Type: Gated

What is Your Practice Really Worth?

Every Ameriprise advisor wonders about “the number,” but valuation goes far beyond the math. In this exclusive session for Ameriprise advisors, Kristen Grau and Ryan Grau shared how to think like a buyer, use valuation as a preparation tool, and set realistic expectations for a future sale or succession. Watch the replay to learn what drives value, what buyers really look for, and how to strengthen your firm’s position before it’s time to transition. Watch the Replay Related Resources Your Guide to Increase the Value of Your BusinessStart growing your value today →  Seller Readiness E-bookDownload this guide → Due Diligence ChecklistStart With the Right Checklist →  Selling Your Practice with Expert Advocacy Hear real stories from advisors who’ve been there → Grab A Valuation We offer a variety of solutions and turnaround times to fit your needs. Join myCompass Our membership club grants you inside tips and opportunities to grow. Review our Seller Services We’re here to ensure you secure the best buyer, price and terms.

Merger Support

A Landmark Merger in the Ameriprise Network  Learn how SRG helped make it happen → Related Resources Merger Checklist View the checklist today  → Thinking About a Merger? Start Here Read SRG’s top teaming advice for advisors preparing to merge → The Fine Print Podcast: Strategies for Building Enduring Wealth Leadership lessons for building a firm that endures → Grab A Valuation We offer a variety of solutions and turnaround times to fit your needs. Join myCompass Our membership club grants you inside tips and opportunities to grow. Review our Seller Services We’re here to ensure you secure the best buyer, price and terms.

Deal Support

Watch the Replay Related Resources The Succession Resource Group 2025 Advisor M&A Report Read our press release → 2025 M&A Infographic Download this infographic → Seller Readiness E-book Download this guide → Selling Your Practice with Expert Advocacy  Hear real stories from advisors who’ve been there → Inside a Real-Life Succession Plan See how other advisors navigated their transition → Grab A Valuation We offer a variety of solutions and turnaround times to fit your needs. Join myCompass Our membership club grants you inside tips and opportunities to grow. Review our Seller Services We’re here to ensure you secure the best buyer, price and terms.

Deal Support

Related Resources 2025 M&A Infographic Download this infographic → Seller Readiness E-book Download this guide → Due Diligence Checklist Start Your Due Diligence the Right Way → Selling Your Practice with Expert Advocacy  See how other advisors navigated their transition → Inside a Inside a Real-Life Succession Plan Explore Real Advisor Journeys → Grab A Valuation We offer a variety of solutions and turnaround times to fit your needs. Join myCompass Our membership club grants you inside tips and opportunities to grow. Review our Seller Services We’re here to ensure you secure the best buyer, price and terms.

Valuation

Related Resources Six Events that Require a ValuationSee if it’s time to value your firm → Your Guide to Increase the Value of Your BusinessStart growing your value today →  2025 Advisor M&A Review Check Out the Infographic→   Grab A Valuation We offer a variety of solutions and turnaround times to fit your needs. Join myCompass Our membership club grants you inside tips and opportunities to grow. Review our Seller Services We’re here to ensure you secure the best buyer, price and terms.

From Siloed to Synergized: How to Merge Advisory Practices the Right Way

In this NM-focused session, SRG’s Ryan Grau (Valuations Director) and Nicole Frey (Director, Team Solutions) walk advisors through merging or consolidating practices the right way—why to merge, how to divide ownership fairly, and how to design compensation that keeps everyone whole. They compare common starting points (expense-sharing vs. fully separate practices), show how an equity-centric ensemble drives scale, continuity, and talent retention, and stress starting with a formal valuation. For Northwestern Mutual specifically, they explain assigning W-2 risk revenue to the entity, “trigger-event” risk if an agent departs, and SRG’s with-and-without valuation model to handle renewals. The replay covers pre-/post-merger cash-flow analysis, quick wins (grid bumps, cost reductions), entity choices (LLC vs S-Corp) including a two-tier LLC/S-Corp structure, governance and voting design, and ongoing entity maintenance. Watch the Replay Related Resources Entity Maintenace Program Stay Protected, Stay Compliant, Stay Confident. → Six Events that Require a Valuation Is It Time for a Valuation?→ Due Diligence ChecklistStart With the Right Checklist →  Grab A Valuation We offer a variety of solutions and turnaround times to fit your needs. Join myCompass Our membership club grants you inside tips and opportunities to grow. Review our Seller Services We’re here to ensure you secure the best buyer, price and terms.

