Selling in the Next 3-5 Years? What You Need to Do Starting Now

Watch the Replay Please enable JavaScript in your browser to complete this form.Please enable JavaScript in your browser to complete this form.First Name *Last Name *Phone * Work Email * Would you like to join SRG's newsletter to receive industry updates and other webinar opportunities? Yes No Access Recording How Do You Prepare to Sell Your Advisory Firm in the Next 3-5 Years? Start at least three to five years out. Buyers pay for clean financials, sustainable organic growth, a team that runs the business without you, and signed agreements, and each of those takes years to build. In this session, Succession Resource Group’s David Grau Jr., MBA, shows how to raise your value and choose the exit path that fits your goals. David walks advisory firm owners through what actually drives value and how little time three to five years really is. You will see why the window is short (clean financials alone take three-plus years, and the transaction itself can eat a year), and how to read the two valuation lenses without blending them: books under roughly $200M AUM price on recurring revenue at about 3.27x, while larger businesses price on EBITDA in a 6 to 14x range that averages near 10x, and at a 30% margin both lenses land on the same number. He maps the four variables that set your real options (practice size, timeline, buyer universe, and long-term priorities), the buyer types from peers to internal successors to PE-backed aggregators to direct private equity, and why the highest headline number (a PE deal paid 40% cash, 30% earnout tied to 10-20% growth, and 30% acquirer equity) is rarely the best deal. He closes on the value drivers and red flags buyers won’t name out loud, the internal and external exit paths, and the five things today’s sellers wish they had started earlier. Advisors planning to exit in the next three to ten years, weighing an unsolicited offer, or wanting to raise their firm’s value before they sell will find this a practical, data-backed roadmap. Host Frequently Asked Questions How long does it take to prepare to sell an advisory practice? At least three to five years. Clean financial history alone takes three-plus years to build, and the sale and transition can take another year or more. What is an advisory practice worth? Books under ~$200M AUM are priced on recurring revenue (2025 average 3.27x); larger businesses are priced on EBITDA (6 to 14x, averaging ~10x). At a 30% profit margin, both lenses reach the same number. Who buys advisory practices? Peers and third-party buyers, internal successors, PE-backed aggregators, and direct private equity. More enterprise value means more buyers competing and better terms. What lowers a practice’s value? Client concentration, founder dependency, commingled financials, an aging client base, long-term obligations like leases, and unsigned team agreements.

Merger or Sale: The Right Path for Your Exit

Watch the Replay Please enable JavaScript in your browser to complete this form.Please enable JavaScript in your browser to complete this form.First Name *Last Name *Phone * Work Email * Would you like to join SRG’s newsletter to receive industry updates and other webinar opportunities? Yes No Access Recording Should You Merge or Sell? The Right Exit Depends on Your Goals, Not Your Size. In this session, Succession Resource Group’s Kristen Grau, CPA, CVA, CEPA, and Nicole Frey, CFP®, walk advisory firm owners through one of the biggest decisions of their career: whether to sell the firm or merge it. Their throughline is that the right path depends on your objectives, not your firm size. Kristen lays out the five-step sale roadmap, from getting data ready and valuing the firm before you ever meet a buyer, to why finding a buyer is really a screening problem, to the asset-versus-equity-sale choice that drives your taxes, leverage, and optionality. She also explains why a headline multiple hides what matters: how the price is actually paid in cash, note, and earnout, and how each is taxed.Nicole then covers the merger path, where two firms become one shared entity: matching partners on growth goals, dividing ownership from a valuation, structuring cash and equity to avoid a disguised sale, and protecting yourself with clear roles, voting classes, and exit terms. Owners weighing a clean exit against staying on to grow, sole proprietors who want a built-in successor, and anyone trying to keep both paths open will find this a practical guide to choosing deliberately. Host Kristen Grau, CPA, CVA, CEPA Executive Vice President Paper-plane Linkedin-in Host Nicole Frey, CFP® Director of Team Solutions Paper-plane Linkedin-in

