30 36 14 26 29 30 28 28 38 31 47 27 33 31 47 45 35 41 46 48 43 44 49 52 49 • A Projected Record Year for Deal Making: Q3 2019’s 49 completed deals fell barely short of Q2’s record numbers but still put 2019 on track to be another record-breaking year with ~200 deals projected. • Average Deal Size Increases: The third quarter saw an increase in the number of deals involving over $1 BN in AUM and the average AUM transacted per deal, reversing 1H19’s trend of declining deal size. Private equity firms and banks are the buyers most interested in larger platforms. • RIAs Continue M&A Spree: After experiencing declining market share of M&A transactions since 2016, RIAs are dominating low AUM deal volume so far this year and are now the most active category. 2019 is projected to see 76 RIA-to-RIA transactions representing a year-over-year increase of 58%. • Breakaway Activity Regresses Towards the Mean: After a slow start to the year and a record second quarter, Q3 saw 138 breakaways, still higher than the historical average, but closer to the levels observed in 2017 and 2018. • $1 BN+ Deals and Breakaways Continue Pace for Banner Year: The number of $1 BN+ wealth management M&A deals and breakaways is projected to reach 66 this year, an increase of 38%, compared to 2018. ECHELON’s RIA M&A Deal Report US Wealth Management | Q3 2019 Key Trends and Highlights ™ Source: Company Reports, SEC IARD, ECHELON Partners Analysis 2013 Q3 Q4 2014 Q1 Q2 2014 Q3 Q4 2015 Q1 Q2 2015 Q3 Q4 2016 Q1 Q2 2016 Q3 Q4 2017 Q1 Q2 2017 Q3 Q4 Trend Line (Logarithmic) Exhibit 1. Q3 RIA M&A Deal Volume Remains High, Declines from the Previous Record Quarter 2018 Q1 Q2 2018 Q3 Q4 2019 Q1 Q2 Q3 Executive Overview Wealth management M&A activity slowed slightly in Q3 of 2019, with 49 transactions recorded in ECHELON’s M&A Deal Tracker versus 52 in Q2. Activity fell slightly from the record-setting second quarter but remained strong overall despite continued capital markets uncertainty (volatility rose sharply in July and August with the VIX index increasing 93% from trough-to-peak) and the ongoing trade war between the U.S. and China. 2019 is on track to see 200 completed transactions, slightly lower than the number projected at the end of Q2, but still a record- breaking annual count. The continued activity in the wealth management M&A market shows that structural forces (demographics and buyer interest) continue to drive consolidation, despite market volatility. The M&A environment continues to further benefit from depressed interest rates and well-capitalized buyers are enjoying low borrowing costs, affording them plenty of capital to deploy. The appetite of well-capitalized buyers (both strategic and financial) continues to dominate the RIA M&A leaderboard in terms of AUM transacted. Charles Schwab Corp. (ticker “SCHW”) bought the brokerage and wealth-management operations of USAA for approximately $1.8 BN. The acquisition adds ~$90 BN AUM to the Schwab platform and signals continued focus on shifting resources to wealth management. According to our records, Focus Financial, Hub International, and Mercer Advisors were the most active buyers during the quarter. Private equity was also active in the past three months as TA Associates and Oak Hill Capital Partners added $10 BN AUM plus wealth management platforms to their portfolios. Both represent a new trend in wealth management M&A: private equity to private equity transactions.
11
Embed
ECHELON's RIA M&A Deal Report...in 2017 and 2018. •$1 BN+ Deals and Breakaways Continue Pace for Banner Year: The number of $1 BN+ wealth management M&A deals and breakaways is projected
This document is posted to help you gain knowledge. Please leave a comment to let me know what you think about it! Share it to your friends and learn new things together.
