make any such purchases when they are in possession of any material non-public information not disclosed to the seller or during a restricted period under Regulation M under the Exchange Act.

Recommendation

As discussed above, after careful consideration of all relevant factors, our Board has determined that the Second Extension Amendment Proposal is in the best interests of the Company to retain flexibility in determining whether to separate or combine the roles of Chairman and CEO based on our circumstances and believes that our current leadership structure is appropriate at the present time. Our board of directors recognizes that one of its key responsibilities is to evaluate and determine its optimal leadership structure to provide independent oversight of senior management, a highly engaged board of directors, and the right balance between (i) effective independent oversight of the Company’s business and (ii) consistent corporate leadership. The board of directors maintains a majority of independent directors who provide oversight of the CEO’s performance and functioning. Our independent directors meet regularly in executive session without the presence of our corporate officers or non-independent directors. Our Compensation Committee annually reviews the CEO’s performance and, together with the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee, makes recommendations to the board of directors regarding CEO succession planning. The Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee makes recommendations to the board of directors regarding appropriate board organization and structure and oversees an annual evaluation of the effectiveness of our board of directors and its stockholders. Our Board has approved and declared advisable adoptioncommittees. The board of directors believes that Mr. Jackson’s knowledge of the Second Extension Amendment Proposal.

OUR BOARD RECOMMENDS THAT YOU VOTE “FOR” THE SECOND EXTENSION AMENDMENT PROPOSAL. OUR BOARD EXPRESSES NO OPINION AS TO WHETHER YOU SHOULD REDEEM YOUR PUBLIC SHARES.

daily operations of and familiarity with the Company and industry put him in the best position to provide leadership to the board of directors on setting the agenda, emerging issues facing the Company and the financial services and life settlements industries, and strategic opportunities. Additionally, Mr. Jackson’s substantial equity stake in the Company creates a strong alignment of interests with the other stockholders. Mr. Jackson’s combined roles also ensure that a unified message is conveyed to stockholders, employees, and clients.


Role of the Board of Directors in Risk Oversight
As part of our board of directors’ meetings, our board of directors assesses on an ongoing basis the risks faced by the Company in executing its business plans and strategies to mitigate such risks. These risks include financial, technological, cybersecurity, competitive and operational exposures. The existenceAudit Committee plays an important role in the oversight of the Company’s policies with respect to financial risk assessment and risk management, as well as assessing the Company’s major financial risk exposures. The role of our board of directors in risk oversight at the Company is consistent with the Company’s leadership structure, with the CEO and other members of senior management having responsibility for assessing and managing the Company’s risk exposures, and our board and its committees providing oversight in connection with those efforts and attempts to mitigate identified risks.

Board Meetings and Committees

On June 30, 2023, we consummated the closing of the business combination among East Resources Acquisition Company (“ERES”), Abacus Settlements and LMA (the “Business Combination”). In connection with the Business Combination, each of Abacus Settlements and LMA became wholly-owned subsidiaries of ERES, which was renamed “Abacus Life, Inc.” Our board of directors was appointed, and each of our committees was established, following the closing of the Business Combination.

Since the closing of the Business Combination, our board of directors met 2 times during our last fiscal year. Our board of directors has established an Audit Committee, a Compensation Committee, and a Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee. In addition, from time to time, special committees may be established under the direction of the board of directors when necessary to address specific issues.

Since the closing of the Business Combination, our Audit Committee met 2 times and our other committees did not hold any meetings during our last fiscal year. Each director attended at least 75% of the
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aggregate of (i) the total number of board meetings held during the period for which he or she had been a director and (ii) the total number of meetings held by all committees of our board of directors on which he or she served during the periods that he or she served. We encourage our directors and nominees for director to attend our annual meeting of stockholders.

The composition and responsibilities of each of the standing committees of our board of directors are described below. Members serve on these committees until their resignation or until otherwise determined by our board of directors. Our board of directors may establish other committees as it deems necessary or appropriate from time to time.

Audit Committee
Our Audit Committee is responsible for, among other things:
appointing, compensating, retaining, evaluating, terminating and overseeing our independent registered public accounting firm;
discussing with our independent registered public accounting firm their independence from management;
reviewing, with our independent registered public accounting firm, the scope and results of their audit;
approving all audit and permissible non-audit services to be performed by our independent registered public accounting firm;
overseeing the financial reporting process and discussing with management and our independent registered public accounting firm the quarterly and annual financial statements that we file with the SEC;
overseeing our financial and personal interestsaccounting controls and compliance with legal and regulatory requirements;
reviewing our policies on risk assessment and risk management;
reviewing related person transactions; and
establishing procedures for the confidential anonymous submission of concerns regarding questionable accounting, internal controls or auditing matters.
Our Audit Committee consists of Mary Beth Schulte, Karla Radka and Cornelis Michiel van Katwijk, with Ms. Schulte serving as chair. Rule 10A-3 of the Exchange Act and NASDAQ rules require that our Audit Committee be composed entirely of independent members. Our board of directors has affirmatively determined that Ms. Schulte, Ms. Radka and Mr. van Katwijk each meets the definition of “independent director” for purposes of serving on the Audit Committee under Rule 10A-3 of the Exchange Act and NASDAQ rules. Each member of our Audit Committee also meets the financial literacy requirements of NASDAQ listing standards. In addition, our board of directors has determined that Ms. Schulte and Mr. van Katwijk each qualify as an “audit committee financial expert,” as such term is defined in Item 407(d)(5) of Regulation S-K. Our board of directors has adopted a written charter for the Audit Committee, which is available on our corporate website at https://abacuslife.com/. The information on any of our websites is deemed not to be incorporated in this proxy statement or to be part of this proxy statement.
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Compensation Committee
Our Compensation Committee is responsible for, among other things:
reviewing and approving the corporate goals and objectives, evaluating the performance of and reviewing and approving the compensation of our CEO;
overseeing an evaluation of the performance of and reviewing and setting or making recommendations to our board of directors regarding the compensation of our other executive officers;
reviewing and approving or making recommendations to our board of directors regarding our incentive compensation and equity-based plans, policies and programs;
reviewing and approving all employment agreement and severance arrangements for our executive officers;
making recommendations to our board of directors regarding the compensation of our directors; and
retaining and overseeing any compensation consultants.
Our Compensation Committee consists of Mary Beth Schulte, Karla Radka and Cornelis Michiel van Katwijk, with Ms. Schulte serving as chair. Our board of directors has affirmatively determined that Ms. Schulte, Ms. Radka and Mr. van Katwijk each meets the definition of “independent director” for purposes of serving on the Compensation Committee under NASDAQ rules, and are “non-employee directors” as defined in Rule 16b-3 of the Exchange Act. Our board of directors has adopted a written charter for the Compensation Committee, which is available on our corporate website at https://abacuslife.com/. The information on any of our websites is deemed not to be incorporated in this proxy statement or to be part of this proxy statement.

Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee
Our Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee is responsible for, among other things:
identifying individuals qualified to become members of our board of directors;
overseeing succession planning for our CEO, including the development of other members of senior management;
periodically reviewing our board of directors’ organization and structure and recommending any proposed changes to our board of directors;
overseeing an annual evaluation of the effectiveness of our board of directors and its committees; and
developing and recommending to our board of directors a set of corporate governance guidelines.

Policies Governing Director Nominations
Director Qualifications
In considering whether to recommend nominees to the board of directors, the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee considers the entirety of a nominee’s credentials, including, but not limited
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to, professional background, experience and achievements, reputation and character, educational background and ability to devote sufficient time to serving on the board of directors.
We do not have a formal board diversity policy. However, as part of its evaluation of potential director candidates, the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee may consider whether each candidate, if elected, assists in achieving a mix of board members that represent a diversity of background and experience. Accordingly, the board of directors seeks members from diverse professional backgrounds who combine a broad spectrum of relevant industry, geographical understanding and strategic experience and expertise that, in concert, offer us and our stockholders a diverse set of opinions and insights in the areas most important to us and our corporate mission. In addition, nominees for director are selected to bring complementary, rather than overlapping, skill sets.
Process for Identifying and Evaluating Director Nominees
The Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee does not have a policy with regard to the consideration of director candidates recommended by stockholders. The Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee will evaluate director candidates recommended by stockholders in substantially the same manner in which the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee evaluates any other director candidate. Any such recommendation should be submitted to the Corporate Secretary in writing and should include any supporting material the stockholder considers appropriate in support of that recommendation, but must include information that would be required under the rules of the SEC to be included in a proxy statement soliciting proxies for the election of such candidate and a written consent of the candidate to serve as one of our directors if elected. Stockholders wishing to propose a candidate for consideration may do so by submitting the above information to the attention of the Corporate Secretary. Stockholders must also satisfy the notification, timeliness, consent and officers may resultinformation requirements set forth in the Bylaws.
Our Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee consists of Karla Radka, Mary Beth Schulte and Thomas W. Corbett, Jr. with Ms. Radka serving as chair. Our board of directors has affirmatively determined that Ms. Radka, Ms. Schulte and Mr. Corbett, Jr. each meets the definition of “independent director” under NASDAQ rules. Our board of directors has adopted a written charter for the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee, which is available on our corporate website at https://abacuslife.com/. The information on any of our websites is deemed not to be incorporated in this proxy statement or to be part of this proxy statement.

Compensation of Directors and Officers
The Company’s executive compensation program is consistent with the compensation policies and philosophies of Abacus Settlements and LMA in effect prior to the Business Combination, which are designed to:
attract, retain and motivate senior management leaders who are capable of advancing our mission and strategy and ultimately, creating and maintaining our long-term equity value. Such leaders must engage in a conflictcollaborative approach and possess the ability to execute our business strategy in an industry characterized by competitiveness and growth;
reward senior management in a manner aligned with our financial performance; and
align senior management’s interests with our equity owners’ long-term interests through equity participation and ownership.
Decisions with respect to the compensation of interest onour executive officers are made by the partCompensation Committee.

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Compensation Committee Interlocks and Insider Participation
No member of the compensation committee is a current or former officer or employee of the Company. During 2023, none of our executive officers served as a member of the board of directors or compensation committee (or other committee performing equivalent functions) of any other company that has one or more executive officers serving on our board of directors.
Stockholder Communications with the Board of Directors
Stockholders may communicate with our board of directors, or to specific individual directors of the board of directors, including the Chairman, chairperson of the Audit Committee, Compensation Committee or Nominating and Corporate Governance Committees, or to the independent directors as a group, by addressing such communications to the Corporate Secretary, and delivering electronically at legal@abacuslife.com. The Corporate Secretary will forward such communications upon receipt as appropriate.

Hedging and Pledging Policy
Pursuant to the Company’s Insider Trading Policy (the “Insider Trading Policy”), all directors, officers between what he, sheand designated employees of the Company, together with its subsidiaries and affiliates reported on a consolidated basis, are prohibited from entering into short sales, transactions in publicly-traded options (other than transactions in warrants to purchase Company Common Stock), hedging, monetization transactions or similar arrangements with respect to Company securities. In addition, such persons are prohibited from pledging Company securities as collateral for a loan, unless pre-cleared by the General Counsel of the Company. Securities held in a margin account may be sold by the broker without the customer's consent if the customer fails to meet a margin call and securities pledged as collateral for a loan may be sold in foreclosure if the borrower defaults on the loan.

Corporate Governance Guidelines
To further our commitment to sound governance, our board of directors has adopted the Corporate Governance Guidelines to ensure that the necessary policies and procedures are in place to facilitate the board of director’s review and make decisions with respect to the Company’s business operations that are independent from management. The Corporate Governance Guidelines set forth the practices regarding board of director and committee composition, selection and performance evaluations; board of director meetings; director expectations; and management succession planning, including for the CEO. The Corporate Governance Guidelines are available on the Investor Relations page of the Company’s website at https://abacuslife.com/.

Code of Business Conduct and Ethics
We adopted a written code of business conduct and ethics that applies to our employees, officers and directors, including our principal executive officer, principal financial officer, principal accounting officer or controller, or persons performing similar functions. A copy of the code is posted on our corporate website at https://abacuslife.com/. In addition, we intend to post on our website all disclosures that are required by law or NASDAQ listing standards concerning any amendments to, or waivers from, any provision of the code. The information on any of our websites is deemed not to be incorporated in this proxy statement or to be part of this proxy statement.
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PROPOSAL TWO:
RATIFICATION OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM

Our Audit Committee has selected Grant Thornton LLP as our independent registered public accounting firm for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2024, and our board of directors has directed that the selection of Grant Thornton as our independent registered public accounting firm be submitted to our stockholders for ratification at the Annual Meeting. Grant Thornton has served as our independent registered public accounting firm since 2022. Representatives of Grant Thornton are expected to be present during the Annual Meeting. They will have an opportunity to make a statement if they so desire and will be available to respond to appropriate questions.
Neither our amended and restated bylaws nor other governing documents or law require stockholder ratification of the selection of Grant Thornton as our independent registered public accounting firm. However, our Audit Committee is submitting the selection of Grant Thornton to the stockholders for ratification as a matter of good corporate governance. If the stockholders fail to ratify the selection, our Audit Committee will review its future selection of Grant Thornton as our independent registered public accounting firm. Even if the selection is ratified, our Audit Committee may, believe isin its sole discretion, direct the appointment of different independent auditors at any time during the fiscal year if they determine that such a change would be in the best interests of the CompanyAbacus and its stockholders and what he, she or they may believe is best for himself, herself or themselves in determining to recommend that stockholders vote for the proposals. See the section entitledstockholders.
The affirmativeThe Second Extension Amendment—Interests of the Company’s Directors and OfficersFOR for a further discussion.

THE ADJOURNMENT PROPOSAL

Overview

The Adjournment Proposal, if adopted, will allow our Board to adjourn the special meeting to a later date or dates, if necessary or appropriate, to permit further solicitation of proxies in the event that there are insufficient votes for, or otherwise in connection with, the Second Extension Amendment Proposal. The Adjournment Proposal will be presented to our stockholders only in the event that there are insufficient votes for, or otherwise in connection with, the approval of the Second Extension Amendment Proposal.

Consequences if the Adjournment Proposal is Not Approved

If the Adjournment Proposal is not approved by our stockholders, our Board may not be able to adjourn the special meeting to a later date in the event that there are insufficient votes for, or otherwise in connection with, the approval of the Second Extension Amendment Proposal.

Required Vote

The approval of the Adjournment Proposal requires the affirmative vote of a majority of the votes cast by the Company’s stockholders representedholders of shares of our Common Stock present in person (including virtually) or by proxy. Accordingly, if a valid quorum is otherwise established, a stockholder’s failureproxy during the Annual Meeting and entitled to vote by proxy or online atthereon will be required to ratify the special meetingselection of Grant Thornton as our independent registered public accounting firm. Abstentions are not considered votes cast and, thus, will have no effect on this proposal. We do not anticipate any broker non-votes in connection with this proposal.


Principal Accountant Fees and Services
The following table represents aggregate fees billed to us by Grant Thornton for the outcomeperiods set forth below:
Fiscal Year Ended December 31,
20232022
(in thousands)
Audit Fees(1)
$711 $834 
Audit Related Fees— — 
Tax Fees(2)
— — 
All Other Fees— — 
Total Fees$711 $834 
(1)Audit fees consist of any vote on the Adjournment Proposal. Abstentions will be countedfees for professional services provided in connection with the determinationaudit of whether a valid quorumour annual consolidated financial statements, reviews of our quarterly condensed consolidated financial statements, and statutory and regulatory filings or engagements.
(2)Tax fees consist of the fees for professional services rendered in connection with tax compliance and tax advisory services.

Pre-Approval Policies and Procedures
The Audit Committee has sole authority to engage and determine the compensation of our independent registered public accounting firm. The Audit Committee also is established but will have no effectdirectly responsible for evaluating the independent registered public accounting firm, reviewing and evaluating the lead partner of the independent registered public accounting firm and overseeing the work of the independent registered public accounting firm. In addition, and pursuant to its charter and the Company Audit and Non-Audit Services Pre-Approval Policy, the Audit Committee annually reviews and pre-approves the audit services to be provided by Grant Thornton
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and also reviews and pre-approves the engagement of Grant Thornton for the provision of other services during the year (if any) including audit-related, tax and other permissible non-audit services.
Changes in Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm
As previously disclosed in the Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the SEC on July 20, 2023 (the “July 20th Form 8-K”), on July 17, 2023, the Audit Committee approved the dismissal of Marcum LLP (“Marcum”), the Company’s independent registered public accounting firm prior to the Business Combination, and informed Marcum that it would be replaced by Grant Thornton as the Company’s independent registered public accounting firm effective as of July 17, 2023. Grant Thornton served as the independent registered public accounting firm of Abacus Settlements and LMA prior to the Business Combination.
Marcum’s report on the outcomeCompany’s financial statements as of December 31, 2022 and 2021 and for each of the Adjournment Proposal.

Recommendation

As discussed above, after careful consideration of all relevant factors, our Board has determined that the Adjournment Proposal istwo years in the best interestsperiod ended December 31, 2022 did not contain any adverse opinion or disclaimer of opinion, nor were they qualified or modified as to uncertainty, audit scope or accounting principles, except for a paragraph regarding substantial doubt about ERES’s ability to continue as a going concern.

