Skip to the main content.

Valuations &
Equity

Objective valuations and equity insights to price, benchmark, and guide decisions.

M&A: Deal Support & Practice Sales

Hands-on M&A support from structure to negotiations, listings, and closings.

Practice Management & Coaching

Systems, coaching, and assessments to streamline operations and grow team performance.

Continuity, Legal & Business Services

Protect continuity, formalize entities, access lending resources, and membership benefits.

1 min read

Financial Advisor Practice Values Reach All Time High

Financial Advisor Practice Values Reach All Time High
Financial Advisor Practice Values Reach All Time High
2:07

 

Despite the challenges of fluctuating markets, practice valuations have reached an all-time high. Since January 1, 2020, we have completed over 400 practice valuations. Compared to previous years, valuations are significantly higher, averaging at $2 million and selling for multiples of 2 to 3 times revenue.

Many factors are impacting this historic high in practice values. Over the years, advisors have shifted away from transactional revenue as their primary source of income to more recurring revenue. This creates more reliable income streams. Advisors are also improving across the board in terms of operational efficiency, which is making practices more profitable. An unusually strong seller’s market coupled with low interest rates and increased access to capital is also helping to drive practice values up. Partial client group sales are doing particularly well in this market, allowing advisors to take back time while monetizing partial equity and taking risk off the table.

Client age and segmentation are two factors that often drive practice value down. However, many advisors have learned to better target high value clients while employing generational planning to preserve client assets. Internal successions also help to improve continuity of assets and ensure long-term growth, helping advisors avoid a decline in value that happens once a practice stops marketing and existing clients reach retirement and start drawing down assets.

Advisors who have not implemented continuity planning or employing generational planning will likely start to see a decline in value soon. As the looming “age wave” begins and many senior advisors start to retire, we may also see a shift from a seller’s market to a buyer’s market, which may also impact practice values and equity events for retiring advisors. Advisors can maintain practice value by learning about the drivers of practice value and regularly comparing their firm to industry benchmarks by seeking an annual valuation and consultation.

 

 

 

Todd Doherty
Todd Doherty
Todd Doherty serves as Vice President for Advisor Legacy, where he helps advisors navigate the entire M&A process from start to finish. With over 15 years of senior leadership experience in financial advisor firms, Doherty knows first-hand what it takes to grow a successful practice. His specialties include growing practice value, succession and acquisition strategy and planning, business valuation analysis, and operations. Doherty works closely with his team to help advisors make smart decisions and successfully execute practice sales and acquisitions.
About the Author: Todd Doherty

Todd Doherty serves as Vice President for Advisor Legacy, where he helps advisors navigate the entire M&A process from start to finish. With over 15 years of senior leadership experience in financial advisor firms, Doherty knows first-hand what it takes to grow a successful practice. His specialties include growing practice value, succession and acquisition strategy and planning, business valuation analysis, and operations. Doherty works closely with his team to help advisors make smart decisions and successfully execute practice sales and acquisitions.

Subscribe

Receive timely articles, tip sheets, events, and more right in your inbox.

Negotiating Non-Compete Terms in a Practice Sale: What Every Seller Should Know

Negotiating Non-Compete Terms in a Practice Sale: What Every Seller Should Know

Thinking about selling your practice? Before you sign, ask yourself: could that non-compete clause cost you your next opportunity,...

Read More
All-Cash vs Hybrid Deals When Selling a Business: Which Structure Works Best?

All-Cash vs Hybrid Deals When Selling a Business: Which Structure Works Best?

In today’s M&A environment, how a deal is structured often matters more than its headline price. Credit is tight. Interest rates are high. Dealmakers...

Read More
Earn-Out Agreements for Financial Advisors: How to Structure Deals and Allocate Risk

Earn-Out Agreements for Financial Advisors: How to Structure Deals and Allocate Risk

Struggling to close deals when buyers and sellers won’t agree on value? You’re in good company. As of 2023, about 26 percent of private company...

Read More