Private equity proceeds into real estate tax free?

[Jon Blackburn]

I’ve seen some posts on using stock proceeds, without a tax hit, to invest in real estate. I can’t tell if my situation is different, though, so thought I’d ask. My employer gave me shares of company stock (company is owned by private equity firm, not publicly traded). When the company is sold to another firm, I’ll receive the value of the stock. I’ve never been through this before...is my capital gain the entire sum of money since I’ve invested none of my own funds? Is there a way to invest all/most of the money into investment properties and delay paying taxes? I’ll obviously consult a tax professional soon, but figure others on BP may have crossed this bridge already!