M&A Issues
Search the solutions to practice valuation; study the methods of purchase and sale, merger and aquisition. Understand the essentials of due diligence.
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RIA Buyers Say Slow Growers Must Prove Deal Will Boost Production
Added on April 2026 in M&A Issues
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Summary: Registered investment advisor buyers and consultants gave slow-growth firms looking to sell hope of landing strong valuations during panels at RIA Edge Nashville this week.
RIA Sellers Seek to Mitigate Market Impact on Payout Potential
Added on April 2026 in M&A Issues
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Summary: Until recently, principal advisors selling their firms were happy to include anticipated future market returns when modelling revenue-based earn-outs.
Consolidators fuel RIA recruiting boom
Added on March 2026 in M&A Issues
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Summary: Independent RIAs have become the fastest-growing advisor channel as consolidators, equity incentives, and tax-efficient deal structures reshape recruiting – and expose growing tensions around career paths, ownership, and scale.
RIA M&A 'on fire' as 2025 dealmaking momentum drives new records: Devoe
Added on October 2025 in M&A Issues
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Summary: RIA merger and acquisition activity has reached unprecedented heights in 2025, with the third quarter closing at 94 transactions – the highest quarterly total ever recorded, according to the latest DeVoe & Company RIA Deal Book.
Biggest Quarter Ever for RIA Deals: DeVoe
Added on October 2025 in M&A Issues
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Summary: RIA mergers and acquisitions set a quarterly record with 94 transactions in the July-to-September period, surpassing the previous high of 81 in the 2024 fourth quarter, DeVoe & Co. reported Wednesday.
WMIQ Research: Advisory Firm M&A Momentum Continues Strong in 2025
Added on August 2025 in M&A Issues
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Summary: According to a recent study, conducted by Wealth Management IQ in partnership with United Planners, the advisory firm M&A landscape remains robust in 2025. This survey shows how firms are heavily focused on inorganic growth strategies despite market volatility. Though the majority of firms report increased valuations over the past year the projections show optimistic growth to continue in 2025.
Wall Street recruiters say market's meltdown not hurting hiring
Added on March 2025 in M&A Issues
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Summary: Back in January of this year when stocks were charging upwards and the sky seemed the limit, hiring expectations in the financial services industry remained, well, sky high. But what about now? Has the employment outlook changed at all since the market’s March reversal? Wall Street job hoppers - and seekers - need to know.
These Two 'Dealbreakers' Mean It's Time to Find a New Firm: Consultant
Added on March 2025 in M&A Issues
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Summary: Shelby Nicholl, an independent consultant working with financial advisors and wealth planners aiming to change firms, suggests several questions they should ask themselves when considering a switch.
The Changing Nature of M&A in the RIA Space
Added on November 2024 in M&A Issues
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Summary: As the wealth management industry evolves, mid-sized firms must actively participate in consolidation activity, transforming the space and looking for strategic opportunities to add scale and talent to ensure future success. From a seller’s standpoint, financial advisors may want to consider a mid-sized firm that has a similar service mindset, set of core values and culture that they have cultivated over the years.
Before M&A, consider 'process and culture'
Added on November 2024 in M&A Issues
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Summary: Next Tuesday, industry leaders and RIAs will gather under one roof in southern California to explore scalable growth strategies and some of the latest trends in wealth management, including how to better manage a practice.
How To Sell Your RIA To Grow Your RIA
Added on October 2024 in M&A Issues
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Summary: M&A activity among RIAs is solid and likely to continue. Demographics play a role, as many advisors are getting older and looking for a profitable exit. Private equity sees a way to upsell an industry by aggregating RIAs and selling them for a more significant multiple. For various reasons, there is a window for you to get a substantial return on your RIA. But it is just that, a window. The complication is that many advisors who want to grow their practices and are considering selling to facilitate accomplishing this goal will be very disappointed with the outcomes.