During the two years in the period ended December 31, 2022 and the subsequent period through July 17, 2023, there were no: (i) disagreements with Marcum on any matter of accounting principles or practices, financial statement disclosures or audited scope or procedures, which disagreements if not resolved to Marcum’s satisfaction would have caused Marcum to make reference to the subject matter of the disagreement in connection with its report or (ii) reportable events as defined in Item 304(a)(1)(v) of Regulation S-K, other than a previously disclosed material weakness in ERES’s internal control over financial reporting related to ERES’s accounting for accruals and application of ASC 480-10-S99-3A to the classification of the Class A common stock and presentation of earnings per share.
During the two years in the period ended December 31, 2022 and the subsequent period through July 17, 2023, the Company did not consult Grant Thornton with respect to either (i) the application of accounting principles to a specified transaction, either completed or proposed; or the type of audit opinion that might be rendered on the Company’s financial statements, and no written report or oral advice was provided to the Company by Grant Thornton that Grant Thornton concluded was an important factor considered by the Company in reaching a decision as to the accounting, auditing or financial reporting issue; or (ii) any matter that was either the subject of a disagreement, as that term is described in Item 304(a)(1)(iv) of Regulation S-K under the Exchange Act, and the related instructions to Item 304 of Regulation S-K under the Exchange Act, or a reportable event, as that term is defined in Item 304(a)(1)(v) of Regulation S-K under the Exchange Act.
The Company provided Marcum with a copy of the foregoing disclosures made by the Company and its stockholders. Our Board has approvedrequested that Marcum furnish the Company with a letter addressed to the SEC stating whether it agrees with the statements made by the Company set forth above and, declared advisableif not, stating the adoption ofrespects in which it does not agree. A letter from Marcum is attached as Exhibit 16.1 to the Adjournment Proposal.

July 20th Form 8-K.

OUR BOARD OF DIRECTORS RECOMMENDS THAT YOUA VOTE “FOR” THE ADJOURNMENT PROPOSAL.

RATIFICATION OF GRANT

THORNTON LLP AS OUR INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM.
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REPORT OF THE AUDIT COMMITTEE OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS
The existenceAudit Committee has reviewed and discussed the audited financial statements for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2023 with our management. The Audit Committee has also reviewed and discussed with Grant Thornton LLP, our independent registered public accounting firm, the matters required to be discussed by the applicable requirements of financialthe Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (“PCAOB”) and personal intereststhe SEC. The Audit Committee has also received the written disclosures and the letter from Grant Thornton LLP required by applicable requirements of our directorsthe PCAOB regarding the independent accountants’ communications with the Audit Committee concerning independence, and officers may result in a conflict of interesthas discussed with Grant Thornton LLP the accounting firm’s independence. Based on the partforegoing, the Audit Committee recommended to our board of one or moredirectors that the audited financial statements be included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2023 and filed with the SEC.
Members of the directorsAudit Committee
Mary Beth Schulte, Chair
Cornelis Michiel van Katwijk
Karla Radka
The material in this report is not “soliciting material,” is not deemed “filed” with the SEC and is not to be incorporated by reference in any filing of Abacus under the Securities Act or officers between what he, shethe Exchange Act, whether made before or they may believe isafter the date hereof and irrespective of any general incorporation language in the best interests of the Company and its stockholders and what he, she or they may believe is best for himself, herself or themselves in determining to recommend that stockholders vote for the proposals. See the section entitled “The Second Extension Amendment—Interests of the Company’s Directors and Officers” for a further discussion.

any such filing.

PRINCIPAL STOCKHOLDERS

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SECURITY OWNERSHIP OF CERTAIN BENEFICIAL OWNERS AND MANAGEMENT
The following table setsand accompanying footnotes set forth information regardingwith respect to the beneficial ownership of our common stockCommon Stock, as of December 16, 2022, the record date of the special meeting, by:

March 20, 2024, for (1) each person known by us to be the beneficial owner of more than 5% of ourthe outstanding shares of common stock;

Common Stock, (2) each member of our board of directors, (3) each of our named executive officers and directors;(4) all directors and

all our executive officers and directors as a group.

Beneficial ownership is determined according to the rules of the SEC, which generally provide that a person has beneficial ownership of a security if he, she or it possesses sole or shared voting or investment power over that security, including options and warrants that are currently exercisable or exercisable within 60 days. Shares of Common Stock issuable pursuant to options or warrants are deemed to be outstanding for purposes of computing the beneficial ownership percentage of the person or group holding such options or warrants but are not deemed to be outstanding for purposes of computing the beneficial ownership percentage of any other person.
As of March 20, 2024, 63,694,758 shares of Common Stock were outstanding.
Unless otherwise indicated, we believe that allnoted in the footnotes to the following table, and subject to applicable community property laws, the persons and entities named in the table have sole voting and investment power with respect to alltheir beneficially owned shares of common stock beneficially ownedCommon Stock.
Name of
Beneficial
Owners
Number of
Shares of
Common Stock
Beneficially
Owned
Percentage of
Outstanding
Common Stock
5% Stockholders:
East Sponsor, LLC (1)
18,537,000(2)26.2 %
K. Scott Kirby (3) (4)
12,593,25019.8 %
Matthew Ganovsky (3) (4)
12,593,25019.8 %
Directors, Director Nominees and Named Executive Officers(5):
Jay Jackson (4)(6)
12,593,25019.8 %
Sean McNealy (4)(6)
12,593,25019.8 %
William McCauley (7)
Adam Gusky22,718*
Karla Radka7,500— 
Cornelis Michiel van Katwijk7,500— 
Thomas M. Corbett, Jr.17,500*
Mary Beth Schulte22,000— 
All Directors and Executive Officers as a group (10 individuals)50,450,21879.2 %
*Less than 1%
(1)Based on information contained in a schedule 13D/A filed on October 17, 2023, East Sponsor, LLC is the record holder of the shares of Common Stock and the Private Placement Warrants reported herein. East Asset Management, LLC is the managing member of East Sponsor, LLC. Trusts controlled by them. The following table does not reflect recordTerrence M. Pegula are the sole members of East Asset Management, LLC. As such, Mr. Pegula may be deemed to have or share beneficial ownership of the public warrantsshares of Common Stock and the Private Placement Warrants held directly by East Sponsor, LLC. Mr. Pegula disclaims any beneficial ownership of the reported shares of Common Stock and the Private Placement Warrants other than to the extent of any pecuniary interest he may have therein, directly or private placement warrants as these warrantsindirectly. The business address of East Sponsor, LLC is c/o East Asset Management, LLC, 7777 NW Beacon Square Boulevard, Boca Raton, Florida 33487.
(2)Consists of (i) 11,417,000 shares of Common Stock and (ii) 7,120,000 Private Placement Warrants to purchase the same number of shares of Common Stock that are not exercisable within 60 days of the date hereof.
(3)The business address for each of these reporting persons is c/o Abacus Life, Inc., 2101 Park Center Drive, Suite 200, Orlando, Florida 32835.
(4)Does not include RSUs representing 24,000 shares of Common Stock or options to acquire 76,725 shares of Common Stock that are subject to vesting, for each of these reporting persons.
(5)The business address for each of these executive directors and officers is c/o Abacus Life, Inc., 2101 Park Center Drive, Suite 200, Orlando, Florida 32835.
(6)Includes 4,569,922 restricted shares of Common Stock received in connection with the Business Combination, 50% of which vests 25 months after issuance and the remaining 50% of which vests 30 months after issuance.
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(7)Does not include RSUs representing 512,000 shares of Common Stock or options to acquire 38,362 shares of Common Stock that are subject to vesting.
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EXECUTIVE OFFICERS
The following table sets forth information for our executive officers as of April 29, 2024:
NameAgeTitle
Jay Jackson51President and Chief Executive Officer
Matthew Ganovsky59Co-Founder and President
Kevin Scott Kirby56Co-Founder and President
Sean McNealy58Co-Founder and President
William McCauley51Chief Financial Officer
Biographical information for Jay Jackson and Sean McNealy is included above with the director biographies in the sections titled “Proposal One: Election of Directors” and “Information Regarding the Board of Directors and Corporate Governance” above.
William McCauley is the Chief Financial Officer of Abacus. He joined Abacus Settlements in January 2020 as Chief Financial Officer and has also served as Chief Financial Officer of LMA, where he managed financial activities and developed financing models. Prior to joining Abacus, he served as the Chief Financial Officer at IFP Advisors, LLC, a registered investment adviser and broker, where he was responsible for all financial activities of the company and was involved in both debt and equity financing. Mr. McCauley also served as a Director of Finance at McKinsey & Company from January 2017 until May 2018, where he was responsible for the financial statements of more than 30 start-up businesses. Mr. McCauley received his Bachelor of Science in Accounting from Bentley University and his MBA from Babson College.
Matthew Ganovsky has been a leader in the life settlements industry for over 25 years with extensive industry experience. He co-founded Abacus Settlements, in 2004, and has served as Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Abacus since that date. Mr. Ganovsky manages our broker division, with involvement in more than 3,000 transactions. Upon the closing of the Business Combination, Mr. Ganovsky began serving as the President of the Company.
Kevin Scott Kirby co-founded Abacus Settlements, in 2004, and has served as Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Abacus since that date. Upon the closing of the Business Combination, Mr. Kirby began serving as the President of the Company. Mr. Kirby has held a Life and Annuity license in the state of Florida since 2006. He received his Bachelor of Science in Business Administration in Business Management from the University of Central Florida.
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EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION
Executive Compensation Table
The following table sets forth information regarding compensation of our named executive officers for the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022.
NamePrincipal PositionYearSalary ($)Bonus ($)Stock
Awards
($)(1)
All other
compensation
($)(2)
Total ($)
Jay JacksonChief Executive Officer2023280,00030,179310,179
2022210,00028,846238,846
William McCauleyChief Financial Officer2023250,000300,0003,080,00031,1673,661,167
2022192,30830,133222,441
Sean McNealyPresident2023255,00027,978282,978
2022210,000210,000
(1)Reflects the aggregate grant date fair value of awards computed in accordance with ASC 718.
(2)Other compensation reflects the Company’s 401(k) match and medical insurance paid on behalf of the named executive officers.
Grant of Plan Based Awards
The following table sets forth information concerning the grant of awards made to our named executive officers for the year ended December 31, 2023.
NameGrant DateAll Other Stock Awards;
Number of Shares of Stock or
Units
Grant Date Fair Value of
Stock and Option Awards ($)
William McCauleyOctober 27, 2023500,0003,080,000
Outstanding Equity Awards at December 31, 2023
The following table sets forth information concerning outstanding Common Stock equity awards held by each named executive officer of the Company as of December 31, 2023.
Stock Awards
Name
Number of
Shares or
Units of Stock
That Have Not
Vested(1)
Market Value of
Shares or
Units of Stock
That Have Not
Vested($)(2)
Jay Jackson0$— 
William McCauley500,000$3,080,000 
Sean McNealy0$— 
Narrative to the Executive Compensation Table
2023 Annual Base Salary
Abacus pays the named executive officers a base salary to compensate them for services rendered to Abacus. The base salary payable to the named executive officers is intended to provide a fixed component of compensation reflecting the executive’s skill set, experience, role and responsibilities. In connection with
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entering into their executive employment agreements in 2023, each of the named executive officers received an increase in their base salary effective on July 2, 2023, as follows:
Mr. Jackson’s base salary was increased from $260,000 to $300,000;
Mr. McCauley’s base salary was increased from $200,000 to $300,000; and
Mr. Nealy’s base salary was increased from $236,000 to $300,000.
Annual Bonus Plan
For 2023, each of our named executive officers was eligible to earn a cash bonus under our annual bonus program based on the achievement of individual performance objectives. The target annual bonus percentage for each of our named executive officers for 2023 equals 50% to 200% of the executive’s base salary at the beginning of such year.
The Compensation Committee determined that no bonuses would be paid to each of Jay Jackson and Sean McNealy, and that William McCauley be awarded a cash bonus of $300,000 in light of his achievements in 2023, including the successful public offering of the Company’s Common Stock and the public offering of the Company’s bonds.
As permitted by the Compensation Committee’s charter, the Committee delegated to the CEO the authority to determine and award 2023 and future bonus awards with respect to employees that are not executive officers of the Company.
Equity Compensation
The Company has adopted the Abacus Life, Inc. 2023 Long-Term Equity Incentive Plan (the “2023 Plan”) in order to facilitate the grant of cash and equity incentives to directors, employees, including named executive officers, and consultants to help attract and retain the services of these individuals. On October 27, 2023 the Compensation Committee of the board of directors of the Company approved the grant of 500,000 restricted stock units to Mr. McCauley under the 2023 Plan. Ten percent (10%) of the restricted stock units will vest and be converted to the Company’s Common Stock (or, at the Company’s option, the cash equivalent) on July 3, 2024, and the remaining ninety percent (90%) of the restricted stock units will do so on July 3, 2026. Mr. McCauley must remain employed through the end of the applicable vesting period to receive any award under the 2023 Plan, except that he may be entitled to a prorated portion of the award in the event of involuntary termination without cause, death, disability or retirement. In addition, in the event of such a termination in connection with a change in control, all unvested awards generally vest immediately.

The 2023 Plan
The purpose of the 2023 Plan is to provide a means through which Abacus and its affiliates may attract, retain and motivate persons who make (or are expected to make) important contributions by providing these individuals with equity ownership opportunities and/or equity-linked compensatory opportunities. Equity awards and equity-linked compensatory opportunities are intended to motivate high levels of performance and align the interests of directors, employees and consultants with those of stockholders by giving directors, employees and consultants the perspective of an owner with an equity or equity-linked stake in Abacus and provide a means of recognizing their contributions to our success. The board of directors believes that equity awards are necessary for Abacus to remain competitive in its industry and are essential to recruiting and retaining highly qualified employees. We are asking stockholders to approve the Amended and Restated 2024 Plan which will replace the 2023 Plan. A description of the Amended and Restated 2024 Plan can be found in the section titledProposal Three: Incentive Plan Proposal.”

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Retirement Plans
Abacus currently maintains a 401(k) retirement savings plan for its employees, including its named executive officers, who satisfy certain eligibility requirements. Our named executive officers are eligible to participate in the 401(k) plan on the same terms as other full-time employees. The Code allows eligible employees to defer a portion of their compensation, within prescribed limits, through contributions to the 401(k) plan. Abacus believes that providing a vehicle for tax-deferred retirement savings though its 401(k) plan adds to the overall desirability of its executive compensation package and further incentivizes its employees, including its named executive officers, in accordance with our compensation policies. Abacus did not make any matching contributions under the 401(k) plan with respect to 2023.

Employee Benefits and Perquisites
Our named executive officers are eligible to participate in our employee benefit plans and programs, including medical and dental benefits and life insurance, to the same extent as our other full-time employees, subject to the terms and eligibility requirements of those plans. Abacus provides perquisites on a case-by-case basis when it believes it is necessary to attract or retain a named executive officer.

No Tax Gross-Ups
Abacus has no obligations to make gross-up payments to cover named executive officers’ personal income taxes that may pertain to any of the compensation or perquisites paid or provided by Abacus.

Executive Compensation Arrangements
In connection with the Business Combination, Abacus entered into employment agreements with its named executive officers. These agreements provide for at-will employment and generally include the named executive officer’s initial base salary, standard benefit plan eligibility and other terms and conditions of employment with Abacus. The terms of each of these employment agreements provide for a term of 36 months with 12-month renewals if not terminated at least 90 days before the expiration date. The agreements also provide for payments in the event of certain terminations of employment, including a higher severance payment if a termination occurs in connection with a change in control event.
Under the terms of each of these employment agreements, if the executive is terminated without cause or resigns for good reason, and timely executes a release of claims against Abacus, he or she will receive the greater of one year of continued base salary or continued salary for the balance of the then-current employment term. The employment agreements also include non-competition and non-solicitation covenants in favor of Abacus for a period of one year after the executive’s termination of employment.
In connection with the Business Combination, Abacus entered into a Restriction Agreement with Jay Jackson. Pursuant to such agreement, Mr. Jackson received 4,569,922 restricted shares of Common Stock, 50% of which vests 25 months after issuance and the remaining 50% of which vests 30 months after issuance. In addition, the restricted stock will become fully vested upon the first to occur of the separation from service due to disability, separation from service due to death, termination without cause or resignation for good reason.

Change of Control and Severance Provisions
Other than as described above for the named executive officers pursuant to their employment agreements, the Company is not a party to any agreement or understanding with respect to payments due to any of the named executive officers following a termination or change of control.
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Directors
Our named executive officers did not receive any compensation in their role as directors of the Company in 2023.
26


DIRECTOR COMPENSATION
Our non-employee directors receive annual grants of 7,500 shares of unrestricted Common Stock. In addition, the Audit Committee chair receives an additional 1,500 shares of unrestricted Common Stock annually. We also reimburse our directors for reasonable travel expenses incurred in connection with attending meetings of our board of directors and any committee of our board of directors on which they serve, as well as other corporate events at which our directors’ attendance is requested or required. Directors do not receive any additional compensation.
The board of directors, in its discretion, may revise or replace the compensation policies described above.

