Louis Diamond Quoted – By Charles Paikert, Barron’s – For owners of advisory firms considering entering the current M&A market for RIAs, it’s a good time to be a seller. Echelon Partners, an RIA consulting firm, recorded 205 transactions in 2020, a record high for the industry. That frenzied pace has continued this year, as demand for RIAs far outstrips supply: Investment bankers report one seller can attract as many as 20 or 30 interested buyers.
Many advisors wonder whether their business value can be maximized under a brokerage umbrella. Louis Diamond shares 3 valuation scenarios, as well as sheds light on why so many advisors choose to go independent on the back 9 of their careers.
By Mindy Diamond, Forbes.com – For employee advisors who are taking a “bigger picture look” at their business, here are 3 valuation scenarios to consider that can help you determine if where you are currently practicing will allow you to maximize value at the end of the day.
Louis Diamond Quoted – By Ian Wenik, CityWire – Captrust’s decision to sell a 25% stake to private equity firm GTCR may mark the start of a new era for both itself and for private equity investment in the RIA industry. The valuation — $1.25bn — may help set a new bar for investors in the RIA space. United Capital netted $750m in cash when it sold itself to Goldman Sachs in 2019.
Matt Crow, President of Mercer Capital, a leading authority on firm valuations in the wealth management space, shares his perspective on the future of valuations, M&A and potential changes in the RIA space as a result of the COVID-19 crisis.
By Louis Diamond, Citywire – We are in the midst of a seller’s market, with announcements of mergers and acquisitions (M&A) continuing to dominate the headlines. In the first half of 2019, Fidelity Clearing and Custody Solutions reported 73 M&A transactions. Of those, 67 were RIA deals worth a total of $69.5 billion in assets, and six were independent broker-dealer transactions weighing in at $391 billion. What’s more, movement out of the traditional brokerage world has continued to accelerate.
Louis Diamond Quoted – By Garrett Keyes, Financial Advisor IQ – The market for RIA M&A is more active than ever, pundits say. In the second quarter of this year, more transactions were executed than in any quarter before, a DeVoe and Company study shows. But the number of deals isn’t the only record-breaking statistic. Valuations in RIA mergers are the highest they have ever been and have reached levels DeVoe founder David DeVoe has “not seen during the 16 years [he has] focused on RIA M&A,” the study reads.
Louis Diamond Quoted – By Jason Bisnoff and James Connington, Fund Intelligence – Mercer Global Advisors, one of the most active acquirers in the registered investment adviser channel, is reportedly on the chopping block itself with private equity owner Genstar Capital taking bids. The firm has more than $16bn in assets under management, a figure that is set to grow by around $1bn by Q4 due to five deals currently in the pipeline, Fund Intelligence can reveal.
By Louis Diamond – The reality is that we are in the midst of a “seller’s market”, and as such, there are plenty of firms that would benefit from M&A, yet the fact remains that many of these potential sellers don’t really have a clear picture of how much their businesses are worth, let alone the benefits they may gain from a merger or acquisition. Whether an advisor is the owner of his own firm or an employee at a major brokerage firm, these 7 areas provide key markers that drive enterprise value.