How to Get “PE Value” With or Without PE

Watch the Replay Please enable JavaScript in your browser to complete this form.Please enable JavaScript in your browser to complete this form.First Name *Last Name *Phone * Work Email * Would you like to join SRG's newsletter to receive industry updates and other webinar opportunities? Yes No Access Recording Can You Get Private Equity Value Without Selling to Private Equity? In this session, Succession Resource Group’s David Grau, Jr., MBA, unpacks how advisory firm owners can pursue private equity-level value whether or not they sell to private equity. The webinar breaks down the difference between direct PE investment and PE-backed aggregators, how headline multiples of up to 15x EBITDA translate into the 9x to 11x most sellers actually realize once deal terms are accounted for, and why the definition of a seller has shifted toward owners who sell and continue to run their firm. David also reviews the four variables that shape the right path, including practice size, timeline, buyer universe, and long-term priorities, along with the deal structures that decide what an owner takes home, from the traditional 80/20 down payment to today’s 40/30/30 split of cash, rolled equity, and earnouts. He then shows how internal succession and peer-to-peer sales can close the value gap and approach PE-level outcomes when firms start early, keep growth in focus, and sell in tranches. Advisors weighing an exit in the next three to ten years, evaluating an unsolicited offer, or planning an internal succession will find this a practical, data-backed guide to their options. Host David Grau Jr. MBA CEO/President Paper-plane Linkedin-in

Building Your Team for Succession Success

Watch the Replay Please enable JavaScript in your browser to complete this form.Please enable JavaScript in your browser to complete this form.First Name *Last Name *Phone * Work Email * Would you like to join SRG’s newsletter to receive industry updates and other webinar opportunities? Yes No Access Recording Does Your Team Structure Support Your Succession Plan? In this webinar, Succession Resource Group’s Julia Sexton, CVA, and David Grau Jr., MBA, explore how employment-related planning can strengthen an advisory firm’s long-term succession strategy. The session covers how employment structure, role clarity, and internal alignment all factor into a firm’s ability to execute a successful transition. Succession Resource Group walks through common organizational and planning gaps that create challenges during succession events, and what firms can do to address them before a transition is on the horizon. Advisors preparing for internal succession, evaluating their current team structure, or working to build a stronger operational foundation will find this session particularly relevant. Host David Grau Jr. MBA CEO/President Paper-plane Linkedin-in Host Julia Sexton, CVA Director of Strategic Organizational Planning Paper-plane Linkedin-in

Equity Explained: How to Incentivize, Retain, and Transition Ownership

Watch the Replay Please enable JavaScript in your browser to complete this form.Please enable JavaScript in your browser to complete this form. Name * FirstLast Phone Work Email *How Did You Hear About SRG? *— Select Choice —ConferenceDirect MailExisting/Past ClientGoogle AdWordsOtherReferralSocial MediaSeminar/WorkshopWebinarWebsite Access Recording What’s the Best Way to Use Equity to Reward, Retain, and Transition Key Talent? In this webinar, Succession Resource Group’s Nicole Frey, CFP®, and Julia Sexton, CVA, break down how advisory firms can use equity more strategically to retain talent, develop future leaders, and plan for succession. The session covers the key differences between phantom and true equity, how to reward performance without creating ownership friction, and the valuation and tax considerations that come with grants, purchases, and swaps. Whether you’re evaluating equity for a key employee or rethinking your firm’s ownership structure altogether, this conversation will help you make more intentional decisions that support the long-term health of your practice. Host Nicole Frey, CFP® Director of Team Solutions Paper-plane Linkedin-in Host Julia Sexton, CVA Director of Strategic Organizational Planning Paper-plane Linkedin-in

