TRANSITION TALK

Mergers - A Nontraditional Growth & Acquisition Strategy

Posted by FP Transitions on Nov 6, 2023 9:00:00 AM

Blog Banner Refresh Mergers - A Nontraditional Growth & Acquisition Strategy (1)

Mergers & Acquisitions – everyone’s favorite topic. Understandably so when one of the fastest ways to grow is to acquire and as such, add exponentially more clients (and assets) to your business in one fell swoop.

But what about mergers? Mergers are often lumped in with conversations and statistics about acquisitions, but their role and effect on an advisor’s future is much different than an outright sale or purchase. In our book, “Buying, Selling, and Valuing Practices – The M&A Guide,” FP Transitions’ president, David Grau Sr., JD, clarifies that mergers are, legally speaking, “the joining together of previously separate companies into a single entity.” Unlike an acquisition or sale, a merger means that some or all of the owners of the previously separate companies become owners of the post-merger entity. 

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Topics: Selling Your Practice, Acquisition, Business Growth, M&A, Buying & Selling, Mergers

Why Your Next-Gen Stakeholders Should Be a Part of Your M&A Discussions - M&A Playbook

Posted by James Fisher, JD on Aug 31, 2023 10:21:49 AM

In this episode of the M&A playbook, James Fisher, JD, VP of M&A and Principal at FP Transitions, shares why your leading next-gen talent should be included in your decisions to buy, sell, or merge your business. As future leaders and owners of your business, you should consider their opinions and priorities for the future of the business.

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Topics: Acquisition, Buying & Selling, Mergers, Next Generation

Price, Not Value, Is a Product of Negotiation

Posted by FP Transitions on Jul 24, 2023 9:00:00 AM

Blog Banner - Price, Not Value, is a Product of Negotiation

Price is usually the most difficult hurdle for buyers and sellers to overcome. The value of a business is different for each party participating in a transaction and is based on opinion and the specific set of circumstances for each individual. Price, on the other hand, is the number at which the transaction is executed. Yes, value informs price, but it is not the only influencer. Price is also the result of good faith negotiations between buyer and seller. While negotiation does not necessarily impact each party’s perception of value, it allows for dialogue so that both sides arrive at a price where the value for each individual overlaps and a mutually beneficial deal can be struck.

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Topics: Selling Your Practice, Acquisition, M&A, Business Value, Deal Structure, Buying & Selling, Mergers

Avoiding Deal Fatigue - FPT M&A Playbook

Posted by James Fisher, JD on May 15, 2023 9:30:00 AM

In this M&A Playbook episode James Fisher, JD, VP of M&A and Principal at FP Transitions, shares insight on one of the biggest threats to your transaction–deal fatigue.

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Topics: Acquisition, Deal Structure, Buying & Selling, Mergers

A Market Update from James Fisher, JD - FPT M&A Playbook

Posted by James Fisher, JD on May 3, 2023 5:19:24 PM

In this episode of the FP Transitions M&A Playbook, James Fisher, JD, VP of M&A, shares a timely update of M&A activity and trends.

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Topics: Acquisition, Buying & Selling, Mergers

Surviving Deal Fatigue

Posted by FP Transitions on Jun 28, 2022 9:30:00 AM

Surviving Deal Fatigue

Despite the continued surge of wealth management M&A activity, one surprising fact remains: most of these market participants are engaging in a transaction for the very first time.  While there are aggregators and larger RIAs that will continue to build up their business through strategic acquisitions, the majority of today’s deals spark from a mutual attraction either from aligned competencies, or complementary competencies, that allow both firms to amplify their growth and sustainability.   

According to James Fisher, Vice President of Mergers and Acquisitions at FP Transitions, “Many practices are looking to be acquired or merge with a larger business to spur growth, to benefit from economies of scale, to offload compliance and day-to-day operations, to increase bandwidth and offerings to clients, or to assist with the retirement of one or more senior owners/partners, among other reasons.”   

Regardless of experience, it takes a lot of patience, communication, time, and expertise to navigate the entire deal process. For firms going through this, on any side of the table, negotiating and documenting the transaction can often be more time consuming than anyone anticipated, creating the perfect environment for an all-to-common problem: deal fatigue.  