Director Compensation Table
The following table sets forth information regarding compensation earned by or paid to our non-employee directors for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2023.
The compensation of Jay Jackson and Sean McNealy as named executive officers is set forth above under “Executive Compensation—Executive Compensation Table.
NameFees Earned or Paid in Cash
($)
Stock Awards ($)(1)Total ($)
Adam Gusky46,20046,200
Karla Radka46,20046,200
Cornelis Michiel van Katwijk46,20046,200
Thomas W. Corbett, Jr.46,20046,200
Mary Beth Schulte55,44055,440
(1)    Reflects the aggregate grant date fair value of awards computed in accordance with ASC 718.
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CERTAIN RELATIONSHIPS AND RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS

Sponsor PIK Note
On the closing date of the Business Combination, East Sponsor, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (“Sponsor”), made an unsecured loan to the Company in the aggregate amount of $10,471,648 (the “Sponsor PIK Note”). The Sponsor PIK Note matures on June 30, 2028 (the “Maturity Date”) and may be prepaid at any time in accordance with its terms without any premium or penalty.
On July 5, 2023, in connection with the closing of the SPV Investment Facility (as defined below), Abacus amended and restated the Sponsor PIK Note (the “Amended Sponsor PIK Note”), pursuant to which, among other things, Sponsor transferred its rights and obligations under the Sponsor PIK Note to East Asset Management, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (“EAM”), the managing member of the Sponsor. The Amended Sponsor PIK Note accrues interest daily at a rate of 12.0% per annum compounding semi-annually until the earlier to occur of the Maturity Date and the date on which it is repaid. Accrued and unpaid interest is payable in arrears on March 31, June 30, September 30 and December 31 of each year, beginning on September 30, 2023. Upon the occurrence of a Change of Control Event (as defined in the Amended Sponsor PIK Note), EAM will have the option to require the Company to redeem the Amended Sponsor PIK Note.

SPV Purchase and Sale
On July 5, 2023, the Company entered into an Asset Purchase Agreement (the “Policy APA”) to acquire certain insurance policies with an aggregate fair market value of $10.0 million from Abacus Investment SPV, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (“SPV”), in exchange for a payable obligation owing by the Company to the SPV (such acquisition transaction under the Policy APA, the “SPV Purchase and Sale”). The SPV is jointly owned by the Sponsor and former members of LMA and Abacus.

The payable obligation owing by the Company to the SPV in connection with the SPV Purchase and Sale is evidenced by a note issued by the Company under the Company’s SPV Investment Facility (the “SPV Purchase and Sale Note”) in an original principal amount equal to the aggregate fair market value of the acquired insurance policies. The SPV Purchase and Sale Note has the same material terms and conditions as the other credit extensions under the SPV Investment Facility (as defined below).

SPV Investment Facility
On July 5, 2023, the Company entered into that certain SPV Investment Facility (the “SPV Investment Facility”), between the Company, as borrower, and the SPV, as lender. The SPV Investment Facility provides for certain credit extensions in an aggregate principal amount of $25 million, including: (i) an initial credit extension in an original principal amount of $15.0 million that was funded upon the closing of the SPV Investment Facility, and (ii) the SPV Purchase and Sale Note in favor of the SPV in an original principal amount of $10.0 million to finance the purchase of the insurance policies under the Policy APA. The SPV Investment Facility matures on July 5, 2026, three years after the closing of the SPV Investment Facility, subject to two automatic extensions of one year each without any amendment of the relevant documentation. In addition, interest accrues on the SPV Investment Facility at a rate of 12.00% per annum, payable quarterly, all of which is to be paid in-kind by the Company by increasing the principal amount of the SPV Investment Facility owing to the SPV on each interest payment date and provides a default rate that will accrue at 2.00% per annum (subject to applicable subordination restrictions) over the rate otherwise applicable. If cash payment is not permitted due to applicable subordination restrictions or otherwise, such default interest will be paid in-kind.

Nova Funds
The Company provides certain life settlement policy servicing and origination services, respectively, to Nova Trading (US), LLC (“Nova Trading”), a Delaware limited liability company and Nova Holding (US) LP,
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a Delaware limited partnership (“Nova Holding” and collectively with Nova Trading, the “Nova Funds”). Jay Jackson, Sean McNealy, Matthew Ganovsky and Scott Kirby jointly have an indirect minority ownership interest in the Nova Funds.
The Company earns service revenue by providing administrative work to keep life insurance policies in force at the most advantageous premium levels on behalf of the Nova Funds. The servicing fee is equal to 50 basis points (0.50%) times the monthly invested amount in policies held by Nova Funds divided by 12. The Company earned $778,678 in service revenue from the Nova Funds for the year ended December 31, 2023 and $185,185 for the three months ended March 31, 2024.
The Company provides origination services to the Nova Funds and earns origination fees equal to the lesser of (i) 2% of the net death benefit for the policy or (ii) $20,000. For the year ended December 31, 2023, Abacus earned $3,442,809 in origination revenue from the Nova Funds, including $235,455 in transaction fee reimbursements. The $3,442,809 total also includes $2,947,837 origination revenue earned by Abacus from the Nova Funds prior the Business Combination. The Company’s share of origination revenue from the Nova Funds after the Business Combination for the year ended December 31, 2023 was $494,972, including $235,455 in transaction fee reimbursements.
Other Items
As of December 31, 2023, the Company owes a total of $1,159,712 to Jay Jackson, Sean McNealy, Matthew Ganovsky and Scott Kirby (as former owners of LMA and Abacus Settlements) in respect of certain payables that existed prior to the closing of the Business Combination.

Registration Rights Agreement
Following the closing of the Business Combination, the Company, and certain stockholders of the Company, including East Sponsor, LLC, Thomas W. Corbett, Jr., Jay Jackson, Scott Kirby, Sean McNealy, and Matthew Ganovsky entered into an Amended and Restated Registration Rights Agreement, pursuant to which the Company agreed to register for resale, pursuant to Rule 415 under the Securities Act, certain shares of Common Stock and other equity securities of the Company that are held by the parties thereto from time to time. Pursuant to the Registration Rights Agreement, the Company agreed to file a shelf registration statement registering the resale of the Common Stock (including those held as of the effective time or issuable upon future exercise of the Private Placement Warrants) and the Private Placement Warrants (the “Registrable Securities”) under the Registration Rights Agreement within 30 days of the closing of the Business Combination. The holders may request to sell all or any portion of their Registrable Securities in an underwritten offering (an “Underwritten Shelf Takedown”) so long as the total offering price is reasonably expected to exceed $20,000,000. The sponsor may not demand more than two Underwritten Shelf Takedowns, the holders (other than the sponsor) may not demand more than two Underwritten Shelf Takedowns and the Company shall not be obligated to participate in more than four Underwritten Shelf Takedowns, in the aggregate, in any 12-month period. The Company also agreed to provide customary “piggyback” registration rights, subject to certain requirements and customary conditions. The Registration Rights Agreement also provides that the Company will pay certain expenses relating to such registrations and indemnify the stockholders against certain liabilities.

Procedures with Respect to Review and Approval of Related Person Transactions
The board of directors of the Company recognizes the fact that transactions with related persons present a heightened risk of conflicts of interests (or the perception thereof). The board of directors has adopted a written policy on transactions with related persons that is in conformity with the requirements of Nasdaq. Under the policy, the Company’s legal team is primarily responsible for maintaining processes and procedures to obtain information regarding related persons with respect to potential related person transactions and then determining, based on the facts and circumstances, whether such potential related person transactions do, in fact, constitute related person transactions requiring compliance with the policy. If the legal team determines
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that a transaction or relationship is a related person transaction requiring compliance with the policy, the Company’s general counsel presents to the audit committee all relevant facts and circumstances relating to the related person transaction. The audit committee reviews the relevant facts and circumstances of each related person transaction, including if the transaction is on terms comparable to those that could be obtained in arm’s length dealings with an unrelated third party and the extent of the related person’s interest in the transaction, take into account the conflicts of interest and corporate opportunity provisions of the Company’s code of business conduct and ethics, and either approve or disapprove the related person transaction. If advance audit committee approval of a related person transaction requiring the audit committee’s approval is not feasible, then the transaction may be preliminarily entered into by management upon prior approval of the transaction by the chair of the audit committee, subject to ratification of the transaction by the audit committee at the audit committee’s next regularly scheduled meeting; provided, that if ratification is not forthcoming, management will make all reasonable efforts to cancel or annul the transaction. If a transaction was not initially recognized as a related person transaction, then, upon such recognition, the transaction will be presented to the audit committee for ratification at the audit committee’s next regularly scheduled meeting; provided, that if ratification is not forthcoming, management will make all reasonable efforts to cancel or annul the transaction. The Company’s management will update the audit committee as to any material changes to any approved or ratified related person transaction and will provide a status report at least annually of all then current related person transactions. No director will be permitted to participate in approval of a related person transaction for which he or she is a related person.
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PROPOSAL THREE:
TO ADOPT THE AMENDED AND RESTATED 2024 PLAN
The Company adopted the 2023 Plan which provided for the issuance of 3,164,991 shares of the Common Stock of the Company. Since the 2023 Plan was adopted, all but approximately 243,228 of the shares of Common Stock previously reserved for issuance under that plan have been issued. Because of the relatively small number of shares remaining available for issuance pursuant to the 2023 Plan, the Board on April 23, 2024 adopted a resolution amending and restating the 2023 Plan by adopting the Amended and Restated 2024 Plan to increase the number of shares of Common Stock that may be issued under the 2023 Plan and make certain other modifications. The Company is seeking stockholder approval of the Amended and Restated 2024 Plan. If approved, the Amended and Restated 2024 Plan will replace the 2023 Plan and will contain the following changes:
providing that an additional 5,000,000 shares of Common Stock may be issued under the 2023 Plan for all awards and that an additional 5,000,000 shares of Common Stock may be issued as incentive stock options;
providing that a Corporate Change (as defined in the 2023 Plan) must be a “change in control event” under Section 409A of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 (the “Code”);
providing that the administrative powers of the Compensation Committee with respect to the plan include establishing performance goals for awards, determining if such goals are met and need to be adjusted, determining if a Corporate Change has occurred and determining if substitute awards should be granted with respect to a corporate transaction;
providing that the determination of the grant date fair market value of options and SARs satisfy the requirements of Section 409A;
providing that the board of directors can exercise the power of the Compensation Committee under the plan;
providing additional flexibility for employees to satisfy withholding tax obligations;
providing additional flexibility for the Compensation Committee in the treatment of awards in connection with certain transactions and reorganizations that do not constitute a Corporate Change, including the ability to vest, cash-out or grant substitute awards for such events.
Increasing the number of shares issuable under the Plan would allow us to continue awarding equity incentives which are an important part of our employee compensation program. If the Amended and Restated 2024 Plan is approved by our stockholders, the total number of shares of Common Stock that will be reserved for issuance under the Amended and Restated 2024 Plan will be 8,164,991, of which 5,243,228 will be available for future issuance. If our stockholders do not approve the Amended and Restated 2024 Plan, we will continue to use the existing 2023 Plan to make grants of awards until the shares reserved for issuance under that plan are all granted, following which we may be restricted in our ability to attract, motivate, and retain highly skilled employees, including members of our management team. One alternative to using this proxy statement.

plan as a benefit for employees would be to use increased cash compensation as an employee attraction, motivation, and retention tool. We do not believe that such increased cash compensation would be practicable or advisable. Instead, we believe the combination of cash compensation and the opportunity to participate as an equity owner together provide a more effective benefit vehicle than cash alone for attracting, motivating, and retaining our employees and that employee equity ownership better aligns the interests of employees and our shareholders. If we found it necessary to increase cash compensation in lieu of providing the opportunity to participate in equity ownership, that expenditure could increase our operating expenses and reduce our cash flow from operations, which may adversely affect our business and operating results. We also believe that reduced participation in the 2023 Plan would diminish the alignment between our employees' interests and those of our shareholders.

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Summary of the Amended and Restated 2024 Plan
This section summarizes certain principal features of the Amended and Restated 2024 Plan. The beneficialsummary is qualified in its entirety by reference to the complete text of the Amended and Restated 2024 Plan.

Purpose
The purpose of the Amended and Restated 2024 Plan is to provide a means through which Abacus and its affiliates may attract, retain and motivate persons who make (or are expected to make) important contributions by providing these individuals with equity ownership opportunities and/or equity-linked compensatory opportunities. Equity awards and equity-linked compensatory opportunities are intended to motivate high levels of performance and align the interests of directors, employees and consultants with those of stockholders by giving directors, employees and consultants the perspective of an owner with an equity or equity-linked stake in Abacus and provide a means of recognizing their contributions to our success. The board of directors believes that equity awards are necessary for Abacus to remain competitive in its industry and are essential to recruiting and retaining highly qualified employees.

Eligibility and Administration
Our employees, consultants and directors may be eligible to receive awards under the Amended and Restated 2024 Plan. As of January 31, 2024, Abacus has 105 employees, five non-employee directors and no other individual service providers who may be eligible to receive awards under the 2023 Plan.
The Amended and Restated 2024 Plan provides that it will be administered by a committee of, and appointed by, the board of directors of Abacus that shall be composed of two or more independent directors, and which shall be subject to the limitations imposed under the Amended and Restated 2024 Plan, Section 16 of the Exchange Act, stock exchange rules and other applicable laws. The Compensation Committee of the board of directors will administer the Amended and Restated 2024 Plan. The board of directors may, at it's discretion, exercise any authority of the Compensation Committee under this Plan.
The committee will have the authority to take all actions and make all determinations under the Amended and Restated 2024 Plan, to construe the Amended and Restated 2024 Plan and award agreements and to prescribe rules and regulations relating to the administration of the Amended and Restated 2024 Plan as it deems necessary or advisable and to determine if a Corporate Change has occurred and the treatment of awards with respect to such event. The committee will also have the authority to determine which eligible directors, employees and consultants receive awards, grant awards and set the terms and conditions of all awards under the Amended and Restated 2024 Plan, including any vesting and vesting acceleration provisions, subject to the conditions and limitations in the Amended and Restated 2024 Plan. The committee may establish and administer any performance goals in connection with any awards, determine the extent to which any performance goals and/or other terms and conditions of an award are attained or are not attained, and adjust any performance goals in connection with a corporate transaction or extraordinary event. The committee may determine if substitute awards will be granted in connection with a corporate transaction.

Effective Date; Duration of Plan
The Amended and Restated 2024 Plan will become effective upon the date approved by the stockholders of the Company (the “Effective Date”), and no award will be granted under the Amended and Restated 2024 Plan prior to such date. No awards may be granted under the Amended and Restated 2024 Plan after ten years from the Effective Date. Prior to approval of the Amended and Restated 2024 Plan by the stockholders, awards may be granted under the 2023 Plan. In the event that the stockholders of the Company do not approve of the Plan, the 2023 Plan will remain in effect. If stockholder approval is obtained, all awards granted under the 2023 Plan will remain in place subject to the terms of the Amended and Restated 2024 Plan.
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The Amended and Restated 2024 Plan shall remain in effect until all stock options granted under the Amended and Restated Plan have been exercised or expired, all restricted stock awards granted under the Amended and Restated 2024 Plan have fully vested or been entirely forfeited, and all performance awards, phantom stock awards and RSU Awards have been fully satisfied or expired.

Shares Available for Awards
Our stockholders are being asked to approve an increase of 5,000,000 in the number of shares available for issuance under the 2023 Plan and that may be issued as incentive stock options. The aggregate number of shares that may be issued under the Amended and Restated 2024 Plan shall be equal to 8,164,991 shares of the Common Stock of the Company. The aggregate number of shares with respect to which incentive stock options may be granted under the Amended and Restated 2024 Plan shall be equal to 8,164,991 shares of Common Stock of the Company. The aggregate fair market value compensation on the date of grant of an award made to a non-employee director during a calendar year shall be determined by the committee and shall not exceed $75,000 per calendar year.
If an award under the Amended and Restated 2024 Plan is forfeited, expires unexercised or is settled for cash, any shares subject to such award may, to the extent of such forfeiture, expiration or cash settlement, immediately be used again for new grants under the Amended and Restated 2024 Plan. Any shares that are the subject of awards under the Amended and Restated 2024 Plan which are exchanged for awards that do not involve shares shall also again immediately become available to be issued pursuant to awards granted under the Amended and Restated 2024 Plan. If shares are withheld to satisfy tax obligations with respect to an option or a stock appreciation right, such shares shall not again be available for issuance under the Amended and Restated 2024 Plan. If shares are tendered in payment of an option price of an option or the exercise price of a stock appreciation right, such shares shall not be available for issuance under the Amended and Restated 2024 Plan.
Awards granted under the Amended and Restated 2024 Plan upon the assumption of, or in substitution for, awards authorized or outstanding under a qualifying equity plan maintained by an entity with which we enter into a merger or similar corporate transaction will not reduce the shares available for grant under the Amended and Restated 2024 Plan, nor shall such shares subject to substitute awards again be available for grant under the Amended and Restated 2024 Plan to the extent of any forfeiture, expiration, or cash settlement under an award.