RIA M&A market remains red hot, says Dynasty Financial CEO
Added on October 2024 in M&A Issues
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Summary: Dynasty Financial Partners CEO Shirl Penney explains why now is a good time to sell a wealth management practice.
How I'm Setting Up Generation Alpha for Financial Success
Added on April 2024 in M&A Issues
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Summary: Generation Alpha–born from the early 2010s to the mid-2020s–will be the largest and most connected generation in history. Plus, their economic footprint is expected to wield as much spending power as Millennials and Gen Z combined, by the year 2029.
There's a New 'Middle Market' in RIA M&A
Added on March 2024 in M&A Issues
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Summary: The registered investment advisor market hit an inflection point for mergers and acquisitions in 2023, as the largest RIA platforms got even bigger, with some approaching $500 billion in assets and many bringing on outside capital to accelerate organic and inorganic growth. The industry “saw the shift from a gold rush mentality to an institutional arms race,” according to a new report from management consulting and transaction advisory firm Advisor Growth Strategies.
The intricacies of integrating RIAs
Added on March 2024 in M&A Issues
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Summary: Dave Welling, Mercer Advisors’ CEO, says the key to succeeding at RIA M&A is what happens after the deal has been struck.
8 Ways to Blow a Good M&A Deal
Added on March 2024 in M&A Issues
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Summary: Mergers and acquisitions are a key part of many fast-growing advisory firms’ strategies, with deals big and small getting a lot of attention from researchers, commentators and journalists alike.
The Trends Driving 2024 RIA Dealmaking, in 5 Charts
Added on February 2024 in M&A Issues
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Summary: The volume of RIA mergers and acquisitions dropped last year after a decade of robust acceleration, DeVoe & Co. notes in a new survey.
RIAs Aren't Growing, and It's a Problem We Need to Fix
Added on February 2024 in M&A Issues
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Summary: The wealth management industry is much different today than what many independent financial advisors got used to over the last decade.
WMIQ: Navigating the Current RIA M&A Market
Added on February 2024 in M&A Issues
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Summary: Despite a decline in M&A activity in 2023, 77% of wealth management firms expect to do a deal by the end of this year, according to a MarshBerry and WMIQ survey.
2024: The Year of the Creative RIA Deal
Added on January 2024 in M&A Issues
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Summary: Dealmakers in the registered investment advisory space are expected to get more creative in structuring transactions next year, according to industry-focused transaction advisory firm Advisor Growth Strategies.
MarketCounsel Summit Zooms in on RIA Growth
Added on December 2023 in M&A Issues
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Summary: “Operational complexity is the No. 1 reason that advisors are selling today,” he said. “What was once a collegial environment in the industry is no longer, as firms are fighting for a limited talent pool.”
'One Shot To Get It Right' When Scrutinizing Potential Buyers
Added on November 2023 in M&A Issues
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Summary: Recently we examined factors for such life-changing advisor business decisions as leaving a wirehouse and affiliating with new partners. An equally major step that many advisors take each year is finding a buyer for an M&A transaction.
Prospera to Buy Advisor Practices
Added on November 2023 in M&A Issues
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Summary: Prospera Financial Services has formalized its suite of succession planning resources to help older advisors monetize their businesses and younger advisors acquire practices or become successors.
No jerks and lots of capital: M&A tips at Schwab Impact
Added on October 2023 in M&A Issues
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Summary: The contracts are signed, the champagne glasses have been clinked, and the deal to sell your RIA is done. Still, an owner of a registered investment advisor may have lingering doubts about selling his or her firm.
Some potential RIA buyers know they missed the boat: Larry Roth
Added on October 2023 in M&A Issues
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Summary: As the former chief executive of Advisor Group and Cetera Financial Group, Roth ran giant broker-dealer networks during the financial crisis and the bull run in the stock market that materialized afterwards. He’s now managing partner of his own consulting firm, RLR Strategic Partners, and a member of the board of Oppenheimer & Co. Inc., as well as holding other positions in the industry.
