Mac O’Brien, Chief Growth Officer, Rothschild Wealth Partners discusses the many factors that RIA’s need to consider when deciding whether to sell their firm.
As consolidation in the RIA sector accelerates, O’Brien’s commentary highlights how merger activity has grown steadily rising from approximately 6% of the marketplace in 2018 to nearly 18% of industry assets under management by the end of 2024, according to data provided by Cerulli Associates. While early 2025 data, including Fidelity’s Q1 M&A report, point to the most active merger environment since tracking began.
O’Brien points out that the primary reasons RIAs seek a merger “…include succession planning, opportunities for scaling, access to improved offerings for clients, immediate monetization of the practice, and other incentives.” The article expands further on the decision-making and strategy process that are important elements of any merger discussion including terms of agreement, platform and investment models, marketing and promotion and investing in a professional “advisor’s advisor” who is experienced in the valuation and merger of similar firms.
Read the full article in Advisor Perspectives here: https://www.advisorperspectives.com/articles/2025/12/03/selling-practice-considerations-rias