How to Make a Merger a Growth Move

Watch the Replay Is a Merger the Right Growth Move for Your Advisory Firm? In this webinar, Succession Resource Group’s Nicole Frey, CFP®, and Ryan Grau, CVA, CBA, walk advisory firm owners through the full merger process, from initial preparation to post-merger integration. The session covers why firms pursue mergers, how to evaluate whether a potential partner is the right fit, and what structural and legal considerations need to be addressed before any deal moves forward. Download the Presentation Deck Here Download Speakers Host Nicole Frey, CFP® Director of Team Solutions Paper-plane Linkedin-in Host Ryan Grau, CVA, CBA Director of Valuations Paper-plane Linkedin-in Transcript 100:00:05.100 –> 00:00:17.260Nicole Frey: Hello, and welcome to Succession Resource Group’s monthly webinar series. Today, we will share with you how you can become stronger together by making a merger a growth move. 200:00:17.360 –> 00:00:29.270Nicole Frey: For those of you who are interested in more content from us, we have a webinar coming up every month. You see the next two up here on the screen, and in the chat, you will find the link to sign up for those webinars. 300:00:29.270 –> 00:00:42.069Nicole Frey: If you forget, or if you want to postpone that to a later time, please feel free to follow us on LinkedIn. You will find the announcements there as well, along with other great content that we publish on a regular basis. 400:00:43.780 –> 00:00:56.829Nicole Frey: For those of you who are not familiar with us, just a quick introduction. Here at SRG, we help advisors turn business goals into reality. Our mission is to help you understand your options. 500:00:56.950 –> 00:01:01.779Nicole Frey: Develop a great strategy, and ultimately put your plan into action. 600:01:02.150 –> 00:01:12.580Nicole Frey: Our team’s experience covers areas such as valuations, M&A, equity planning, HR resources, and organizational strategies. 700:01:13.340 –> 00:01:18.989Nicole Frey: At the end of the day, our goal is simple. We want to help you build a strong and lasting business. 800:01:20.310 –> 00:01:36.499Nicole Frey: Your presenters today include Ryan Grau, our Director of Valuations. Ryan is a Certified Valuation Analyst and Certified Business Appraiser. I would say he’s the industry-leading expert on valuing advisory and wealth management firms. 900:01:36.550 –> 00:01:43.930Nicole Frey: He has been admitted in multiple states, as an expert witness, and testified in FINRA arbitrations. 1000:01:44.010 –> 00:01:50.680Nicole Frey: NT has completed thousands of valuations for M&A, succession, litigation, and tax purposes. 1100:01:51.480 –> 00:02:03.759Nicole Frey: My name is Nicole Frye. I am the Director of Team Solutions here at Succession Resource Group. I help advisors with entity formations, entity restructurings, and mergers. 1200:02:03.760 –> 00:02:16.519Nicole Frey: My background is mainly legal. I study law in Germany, where I’m originally from, and I’ve worked for law firms for quite a few years. And now here at SRG, I help advisors, 1300:02:16.950 –> 00:02:21.209Nicole Frey: Integrate their firm successfully, and also build sustainable partnerships. 1400:02:23.410 –> 00:02:40.000Nicole Frey: Before we start with today’s agenda and content, I just want to get some housekeeping items out of the way to make sure you’re set up well for this presentation. Our team will also pull up a short poll survey here to answer some questions, so please feel free to submit your responses. 1500:02:40.340 –> 00:02:56.450Nicole Frey: For any questions you might have, we encourage you to submit those in the Q&A section of this webinar. We love to hear from you. We also like to know if something is not clear, so we can help clarify that and customize the content to your particular needs. 1600:02:56.770 –> 00:03:05.950Nicole Frey: The webinar recording will also be available in the next 24 hours, so please look out for an email from our team with a link so you can access that. 1700:03:06.130 –> 00:03:23.479Nicole Frey: And if you like today’s presentation deck, you can also request that from us. So please feel free to reach out to our team, or you can just wait until our team reaches out to you. They want to make sure that your questions are answered, and that might be a good time to also request the slide deck. 1800:03:24.530 –> 00:03:34.979Nicole Frey: All right, so your poll questions and responses are in. We appreciate that feedback, so that we can tailor our communication to you based on your particular needs. 1900:03:37.790 –> 00:03:40.500Nicole Frey: For today’s agenda. 2000:03:41.480 –> 00:03:59.129Nicole Frey: I want to start off by talking about why advisory firms seek out mergers, before we dive into the different phases of a merger. And those phases will cover the pre-merger preparation that you can take in order to get ready for that merger. 2100:03:59.130 –> 00:04:08.640Nicole Frey: We will then talk about the actual merger process, and here Ryan will help you understand some of the valuation considerations that are necessary. 2200:04:08.640 –> 00:04:28.990Nicole Frey: And then we’ll talk about the post-merger implementation, which is often forgotten, unfortunately, and then the merger is not going to be as successful as it can be. So definitely something we want to take some time today to help you understand what is needed in order to make that merger as successful as possible. 2300:04:31.790 –> 00:04:55.359Nicole Frey: When it comes to reasons why advisory firms seek out mergers, they can be very different, so it depends on where your business is in its current life cycle. Obviously, for some advisors, they’re seeking faster growth, so rather than just growing their business organically, they’re looking into merging other partners in who also have a book of business. 2400:04:55.450 –> 00:04:59.470Nicole Frey: So the merger is one good strategy to get that accomplished. 2500:04:59.820 –> 00:05:14.580Nicole Frey: Mergers can also result, or should result, in more scale. We see that all the time, that mergers result in more revenue being combined, so you see a lot more growth there on that end. 2600:05:14.580 –> 00:05:25.349Nicole Frey: While the expenses grow at a slower rate. So that’s the