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Topics: Selling Your Practice, Acquisition, M&A, Business Value, Deal Structure, Buying & Selling, Mergers

The Four Greatest Opportunities for Financial Advisors

Posted by FP Transitions on Jul 16, 2020 7:27:21 AM

Four Opportunities for Financial Advisors

Today’s Independent financial advisors face an endless array of challenges and opportunities. Identifying challenges before they arise is key for finding solutions and developing strategies for tackling the issues that present the greatest opportunities for improvement and growth.

The four biggest opportunities are:

  • Balancing Growth and Profitability
  • Recruiting and Retaining Talent
  • Creating Business Sustainability
  • Growth Through Mergers and Acquisitions

Balancing Growth and Profitability

Growth and profitability are inextricably linked and balancing the two within a single practice is the difference between building a one-generational practice and a multi-generational, sustainable enterprise.

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Topics: Compensation, Succession Planning, Acquisition, Business Growth, Mergers, Talent Recruitment, Sustainability, Enterprise

Harnessing the Power of Mergers

Posted by David Grau Sr., JD on Jan 30, 2019 9:37:06 AM

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Mergers are transactions that can take on many shapes, apply to almost any size advisory enterprise, and are infinitely customizable depending on the unique details and situations of the participating advisors.  

Advisors commonly think of a merger as the statutory combination of two practices into one in a tax efficient manner, but it’s better to think of the merger process as the combination of two or more advisors’ strengths, client bases, and cash flow streams, while reducing or eliminating weaknesses and inefficiencies – lofty goals to be sure, but readily achievable.

The reality is that mergers can be used to address a much wider set of challenges and opportunities including:

  1. Growth through acquisition (i.e., by merging a small practice into a larger practice, and then setting up an internal succession/continuity plan);
  2. Finding a successor, or becoming a successor (by first creating an internal, minority equity partner who later completes the buy-out of the founder’s S-corporation or LLC);
  3. Establishing a practical and reliable Continuity Plan and protecting the value of your practice against your sudden death, disability or retirement is best accomplished by having an equity partner such as may be created through a merger;
  4. Improving Enterprise or Revenue Strength through increased efficiencies and the added strengths of other advisory owners;
  5. Expanding market territory, expertise, and services;
  6. Building a strong, enduring business by combining the diverse strengths of multiple contributors.

To help illustrate these benefits, consider the following three examples as discussed in our recent Roundtable Talk, “Every Merger Is Unique,” below, each representing an actual merger between independent advisors that we helped orchestrate in 2018: 

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Topics: Succession Planning, Acquisition, Business Growth, Mergers, Continuity

David Grau Sr., JD on Advisor2Advisor Podcast

Posted by FP Transitions on Sep 4, 2018 11:42:47 AM

Last month FP Transitions President and Founder, David Grau Sr., JD, joined Scott and Pat on the Advisor2Advisor podcast to discuss common concerns related to mergers, and an all too prevalent (and costly) mistake that some mature advisors make when they fail to capitalize on the equity they’ve established by creating a viable succession plan. Listen here.

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Topics: Succession Planning, FPT in the News, Mergers

Alternatives to a Traditional Acquisition

Posted by FP Transitions on Aug 8, 2018 11:13:29 AM

Creative Acquisition Approaches

One of the fastest ways for an advisor to grow their business is to acquire another advisor’s book of business. Most advisors see this “traditional acquisition” route as a quick and easy way to increase their revenue and managed assets, but if unprepared this growth path can be challenging and technically complex.  

There has also been a significant increase in competition for traditional acquisition opportunities in recent years resulting in the transactions not being as economically viable as in years past–especially for an advisor seeking to use the cash flow of the acquired book to pay for the acquisition.


Luckily, there are a few other strategies that offer the potential for meaningful growth and, over time, might even provide greater enterprise value.  Strategies like mergers, continuity partnerships, equity pathways for next-generation owners (G2 owners), strategic partnerships, and Sell and Stay® transactions offer alternatives for advisors who may not have the enterprise strength or firm depth for a traditional acquisition.  These alternative options take planning and patience, but can yield incredible growth and value in the long run. Many of these strategies also present powerful opportunities to create enterprise value when combined with an advisor’s organic growth.  

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Topics: Acquisition, Buying & Selling, Mergers, Continuity, Sustainability, Equity Pathways

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