Source: Company Reports, SEC IARD, ECHELON Partners Analysis
2013Q3 Q4
2014Q1 Q2
2014Q3 Q4
2015Q1 Q2
2015Q3 Q4
2016Q1 Q2
2016Q3 Q4
2017Q1 Q2
2017Q3 Q4
Trend Line (Logarithmic)
Exhibit 1. Q3 RIA M&A Deal Volume Remains High, Declines from the Previous Record Quarter
2018Q1 Q2
2018Q3 Q4
2019Q1 Q2 Q3
Executive OverviewWealth management M&A activity slowed slightly in Q3 of 2019,with 49 transactions recorded in ECHELON’s M&A Deal Trackerversus 52 in Q2. Activity fell slightly from the record-settingsecond quarter but remained strong overall despite continuedcapital markets uncertainty (volatility rose sharply in July andAugust with the VIX index increasing 93% from trough-to-peak)and the ongoing trade war between the U.S. and China.
2019 is on track to see 200 completed transactions, slightly lowerthan the number projected at the end of Q2, but still a record-breaking annual count. The continued activity in the wealthmanagement M&A market shows that structural forces(demographics and buyer interest) continue to driveconsolidation, despite market volatility. The M&A environmentcontinues to further benefit from depressed interest rates andwell-capitalized buyers are enjoying low borrowing costs,affording them plenty of capital to deploy.
The appetite of well-capitalized buyers (both strategic andfinancial) continues to dominate the RIA M&A leaderboard interms of AUM transacted. Charles Schwab Corp. (ticker “SCHW”)bought the brokerage and wealth-management operations ofUSAA for approximately $1.8 BN. The acquisition adds ~$90 BNAUM to the Schwab platform and signals continued focus onshifting resources to wealth management. According to ourrecords, Focus Financial, Hub International, and Mercer Advisorswere the most active buyers during the quarter. Private equitywas also active in the past three months as TA Associates and OakHill Capital Partners added $10 BN AUM plus wealth managementplatforms to their portfolios. Both represent a new trend inwealth management M&A: private equity to private equitytransactions.
3833 35
4349
Q32015
Q32016
Q32017
Q32018
Q32019
As Exhibit 1 shows, despite a small reduction in M&A activityin the third quarter, the RIA industry is still projected to reachits seventh straight record-setting year in 2019.
The 49 deals of Q3 2019 are on par with the levels seen inthe first quarter. Q3’s reduced activity distinguishes it fromthe preceding four quarters where deal volume increased atan average quarterly rate of 6.6%, though it’s important tonote that Q3’s levels were still on par or above the majorityof these periods. Activity is still primarily being driven bymid-size RIAs who are using inorganic growth strategies toexpand their businesses.
As Exhibits 2 & 3 show, the third quarter deal count hasgrown at a much slower rate when compared to the growthof the annual deal total since 2015. Third quarter deal totalsincreased at a compounded rate of only 6.6% while annualdeal totals grew at 12.5%. Despite the slowdown, Q3 2019still saw over 36% more deals than the quarterly average of36 transactions (2013-2019) and was 40% higher than the 3Qaverage of 35 transactions.
Exhibit 5. Percentage Breakdown of RIA Acquirers by Firm Type
Exhibit 4. Average AUM per M&A Deal – Excluding Transactions > $20 BN AUM
76
Growth Relative to 2018
Expected Acquisitions by RIAs in 2019E
55%
Exhibit 4 demonstrates the continuing trend of averagedeal size exceeding $1 BN AUM per transaction. Thefirst half of the year saw relatively few $BN+ AUMtransactions, and originally put the year on pace for adecline in average AUM per deal. The third quarterreverses this trend and challenges the idea that themarket’s record deal volume is being driven only bysmaller firms. The industry is now projected to have 59$BN+ transactions by the end of 2019, 84% more than2018. While most of the industry’s smaller dealscontinue to be completed by RIAs and consolidators,private equity firms and banks dominate these largetransactions, completing nearly all the $20 BN+ dealsand most of the deals over $1 BN in AUM.
Buyer breakdown data for the first three quarters of2019 (Exhibit 5) continues to show an increase in thenumber of acquisitions by RIAs. RIAs were especiallyactive in Q3’s M&A market. During the first half of theyear, RIA-to-RIA transactions made up 35% of thesegments’ deals. By the end of Q3, they’ve accountedfor 38% of M&A activity, moving the category toward alevel it hasn’t seen since 2016 and putting it on track toconduct 55% more deals than it did in 2018.