Grow Your Firm Without Limiting Your Future Exit Options

Watch the Replay Are Your Growth Decisions Expanding or Limiting Your Future Exit Options? Many advisors focus on growth without realizing the structural decisions they make today can shape their future exit options. In this on-demand webinar, Succession Resource Group explores how growth-stage RIAs and independent advisory firms can increase enterprise value while preserving strategic flexibility. Learn how firms position themselves to remain scalable, transferable, and attractive in today’s M&A market, while keeping the door open for internal succession, a future sale or merger, capital investment, or long-term independence by choice rather than default. Download the Presentation Deck Here Download Speakers Host David Grau Jr. MBA CEO/President Paper-plane Linkedin-in Host Kristen Grau, CPA, CVA, CEPA Executive Vice President Paper-plane Linkedin-in Host Parker Finot Director of Transaction Advisory Services Paper-plane Linkedin-in Transcript 100:00:06.820 –> 00:00:21.600David Grau: All right. Good afternoon, everybody. We’re going to go ahead and give everyone just a second here. It always takes a minute to get everybody in and admitted, but in the meantime, I will put up our deck for you to stare at instead of Parker, Kristen, and I. So… 200:00:22.020 –> 00:00:33.030David Grau: session here today. You know the title, presumably. You were kind enough to reserve time on your calendars to join us here, but it is growing your firm without limiting your future exit options. 300:00:33.080 –> 00:00:42.730David Grau: This is a topic we talk about a lot internally, right? Because we see this happen where folks, they do internal succession work, right? They’re sharing equity, they’re doing stuff with their team, which is great. 400:00:43.440 –> 00:00:54.940David Grau: And unfortunately, it just doesn’t end up panning out as well as they had hoped, right? They grow too fast, the team doesn’t grow fast enough, they don’t have the desire, but unfortunately, the documents that they use, the path that they chose. 500:00:55.110 –> 00:01:09.410David Grau: ends up cutting off different options for them that they would have otherwise liked to have left open. And so that’s thematically what we’re going to focus on here today, that you continue to build and take action, that we can be as intentional about having our eye towards the future. 600:01:10.030 –> 00:01:15.810David Grau: And not doing things that could close doors too early, that we’re not comfortable with. 700:01:15.810 –> 00:01:30.620David Grau: Especially having that happen inadvertently, or that we can at least proactively be building our business in a way that we could pursue a private equity sale, or an internal sale, or maybe a merger, or who knows, maybe safety net. We could also just sell this thing to a peer and walk away in a couple years. 800:01:30.880 –> 00:01:32.439David Grau: If you do it right. 900:01:33.180 –> 00:01:45.679David Grau: most, if not all of those, can be options for you. Now, I’ll also acknowledge it’s going to be somewhat size-dependent, right? If you’re sitting here listening today, and you are an empire builder, you’ve got a billion in AUM, and you’re heading towards your next two or three. 1000:01:46.620 –> 00:01:54.619David Grau: you legitimately could pursue all of these options, right, if you’re careful. If you’re sitting here listening, you do a million a year in annual revenue. 1100:01:55.320 –> 00:02:06.689David Grau: you may or may not want to grow your business to the size where you do an internal succession plan, right? That may just not be in the cards as something you’re even desirous of. Maybe you don’t like managing people, maybe you don’t like people at all. I get it. 1200:02:07.040 –> 00:02:25.110David Grau: But there are still things, even if you cross that one off the list, that you could be considering in other options, other avenues, depending on the timeframe, what you’re trying to get out of it. So, that’s our focus here today. It’s gonna be a little different for each of you, but we are going to make sure that we hit all of the potential exit strategies and some of the do’s and don’ts. 1300:02:25.190 –> 00:02:30.290David Grau: Quick housekeeping items, real easy ones here. The deck that we’re going to be using here today 1400:02:30.560 –> 00:02:35.710David Grau: If you find it useful, interesting to reference back to, it will be available to you. 1500:02:35.900 –> 00:02:42.650David Grau: Our team will be following up with you after today’s session, so just let Sabrina, Craig, Nikki know when they reach out. 1600:02:42.760 –> 00:02:51.989David Grau: That you’d like a copy of it, and I’ll be happy to get it to you. The session is also being recorded, or at least I hope it is. You’ll get a copy of that in your inbox automatically tomorrow. 1700:02:52.550 –> 00:02:59.160David Grau: And last one is, we’re gonna have a quick poll question, or a couple questions, one poll here at the very beginning. 1800:02:59.360 –> 00:03:08.690David Grau: Case in point. This won’t slow us down or distract, it just… this simply helps us focus the content that we bring you in the coming months. 1900:03:08.900 –> 00:03:25.330David Grau: that it’s as relevant and topical, and that the content of those presentations is as useful and on point as possible. But to do that, we need your feedback. So, if you don’t mind just taking a second, there’s 7 quick kid or questions here. If we don’t see enough responses, I’ll just sit here and stare at you till the other 46 of you answer. 2000:03:25.730 –> 00:03:37.749David Grau: But looks like we’ve got answers rolling in. We certainly do appreciate it. It, believe it or not, is actually useful. In the meantime, I say it’s helpful for informing the content. It’s not helpful for informing the next three presentations, because those are already lined up. 2100:03:37.860 –> 00:03:56.990David Grau: But it answers here can actually help inform the content that we cover in each of these. The one next month is going to touch on mergers. We’re going to talk about that a