Awards
The Amended and Restated 2024 Plan provides for the grant of stock options, stock appreciation rights (“SARs”), restricted stock awards, performance awards, phantom stock awards, restricted stock unit awards (“RSUs”) and stock awards. Certain awards under the Amended and Restated 2024 Plan may constitute or provide for payment of “nonqualified deferred compensation” under Section 409A of the Code, which may impose additional requirements on the terms and conditions of such awards. All awards under the Amended and Restated 2024 Plan will be evidenced by award agreements, which will detail the terms and conditions of awards, including any applicable vesting and payment terms and post-termination exercise limitations. Awards other than cash awards generally will be settled in shares of the Company’s Common Stock, but the applicable award agreement may provide for cash settlement of any award. A brief description of each award type follows.
Stock Options and SARs. Stock options provide for the purchase of shares of our Common Stock in the future at an exercise price set on the grant date. Incentive stock options, in contrast to non-qualified stock options, may provide tax deferral beyond exercise and favorable capital gains tax treatment to their holders if certain holding period and other requirements of the Code are satisfied. SARs entitle their holder, upon exercise, to receive from us an amount equal to the appreciation of the shares subject to the award between the grant date and the exercise date. Unless otherwise determined by the committee, the exercise price of a stock option or SAR may not be less than 100% of the fair market value of the underlying share on the grant date (or
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110% in the case of incentive stock options granted to certain significant stockholders), except with respect to certain substitute awards granted in connection with a corporate transaction. Unless otherwise determined by the committee, the term of a stock option or SAR may not be longer than ten years (or five years in the case of incentive stock options granted to certain significant stockholders).
Restricted Stock. Restricted stock is an award of non-transferable shares of our Common Stock that are subject to certain vesting conditions and other restrictions.
Performance Awards. A Performance Award under the Amended and Restated 2024 Plan is an award of rights subject to vesting and transferability restrictions generally based upon the attainment of performance goals as the committee may determine, payment of which may be made in cash or shares of our Common Stock, as specified in the holder’s Performance Award agreement. The Amended and Restated 2024 Plan provides that a performance goal may be based on one or more business criteria that apply to the holder, one or more of our business units, or us as a whole.
Phantom Stock. Phantom Stock Awards under the Amended and Restated 2024 Plan are awards of rights to receive the value of shares of our Common Stock that are subject to certain vesting conditions. Following the end of the vesting period for a Phantom Stock Award (or at such other time as may be provided in a Phantom Stock Award agreement), the holder of a Phantom Stock Award will be entitled to receive payment of cash, our Common Stock, or a combination thereof as determined by the committee, in an amount not exceeding the maximum value of the Phantom Stock Award, based on the then vested value of the award.
Restricted Stock Units. RSUs are contractual promises to deliver shares of our Common Stock in the future or an equivalent in cash and other consideration determined by the committee, which may also remain forfeitable unless and until specified conditions are met and may be accompanied by the right to receive the equivalent value of dividends paid on shares of our Common Stock prior to the delivery of the underlying shares (i.e., dividend equivalent rights). The terms and conditions applicable to RSUs will be determined by the committee, subject to the conditions and limitations contained in the Amended and Restated 2024 Plan.
Stock Awards. Stock awards are awards of fully vested shares of our Common Stock.
Dividend Equivalents. Dividend equivalents represent the right to receive the equivalent value of dividends paid on shares of our Common Stock and may be granted alone or in tandem with awards other than stock options or SARs. Dividend equivalents granted under the Amended and Restated 2024 Plan in tandem with an award will be subject to the same vesting conditions as applicable to such award, and no portion of such dividend equivalents will be paid prior to vesting. Dividend equivalents are credited as of the dividend record dates during the period between the date an award is granted and the date such award vests, is exercised, is distributed or expires, as determined by the committee.

Certain Transactions
The committee has broad discretion to take action under the Amended and Restated 2024 Plan, as well as make adjustments to the terms and conditions of existing and future awards, to prevent the dilution or enlargement of intended benefits and facilitate necessary or desirable changes in the event of certain transactions and events affecting our Common Stock. In the event of certain transactions (a “Corporate Change”), the committee may, among other alternatives, accelerate the vesting of awards, provide for cancellation of such awards in exchange for an amount of cash per share equal to the per share value of the shares of Common Stock in the transaction (with respect to stock options and SARS, the excess, if any, of such per share value over the exercise or base price), provide for the surviving entity in the transaction to assume
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outstanding awards or have a new award of a similar nature substituted for such awards, make such adjustments to awards then outstanding as the committee deems appropriate to reflect such transaction or require surrender of some or all of the outstanding awards in exchange for an amount of cash equal to the maximum value of such awards. A “Corporate Change” is generally defined as (i) the Company is not the surviving entity in any merger or consolidation or other reorganization; (ii) the Company sells, leases or exchanges all or substantially all of its assets to any other person (other than an entity that is directly or indirectly wholly owned by the Company); (iii) the Company is to be dissolved; (iv) any person or group acquires or gains ownership or control (including, power to vote) of more than 50 percent of the outstanding shares of the Company’s voting stock (based on voting power); (v) as a result of or in connection with a contested election of directors, the individuals who were directors of the Company before such election shall cease to constitute a majority of the board of directors; or (vi) the Company is party to any other corporate transaction. Notwithstanding the foregoing, any of the foregoing transactions or events must be a “change in control event” under Section 409A in order to constitute a Corporate Change.
In the event of any change in the outstanding shares of the Common Stock by reason of any stock dividend, split, spinoff, recapitalization, merger, consolidation, combination, extraordinary dividend, exchange of shares or other change affecting the outstanding shares as a class without the Company’s receipt of consideration, or other equity restructuring of the Company’s equity within the meaning of Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) Accounting Standards Codification (ASC) Topic 718, Stock Compensation, adjustments shall be made by the committee to (i) the terms, class, the number of shares and/or the exercise price per share relating to any outstanding awards, and (ii) the number and class or shares that are available for issuance under the plan and other share limitations under the plan. In addition, the committee can take any of the actions permitted upon a Corporate Change.

No Repricing
Except in connection with certain changes in our capital structure, stockholder approval will be required for any amendment that reduces the exercise price of any stock option or SAR, or cancels any stock option or SAR that has an exercise price that is greater than the then-current fair market value of Common Stock in exchange for cash, other awards or stock options or SARs with an exercise price per share that is less than the exercise price per share of the original stock options or SARs.

Transferability
An Incentive Stock Option is not transferable other than by will or the laws of descent and distribution, and may be exercised during the employee’s lifetime only by the employee or such employee’s guardian or legal representative. All other awards under the Amended and Restated 2024 Plan are not transferable other than by will or the laws of descent and distribution, pursuant to a qualified domestic relations order, or with the consent of the committee (as to certain family transfers, or otherwise).

Plan Amendment and Termination
The board of directors may amend or terminate the Amended and Restated 2024 Plan at any time; however, no amendment may impair the rights of a participant with respect to an outstanding award under the Amended and Restated 2024 Plan without the consent of the affected participant. Further, the board of directors may not, without the consent of the stockholders, amend the Amended and Restated 2024 Plan to increase the maximum aggregate number of shares that may be issued under the Amended and Restated 2024 Plan or change the class of individuals eligible to receive awards under the Amended and Restated 2024 Plan or amend or eliminate the restrictions on repricing of awards. No awards may be granted under the Amended and Restated 2024 Plan after its termination.

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Material U.S. Federal Income Tax Consequences
The following is a general summary under current law of the principal U.S. federal income tax consequences related to awards under the Amended and Restated 2024 Plan. Deductions described below may be limited by Section 162(m) of the Code. This summary deals with the general federal income tax principles that apply and is provided only for general information. Phantom Stock, and certain other awards that may be granted pursuant to the Amended and Restated 2024 Plan, could be subject to additional taxes unless they are designed to comply with certain restrictions set forth in Section 409A of the Code and guidance promulgated thereunder.
Some kinds of taxes, such as state, local and foreign income taxes and federal employment taxes, are not discussed. This summary is not intended as tax advice to participants, who should consult their own tax advisors.
Restricted Stock. The recipient of a Restricted Stock award generally will not realize taxable income at the time of grant, and we generally will not be entitled to a deduction at that time, assuming that the restrictions constitute a substantial risk of forfeiture for federal income tax purposes. When the risk of forfeiture with respect to the stock subject to the award lapses, the holder generally will realize ordinary income in an amount equal to the fair market value of the shares of our Common stock at such time less the amount paid for the stock (if any), and, subject to Section 162(m), we will be entitled to a corresponding deduction. All dividends and distributions (or the cash equivalent thereof) with respect to a Restricted Stock award paid to the holder before the risk of forfeiture lapses generally will also be compensation income to the holder when paid and, subject to Section 162(m) as discussed below, deductible as such by us. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the holder of a Restricted Stock award may elect under Section 83(b) of the Code to be taxed at the time of grant of the Restricted Stock award based on the fair market value of the shares of our Common Stock on the date of the award less the amount paid for the stock (if any), in which case (a) subject to Section 162(m), we will be entitled to a deduction at the same time and in the same amount, (b) dividends paid to the recipient during the period the forfeiture restrictions apply will be taxable as dividends and will not be deductible by us and (c) there will be no further federal income tax consequences when the risk of forfeiture lapses. Such election must be made not later than 30 days after the grant of the Restricted Stock award, and is irrevocable.
Restricted Stock Unit Awards. The grant of a Restricted Stock Unit Award (“RSU Award”) under the Amended and Restated 2024 Plan generally will not result in the recognition of any U.S. federal taxable income by the recipient or a deduction for us at the time of grant. At the time an RSU Award is settled in cash or shares the recipient will generally recognize ordinary income and, subject to Section 162(m) of the Code, we will be entitled to a corresponding deduction. Generally, the measure of the income and the deduction will be based on the cash value of a settlement in cash or on the number of shares of Common Stock issued in settlement of the RSU Award multiplied by the value of our Common Stock at the time the RSU Award is settled for a settlement in shares.
Stock Awards. The recipient of a Stock Award generally will realize taxable ordinary income at the time of grant in an amount equal to the fair market value of the shares of our Common Stock on the date of the award, and, subject to Section 162(m) of the Code, we will be entitled to a corresponding deduction.
Incentive Stock Options. Incentive Stock Options are subject to special federal income tax treatment. No federal income tax is imposed on the optionee upon the grant or the exercise of an Incentive Stock Option if the optionee does not dispose of the shares acquired pursuant to the exercise within the two-year period beginning on the date the option was granted or within the one-year period beginning on the date the option was exercised (collectively, the “holding period”).
(i.) In such event, we would not be entitled to any deduction for federal income tax purposes in connection with the grant or exercise of the option or the disposition of the shares so acquired. With respect to an Incentive Stock Option, the difference between the fair market value of the stock on the
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date of exercise and the exercise price must generally be included as an item of adjustment for purposes of the optionee’s alternative minimum taxable income for the year in which such exercise occurs. However, if the optionee exercises an Incentive Stock Option and disposes of the shares received in the same year and the amount realized is less than the fair market value of the shares on the date of exercise, then the amount included in alternative minimum taxable income will not exceed the amount realized over the adjusted basis of the shares.
(ii.) Upon disposition of the shares received upon exercise of an Incentive Stock Option after the holding period, any appreciation of the shares above the exercise price should constitute long-term capital gain. If an optionee disposes of shares acquired pursuant to his or her exercise of an Incentive Stock Option prior to the end of the holding period, the optionee will be treated as having received, at the time of disposition, compensation taxable as ordinary income. In such event, and subject to Section 162(m) of the Code, we may claim a deduction for compensation paid at the same time and in the same amount as compensation is treated as received by the optionee.
(iii.) The amount treated as compensation is the excess of the fair market value of the shares at the time of exercise (or in the case of a sale in which a loss would be recognized, the amount realized on the sale if less) over the exercise price; any amount realized in excess of the fair market value of the shares at the time of exercise would be treated as short-term or long-term capital gain, depending on the holding period of the shares.
Non-statutory Stock Options and Stock Appreciation Rights. Generally, no federal income tax is imposed on the optionee upon the grant of a Non-statutory Stock Option or a SAR, and we are not entitled to a tax deduction by reason of such grant. Generally, upon the exercise of a Non-statutory Stock Option, the optionee generally will be treated as receiving compensation taxable as ordinary income in the year of exercise in an amount equal to the excess of the fair market value of the shares of stock at the time of exercise over the option price paid for such shares. In the case of the exercise of a SAR, the holder generally will be treated as receiving compensation taxable as ordinary income in the year of exercise in an amount equal to the cash received or the fair market value of the shares distributed to the optionee. Upon the exercise of a Non-statutory Stock Option or a SAR, and subject to Section 162(m) of the Code, we may claim a deduction for compensation paid at the same time and in the same amount as compensation income is recognized by the optionee assuming any federal income tax reporting requirements are satisfied.
Performance Awards, Phantom Stock Awards and Stock Awards. An individual who has been granted a Performance Award, a Phantom Stock Award or a Stock Award generally will not realize taxable income at the time of grant, and we will not be entitled to a deduction at that time. Whether such an award is paid in cash or shares of Common Stock, the individual generally will have taxable compensation and, subject to Section 162(m) of the Code, we generally will have a corresponding deduction. The measure of such income and deduction will be based on the amount of any cash paid and the fair market value of any shares of our Common Stock either at the time the award is paid or at the time any restrictions on the shares subsequently lapse, depending on the nature, if any, of the restrictions imposed and whether the individual elects to be taxed without regard to any such restrictions.
Section 162(m). Generally, Section 162(m) of the Code precludes a public corporation from taking a deduction for annual compensation in excess of $1,000,000 paid to its covered employees (as defined in Section 162(m) of the Code).
Section 409A of the Code
Certain types of awards under the Amended and Restated 2024 Plan may constitute, or provide for, a deferral of compensation subject to Section 409A of the Code. Unless certain requirements set forth in Section 409A of the Code are complied with, holders of such awards may be taxed earlier than would otherwise be the case (e.g., at the time of vesting instead of the time of payment) and may be subject to an additional 20% penalty tax (and, potentially, certain interest, penalties and additional state taxes). To the extent applicable, the
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Amended and Restated 2024 Plan and awards granted under the Amended and Restated 2024 Plan are intended to be structured and interpreted in a manner intended to either comply with or be exempt from Section 409A of the Code and the Department of Treasury regulations and other interpretive guidance that may be issued under Section 409A of the Code. To the extent determined necessary or appropriate by the committee, the Amended and Restated 2024 Plan and applicable award agreements may be amended to further comply with Section 409A of the Code or to exempt the applicable awards from Section 409A of the Code.

Plan Benefits
The benefits that will be awarded or paid under the Amended and Restated 2024 Plan are not currently determinable. Any future awards granted to eligible participants under the Amended d Restated 2024 Plan will be made at the discretion of the committee, and no such determination as to future awards or who might receive them has been made.

Existing Plan Benefits to Employees and Directors
The number of awards that an employee, director, or consultant may receive under the Amended and Restated 2024 Plan is in the discretion of the committee and therefore cannot be determined in advance. The following table sets forth: (i) the aggregate number of shares subject to service-based RSUs granted under the 2023 Plan during fiscal year 2023 to each of our named executive officers; executive officers, as a group; directors who are not executive officers, as a group; and all employees who are not executive officers, as a group and (ii) the grant-date value of shares subject to such RSUs. No options were granted to any of our named executive officers, directors or employees during fiscal year 2023. As of April 24, 2024, the closing price of a share of our common stock was $11.98.
Number of
Shares Subject
to RSUs Granted
Dollar Value of
RSUs
Granted(1)
Jay Jackson
Chief Executive Officer
$
William McCauley
Chief Financial Officer
500,000$3,080,000 
Sean McNealy
President
$
Executive officers as a group500,000$3,080,000 
Non-executive directors group39,000$240,240 
Non-executive officers employee group1,929,500$11,885,720 
(1)Reflects the aggregate grant date fair value of awards computed in accordance with ASC 718.
The Amended and Restated 2024 Plan is based on 18,343,972attached to this Proxy Statement as Appendix A.
The affirmative “FOR” vote of a majority of the votes cast by holders of shares of common stock issuedour Common Stock present in person or by proxy during the Annual Meeting and outstandingentitled to vote thereon will be required to approve the Amended and Restated 2024 Plan. Abstentions and broker non-votes are not considered votes cast and, thus, will have no effect on this proposal.
OUR BOARD OF DIRECTORS RECOMMENDS A VOTE “FOR” THE ADOPTION OF THE
AMENDED AND RESTATED 2024 PLAN, IN THE FORM ATTACHED HERETO AS APPENDIX A, IN
WHICH FORM IT HAS HERETOFORE BEEN APPROVED AND ADOPTED BY THE BOARD OF
DIRECTORS, BE APPROVED.
38


DELINQUENT SECTION 16(A) REPORTS
Section 16(a) of the Exchange Act requires that our executive officers, directors and 10% stockholders file reports of ownership and changes of ownership with the SEC. Such directors, executive officers and 10% stockholders are required by SEC regulation to furnish us with copies of all Section 16(a) forms they file. Based solely on our review of such forms, we believe that all reporting requirements for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2023 were complied with by each person who at any time during the fiscal year ended December 31, 2023 was a director or an executive officer or held more than 10% of our Common Stock, except for the following: Alberta Investment Management Corp filed a late Form 4 on February 13, 2024.
EQUITY COMPENSATION PLAN INFORMATION
The following table summarizes share and exercise price information about the Company’s equity compensation plans as of December 16, 2022, consisting of 9,718,972 shares of Class A common stock and 8,625,000 founder shares.

   Class A
Common
Stock
      Class B
Common
Stock
      Approximate
Percentage
of
Outstanding
Common
Stock
 
Name and Address of Beneficial Owner(1)  Number of
Shares
Beneficially
Owned(2)
   Approximate
Percentage
of Class
  Number of
Shares
Beneficially
Owned(2)
   Approximate
Percentage
of Class
 

Terrence (Terry) M. Pegula

   —      —     8,615,000    99.88  46.96

Gary L. Hagerman, Jr.

   1,000    *   —      —     —   

John P. Sieminski

   2,500    *   —      —     —   

James S. Morrow

   —      —     —      —     —   

William A. Fustos

   22,000    *   —      —     —   

Thomas W. Corbett, Jr.