20%
Compound Annual Growth Rate of Transaction AUM
from 2013-2019
Source: Company Reports, SEC IARD, ECHELON Partners Analysis
Exhibit 5 demonstrates the high volume of RIA-to-RIAtransactions that are driving this record-breaking year.Pure-play RIAs are the most active, completing 38% of thetransactions so far in 2019. This is up from only 27% in2018, but still not near the segments’ previous high of47% in 2013. New financing options continue to fuel theability of smaller buyers to execute transactions, however,most RIAs completing deals are doing it to grow, allowingthem to realize operational efficiencies, attract talent, andexperience other benefits that come with increased scale.
The percentage of deals completed by Strategic Buyers orConsolidators decreased, making up only 29% of wealthmanagement deals so far in 2019, a value that falls wellshort of the 47% of deals the category was responsible forin 2018. If this trend continues, 2019 will be the first yearsince 2015 where Strategic Buyers and Consolidators werenot the most active category on the deal volume chart.
Banks continue to hold their place in the bottom of theacquisition chart, completing only 9% of all transactionsso far this year. In 2019 they are projected to completeonly 18 deals, 20% fewer than the category completed in2018. Despite the downturn in volume, banks continueto be active on the industry’s largest deals. CharlesSchwab’s $1.8 BN acquisition of USAA and the CanadianImperial Bank of Commerce’s deal with Atlantic TrustPrivate Wealth Management accounted for two of thethree largest deals recorded in the third quarter,demonstrating that there is still life in the segment.
Other: The other category continued its trend toward arecord year with another quarter of high growth. Thecategory is projected to see 50 deals this year, twice asmany as it saw in 2018. Private equity capital, bothdirectly and indirectly, is fueling much of the activity.Private equity firms are attracted to larger platformswhich have recurring revenue, high margins, andleverageable EBITDA.
Exhibit 6. Top 10 M&A Transactions in Q3 2019
4
During Q3 2019, there were seventeen deals of $1 BN or greater. The largest transaction was Charles Schwab’s acquisition of USAA and its $90 BN in AUM for $1.8 BN. The deal is another indicator of Charles Schwab’s push to expand its identity beyond its historical role as a discount broker. Hub International Limited continued its aggressive M&A push, closing nine wealth management deals in the third quarter, bringing its total for the year to ten completed acquisitions. Hub’s purchase of Global Retirement Partners and its $40 BN in AUM was the second largest deal of the quarter. Focus Financial continues to be the most active deal maker in 2019, closing 19 deals in the first three quarters. The runners up were as follows: Hub International Limited (10), Mariner Wealth Advisors (7), Mercer Advisors (7), and CAPTRUST Financial Advisors (6).
Source: Company Reports, SEC IARD, ECHELON Partners Analysis
Exhibit 9. $BN+ Wealth Management Transactions and Breakaways
Exhibit 8. Top 10 Breakaways as Measured by AUM During Q3 2019
6
Exhibit 8 outlines the top 10 breakaways by AUM in Q3 2019. Average breakaway AUM in Q3 2019 was $259 MM,
which is 18% lower than Q2 2019’s average breakaway AUM of $315 MM, but is relatively on par with Q1 2019’s
average breakaway AUM of $263 MM.
There is more buyer interest in these $1 BN+ AUM targets than in smaller firms, for the following reasons:
1. They Are Ideal Platforms: Most firms with $1 BN in AUM or more are believed to possess the ideal mix of sizeand development.
2. They Are Established Businesses: Firms over $1 BN in AUM often have more infrastructure, systems,management, protective redundancy, and financial wherewithal.
3. Most Have Over $3 MM in EBITDA: Private Equity buyers seek this as a cushion to protect financial performancein the event of a market downturn.
Source: Company Reports, SEC IARD, ECHELON Partners Analysis
2015 2016 2017 20182019 YTD
Annualized
2019 is projected to have 59 $1 BN+ wealthmanagement M&A transactions, a 84% increaseover 2018’s total, and the highest amount sinceECHELON began recording the data. ECHELONprojects seven $1 BN+ breakaway transactions tooccur this year, less than half the number ofbillion-dollar transactions in 2018.