2026 State of Compensation: Pay, Equity & Incentives for RIAs and Advisory Teams

Watch the Replay Is Your Compensation Plan Helping You Grow or Holding You Back? Not sure what to pay your advisors and team in 2026, or whether your current compensation plan is actually competitive? In this on-demand webinar, SRG breaks down real-world compensation benchmarks for RIAs and advisory firms, including salary ranges, bonus structures, phantom equity, and staffing trends across advisor, operations, and executive roles. Using data pulled from valuation and compensation analyses, you’ll see what firms are actually paying and how to align incentives with the behaviors you want, so you can attract and retain talent without letting compensation outgrow the role. Download the Presentation Deck Here Download Speakers Host Julia Sexton, CVA Director of Strategic Organizational Planning Paper-plane Linkedin-in Host Ryan Grau, CVA, CBA Director of Valuations Paper-plane Linkedin-in Transcript 100:00:04.740 –> 00:00:10.010Ryan Grau: Hey, good afternoon. Thank everybody, everybody, for taking time out of your day to join us. 200:00:10.250 –> 00:00:16.739Ryan Grau: We still have people that are signing in and getting join… or joining the session here, so we’ll give everybody a second. 300:00:17.090 –> 00:00:18.570Ryan Grau: Before we dive in. 400:00:20.620 –> 00:00:36.559Ryan Grau: So, our primary topic today is going to be compensation trends. So, for those of you that are tuning in, this is going to be the first of an annual series of presentations that we’re going to be presenting. So, in case you missed it. 500:00:36.570 –> 00:00:44.729Ryan Grau: Last month, we gave our update on mergers and acquisitions and activities for… from 2025. 600:00:44.820 –> 00:00:52.509Ryan Grau: What we’re going to be discussing on today’s presentation is trends in compensation that we observed over 2025. 700:00:52.920 –> 00:00:53.740Ryan Grau: So… 800:00:54.130 –> 00:01:00.729Ryan Grau: Before we get started, we’re gonna launch some polling questions here for you, and while you’re doing that. 900:01:00.830 –> 00:01:15.900Ryan Grau: I do want to let you know that this presentation will be recorded, so if you’re not able to sit through the entire presentation, we will send you a link, and we ask that if you find the content that we share with you today helpful, that share the link with your colleagues. 1000:01:22.630 –> 00:01:26.580Ryan Grau: Alright, so I’ll give you guys just a few more seconds here to work through those polling questions. 1100:01:33.140 –> 00:01:40.049Ryan Grau: And following our presentation today, we do have a couple more presentations that are coming up in both March and April. 1200:01:40.390 –> 00:01:50.640Ryan Grau: David Grau, Parker Fino, and Kristen Grau are going to be talking about, how to grow your firm without limitations, 1300:01:50.890 –> 00:02:00.559Ryan Grau: in March, and then in April, Nicole Frye will be doing a presentation on mergers and teaming. 1400:02:05.220 –> 00:02:14.020Ryan Grau: All right, we should be wrapped up with the poll questions. So, for those of you that are not familiar with SRG and are just tuning in. 1500:02:14.150 –> 00:02:24.270Ryan Grau: So, SRG has been guiding advisors in the independent space, so both registered reps and RIAs, of various sizes for over 14 years now. 1600:02:24.950 –> 00:02:31.899Ryan Grau: Our team brings together professionals who specialize in everything from valuation to value building. 