Merger Rules Get Tougher in Crackdown by Antitrust Enforcers
Added on July 2023 in M&A Issues
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Summary: U.S. antitrust agencies stepped up the Biden administration’s crackdown on mergers and acquisitions with a sweeping overhaul of rules the government uses to determine whether deals violate competition law.
RIA M&A stumbles in the second quarter
Added on July 2023 in M&A Issues
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Summary: Merger and acquisition activity involving registered investment advisors saw a slight dip during the second quarter even as private equity investors continue to influence deal volume and valuations.
Avoiding Costly M&A Mistakes While Driving Inorganic Growth
Added on June 2023 in M&A Issues
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Summary: Greater waves of Americans needing professional financial guidance, combined with a rising shortage of financial advisors, create an unprecedented opportunity for independent wealth managers to grow their businesses—and in the process, create enduring value for their own families in the process.
M&A involving advisory firms must be about more than money
Added on June 2023 in M&A Issues
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Summary: Mergers and acquisitions aren't about aggregation, they're 'about integration,' says Brandon Kawal of Advisor Growth Strategies.
RIA Edge Panel: M&A Is Evolving but 'Here to Stay'
Added on June 2023 in M&A Issues
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Summary: While fluctuating capital markets may have caused buyers to become more selective, the talk of slowing RIA M&A activity has been overexaggerated, and valuations remain high for growing firms, said panelists at the RIA Edge conference last week.
Continued RIA M&A Is One Certainty In An Uncertain Market
Added on May 2023 in M&A Issues
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Summary: Most investors suffered a stomach-churning rollercoaster ride last year as market uncertainty ruled the day. But what was happening to client portfolios did little to affect the appetites of either buyers or sellers in the RIA space. When it came to merger and acquisition (M&A) activity among RIA firms, 2022 was a year of more of the same. Only more so, as new records were set in terms of volume and multiples.
Strategic Acquirers with 'Strong Pipelines' in Wealth Management M&A: Fidelity
Added on May 2023 in M&A Issues
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Summary: The wealth management space is set for more mergers and acquisitions thanks to strong pipelines reported by strategic acquirers, as private equity continues playing a major role, according to a recent report.
RIA Edge Podcast: The Evolution of RIA M&A With Focus Financial's Rajini Kodialam
Added on May 2023 in M&A Issues
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Summary: Rajini Kodialam, Focus Financial's co-founder and chief operating officer, discusses the M&A opportunities that exist today for RIAs.
Three Active RIA Acquirers on What It Costs to Create a 'Profitable' Deal
Added on February 2023 in M&A Issues
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Summary: It’s important for a registered investment advisor to hire the right lawyer when selling their firm—but there are little more than a handful in the U.S. who have the specialization. An investment banker may not be necessary to succeed in a transaction—but it’s increasingly far better to have one. And don’t forget to reward support staff through the post-sale integration process—they are, after all, doing all the heavy lifting.
As RIA Industry Matures, M&A Is Here To Stay
Added on February 2023 in M&A Issues
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Summary: John Furey is the Founder and Managing Partner of Advisor Growth Strategies (AGS), the firm he launched in 2009 to help business owners advance their financial advisory firms. Since the inception of AGS, John has worked with over 300 firms representing $400+ billion in investable assets. AGS has been trusted to help with some of the most important strategic decisions in the lifecycle of advisory including structuring new entities, optimizing business performance, and transaction advisory (M&A).
RIA Edge Roundup: No Holiday for RIA M&A
Added on January 2023 in M&A Issues
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Summary: In the first week of the new year, active acquirers in the registered investment advisor space announced a spate of new transactions. Some got done last year, but others closed this week or are slated for this quarter. Not a comprehensive list, these deals may indicate the RIA M&A market will remain vigorous in 2023
4 keys to preparing your firm for a transaction
Added on December 2022 in M&A Issues
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Summary: Even if you have no plans to sell, taking these steps will mean you're running a better business.