An increasing number of advisors over the age of60 and the heightened interest in the sector fromprivate equity firms mean that ECHELON isconfident $1 BN+ M&A activity will continue toincrease. Threats of an economic downturn doseem to have shaken the advisor community,weighing on the number of future breakaways.
Firm Joining/Starting Team Size Firm Leaving AUM ($ MM) Date
ECHELON Partners is a Los Angeles-based investment bank andconsulting firm focused exclusively on the Wealth andInvestment Management industries.ECHELON was formed to:
► Address the needs of an underserved subset of the
financial services industry—investment product
developers, distributors, and technology providers
► Provide objective, unbiased advice void of conflicts
emblematic of larger institutions
► Help entrepreneurs working at companies of all sizes
navigate the numerous complex decisions that come
with attaining growth and liquidity`
Our Expertise
ECHELON’s service offerings fall into three categories:
► INVESTMENT BANKING
► MANAGEMENT CONSULTING
► VALUATIONS
ECHELON’s comprehensive range of services help its clients makethe tough decisions with respect to: acquisitions,sales/divestitures, investments, mergers, valuation, M&Astrategy, new ventures, management buyouts, capital raising,equity sharing, and succession planning.
ECHELON’s business is making companies more valuable throughits visionary advice and execution excellence. Accordingly,ECHELON measures its success by the enterprise value it createsfor its clients. With an unparalleled quantity and quality ofinvestment banking experience in the wealth and investmentmanagement industries, no other investment bank can matchthe caliber of advice or financial results delivered by theprofessionals of ECHELON Partners.
Our History
ECHELON Partners was founded in 2001 by Dan Seivert, thefirm’s current CEO and Managing Partner.
Over the past 18 years, the firm’s principals have completedmore M&A advisory assignments, valuations, and strategicconsulting engagements for its three target industries than anyother investment bank. In that time, hundreds of executiveteams and boards have chosen ECHELON Partners to help themenvision, initiate, and execute a diversity of complex businessstrategies and transactions.
How ECHELON Can Help
Provide Transaction Assistance (Mergers, Sales, Acquisitions,Capital Raising): Valuation and transactions go hand-in-handwhether buying, selling, raising capital, divesting, investingand/or restructuring. The professionals at ECHELON haveextensive experience with these transactions and matching theappropriate deal processes to meet the many objectives of thestakeholders involved.
Conduct a Valuation: Managers need to know firm value and,more importantly, the key drivers of value. ECHELON hasemerged as the leader in delivering high quality valuation reportsthat cut through irrelevant information and tell managers exactlywhat drives value and how their firm is performing.
Continuity & Succession Planning: With its industry-specificexperience and focus, ECHELON Partners equips its clients withcontinuity plans and succession plans designed to mitigate riskand plan for the future. ECHELON develops continuity plans forequity owners who want to put in place a short-term plan for apreviously selected successor to take over their firm in the eventof a catastrophe, such as death or disability. ECHELON’s moreinvolved succession planning process helps equity ownersdevelop a formal plan for their retirement or known departurefrom the firm, whether they want to pursue an internal sale tocolleagues or family, or want to take steps to prepare the firm foran external sale.
Advise on Equity Compensation Structure: As firms grow andevolve, it is common for a wedge to develop between those thatcreate value and those that reap the benefits (through equityownership). This necessitates the development of equity sharingstrategies that are fair, that can foster employee retention, andat the same time minimize tax consequences and complexity.ECHELON is experienced in developing these structures for a hostof unique situations.
Equity Recycling & Management: Managers need a method ofinternal succession whereby a senior partner sells a portion of hisor her equity to either one or more junior partners currently withthe firm or incoming partners not yet with the firm.
Advise on the Buyout of an Equity Partner: A problem thatarises for most firms that remain private occurs when one ormore of the founders needs liquidity or needs to be bought out.These situations require thoughtful valuation and structuringthat corresponds to the particular situation.