1700:02:32.100 –> 00:02:41.499Ryan Grau: Exit planning and exit strategies, and what we’ll be talking about today, compensation strategies, employment resources, and compensation design. 1800:02:42.060 –> 00:02:48.249Ryan Grau: So, we’ve completed several thousand valuations, as well as mergers and acquisitions, deals. 1900:02:48.510 –> 00:02:54.659Ryan Grau: We’ve done hundreds of succession plans, so internal transition of ownership to key employees. 2000:02:54.870 –> 00:03:04.510Ryan Grau: And we are here today to offer the depth and experience that we have collected over the years to help you make informed decisions around compensation. 2100:03:05.430 –> 00:03:08.950Ryan Grau: So, beyond just compensation data. 2200:03:09.070 –> 00:03:17.369Ryan Grau: SRG offers a variety of services, so our bread and butter is valuations, that’s what me and my team focus on. 2300:03:17.530 –> 00:03:35.650Ryan Grau: But beyond that, we help advisors with structuring their business from entity setup, redesign, and reorganization. We assist in creating employment contracts, the succession plans, equity sharing models, whether that be phantom or synthetic equity or other forms. 2400:03:35.720 –> 00:03:51.650Ryan Grau: We also address death and disability planning, and then, last and not least, is we offer full deal support for advisors that are in transition. So, we work with buyers and sellers to put together their purchase agreements. 2500:03:51.650 –> 00:03:59.409Ryan Grau: We work with buyers to network and find potential sellers, and vice versa. We work with sellers to help them find potential buyers. 2600:03:59.490 –> 00:04:03.729Ryan Grau: We also work on mergers of various scale 2700:04:04.280 –> 00:04:16.430Ryan Grau: So, our job is to help you understand value, what those KPIs are, what levers you can pull to continue driving value, and then how to make sure that you can put your value to work. 2800:04:16.649 –> 00:04:23.870Ryan Grau: And make sure that it’s protected for… Creating transferable and enduring value. 2900:04:25.020 –> 00:04:25.860Ryan Grau: So… 3000:04:26.580 –> 00:04:41.200Ryan Grau: Today’s presenters is going to be Julia Sexton and myself. Julia’s going to be doing a lot of the heavy lifting, so she leads our team on what we call our HR solutions, which includes compensation design. 3100:04:41.340 –> 00:04:47.140Ryan Grau: Compensation strategies, equity sharing, as well as employment resources. 3200:04:47.540 –> 00:04:52.549Ryan Grau: Julia has been consulting financial advisors now going on 8 years. 3300:04:52.810 –> 00:05:11.079Ryan Grau: Her role originally started in valuation work, and then shifted into helping advisors that were merging silos together. So, her work naturally evolved from valuation to providing ownership, equity recommendations, and merging firms together. 3400:05:11.080 –> 00:05:20.959Ryan Grau: As well as deal support, and then from there, one of the big issues that most advisors run into when bringing their practices together is compensation. 3500:05:20.970 –> 00:05:33.430Ryan Grau: So, and specifically in those type of deals, it’s owner compensation, and how do we set level and fair compensation, which tends to