Entity Health Check: Is Your Structure Supporting or Hindering Your Growth

In this replay, Nicole Frey, CFP®, walks through how your firm’s entity structure affects growth, compliance, and succession readiness. Use the Health Scorecard to follow along in real time and see if your business is Optimized (22), Healthy (17–21), or Needs Improvement. Watch the Replay Related Resources Entity Health ScorecardFollow Along and Find Out Your Score → Spring Clean Your Business See What You Can Do → 2025 Advisor M&A Infographic Download Now →  Get Your Entity Health Score Card A simple, actionable tool to evaluate your firm’s structure Your entity structure is more than paperwork — it’s the foundation of your business. The Entity Health Score Card helps you quickly assess how well your current structure supports growth, compliance, and succession readiness. Answer a few questions, calculate your score, and uncover clear next steps to protect and optimize your firm. DOWNLOAD NOW Grab A Valuation We offer a variety of solutions and turnaround times to fit your needs. Join myCompass Our membership club grants you inside tips and opportunities to grow. Review our Seller Services We’re here to ensure you secure the best buyer, price and terms.

Year End

Beat the Year-End Rush? Start Early Finish Strong.​ The clock is ticking! As we approach year-end, many clients face delays due to factors like availability, decision-making, and third-party review bottlenecks. To ensure your project is completed by the end of year, it’s crucial to start earlier. By beginning your planning now, you’ll get ahead of the curve and ensure a smooth process with our team by your side every step of the way. Use the chart below to understand your deadlines. What Affects Your Timeline To keep your project moving — especially as year-end approaches — early engagement and active participation are essential. Key factors that influence your timeline include: Calls & Meetings: Most projects require multiple scheduled calls, including a final review to ensure you have the information you need to make decisions and move forward. Decision-Making: Delays in selecting strategies can slow progress. Third-Party Reviews: Broker-dealers, custodians, lenders, attorneys, tax advisors, and compliance teams may require several weeks for document review and approval. Regulatory Review: Agencies like FINRA, the SEC, and state regulators may experience year-end backlog, seasonal delays or closures which can slow momentum. Internal Coordination: Gaining alignment with business partners, staff, family members or other key stakeholders can add time. Your Role: Timely submission of questionnaires, financials, and other documentation is critical.   Other factors such as business restructuring, holiday schedules, technology transitions, or extended negotiations can also affect the pace of progress. Starting early and staying engaged helps ensure your project progresses smoothly and avoids common year-end bottlenecks.    Need help prioritizing? Let’s chat. Planning to Finish By Year-End? Engage & Submit Questionnaires By… Service/Service Tier Avg # of Calls Without Expedite With Priority Access Merger Support – Elite 16 5/23/2025 9/5/2025 Succession Planning – Elite 20 5/23/2025 9/5/2025 Entity Support- Elite 8 6/22/2025 9/5/2025 Deal Support – Elite 10 7/22/2025 10/5/2025 Merger Support- Premium 10 7/22/2025 10/5/2025 Succession Planning – Premium 10 7/22/2025 10/5/2025 Compensation Design – Elite 6 8/21/2025 10/5/2025 Entity Support – Premium 6 8/21/2025 10/5/2025 Equity Sharing – Elite 6 8/21/2025 10/20/2025 Deal Support – Premium 7 8/21/2025 10/20/2025 Entity Support – Starter 0 9/20/2025 9/20/2025 Contingency Planning – Elite 4 9/20/2025 11/4/2025 Employment Agreements – Elite 4 9/20/2025 10/20/2025 Valuation – Elite 3 10/5/2025 11/4/2025 Employment Agreements – Premium 3 10/5/2025 11/4/2025 Compensation Design – Premium 4 10/5/2025 11/4/2025 Deal Support – Starter 0 10/20/2025 10/20/2025 Valuation – Premium 2 10/20/2025 11/19/2025 Contingency Planning – Premium 2 10/20/2025 11/19/2025 Valuation – Starter 0 11/12/2025 12/2/2025 Compensation Design – Starter 0 11/12/2025 11/12/2025 Contingency Planning – Starter 0 11/12/2025 11/12/2025 Employment Agreements – Starter 1 11/12/2025 11/12/2025 Won’t Make the Year-End Deadline? Don’t sweat it! Even if a project cannot be fully completed by year-end, initiating the project early allows SRG to establish key baselines, prepare necessary documentation, and “lock in” relevant data or effective dates to help you achieve the intended results once the project is completed post year-end. While speed may feel important, our goal is to ensure your outcome is strategic, thorough, and aligned with your goals—not just completed by an arbitrary date. Benefits of ExpeditingYour Project Our expedited option is designed for clients who want to move quickly and efficiently without sacrificing quality. By expediting your project, you gain access to distinct advantages: Flexibility in Scheduling: Greater control over appointment times that fit your calendar. Proactive, Advanced Scheduling: We pre-schedule 2–3 calls in advance to keep momentum and ensure on-time completion. Same-Day / 24-Hour Response: Enjoy prioritized responses so your questions and needs don’t wait. VIP-Only Content & Resources: Get exclusive access to templates, guides, and strategic tools curated for fast-track clients. Concierge Experience: White-glove service with increased attention to detail and efficiency. Enhanced Onboarding Experience: A smoother, faster start designed to set your project up for success from day one.   Timeline Transparency:What You Should Know We understand the urgency many clients feel around year-end timelines. If you engage and submit your completed questionnaire by the specified deadline, we will make every effort to complete your project by year-end. However, final delivery is subject to factors outside our control, including third-party availability (e.g., lenders, attorneys, regulators), required approvals, and timely execution or decision-making on your part. To increase the likelihood of meeting your timeline, we strongly encourage early engagement, quick responsiveness, and consistent participation throughout the process. Please note that timely submission alone is not enough—questionnaires must be complete and accurate. If responses are missing or vague, we will not have the necessary information to move forward, and your project may be delayed beyond year-end as a result. Ultimately, the question is this: Do you want your project done fast, or done right? While speed may feel important, our goal is to ensure your outcome is strategic, thorough, and aligned with your goals—not just completed by an arbitrary date.   Book a Discovery Call to Learn More Schedule an appointment to learn how SRG can help you! Days Hours Minutes Seconds