   —      —     10,000    *   * 

Benjamin Wingard

   4,000    *   —      —     * 

Jacob Long

   5,000    *   —      —     * 

Adam Gusky

   3,018    *   —      —     * 

All officers and directors as a group (10 individuals)

   37,518    *   8,625,000    100  47.02

East Sponsor, LLC(3)

   —      —     8,615,000    99.88  46.96

ClearBridge Investments, LLC(4)

   2,191,098    22.54  —      —     11.94

Adage Capital Partners, L.P.(5)

   2,348,214    24.16  —      —     12.80

Glazer Capital, LLC(6)

   2,397,627    24.67  —      —     13.07

Alberta Investment Management Corp(7)

   1,000,000    10.29  —      —     5.45

*

less than 1%.

(1)

Unless otherwise noted, the business address of each of the following entities or individuals is c/o East Resources Acquisition Company, 7777 NW Beacon Square Boulevard, Boca Raton, Florida 33487.

(2)

Interests shown consist solely of founder shares, classified as shares of Class B common stock. Such shares are convertible into shares of Class A common stock on a one-for-one basis, subject to adjustment.

(3)

East Sponsor, LLC is the record holder of the shares reported herein. East Asset Management, LLC is the managing member of East Sponsor, LLC, and Terrence M. Pegula and Kim S. Pegula are the managing members of East Asset Management, LLC. As such, Mr. Pegula may be deemed to have or share beneficial ownership of the Class B common stock held directly by East Sponsor, LLC. Mr. Pegula disclaims any beneficial ownership of the reported shares other than to the extent of any pecuniary interest he may have therein, directly or indirectly.

31, 2023.

(4)

According to a Schedule 13G/A filed with the SEC on February 9, 2022, ClearBridge Investments, LLC, which is the beneficial owner of 2,191,098 shares of Class A common stock, acts as investment manager of, and exercises investment discretion with respect to, certain private investment funds. The business address of each stockholder is 620 8th Ave., New York, New York 10018.

(5)

According to a Schedule 13D filed with the SEC on July 27, 2022, Adage Capital Partners, L.P., which is the beneficial owner of 2,348,214 shares of Class A common stock, acts as investment manager of, and exercises investment discretion with respect to, certain private investment funds. The business address of each stockholder is 200 Clarendon Street, 52nd floor, Boston, Massachusetts 02116.

(6)

According to a Schedule 13G filed with the SEC on February 14, 2022, Glazer Capital, LLC, which is the beneficial owner of 2,397,627 shares of Class A common stock, acts as an investment manager of, and exercises investment discretion with respect to certain private investment funds. The business address of each stockholder is 250 West 55th Street, Suite 30A, New York, New York 10019.

(7)

According to a Form 3 filed with the SEC on November 30, 2022, Alberta Investment Management Corp is the beneficial owner of 1,000,000 shares of Class A common stock. The business address of Alberta Investment Management Corp is 1600-10250 101 Street NW, Edmonton Z4, T5J 3P4.

Number of
Securities to be
Issued Upon
Exercise of
Outstanding
Awards
(#)
Weighted
Average Exercise
Price of
Outstanding
Awards
($)
Number of
Securities
Remaining
Available for
Future Issuance
Under Equity
Compensation
Plans
(#)
Equity Compensation plans approved by security holders (1)2,429,500N/A696,491
Equity Compensation plans not approved by security holders00

DELIVERY OF DOCUMENTS TO STOCKHOLDERS

Pursuant(1)Relates only to the Company’s 2023 Plan.


39


HOUSEHOLDING OF PROXY MATERIALS
SEC rules of the SEC, the Companypermit companies and its agents that deliver communicationsintermediaries such as brokers to its stockholders are permitted to deliversatisfy delivery requirements with respect to two or more stockholders sharing the same address by delivering a single annual report and proxy statement or a single notice of internet availability of proxy materials addressed to those stockholders. This process, which is commonly referred to as “householding”, can reduce the volume of duplicate information received at households. While the Company does not household, a number of brokerage firms with account holders have instituted householding. Once a stockholder has consented or receives notice from their broker that the broker will be householding materials to the stockholder’s address, householding will continue until the stockholder is notified otherwise or until one or more of the stockholders revokes their consent. If your annual report and proxy statement have been househeld and you wish to receive separate copies of these documents now and/or in the future, or if your household is receiving multiple copies of these documents and you wish to request that future deliveries be limited to a single copy, of the Company’s proxy statement. Upon written or oralyou may notify your broker. You can also request the Companyand we will promptly deliver a separate copy of the proxy statement tomaterials by writing to: 2101 Park Center Drive, Suite 200, Orlando, Florida 32835, by email to: legal@abacuslife.com, or by telephone at: (800) 561-4148.
OTHER MATTERS
Our board of directors knows of no other matters that will be presented for consideration at the Annual Meeting. If any stockholder at a shared address who wishes to receive separate copiesother matters are properly brought before the Annual Meeting, it is the intention of such documentsthe persons named in the future. Stockholders receiving multiple copies ofaccompanying proxy to vote on such documents may likewise request thatmatters in accordance with his best judgment.
April 29, 2024
We have filed our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the Company deliver single copies of such documents in the future. Stockholders may notify the Company of their requests by emailing or writing the Company at the Company’s principal executive offices at 7777 NW Beacon Square Boulevard, Boca Raton, Florida 33487, info@eastresources.com, Attn: Katelyn Morris.

WHERE YOU CAN FIND MORE INFORMATION

The Company files annual, quarterly and current reports, proxy statements and other informationfiscal year ended December 31, 2023 with the SEC. The SEC maintains an internetIt is available free of charge at the SEC’s web site that contains reports, proxyat www.sec.gov. Stockholders can also access this Proxy Statement and information statements, and other information regarding issuers, including us, that file electronically withour Annual Report on Form 10-K at https://abacuslife.com. A copy of our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the SEC. The public can obtain any documents that we file electronically with the SEC at http://www.sec.gov.

You may obtain additional copies of this proxy statement, at no cost, and you may ask any questions you may have about the Second Extension Amendment Proposal or the Adjournment Proposalfiscal year ended December 31, 2023 is also available without charge by contacting us at the following address or email:

East Resources Acquisition Company

7777 NW Beacon Square Boulevard

Boca Raton,writing to Corporate Secretary, Abacus Life, Inc., 2101 Park Center Drive, Suite 200, Orlando, Florida 33487

Attn: Katelyn Morris

Email: info@eastresources.com

You may also obtain these documents at no cost by requesting them in writing32835, or by telephone from the Company’s proxy solicitation agent at the following address and telephone number:

Morrow Sodali LLC

333 Ludlow Street, 5th Floor, South Tower

Stamford, CT 06902

Tel:request to (800) 561-4148.

40

662-5200 (toll-free)
or

(203)

APPENDIX A
ABACUS LIFE, INC.
AMENDED AND RESTATED 2024 LONG-TERM EQUITY
COMPENSATION INCENTIVE PLAN
658-9400I. (banks and brokers can call collect)

Email: ERES.info@investor.morrowsodali.com

In order to receive timely deliveryPURPOSE

The purpose of the documents in advance of the special meeting, you must make your request for information no later than January 13, 2023 (one week prior to the date of the special meeting).

ANNEX A

PROPOSED CERTIFICATE OF AMENDMENT TO THE

ABACUS LIFE, INC. AMENDED AND RESTATED

CERTIFICATE OF INCORPORATION

OF

EAST RESOURCES ACQUISITION COMPANY

East Resources Acquisition Company, a corporation organized and existing under 2024 LONG-TERM EQUITY COMPENSATION INCENTIVE PLAN (the by virtue of the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware (the DGCL”), does hereby certify:

1. The name of the corporation is East Resources Acquisition Company. The corporation was originally incorporated pursuant to the DGCL on May 22, 2020, under the name of East Resources Acquisition Company.

2. The date of filing of the corporation’s original Certificate of Incorporation with the Secretary of State of the State of Delaware was May 22, 2020. The date of filing the corporation’s Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation withPlan”) is to provide a means through which Abacus Life, Inc., a Delaware corporation (“Company”), and its Affiliates may attract able individuals to enter the Secretary of Stateemploy or to serve as Directors or Consultants of the StateCompany and any of Delaware was July 23, 2020,its Affiliates and to provide a means whereby those individuals upon whom the responsibilities of the successful administration and management of the Company and its Affiliates rest, and whose present and potential contributions to the Company and its Affiliates are of importance, can acquire and maintain ownership of the Company’s Common Stock, thereby strengthening their concern for the welfare of the Company and its Affiliates. A further purpose of the Amended and Restated CertificatePlan is to provide such individuals with additional incentive and reward opportunities designed to enhance the profitable growth of Incorporation was amended on July 25, 2022 (as amended, the Company and its Affiliates. Accordingly, the Amended and Restated CertificatePlan provides for granting Incentive Stock Options, Options that do not constitute Incentive Stock Options, Restricted Stock Awards, Performance Awards, Stock Appreciation Rights, Phantom Stock Awards, Stock Awards, Restricted Stock Unit Awards, or any combination of Incorporationthe foregoing, as is best suited to the circumstances of the particular employee, Consultant, or Director as provided herein.

II. DEFINITIONS
The following definitions shall be applicable throughout the Amended and Restated Plan unless specifically modified by any provision of the Amended and Restated Plan:
(a) “Affiliate” means any entity which, directly or indirectly, controls, is controlled by, or is under common control with, the Company. For purposes of the preceding sentence, “control” (including, with correlative meanings, the terms “controlled by” and “under common control with”).

3., as used with respect to any entity, shall mean the possession, directly or indirectly, of the power (i) to vote more than 50% of the securities having ordinary voting power for the election of directors of the controlled entity, or (ii) to direct or cause the direction of the management and policies of the controlled entity, whether through the ownership of voting securities or by contract or otherwise.

(b) “Amended and Restated Plan” means the Abacus Life, Inc. Amended and Restated 2024 Long-Term Equity Compensation Incentive Plan, as it may be amended, supplemented, or restated from time to time in accordance with its terms.
(c) “Award” means any Option, Stock Appreciation Right, Restricted Stock Award, Performance Award, Phantom Stock Award, Stock Award or Restricted Stock Unit Award granted under the Amended and Restated Plan.
(d) “Award Agreement”means a written agreement between the Company and a Participant evidencing an Award and its terms. Each Award Agreement shall designate (i) the type of Award being issued; (ii) the vesting conditions or forfeiture provisions applicable to the Award, including any applicable Performance Goals or provisions constituting a Substantial Risk of Forfeiture; (iii) transferability restrictions; (iv) any applicable rules regarding delivery of Shares issued by the Company under the Award; (v) subject to Section V(g) below, and to the extent applicable, provisions regarding payments by the Company of dividends or Dividend Equivalents; and (vi) any additional matters as the Committee may determine to be appropriate. The terms and provisions of each Award Agreement need not be identical. Except as otherwise provided in the Amended and Restated Plan, subject to the consent of the Participant, the Committee may, in its sole discretion, amend an outstanding Award Agreement from time to time in any manner that is not inconsistent with the provisions of the Amended and Restated Plan.




(e) “Board” means the Board of Directors of the Company.
(f) “Change of Control Value” means the amount determined in clause (i), (ii) or (iii), whichever is applicable, as follows:
(i) the per Share price offered to stockholders of the Company in a Corporate Change which is a merger, consolidation, sale of assets or dissolution transaction;
(ii) the price per Share offered to stockholders of the Company in any tender offer or exchange offer whereby a Corporate Change occurs; or
(iii) if a Corporate Change occurs other than pursuant to a tender or exchange offer of Shares and an Award will be cancelled by or surrendered to the Committee as a result of such transaction, the Fair Market Value per share of the Shares underlying such Award, as determined by the Committee as of the date determined by the Committee to be the date of cancellation and surrender of such Award.
In the event that the consideration offered to stockholders of the Company in any transaction which results in a Corporate Change consists of anything other than cash, the Committee shall determine the fair cash equivalent of the portion of the consideration offered which is other than cash.
(g) “Code” means the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended. Reference in the Amended and Restated Plan to any section of the Code shall be deemed to include any amendments or successor provisions to such section and any regulations issued by the Department of Treasury under such section.
(h) “Committee” means a committee of the Board that is selected by the Board as provided in Section IV(a).
(i) “Common Stock” means the common stock, par value $.0001 per share, of the Company, or any security into which such Common Stock may be changed by reason of any transaction or event of the type described in Section XIII.
(j) “Company” means Abacus Life, Inc., a Delaware corporation.
(k) “Consultant” means consultant, advisor or other person or entity that is not an Employee, in each case, that can be granted an Award that is eligible to be registered on a Form S-8 Registration Statement.
(l) “Corporate Change” means a transaction or event in which:
(i) the Company is not the surviving entity in any merger or consolidation or other reorganization (or survives only as a subsidiary of an entity other than an entity that was directly or indirectly wholly owned by the Company immediately prior to such merger, consolidation or other reorganization);
(ii) the Company sells, leases or exchanges all or substantially all of its assets to any other person (other than an entity that is directly or indirectly wholly owned by the Company);
(iii) the Company is to be dissolved;
(iv) any person, including a “group” as contemplated by Section 13(d)(3) of the 1934 Act, acquires or gains ownership or control (including, power to vote) of more than 50 percent of the outstanding shares of the Company’s voting stock (based on voting power);
(v) as a result of or in connection with a contested election of Directors, the individuals who were Directors of the Company before such election shall cease to constitute a majority of the Board; or




(vi) the Company is party to any other corporate transaction (as defined under section 424(a) of the Code and applicable Department of Treasury regulations) that is not described in clauses (i), (ii), (iii), (iv) or (v) above.
Notwithstanding the foregoing, any of the foregoing transactions or events must constitute a 409A Change in Control in order to constitute a Corporate Change under this Amended and Restated Plan.
(m) “Director” means an individual elected or appointed to the Board by the stockholders of the Company or by the Board under applicable corporate law.
(n) “Disability” means as determined by the Committee in its discretion,
(i) in the case of an Award (other than an Incentive Stock Option) that is exempt from the application of the requirements of Section 409A, a physical or mental condition of the Participant that would entitle the Participant to payment of disability income payments under the Company’s group long-term disability insurance policy or plan for employees as then in effect, or in the event that the Participant is a Director or is not covered (for whatever reason) under the Company’s group long-term disability insurance policy or plan for employees or in the event the Company does not maintain such a group long-term disability insurance policy, and in the case of an Incentive Stock Option, “Disability” means a permanent and total disability as defined in section 22(e)(3) of the Code; and
(ii) in the case of an Award that is not exempt from the application of the requirements of Section 409A, (1) the Participant is unable to engage in any substantial gainful activity by reason of any medically determinable physical or mental impairment that can be expected to result in death or can be expected to last for a continuous period of not less than 12 months, or (2) the Participant is, by reason of any medically determinable physical or mental impairment that can be expected to result in death or can be expected to last for a continuous period of not less than 12 months, receiving income replacement benefits for a period of not less than three months under an accident and health plan covering employees of the Company.
A determination of Disability may be made by a physician selected or approved by the Committee and, in this respect, the Participant shall submit to an examination by such physician upon request by the Committee.
(o) “Dividend Equivalent” means a payment equivalent in amount to dividends paid to the Company’s stockholders.
(p) “Employee” means any individual in an employment relationship with the Company or any Affiliate. Directors who are Employees shall be considered Employees under the Amended and Restated Plan.
(q) “Entity” means a corporation, limited liability company, partnership, limited partnership or any other type of legal entity or organization.
(r) “Fair Market Value” on any date means the market price of Common Stock:
(i) if the Common Stock is listed on one or more established stock exchanges or national market systems, including without limitation the New York Stock Exchange and NASDAQ, its Fair Market Value shall be the closing sales price for such stock (or the closing bid, if no sales were reported) as quoted on the principal exchange or system on which the Common Stock is listed on the date of determination (or, if no closing sales price or closing bid was reported on that date on the last trading date such closing sales price or closing bid was reported), as reported by The Wall Street Journal (including through www.wsj.com) or such other source as the Committee deems reliable;
(ii) if the Common Stock is regularly quoted on an automated quotation system (including the OTC Bulletin Board) or by a recognized securities dealer, its Fair Market Value shall be the closing sales price for such stock as quoted on such system or by such securities dealer on the date of determination, but if selling prices are not reported, the Fair Market Value of a share of Common Stock shall be the mean between the high bid and low asked prices for the Common Stock on the date of determination (or, if no such prices were



reported on that date, on the last date such prices were reported), as reported by The Wall Street Journal (including through www.wsj.com) or such other source as the Committee deems reliable; or
(iii) in the absence of an established market for the Common Stock of the type described in (i) and (ii), above, the Fair Market Value thereof shall be determined by the Committee in its discretion.
With respect to Options and SARs, the Committee shall determine Fair Market Value in a manner that satisfies the applicable requirements of Code Section 409A. The Committee’s determination of Fair Market Value shall be final, binding, and conclusive on all individuals.
(s) “Forfeiture Restrictions” has dulythe meaning assigned to such term in Section VIII(a).
(t) “Holder” means the holder of an Award, which includes the Participant, a beneficiary, or the Immediate Family, as applicable.
(u) “Immediate Family” means, with respect to a Participant, such Participant’s spouse, children, or grandchildren (including adopted resolutions setting forthchildren, stepchildren, and grandchildren).
(v) “Incentive Stock Option” means an incentive stock option within the proposedmeaning of section 422 of the Code.
(w) “1934 Act” means the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended.
(x) Mature Shares means Shares which have been held by the Participant and with respect to which any applicable forfeiture restrictions have lapsed, in each case, for at least six months.
(y) “Option” means an Award (other than a SAR) granted under Section VII and includes both Incentive Stock Options to purchase Common Stock and Options that do not constitute Incentive Stock Options to purchase Common Stock.
(z) “Participant” means an employee, Consultant, or Director who has been granted an Award.
(aa) “Performance Award” means an Award granted under Section IX.
(bb) “Performance Goals” means the criteria the Committee selects for purposes of calculating vesting, exercisability, and payment under a Performance Award. The Performance Goals shall be designated by the Committee in its sole discretion and may be based on (i) one or more business criteria that apply to the Participant, (ii) one or more business units of the Company or an Affiliate, or (iii) the Company and Affiliates as a whole, and may reference to one or more performance metrics including without limitation : Common Stock price (including adjustments for dividends), funds from operations, adjusted funds from operations, earnings or adjusted earnings before or after interest, taxes, depletion, depreciation or amortization, earnings per share, earnings per share growth, total stockholder return, economic value added, cash return on capitalization, increased revenue, revenue ratios (per employee or per customer), net income (before or after taxes), market share, return on equity, return on assets, return on capital, return on capital compared to cost of capital, return on capital employed, return on invested capital, return on investment, return on sales, operating or profit margins, stockholder value, net cash flow, operating income, cash flow, cash flow from operations, cost reductions or cost savings, cost ratios (per employee or per customer), expense control, sales, proceeds from dispositions, project completion time, budget goals, net cash flow before financing activities, customer growth, total capitalization, debt to total capitalization ratio, credit quality or debt ratings, dividend payout, dividend growth, production volumes or safety results, or such other events or matters as the Committee determines appropriate in its sole discretion. Performance Goals may also be based on performance relative to a peer group or index of companies. Unless otherwise stated, such a Performance Goal need not be based upon an increase or positive result under a particular business criterion and could include, for example, maintaining the status quo or limiting economic losses (measured, in each case, by reference to specific business criteria). The Committee, in its discretion, may adjust or modify the calculation of Performance Goals for each performance period in order to prevent the dilution or enlargement of the rights of Participants under Awards (i) in the event of, or in anticipation of, any unusual or extraordinary corporate item, transaction, event, or development affecting the