2026 Advisor M&A Review

Webinar Recordings Watch the Webinar Replay 2026 Advisor M&A Market Insights: What Actually Happened in Advisor M&A Powered by SRG’s 10th annual review of completed M&A transactions, our Flagship webinar distills what actually happened in the market into clear, decision-ready benchmarks for RIAs and financial advisory firms. Built on the industry’s most comprehensive dataset of verified, closed transactions, this session delivers highly accurate valuation benchmarks and deal insights that go far beyond self-reported surveys. You will learn what is driving multiples, where buyer demand is strongest, and how terms are shifting as the market evolves. We will also break down the valuation metrics advisors care about most, including revenue multiples versus EBITDA multiples, and explain when each applies based on business model, size, profitability, and growth profile. Valuation is only part of the story. This webinar also dives into the deal structures that determine what sellers actually take home, including cash at close, seller notes, and other components that can significantly impact real outcomes. You will leave with clarity on what buyers are prioritizing, what quality firms are commanding in today’s market, and how to position your business for a stronger result. Led by David Grau, Jr. MBA (CEO) and Parker Finot (Director of Transaction Advisor Services), this is a data-backed, practical session designed to help you make smarter decisions with more confidence. Whether you are preparing to build value, buy, sell, or accelerate growth, this will be one of the most actionable hours you can invest in your 2026 planning. Get the Presentation Deck Download Download the Infographic Please enable JavaScript in your browser to complete this form.Please enable JavaScript in your browser to complete this form.First Name *Last Name *Phone * Work Email * Would you like to join SRG's newsletter to receive industry updates and other webinar opportunities? Yes No Download Speakers Host David Grau Jr. MBA CEO/President Paper-plane Linkedin-in Host Parker Finot Director of Transaction Advisory Services Paper-plane Linkedin-in Sponsored by Data Contributors Transcript 100:00:06.580 –> 00:00:25.530David Grau: All right. Good afternoon, everybody. Welcome to Succession Resource Group’s 10th Annual 2026… well, it’s not the 10th annual 2026 review, but it’s our 10th annual review of the M&A data. This is our 2026 edition. Really excited to have you join us here today. We… 200:00:26.020 –> 00:00:45.119David Grau: we like being able to pause in January, aggregate all the deal data, all the succession data, everything that we have seen happening in the prior year, and try to feed that back to you, us, as an industry, just to be able to keep our collective fingers on the pulse of what’s happening out there for buying and selling practices. 300:00:45.310 –> 00:00:58.569David Grau: This is probably not your first rodeo, I know there’s a bunch of you that join us every year for this, as well as listen to us occasionally at the custodial, broker-dealer conferences, FPA meetings around the country throughout the year. 400:00:58.740 –> 00:01:09.049David Grau: We want to try to help you stay abreast of this, because at the end of the day, big firm, small firm, RIA, duly registered, whatever the label is that you are wearing today. 500:01:09.490 –> 00:01:25.569David Grau: Your business, your advisory practice, is probably your most valuable asset, and we want to make sure, whether you’ve done a valuation or not, you can at least have a number next to it on your personal balance sheet, because it has such substantial value, and frankly, today, it’s harder to understand than ever before. 600:01:25.940 –> 00:01:41.339David Grau: Right? You read the trade publications, the press releases out there about deals, it’s enough to make your head spin. So, we’re gonna try to share that data with you here today, but also carve out time to answer your questions, which hopefully you either A showed up with some, or B, 700:01:41.410 –> 00:01:45.949David Grau: We’re going to prompt some, just organically, as we progress through the slides here today. So. 800:01:46.730 –> 00:01:50.170David Grau: Couple boring administrative things to knock out first. 900:01:50.610 –> 00:01:55.019David Grau: The housekeeping items… Watch the chat. 1000:01:55.020 –> 00:02:15.710David Grau: There’s a chat feature in here. Granted, it’s a one-way chat feature, but there you go, see? There’s information that will be dropping in there for you, so it should be helpful. Use the Q&A feature. There’s a Q&A panel here, I promise you, we will actively watch it. If you have technical issues, that won’t be Parker and I, we’ve got Guy here, our amazing moderator, that will help with that stuff, but if you have questions. 1100:02:15.780 –> 00:02:17.830David Grau: As we progress through the slides. 1200:02:18.410 –> 00:02:30.529David Grau: We will make sure we either answer them organically as we progress, because Parker and I will be watching the Q&A panel, or we’ll answer it towards the end, because we are planning to reserve 15-20 minutes for that specifically. So… 1300:02:30.530 –> 00:02:40.079David Grau: Beyond that, there is a poll question we’re gonna pop up. This just helps us have a better idea, better understanding of you as our audience, where you’re at. 1400:02:40.080 –> 00:02:48.589David Grau: what’s relevant and interesting to you, so you’ll see that pop up here momentarily. We’ll take it down, and won’t get in the way. You know, Zoom, presumably, it’s off to the side. 1500:02:48.890 –> 00:03:01.649David Grau: So, you’ll see the poll question pop up, case in point. So there’s a poll question, if you would participate, that would be lovely. If you don’t, we’ll just leave it up forever. So, a couple other easy ones. We always get questions on slide availability. 1600:03:01.680 –> 00:03:11.309David Grau: These slides are available. Our team will be reaching out to you after we get done with the session here today, either tomorrow or certainly early next week, if you want a copy of the slides. 1700:03:11.440 –> 00:03:17.069David Grau: Just let Craig, Sabrina, Nikki, and our team know, and they will happily share them

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