Protecting Your Practice Against the Unexpected – David Grau Jr.

Access the Slides From the Session Download View our 2025 M&A Infographic Download Schedule a Call With Our Team  Download Founder / CEO Paper-plane Linkedin-in Twitter Areas of Expertise: Advisor SuccessionSmall Business SuccessionFamily Business TransitionM&A Tax Strategies, NegotiationFinancing, Financial AnalysisRIA and IBD Rep Valuation, Continuity/ContingencyAdvisor M&A, Business PlanningRIA Buy-Side & Sell-Side Representation David Grau Jr., MBA David Grau Jr. is the founder and CEO of Succession Resource Group, a succession and M&A consulting company for advisors. Prior to launching SRG, David was the leading M&A consultant for a well-known succession planning firm to advisors where he led and developed numerous programs for RIAs. Prior to this role, David served in the United States Navy. David is a published author and accomplished speaker and has been interviewed and cited in dozens of publications over the last decade. He is currently one of the leading speakers in the financial services industry on M&A and next-gen building strategies, with over 200 presentations to his credit. In the past five years, he has spoken at a variety of the industry’s leading firms, including LPL Financial Services, Wells Fargo, Ameriprise Financial, ING, Independent Financial Group, Geneos, Swan Global, Advisor Group, Fidelity, Jackson National, Prudential, Raymond James, and regularly volunteers his time speaking for the Financial Services Institute (FSI) and FPA chapters around the country. David holds a Bachelor’s Degree from Portland State University and has a Master’s Degree from Willamette University’s Atkinson Graduate School of Management. David, his wife Kristen and their three children are long-time residents of Portland, Oregon, but take every opportunity to travel. Fun Facts: David enjoys spending time with his family, reading, running, is an avid wine enthusiast and developing a taste for cigars, loves traveling, reading, he also enjoys snow and water sports and loves basketball (playing or watching). Prior to having three children and starting a business David had a beautiful head of hair. Now he doesn’t.