Company or any Affiliate; (ii) in the event of, or in connection with, any acquisition or divestiture of a portion of the Company’s or any Affiliate’s business or operations; or (iii) in recognition of, or in anticipation of, any other unusual or nonrecurring events affecting the Company or any Affiliate, or the financial statements of the Company or any Affiliate, or in response to, or in anticipation of, changes in applicable laws, regulations, accounting principles, or business conditions affecting the Company or any Affiliate.
(cc) “Person” means an individual or entity.
(dd) “Phantom Stock Award” means an Award granted under Section X.
(ee) “Prior Plan” means the Abacus Life, Inc. 2023 Long-Term Equity Compensation Incentive Plan prior to this amendment and restatement.
(ff) “Restricted Stock Award” means an Award granted under Section VIII.
(gg) “Restricted Stock Unit Award” or “RSU Award” means an Award granted under Section XII.
(hh) “Rule 16b-3” means SEC Rule 16b-3 promulgated under the 1934 Act, as such may be amended from time to time, and any successor rule, regulation or statute fulfilling the same or a similar function.
(ii) “Section 409A” means section 409A of the Code and other guidance promulgated by the Internal Revenue Service under Section 409A.
(jj) “Share” means a share of Common Stock.
(kk) “Stock Appreciation Right” or “SAR” means a stock appreciation right granted pursuant to Section VII.
(ll) “Stock Award” means an award granted pursuant to Section XI.
(mm) “Substantial Risk of Forfeiture” has the meaning ascribed to that term in Section 409A.
(nn) “409A Change in Control” means a change in the ownership or effective control of the Company, or a change in the ownership of a substantial portion of the assets of the Company, within the meaning of Section 409A(a)(2)(A)(v) of the Code.
III. EFFECTIVE DATE AND DURATION OF THE PLAN
The Amended and Restated Plan shall become effective upon the date approved by the stockholders of the Company (the “Effective Date”), and no Award shall be granted under the Amended and Restated Plan prior to such date. No Awards may be granted under the Amended and Restated Plan after ten years from the Effective Date of the Amended and Restated Plan. Prior to approval of the Amended and Restated Plan by the stockholders, Awards may continue to be granted under the Prior Plan. In the event that the stockholders of the Company do not approve the Amended and Restated Plan, the Prior Plan will remain in effect. If the stockholders of the Company approve the Amended and Restated Plan, all Awards granted under the Prior Plan will remain in place subject to the terms of this Amended and Restated Plan. The Amended and Restated Plan shall remain in effect until all Options granted under the Amended and Restated Plan have been exercised or expired, all Restricted Stock Awards granted under the Amended and Restated Plan have fully vested or been entirely forfeited, and all Performance Awards, Phantom Stock Awards and RSU Awards have been fully satisfied or expired.
IV. ADMINISTRATION
(a) Composition of Committee. The Amended and Restated Plan shall be administered by a committee of, and appointed by, the Board that shall be comprised solely of two or more independent Directors (within the meaning of the term “Non-Employee Director” as defined in Rule 16b-3). Unless otherwise provided by the Board, the Committee shall be the Compensation Committee of the Board.




(b) Powers. Subject to the terms and provisions of the Amended and Restated Plan, the Committee, at any time, and from time to time, may grant Awards under the Amended and Restated Plan to eligible individuals in such amounts and upon such terms as the Committee shall determine. Subject to the express provisions of the Amended and Restated Plan, the Committee shall have authority, in its discretion, to determine which employees, Consultants or Directors shall receive an Award, the time or times when such Award shall be made, the type of Award that shall be made, the number of Shares to be subject to each Option, SAR, Stock Award or Restricted Stock Award, and the number of Shares subject to or the value of each Performance Award, RSU Award or Phantom Stock Award. In making such determinations, the Committee shall take into account the nature of the services rendered by the respective employees, Consultants, or Directors, their present and potential contribution to the Company’s success and such other factors as the Committee in its sole discretion shall deem relevant.
(c) Additional Powers. The Committee shall have such additional powers as are delegated to it by the other provisions of the Amended and Restated Plan. Subject to the express provisions of the Amended and Restated Plan, this shall include the power to approve the terms of each Award Agreement, to construe the Amended and Restated Plan and the respective Award Agreements executed hereunder, to prescribe rules and regulations relating to the administration of the Amended and Restated Plan, to determine if a Corporate Change has occurred and the treatment of awards with respect to such event and to determine the terms, conditions, restrictions and provisions of each Award Agreement, including such terms, conditions, restrictions and provisions as shall be requisite in the judgment of the Committee to cause designated Options to qualify as Incentive Stock Options, and to make all other determinations necessary or advisable for administering the Amended and Restated Plan. The Committee may establish and administer any performance goals in connection with any Awards, determine the extent to which any performance goals and/or other terms and conditions of an Award are attained or are not attained, and adjust any performance goals in connection with a Corporate Change or other corporate transaction or extraordinary event. The Committee may grant substitute awards in connection with a corporate transaction pursuant to Section V(e) with terms and conditions as the Committee may prescribe. The Committee may specify in any Award Agreement the effect under the applicable Award of the occurrence of the death, Disability, retirement, or cessation of employment of the Participant with the Company and all Affiliates, the cessation of services rendered by the Participant to the Company and all Affiliates, or the occurrence of a Corporate Change. The Committee may, in its discretion and as of a date determined by the Committee, fully vest any Award, in whole or in part. The Committee may rely on the descriptions, representations, reports and estimates provided to it by the management of the Company or an Affiliate for determinations to be made pursuant to the Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation of the corporation, declaring said amendment to be advisable andPlan. The Committee may correct any defect or supply any omission or reconcile any inconsistency in the best interests of the corporation and its stockholders and authorizing the appropriate officers of the corporation to solicit the consent of the stockholders therefor, which resolutions setting forth the proposed amendment are substantially as follows:

RESOLVED, that Section 9.1(b) of Article IX of the Amended and Restated Certificate of IncorporationPlan or in any Award Agreement in the manner and to the extent it shall deem expedient to carry it into effect. The determinations of the corporation is amendedCommittee on the matters referred to in this Section IV shall be final, binding, and restated to readconclusive on all individuals. The Board may, in its entirety as follows:

“Immediately after the Offering, a certain amountdiscretion, exercise any authority of the net offering proceeds received by the Corporation in the Offering (including the proceeds of any exercise of the underwriters’ over-allotment option) and certain other amounts specified in the Corporation’s registration statement on Form S-1, initially filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) on July 2, 2020, as amended (the “Registration Statement”), shall be deposited in a trust account (the “Trust Account”), established for the benefit of the Public Stockholders (as defined below) pursuant to a trust agreement described in the Registration Statement. Except for the withdrawal of interest to pay taxes, none of the funds held in the Trust Account (including the interest earned on the funds held in the Trust Account) will be released from the Trust Account until the earliest to occur of (i) the completion of the initial Business Combination, (ii) the redemption of 100% of the Offering Shares (as defined below) if the Corporation is unable to complete its initial Business Combination by February 27, 2023 (the “Deadline Date”) and (iii) the redemption of shares in connection with a vote seeking to amend such provisions ofCommittee under this Amended and Restated CertificatePlan.

(d) Delegation of Authority. The Committee in its sole discretion and on such terms and conditions as describedit may provide may delegate all or any part of its authority and powers under the Amended and Restated Plan to one or more members of the Board and/or officers of the Company; provided, however, that the Committee may not delegate its authority or power with respect to (i) the selection for participation in this Amended and Restated Plan of an officer of the Company or other person subject to Section 16 of the Exchange Act or decisions concerning the timing, pricing or amount of an Award to such an officer or person; or (ii) any Awards to a Director.
V. SHARES SUBJECT TO THE PLAN; AWARD LIMITS; GRANT OF AWARDS
(a) Number of Shares Available for Awards. Subject to adjustment as provided in Section 9.7. InXIII, the eventaggregate number of Shares that may be issued under the Corporation hasAmended and Restated Plan shall be equal to 8,164,991 Shares. The Shares that are available for issuance under the Amended and Restated Plan may be issued in any form of Award authorized under the Amended and Restated Plan. Any Shares that are the subject



of Awards under the Amended and Restated Plan which are forfeited or terminated, expire unexercised, are settled in cash in lieu of Shares or in a manner such that all or some of the Shares covered by an Award are not consummatedissued to a Participant (including, but not limited to, Shares withheld to satisfy tax obligations on any Award other than an initial Business Combination byOption or an SAR), or are exchanged for Awards that do not involve Shares, shall again immediately become available to be issued pursuant to Awards granted under the Deadline Date, the Board of Directors, in its discretion, if requested by the Sponsor, upon five days prior written noticeAmended and Restated Plan. If Shares are withheld to the Corporation, may extend the Deadline Date by one month each on up to five occasions, for upsatisfy tax obligations with respect to an additional five months, butOption or an SAR, such Shares shall not again be available for issuance under the Amended and Restated Plan. If Shares are tendered in no event topayment of an option price of an Option or the exercise price of a date later than July 27, 2023 (or, if the Office of the Delaware Division of CorporationsSAR, such Shares shall not be openavailable for business (including filingissuance under the Amended and Restated Plan.
(b) Incentive Stock Option Award Limit. The aggregate number of corporate documents) on such dateShares with respect to which Incentive Stock Options may be granted under the next date upon which the Office of the Delaware Division of CorporationsAmended and Restated Plan is 8,164,991 Shares. This amount shall be open), provided that the Sponsor (or its affiliates or its permitted designees) loanssubject to the Corporation by deposit of funds into the Trust Account (i) $0.033 for each Offering Share that is not redeemed (the “Initial Loan”), and (ii) an additional $0.033 for each Offering Share that is not redeemed by the last day of that extension period, not later than seven calendar days after the beginning of the next extension period (the “Additional Loans” and, collectively with the Initial Loan, the “Loans”) in exchange for a non-interest bearing, unsecured promissory note and the procedures relating to any such extension, as set forth in

the Trust Agreement, shall have been complied with. The gross proceeds from the issuance of such promissory note(s) shall be held in the Trust Account and used to fund the redemption of the Offering Shares in accordance with this Article IX. If the Corporation completes its initial Business Combination, it will repay the amounts loaned under the promissory note out of the proceeds of the Trust Account released to it. If the Corporation does not complete a Business Combination by the Deadline Date, the Loans will not be repaid. Holders of shares of Common Stock included as part of the units sold in the Offering (the “Offering Shares”) (whether such Offering Shares were purchased in the Offering or in the secondary market following the Offering and whether or not such holders are the Sponsor or officers or directors of the Corporation, or affiliates of any of the foregoing) are referred to herein as “Public Stockholders”.”

4. That thereafter, said amendment was duly adopted by the affirmative vote of the holders of at least 65% of the stock entitled to vote at a meeting of stockholdersadjustment in accordance with the provisions of Section 242XIII.

(c) Grant of Awards. The Committee may from time to time grant Awards to one or more employees, Consultants, or Directors determined by it to be eligible for participation in the Amended and Restated Plan in accordance with the terms of the DGCL.

IN WITNESS WHEREOFAmended and Restated Plan.

(d) Director Equity Retainer Awards. The Company may, from time to time, award shares of Common Stock to one or more non-employee Directors (the “Director Equity Grant”). The Committee shall designate the terms and conditions of the Director Equity Grants granted under this Section V(d), provided, however, that unless otherwise designated by the corporation has caused this Certificate of Amendment toCommittee, the Awards shall be signed this day of [●], 2023.

Terrence M. Pegula

Chief Executive Officer, President and Chairman

YOUR VOTE IS IMPORTANT. PLEASE VOTE TODAY.

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East Resources Acquisition CompanyYour Internet vote authorizes the named proxies to vote your shares in the same manner as if you marked, signed and returned your proxy card. Votes submitted electronically over the Internet must be received by 11:59 p.m., Eastern Time, on January 19, 2023.

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THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS RECOMMENDS A VOTE “FOR” PROPOSALS 1 & 2.

1.

 To amend (the “Second Extension Amendment”) the  

FOR  AGAINST  ABSTAIN

 

            

 2. A proposal to approve the adjournment of the special meeting 

FOR  AGAINST  ABSTAIN

 

            

 Company’s Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation (our “charter”) to extend the date by which the Company must consummate a business combination (as defined below) (the “Second Extension”) from January 27, 2023 (the date that is 30 months from the closing date of the Company’s initial public offering of units (the “IPO”)) to July 27, 2023 (the date that is 36 months from the closing date of the IPO) (the “Extended Date”) (the “Second Extension Amendment Proposal”).  to a later date or dates, if necessary, to permit further solicitation and vote of proxies in the event that there are insufficient votes to approve the Second Extension Amendment Proposal or if we determine that additional time is necessary to effectuate the Second Extension (the “Adjournment Proposal”).

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Signature Signature, if held jointly Date 2023.

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Materials for the Special Meeting of Shareholders

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Special Meeting, please go to:

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PROXY

THIS PROXY IS SOLICITED ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS

East Resources Acquisition Company

The undersigned appoints Gary Hagerman, Jr. and John Sieminski, and each of them, as proxies, each with the power to appoint their substitute, and authorizes each of them to represent and to vote, as designatedfully vested on the reverse hereof, alldate of grant. The Director Equity Grants shall be paid as Stock Awards on the date of grant and shall not require an Award Agreement. The aggregate Fair Market Value on the date of grant (computed in accordance with applicable financial accounting rules) of the ordinary shares of the Company held of recordAward issued to a non-employee Director during a calendar year shall be determined by the undersigned atCommittee and shall not exceed $75,000 per calendar year. As of the close of business on December 16, 2022the date of grant, the number of Stock Awards issued to each director shall be equal to (x) the designated dollar amount of the Director Equity Grant, divided by (y) the Fair Market Value of a share of Common Stock on such day, which amount shall be rounded to the nearest whole share.