Selling Your Firm? Here's What M&A Suitors Want
Added on December 2022 in M&A Issues
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Summary: With the market for mergers and acquisitions drying up, registered investment advisors seeking to sell their practice should spend time shining it up first, industry executives say.
Three Active RIA Acquirers on What It Costs to Create a 'Profitable' Deal
Added on November 2022 in M&A Issues
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Summary: It’s important for a registered investment advisor to hire the right lawyer when selling their firm—but there are little more than a handful in the U.S. who have the specialization. An investment banker may not be necessary to succeed in a transaction—but it’s increasingly far better to have one. And don’t forget to reward support staff through the post-sale integration process—they are, after all, doing all the heavy lifting.
RIA Edge Podcast: Raj Bhattacharyya: The State of Play in RIA M&A
Added on November 2022 in M&A Issues
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Summary: Robertson Stephens', CEO Raj Bhattacharyya, discusses the latest trends in the M&A market and how an increase in deals within the past year might impact the future needs and wants of buyers,
Deals and Dealmakers: An M&A Deep Dive
Added on September 2022 in M&A Issues
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Summary; Echelon Partners’ 10th Deals and Dealmakers Summit, reprised at San Diego’s Intercontinental Hotel after two pandemic postponements, offered attendees a deep dive into mergers and acquisitions in wealth management with a curated group of respected colleagues, potential partners and industry leaders from adjacent professions boasting a range of relevant expertise.
How Smaller RIAs Can Compete in Today's Cutthroat M&A Game
Added on August 2022 in M&A Issues
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Summary: How can smaller RIAs compete against the deep-pocketed serial acquirers that dominate the brutally competitive mergers and acquisitions market?
Historic Q2 RIA M&A Volume Likely to Result in Another Record Year
Added on July 2022 in M&A Issues
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Summary: The latest Echelon Partners RIA M&A report shows that transactions have slowed and deal sizes are smaller relative to the end of 2021, but 2022 is still on track to be another record-breaking year.
M&A Players Call the Top for RIA Valuations
Added on April 2022 in M&A Issues
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Summary: Valuations for RIA firms are flattening, but the war for talent is on the rise, say two of the largest RIAs in a virtual discussion with consultant Advisor Growth Strategies.
RIA Valuation Growth in M&A Deals Slows; Buyers Picky
Added on April 2022 in M&A Issues
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Summary: Registered investment advisor firms that want to sell are going to have to work harder to make themselves stand out, according to a recent report.
Here's what private equity funds see in RIAs
Added on March 2022 in M&A Issues
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Summary: RIAs today might see private equity as a bottomless reservoir of cash, but PE funds weren’t always so eager to dish money out to fiduciary wealth managers.
Feeling the Urge to Sell Your RIA? Consider These 3 Factors First.
Added on March 2022 in M&A Issues
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Summary: It’s not surprising, given that RIA merger and acquisition activity had another record-breaking year last year, with 242 transactions, according to DeVoe & Company, a provider of consulting, M&A, and valuation services to wealth management firms. That’s up 52% from 2020, when 159 transactions were completed, DeVoe data show.
The Important Role Talent Plays in M&A Transactions
Added on March 2022 in M&A Issues
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Summary: For buyers and sellers, highlighting the talent up and down the organization is a powerful way to stand out among competitors.
Why RIAs should look at PE the way PE looks at RIAs
Added on February 2022 in M&A Issues
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Summary: As private equity pours cash into wealth management, financial advisers should be exposing clients to private equity investments.
RIA Edge Workshop: Brandon Kawal on Why Valuation Levels Have Increased for High-Quality RIA Firms
Added on February 2022 in M&A Issues
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Summary: [video] Advisor Growth Strategies' Brandon Kawal details why RIA valuation levels are rising.
