We examine M&A transactions between firms with current board connections and findthat acquirers obtain higher announcement returns in transactions with a first-degreeconnection where the acquirer and the target share a common director. Acquirerreturns are also higher in transactions with a second-degree connection where oneacquirer director and one target director serve on the same third board. Our resultssuggest that first-degree connections benefit acquirers with lower takeover premiumswhile second-degree connections benefit acquirers with greater value creation. Overall,we provide new evidence that board connectedness plays important roles in corporateinvestments and leads to greater value creation.