(e) Substitute Awards. The Committee may grant Awards under the Amended and Restated Plan in substitution for stock and stock based awards held by service providers of another entity in connection with a merger or consolidation of the service recipient entity with the Company or an Affiliate or the acquisition by the Company or an Affiliate of property or equity interests of the service recipient entity. The Committee may direct that the substitute awards be granted on such terms and conditions as the Committee considers appropriate in the circumstances. The substitution of any outstanding stock option must satisfy the requirements of Treasury Regulation § 1.424-1 and Section 409A. Any substitute Awards granted under the Amended and Restated Plan shall not count against the Share limitations set forth in Sections V(a) and (b), nor shall such Shares subject to substitute awards again be available for grant under the Amended and Restated Plan to the extent of any forfeiture, expiration, or cash settlement under an Award.
(f) Stock Offered. Subject to the limitations set forth in Section V(a), the Shares to be offered pursuant to the grant of an Award may be authorized but unissued Common Stock, Common Stock previously issued and outstanding and reacquired by the Company, or treasury shares. Any of such Shares which remain unissued and which are not subject to outstanding Awards at the termination of the Amended and Restated Plan shall cease to be subject to the Amended and Restated Plan but, until the termination of the Amended and Restated Plan, the Company shall at all times make available a sufficient number of Shares to meet the requirements of the Amended and Restated Plan.
(g) Limitation on Dividends and Dividend Equivalents. The Committee may provide that Awards under this Amended and Restated Plan shall earn dividends or Dividend Equivalents; provided, however, that the payment of such dividends or Dividend Equivalents shall be subject to the same vesting conditions as apply to the underlying Awards, and no portion of such dividends or Dividend Equivalents shall be paid prior to vesting or during the Forfeiture Restriction period. Prior to payment, such dividends or Dividend Equivalents shall be credited to an account maintained on the books of the Company. Any crediting of dividends or Dividend



Equivalents will be subject to such terms, conditions, limitations and restrictions as the Committee may establish, from time to time, including reinvestment in additional shares of Common Stock or common share equivalents. Dividend or Dividend Equivalent rights shall be as specified in the Award Agreement, or pursuant to a resolution adopted by the Committee with respect to outstanding Awards. No dividends or Dividend Equivalents shall be paid on Options or Stock Appreciation Rights.
VI. ELIGIBILITY
Awards may be granted only to individuals who, at the time of grant, are employees, Consultants, or Directors. An Award may be granted on more than one occasion to the same person, and, subject to the limitations set forth in the Amended and Restated Plan, such Award may include an Incentive Stock Option, an Option that is not an Incentive Stock Option, a Stock Award, a Restricted Stock Award, a Performance Award, a Phantom Stock Award, a SAR or an RSU Award or any combination thereof.
VII. STOCK OPTIONS AND STOCK APPRECIATION RIGHTS
(a) Option Period or Stock Appreciation Right Period. The term of each Option or SAR shall be as specified by the Committee at the date of grant, but shall not be exercisable more than ten years after the date of grant.
(b) Limitations on Exercise of Option or Stock Appreciation Right. An Option or SAR shall be exercisable in whole or in such installments and at such times as determined by the Committee.
(c) Special MeetingLimitations on Incentive Stock Options. Unless otherwise specified in an Award Agreement, Options granted pursuant to the Amended and Restated Plan shall be Options that do not constitute Incentive Stock Options. An Incentive Stock Option may be granted only to an individual who is employed by the Company or any subsidiary corporation (as defined in section 424 of the Code) at the time the Option is granted. To the extent that the aggregate Fair Market Value (determined at the time the respective Incentive Stock Option is granted) of Common Stock with respect to which Incentive Stock Options are exercisable for the first time by an individual during any calendar year under all incentive stock option plans of the Company and its parent and subsidiary corporations exceeds $100,000, such Incentive Stock Options shall be treated as Options which do not constitute Incentive Stock Options. No Incentive Stock Option shall be granted to an individual if, at the time the Option is granted, such individual owns Shares possessing more than 10% of the total combined voting power of all classes of stock of the Company or of its parent or subsidiary corporation, within the meaning of section 422(b)(6) of the Code, unless (i) at the time such Option is granted its option price is at least 110% of the Fair Market Value of the Common Stock subject to the Option and (ii) such Option by its terms is not exercisable after the expiration of five years from the date of grant. An Incentive Stock Option shall not be transferable otherwise than by will or the laws of descent and distribution, and shall be exercisable during the Participant’s lifetime only by such Participant or the Participant’s guardian or legal representative.
(d) Award Agreement.
(i) Each Option shall be evidenced by an Award Agreement in such form and containing such provisions not inconsistent with the provisions of the Amended and Restated Plan as the Committee from time to time shall approve, including provisions to qualify an Incentive Stock Option under section 422 of the Code. Each Award Agreement shall specify the effect of termination of the Participant’s (1) employment with the Company or an Affiliate, (2) the consulting or advisory relationship with the Company or an Affiliate, or (3) membership on the Board, as applicable, on the exercisability of the Option. An Award Agreement may provide for the payment by the Participant of the option price as the Committee may specify, including by the delivery of Shares by the Company to the Participant.
(ii) Each SAR shall be evidenced by an Award Agreement in such form and containing such provisions not inconsistent with the provisions of the Amended and Restated Plan as the Committee from time to time shall approve. Unless otherwise set forth in an Award Agreement, upon the exercise of a SAR, a Holder shall be entitled to receive payment from the Company in an amount determined by multiplying (1) the



difference between the value of a Share on the date of exercise over the Share’s grant price, by (2) the number of Shares with respect to which the SAR is exercised. The per Share grant price for a SAR shall be established on the date of grant of the SAR. At the discretion of the Committee, the payment made by the Company to a Holder upon the Holder’s exercise of a SAR may be in cash, in Shares or in any combination thereof. The Committee’s determination regarding the form of such payment may be set out in the applicable SAR Agreement pertaining to the grant of the SAR.
(e) Restrictions on Repricing of Options or Stock Appreciation Rights. Except as provided in Section XIII, the Committee may not, without approval of the stockholders of the Company, (i) amend any outstanding Award Agreement for an Option to lower the option price (or cancel and replace any outstanding Award Agreement for an Option with a new Award Agreement having a lower option price), (ii) amend any outstanding Award Agreement for a SAR or to lower the SAR grant price (or cancel and replace any outstanding SAR with a new SAR having a lower SAR grant price), or (iii) cancel any outstanding “underwater” Option or SAR in exchange for cash. Further, the Committee may not lower an option price of an Option (or cancel and replace any outstanding Award Agreement with a new Award Agreement having a lower option price) or lower the SAR grant price (or cancel and replace any outstanding SAR with a new Award Agreement having a lower SAR grant price) to the extent that doing so would subject the Holder to additional taxes under Section 409A.
(f) Option Price and Payment. The price at which a Share may be purchased upon exercise of an Option by its Holder shall be determined by the Committee but, subject to adjustment as provided in Section XIII, such purchase price shall not be less than the Fair Market Value of a Share on the date such Option is granted. The Option or portion thereof may be exercised by delivery of an irrevocable notice of exercise by the Holder to the Company, as specified by the Committee. The purchase price of the Option or portion thereof shall be paid by the Holder to the Company in full in the manner prescribed by the Committee. Separate stock certificates shall be issued by the Company for those Shares acquired by a Holder pursuant to the Holder’s exercise of an Incentive Stock Option and for those Shares acquired by a Holder pursuant to the Holder’s exercise of any Option that does not constitute an Incentive Stock Option, or should the Shares be represented by book or electronic entry rather than certificates, such Shares shall be accounted for separately in such book or electronic entry.
(g) Method of Exercise of Option.
(i) General Method of Exercise. Subject to the terms and provisions of the Amended and Restated Plan and the applicable Award Agreement, Options may be exercised in whole or in part from time to time by the delivery of written notice in the manner designated by the Committee stating (1) that the Holder wishes to exercise such Option on the date such notice is so delivered, (2) the number of Shares with respect to which the Option is to be exercised, and (3) the address to which any certificate representing such Shares should be mailed or delivered. Except in the case of exercise by a third party broker as provided below, in order for the notice to be effective the notice must be accompanied by payment of the option price by any combination of the following: (A) cash, certified check, bank draft or postal or express money order for an amount equal to the option price under the Option, (B) an election to make a cashless exercise through a registered broker-dealer (if approved in advance by the Committee or an executive officer of the Company), or (C) any other form of payment which is acceptable to the Committee or provided for in the Award Agreement.
(ii) Exercise Through Third-Party Broker. The Committee may permit a Holder to elect to pay the option price and any applicable tax withholding resulting from such exercise by authorizing a third-party broker to sell all or a portion of the Shares acquired upon the Holder’s exercise of the Option and remit to the Company a sufficient portion of the sale proceeds to pay the option price and any applicable tax withholding resulting from such exercise.
(iii) Options and Stock Appreciation Rights in Substitution for Options Granted by Other Employers. Options and SARs may be granted under the Amended and Restated Plan from time to time in substitution for options held by individuals who become employees, Consultants, or Directors as a result of a merger or consolidation or other business transaction with the Company or any Affiliate. The repricing



prohibitions of Sections VII(e) and XIV shall apply to substitution awards granted pursuant to this Section VII(g).
VIII. RESTRICTED STOCK AWARDS
(a) Forfeiture Restrictions to Be Established by the Committee. Shares that are the subject of a Restricted Stock Award shall be subject to restrictions on disposition by the Participant and an obligation of the Participant to forfeit and surrender the Shares to the Company under certain circumstances (“Forfeiture Restrictions”). The Forfeiture Restrictions shall be determined by the Committee in its sole discretion, and the Committee may provide that the Forfeiture Restrictions shall lapse upon (i) the attainment by the Participant of one or more performance measures established by the Committee, (ii) the Participant’s continued employment or service with the Company or an Affiliate for a specified period of time, or (iii) the occurrence or non-occurrence of any event or the satisfaction of any other condition specified by the Committee in its sole discretion. Each Restricted Stock Award may have different Forfeiture Restrictions, at the discretion of the Committee.
(b) Other Terms and Conditions. Shares awarded pursuant to a Restricted Stock Award shall be represented by (i) a stock certificate registered in the name of the Participant, (ii) book or electronic entry or (iii) any other reasonable alternative form for evidencing or representing the issuance of Common Stock. Unless provided otherwise in an Award Agreement, the Participant shall have the right to vote Common Stock subject thereto and to enjoy all other stockholder rights, except that (A) the Participant shall not be entitled to delivery of a stock certificate until the Forfeiture Restrictions have lapsed, (B) the Company shall retain custody of the Common Stock until the Forfeiture Restrictions have lapsed, (C) the Participant may not sell, transfer, pledge, exchange, hypothecate or otherwise dispose of the Shares until all the Forfeiture Restrictions have lapsed, and (D) a breach of the terms and conditions established by the Committee pursuant to the Award Agreement shall cause a forfeiture of the Restricted Stock Award. At the time of such Award, the Committee may, in its sole discretion, prescribe additional terms, conditions or restrictions relating to Restricted Stock Awards, including rules pertaining to the termination of employment with or service as a Consultant to the Company or an Affiliate or Director (by retirement, Disability, death or otherwise) of a Participant prior to expiration of all the Forfeitures Restrictions. Such additional terms, conditions or restrictions shall be set forth in the Award Agreement made in conjunction with the Award.
(c) Payment for Restricted Stock. The Committee shall determine the amount and form of any payment for Common Stock received pursuant to a Restricted Stock Award, provided that in the absence of such a determination, a Participant shall not be required to make any payment for Common Stock received pursuant to a Restricted Stock Award, except to the extent otherwise required by applicable law.
IX. PERFORMANCE AWARDS
(a) Performance Awards Based Upon Satisfaction of Performance Goals. Subject to the terms and provisions of the Amended and Restated Plan, the Committee, at any time, and from time to time, may grant Performance Awards under the Amended and Restated Plan to eligible individuals in such amounts and upon such terms as the Committee shall determine. The amount of, the vesting and the transferability restrictions applicable to any Performance Award shall be based upon the Participant’s attainment of such Performance Goals as the Committee may determine when a Performance Award is made.
(b) Form of Payment Under Performance Award. Payment made by the Company to the Holder under a Performance Award shall be made in cash or Shares as specified in the Holder’s Award Agreement.
(c) Certification by Committee in Connection with Payment. In connection with the payment of any compensation by the Company to a Holder based on the Participant’s achievement of Performance Goals, the Committee must certify in writing that applicable Performance Goals and any of the material terms thereof were, in fact, satisfied by the Participant.
(d) Time of Payment Under Performance Award. Unless a Performance Award is structured as a current issuance of Shares subject to a risk of forfeiture in the event Performance Goals are not achieved,



payment under a Performance Award shall be made at such time as is specified in the applicable Award Agreement. The Award Agreement shall specify that such payment will be made (i) by a date that is no later than the date that is two and one-half (2 1/2) months after the end of the calendar year in which the Performance Award payment is no longer subject to a Substantial Risk of Forfeiture or (ii) at a time that is permissible under Section 409A.
X. PHANTOM STOCK AWARDS
(a) Phantom Stock Awards. Phantom Stock Awards are rights to receive the value of Shares which vest over a period of time as established by the Committee, without satisfaction of any performance criteria or objectives by the Participant. The Committee may, in its discretion, require payment or other conditions of the Participant respecting any Phantom Stock Award.
(b) Award Period. The Committee shall establish, with respect to and at the time of grant of each Phantom Stock Award, a period over which the Award shall vest with respect to the Participant.
(c) Awards Criteria. In determining the value of Phantom Stock Awards, the Committee shall take into account a Participant’s responsibility level, performance, potential, other Awards, and such other considerations as it deems appropriate.
(d) Payment. Following the end of the vesting period for a Phantom Stock Award (or at such other time as the applicable Phantom Stock Award Agreement may provide), the Holder of a Phantom Stock Award shall be entitled to receive payment of an amount, not exceeding the maximum value of the Phantom Stock Award, based on the then vested value of the Award. Payment of a Phantom Stock Award may be made in cash, Common Stock, or a combination thereof as determined by the Committee.
(e) Termination of Award. A Phantom Stock Award shall terminate if the Participant does not remain continuously in the employ of the Company or an Affiliate or does not continue to perform services as a Consultant or a Director for the Company or an Affiliate at all times during the applicable vesting period, except as may be otherwise determined by the Committee.
XI. STOCK AWARDS
(a) Stock Awards. Stock Awards are rights to receive Shares, which vest immediately, without satisfaction of any performance criteria or objectives by the Participant. The Committee may, in its discretion, require payment, partial payment or other conditions of the Participant respecting any Stock Award.
(b) Awards Criteria. In determining the number of Shares subject to a Stock Award to be granted, the Committee may take into account a Participant’s employment or service responsibility level, performance, potential, other Awards, and such other considerations as the Committee deems appropriate.
(c) Payment. A Participant who receives a Stock Award shall be entitled to receive immediate payment of such Award in Common Stock.
XII. RESTRICTED STOCK AWARDS
(a) RSU Awards. An RSU Award shall be similar in nature to a Restricted Stock Award except that no Shares or cash shall be transferred to the Holder until all the applicable vesting restrictions lapse or performance conditions have been fully satisfied by the Participant. The amount of, and the vesting and the transferability restrictions applicable to, any RSU Award shall be determined by the Committee in its sole discretion. The Committee shall maintain a bookkeeping ledger account which reflects the number of RSUs credited under the Amended and Restated Plan for the benefit of a Holder.
(b) Form of Payment Under RSU Award. Payment under an RSU Award shall be made in cash or Shares as specified in the applicable Award Agreement.



(c) Time of Payment Under RSU Award. Payment to a Holder under an RSU Award shall be made at such time as is specified in the applicable Award Agreement. The Award Agreement shall specify that the payment will be made (i) by a date that is no later than the date that is two and one-half (2 1/2) months after the end of the fiscal year in which the RSU Award payment is no longer subject to a Substantial Risk of Forfeiture, or (ii) at a time that is permissible under Section 409A.
XIII. RECAPITALIZATION; REORGANIZATION AND CORPORATE CHANGES
(a) No Effect on Right or Power. The existence of the Amended and Restated Plan and the Awards granted hereunder shall not affect in any way the right or power of the Board or the stockholders of the Company to make or authorize any adjustment, recapitalization, reorganization or other change in the Company’s or any Affiliate’s capital structure or its business, any merger or consolidation of the Company or any Affiliate, any issue of debt or equity securities ahead of or affecting Common Stock or the rights thereof, the dissolution or liquidation of the Company or any Affiliate or any sale, lease, exchange or other disposition of all or any part of its assets or business or any other corporate act or proceeding, whether of a similar character or otherwise.
(b) Adjustment Clause. In the event of any change in the outstanding Shares of the Company by reason of any stock dividend, split, spinoff, recapitalization, merger, consolidation, combination, extraordinary dividend, exchange of shares or other change affecting the outstanding Shares as a class without the Company’s receipt of consideration, or other equity restructuring of the Company’s equity within the meaning of Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) Accounting Standards Codification (ASC) Topic 718, Stock Compensation (formerly, FASB Statement 123R), adjustments shall be made by the Committee to (i) the terms, class, the number of Shares and/or the exercise price per Share relating to any outstanding Awards, and (ii) the number and class of shares under share limitations set forth in Section V hereof, with such adjustments being appropriate and equitable to prevent dilution or enlargement of rights of Participants; provided, however, that the number of Shares subject to any Award shall always be a whole number. The Committee shall also make appropriate adjustments described in the previous sentence in the event of any distribution by the Company of its assets to stockholders other than a normal cash dividend. Adjustments, if any, and any determination or interpretations, made by the Committee shall be final, binding, and conclusive on all individuals. Conversion of any convertible securities of the Company shall be deemed to have been effected for adequate consideration. Except as expressly provided herein, no issuance by the Company of shares of any class or securities convertible into shares of any class, shall affect, and no adjustment by reason thereof shall be made with respect to, the number or price of Shares subject to an Award. In addition, in the case of any event described in this Section XIII(b), the Committee, in its sole discretion may take any actions under Section XIII(c) below.
(c) Corporate Changes. If a Corporate Change occurs, the Committee, without limitation or the consent or approval of any Participant (subject to any restrictions or limitations in an individual Award Agreement or any other written agreement entered into between the Company and a Participant), shall effect one or more of the following alternatives, as selected by the Committee in its sole discretion, which alternatives may vary among individual Participants and which may vary among Awards held by any individual Participant:
(i) for any award of Options or SARs, either (A) accelerate the time at which the Options and SARs then outstanding may be exercised so that such Options or SARs may be exercised in full for a limited period of time on January 20, 2023, or before a specified date (before or after such Corporate Change) fixed by the Committee, after which specified date all unexercised Options and SARs and all rights of the Participants thereunder shall terminate; or (B) require the mandatory surrender to the Company by all or selected Participants of some or all of the outstanding Options and SARs held by such Participants (irrespective of whether such Awards are then exercisable under the provisions of the Amended and Restated Plan or the applicable Award Agreements) as of a date, before or after such Corporate Change, specified by the Committee, in which event the Committee shall thereupon cancel such Awards and the Company shall pay (or cause to be paid) to each Participant an amount of cash per Share equal to the excess, if any, of the Change in Control Value of the Shares subject to such Option over the exercise price(s) under such Option for such Shares or the grant date values of the SARs with respect to such Shares (provided, however, that such Awards may, in the Committee’s discretion, be cancelled for no consideration if there is no excess amount);



(ii) for any Award, with respect to all or selected Participants, have some or all of their then outstanding Awards (whether vested or unvested) assumed or have a new award of a similar nature substituted for some or all of their then outstanding Awards under the Amended and Restated Plan (whether vested or unvested) by an entity or subsidiary of such entity which is a party to the transaction resulting in such Corporate Change and which is then (or will be upon completion of the Corporate Change transaction) employing, or receiving services as a Consultant from, such Participant or which is (or will be upon completion of the Corporate Change transaction) affiliated or associated with such Participant in the same or a substantially similar manner as the Company prior to the Corporate Change, or a parent or subsidiary of such entity, provided that (A) such assumption or substitution is on a basis where the aggregate Fair Market Value of the Common Stock subject to the Award immediately after the assumption or substitution is equal to the aggregate Fair Market Value of all Common Stock subject to the Award immediately before such assumption or substitution, and (B) the assumed rights under such existing Award or the substituted rights under such new award, as the case may be, will have substantially the same terms and conditions as the rights under the existing Award assumed or substituted for, as the case may be;
(iii) make such adjustments to Awards then outstanding as the Committee deems appropriate to reflect such Corporate Change (provided, however, that the Committee may determine in its sole discretion that no adjustment is necessary to Awards then outstanding), including adjusting an Award to provide that the number and class of Shares covered by such Award shall be adjusted so that such Award shall thereafter cover securities of the surviving or acquiring corporation or other property (including cash) as determined by the Committee in its sole discretion; or
(iv) except as otherwise provided in Section XV(h) or an Award Agreement, then, in addition to the foregoing provisions of this Section XIII(c), upon the occurrence of a Corporate Change, the Committee, acting in its sole discretion without the consent or approval of any Participant, may require the mandatory surrender to the Company by Participants selected by the Committee of some or all of the outstanding Awards, as of a date, before or after such Corporate Change, specified by the Committee, in which event the Committee shall thereupon cancel such Awards and the Company shall pay (or cause to be paid) to each Participant an amount of cash equal to the maximum value of such Award which, in the event the applicable performance or vesting period set forth in such Award has not been completed, shall be multiplied by a fraction, the numerator of which is the number of days during the period beginning on the first day of the applicable performance or vesting period and ending on the date of the surrender, and the denominator of which is the aggregate number of days in the applicable performance or vesting period.
(d) Other Changes in the Common Stock. In the event of changes in the outstanding Common Stock by reason of recapitalizations, reorganizations, mergers, consolidations, combinations, split-ups, split-offs, spin-offs, exchanges or other relevant changes in capitalization of the Company or distributions made by the Company to the holders of Common Stock occurring after the date of the grant of any Award and not otherwise provided for by this Section XIII, such Award and any agreement evidencing such Award shall be subject to adjustment by the Committee at its sole discretion as to the number, kind and price of Shares or other consideration subject to such Award. In the event of any such change in the outstanding Common Stock or distribution to the holders of Common Stock, the aggregate number of Shares then available for issuance under the Amended and Restated Plan under Section V(a) may be appropriately adjusted by the Committee, whose determination shall be conclusive.
(e) Section 409A Limitations. The following provisions shall apply with respect to any action taken under this Section XIII:
(i) any adjustments made to Awards that are considered “deferred compensation” within the meaning of Section 409A shall be made in compliance with the requirements of Section 409A unless the Participant consents otherwise;
(ii) any adjustments made to Awards, including Options or SARs, that are not considered “deferred compensation” subject to Section 409A shall be made in such a manner as to ensure that after such adjustment,



the Awards either continue not to be subject to Section 409A or comply with the requirements of Section 409A unless the Participant consents otherwise; and
(iii) in any circumstance or transaction in which compensation resulting from or in respect of an Award would result in the imposition of an additional tax under Section 409A if the Amended and Restated Plan’s definition of “Corporate Change” were to apply, but would not result in the imposition of any additional tax if the term “Corporate Change” were defined herein to mean a “change in control event” within the meaning of Treasury Regulation Section 1.409A-3(i)(5), then “Corporate Change” shall mean a “change in control event” within the meaning of Treasury Regulation Section 1.409A-3(i)(5), but only to the extent necessary to prevent such compensation from becoming subject to an additional tax under Section 409A.
(f) No Adjustments Unless Otherwise Provided. Except as hereinbefore expressly provided, the issuance by the Company of shares of its capital stock of any class or securities convertible into shares of stock of any class, for cash, property, labor or services, upon direct sale, upon the exercise of rights or warrants to subscribe therefor, or upon conversion of shares or obligations of the Company convertible into such shares or other securities, and in any case whether or not for fair value, shall not affect, and no adjustment by reason thereof shall be made with respect to, the number of Shares subject to Awards theretofore granted or the purchase price per share, if applicable.
XIV. AMENDMENT AND TERMINATION OF THE PLAN
The Board in its discretion may terminate the Amended and Restated Plan at any adjournmenttime with respect to any Shares for which Awards have not theretofore been granted. The Board shall have the right to alter or postponement thereof.

THIS PROXY WHEN PROPERLY EXECUTED WILL BE VOTED AS INDICATED. IF NO CONTRARY INDICATION IS MADE, THE PROXY WILL BE VOTED IN FAVOR OF PROPOSAL 1 AND PROPOSAL 2, AND IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE JUDGMENT OF THE PERSONS NAMED AS PROXY HEREIN ON ANY OTHER MATTERS THAT MAY PROPERLY COME BEFORE THE SPECIAL MEETING. THIS PROXY IS SOLICITED ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS.

(Continuedamend the Amended and Restated Plan or any part thereof from time to time; provided that no change in the Amended and Restated Plan may be made that would impair the rights of a Participant with respect to an Award theretofore granted without the consent of the Participant, and provided, further, that the Board may not, without approval of the stockholders of the Company, (a) amend the Amended and Restated Plan to increase the maximum aggregate number of Shares that may be issued under the Amended and Restated Plan or change the class of individuals eligible to receive Awards under the Amended and Restated Plan, or (b) amend or eliminate Section VII(e).

XV. MISCELLANEOUS
(a) No Right to An Award. Neither the adoption of the Amended and Restated Plan nor any action of the Board or of the Committee shall be deemed to give any individual any right to be marked, datedgranted an Award or any other rights hereunder except as may be evidenced by an Award Agreement duly executed on behalf of the Company, and signedthen only to the extent and on the terms and conditions expressly set forth therein.
(b) Unfunded Plan. The Plan is and shall be unfunded. The Company shall not be required to establish any special or separate fund or to make any other side)

segregation of its or any Affiliate’s funds or assets to assure the performance of its obligations under any Award.

(c) No Employment/Membership Rights Conferred. Nothing contained in the Plan shall (i) confer upon any employee or Consultant any right with respect to continuation of employment or of a consulting or advisory relationship with the Company or any Affiliate or (ii) interfere in any way with the right of the Company or any Affiliate to terminate his or her employment or consulting or advisory relationship at any time. Nothing contained in the Plan shall confer upon any Director any right with respect to continuation of membership on the Board.
(d) Other Laws. The Company shall not be obligated to issue any Common Stock pursuant to any Award granted under the Plan at any time when the Shares covered by such Award have not been registered under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and such other state and federal laws, rules and regulations as the Company or the Committee deems applicable and, in the opinion of legal counsel for the Company, there is no exemption from the registration requirements of such laws, rules and regulations available for the issuance and sale of such Shares.



(e) No Fractional Shares. No fractional Shares shall be delivered by the Company to any Participant, nor shall any cash in lieu of fractional Shares be paid by the Company to any Participant.
(f) Withholding. The Company or any Affiliate shall be entitled to deduct from any other compensation payable to each Holder any sums required by federal, state, local or foreign tax law to be withheld with respect to an Award including the vesting or exercise of an Award. Alternatively, the Company or any Affiliate may require the Holder (or other person validly exercising the Award on behalf of a Holder) to pay such sums for taxes directly to the Company or Affiliate in cash or by check upon the vesting or exercise. Alternatively, in the discretion of the Committee, the Company may reduce the number of Shares issued to the Holder upon the exercise or vesting of a Holder’s Award to satisfy the tax withholding obligations of the Company or an Affiliate. The Holder may make alternative arrangements satisfactory to the Company, as determined in the Committee’s discretion, for the satisfaction of any tax obligations that arise by reason of any such payment or distribution. The Committee may, in its discretion, allow a Holder to use Mature Shares to satisfy the Company’s or Affiliate’s tax withholding obligations with respect to an Award. The Committee may provide for alternative means of satisfying any tax obligations in the Award Agreement. The Company shall have no obligation upon vesting or exercise of any Award until the Company or an Affiliate has received payment sufficient to satisfy the Company’s or Affiliate’s tax withholding obligations with respect to that vesting or exercise. Neither the Company nor any Affiliate shall be obligated to advise a Holder of the existence of the tax or the amount which it will be required to withhold.
(g) No Restriction on Corporate Action. Nothing contained in the Plan shall be construed to prevent the Company or any Affiliate from taking any action which is deemed by the Company or such Affiliate to be appropriate or in its best interest, whether or not such action would have an adverse effect on the Amended and Restated Plan or any Award made under the Amended and Restated Plan. No Participant, beneficiary of a Participant, or other person shall have any claim against the Company or any Affiliate as a result of any such action.
(h) Restrictions on Transfer. An Award (other than an Incentive Stock Option, which shall be subject to the transfer restrictions set forth in Section VII(c)) shall not be transferable by a Holder otherwise than (i) by will or the laws of descent and distribution, (ii) pursuant to a qualified domestic relations order (as defined by the Code, or the rules thereunder) binding upon a Participant, (iii) with respect to Awards of Options which do not constitute Incentive Stock Options, if such transfer is permitted in the sole discretion of the Committee, by transfer by a Participant to a member of the Participant’s Immediate Family, to a trust solely for the benefit of the Participant and the Participant’s Immediate Family, or to a partnership or limited liability company whose only partners or members, as applicable, are the Participant and members of the Participant’s Immediately Family, or (iv) with the prior written consent of the Committee; provided, however, no Award shall be transferred for value by a Participant without the approval of the Company’s stockholders.
(i) Exemptions from Section 16(b) Liability. It is the intent of the Company that the grant of any Awards to or other transaction by a Participant who is subject to section 16 of the Exchange Act shall be exempt from such section pursuant to an applicable exemption (except for transactions acknowledged in writing to be non-exempt by such Participant). Accordingly, if any provision of this Amended and Restated Plan or any Award Agreement does not comply with the requirements of Rule 16b-3 as then applicable to any such transaction, such provision shall be construed or deemed amended to the extent necessary to conform to the applicable requirements of Rule 16b-3 so that such Participant shall avoid liability under section 16(b) of the Exchange Act.
(j) Compliance With Section 409A. Awards shall be designed, granted and administered in such a manner that they are either exempt from the application of, or comply with, the requirements of Section 409A. Each Award Agreement for an Award that is intended to comply with the requirements of Section 409A shall be construed and interpreted in accordance with such intention. If the Committee determines that an Award, an Award Agreement, payment, distribution, deferral election, transaction, or any other action or arrangement contemplated by the provisions of the Amended and Restated Plan would, if undertaken or implemented, cause a Holder to become subject to additional taxes under Section 409A, then unless the Committee specifically provides otherwise, such Award, Award Agreement, payment, distribution, deferral election, transaction or



other action or arrangement shall not be given effect to the extent it causes such result and the related provisions of the Amended and Restated Plan or Award Agreement will be deemed modified, or, if necessary, suspended in order to comply with the requirements of Section 409A to the extent determined appropriate by the Committee, in each case without the consent of or notice from the Company to the Holder. The exercisability of an Option shall not be extended to the extent that such extension would subject the Holder to additional taxes under Section 409A.
(k) Restrictions. If the Committee imposes vesting or transferability restrictions on a Holder’s rights with respect to an Award, the Committee may issue such instructions to the Company’s stock transfer agent in connection therewith as it deems appropriate. The Committee may also cause the certificate for Shares issued pursuant to an Award to be imprinted with any legend which counsel for the Company considers advisable with respect to the restrictions or, should the Shares be represented by book or electronic entry rather than a certificate, the Company may take such steps to restrict transfer of the Shares as counsel for the Company considers necessary or advisable to comply with applicable law.
(l) Rights As a Stockholder. Subject to the terms and conditions of the Amended and Restated Plan and the applicable Award Agreements, each Holder of an Award shall have all the rights of a stockholder with respect to Shares issued to the Holder pursuant to the Award during any period in which such issued Shares are subject to forfeiture and restrictions on transfer, including the right to vote such Shares. In no event shall a Holder have any rights of a stockholder of the Company with respect to an Award before Shares are issued to the Holder pursuant to the Award.
(m) Recoupment. All Awards granted under the Plan will be subject to recoupment in accordance with any recoupment policy that the Company has adopted or adopts or is required by applicable law including (i) pursuant to the requirements of the listing standards of any national securities exchange or association on which the Company’s securities are listed or as is otherwise required by the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act of 2010, as amended, or other applicable law, or (ii) that otherwise imposes recoupment provisions in the event of (1) a restatement by the Company of its financial statements, or (2) misconduct that causes financial or reputational harm to the Company.
(n) Individuals Residing Outside of the United States. Notwithstanding any provision of the Amended and Restated Plan to the contrary, in order to comply with the laws in other countries in which the Company or any of its Affiliates operates or has employees, the Committee, in its sole discretion, shall have the power and authority to (i) determine which Affiliates shall be covered by the Amended and Restated Plan; (ii) determine which individuals employed or hired outside the United States are eligible to participate in the Amended and Restated Plan; (iii) amend or vary the terms and provisions of the Amended and Restated Plan and the terms and conditions of any Award granted to individuals who reside outside the United States; (iv) establish subplans and modify exercise procedures and other terms and procedures to the extent such actions may be necessary or advisable (and any subplans and modifications to Amended and Restated Plan terms and procedures established under this Section XV(l) by the Committee shall be attached to the Amended and Restated Plan document as Appendices); and (v) take any action, before or after an Award is made, that it deems advisable to obtain or comply with any necessary local government regulatory exemptions or approvals. Notwithstanding the above, the Committee may not take any actions hereunder, and no Awards shall be granted, that would violate the 1934 Act, the Code, any securities law or governing statute or any other applicable law.
(o) Right of Offset. The Company will have the right to offset against its obligation to deliver to a Participant any Shares (or other property, including cash) under the Amended and Restated Plan or any Award Agreement any outstanding amounts (including, without limitation, travel and entertainment or advance account balances, loans, repayment obligations under any Awards, or amounts repayable by such Participant to the Company or any Affiliate pursuant to tax equalization, housing, automobile or other employee programs) that the Participant then owes to the Company or any Affiliate and any amounts the Committee otherwise deems appropriate pursuant to any tax equalization policy or agreement; provided, however, that no such offset shall be permitted if it would constitute an “acceleration” of a payment hereunder within the meaning of Section 409A. This right of offset shall not be an exclusive remedy and the Company’s election not to exercise the right of offset with respect to any amount payable to a Participant shall not constitute a waiver of this right of offset



with respect to any other amount payable to the Participant by the Company or any Affiliate or any other right or remedy of the Company or any Affiliate.
(p) Electronic Delivery and Signatures. Any reference in an Award Agreement or the Amended and Restated Plan to a written document includes without limitation any document delivered electronically or posted on the Company’s or an Affiliate’s intranet or other shared electronic medium controlled by the Company or an Affiliate. The Committee and any Participant may use facsimile, PDF or other electronic signatures in signing any Award or Award Agreement, in exercising any Option or Stock Appreciation Right, or in any other written document in the Amended and Restated Plan’s administration. The Committee and each Participant are bound by facsimile, PDF and other electronic signatures, and acknowledge that the other party relies on facsimile and PDF signatures.
(q) No Guarantee of Tax Treatment. Notwithstanding anything herein to the contrary, a Participant shall be solely responsible for the taxes imposed on such Participant relating to the grant or vesting of, or payment pursuant to, any Award, and none of the Company, any Affiliate, the Board or the Committee (or any of their respective members, officers or employees) guarantees any particular tax treatment with respect to any Award.
(r) Governing Law. The Amended and Restated Plan shall be governed by, and construed solely in accordance with, the laws of the State of Delaware, without regard to conflicts of laws principles thereof or the application of any law of any other jurisdiction.
(s) Interpretation. The term “including” means “including without limitation.” The term “or” means “and/or” unless clearly indicated otherwise. The term “vest” includes the lapse of restrictions on Awards, including Forfeiture Restrictions. Reference herein to a “Section” shall be to a section of the Amended and Restated Plan unless indicated otherwise.




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