ECHELON by the Numbers
20+ Years of experience valuing financial service companies
300+ investment banking advisory assignments
1,500+ valuations conducted
#1 in conducting valuations for wealth managers with $1 BN+ in AUM
400 Investment opportunities vetted and valued
2,000+ acquisition targets evaluated
15 Published reports focused on Wealth Manager M&A, Management Consulting and Valuation
Follow us on Twitter:@echelon_group
1500 Rosecrans Avenue, Suite 416 Manhattan Beach, CA 90266 888.560.9027 | www.ECHELON-partners.com
Dan Seivert is the CEO and founder of ECHELON Partners. Prior to starting ECHELONPartners, Mr. Seivert was one of the initial principals of Lovell Minnick Partners,where he helped invest over $100 MM in venture capital across 15 companies.Before his involvement in Private Equity, Mr. Seivert was a buy-side analyst at TheCapital Group (American Funds) where he valued firms in the asset management andsecurities brokerage industries. Mr. Seivert has helped ECHELON’s clients make thetough decisions with respect to acquisitions, sales/divestitures, investments,mergers, valuation, M&A strategy, new ventures, management buyouts, capitalraising, equity sharing, and succession planning. In his various roles, Mr. Seivert hasconducted detailed valuations on over 500 companies, evaluated more than 2,000acquisition targets, and authored 25 reports dealing with the wealth and investmentmanagement industries. Mr. Seivert has an Advanced Bachelor’s degree inEconomics from Occidental College and a Master of Business Administration fromUCLA’s Anderson School of Management.
Carolyn Armitage is a Managing Director at ECHELON Partners and has more than 30years of experience being a change management catalyst. She improves marketshare, profitability, people, processes and team dynamics for RIAs, Broker Dealersand Hybrid RIAs. Over her financial services career, Ms. Armitage was an OSJ branchmanager, a sales and marketing manager for HD Vest Financial Services, a managingdirector for Western International Securities, head of advisory services for INGAdvisors Network (Cetera & Voya) and head of large enterprise businessmanagement consulting for LPL Financial. Ms. Armitage is devoted to continuouslearning and improvement. She is LEAN Certified, a Six Sigma Green Belt, a CA Lifeand Variable Contracts Agent and holds numerous FINRA licenses. She is a CFP®,CIMA®, and ChFC. She has a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from theUniversity of Minnesota and a Masters in Management from The American College.
Mike Wunderli is a Managing Director at ECHELON Partners and is integrally involvedin all aspects of the firm’s activities. Prior to joining ECHELON, Mr. Wunderli foundedConnect Capital Group (CCG) where he advised private, middle-market companies onpre-transaction planning, growth financing options and the development andexecution of exit strategies. Before founding CCG, Mr. Wunderli spent 12 years atLehman Brothers and UBS as a Senior Vice President in the Private WealthManagement (PWM) division. During his time at Lehman Brothers and UBS, Mr.Wunderli executed over $2 BN in investment-banking and private-equitytransactions for his clients, and managed over $400 MM for high-net-worth investorsand their families. Over his career, Mr. Wunderli has worked with hundreds ofprivate companies, helping their owners navigate the critical stages of growth andengineer the most appropriate and lucrative exit strategies. He has also worked withmany top investment managers, hedge funds, private-equity funds, family offices,trading desks and a variety of capital providers. Mr. Wunderli received his BA fromBrigham Young University and an MBA from The Wharton School at the University ofPennsylvania.
ECHELON provided the Managementof Merit Financial Group with:
Valuation andBuy-Side Advisory Services
Horizon Planning, Inc.
Valuation andBuy-Side Advisory Services
has completed the acquisition of
ECHELON provided the Management
of Wealthstream Advisors, Inc. with:
ECHELON provided the Management
of The Gensler Group with:
Valuation andFinancial Advisory Services
ECHELON provided the Management
of SignatureFD with:
Valuation andM&A Advisory Services
Valuation andFinancial Advisory Services
ECHELON provided the Management
of Rowling & Associates with:
ECHELON provided the Management
of Retirement Income Solutions with:
Valuation andFinancial Advisory Services
ECHELON provided the Management
of Oakworth Capital Bank with:
M&A Advisory Services
ECHELON provided the Management
of Massey Quick Simon & Co. with:
Valuation andFinancial Advisory
Services
has agreed to a transaction with
ECHELON provided the Managementof Lexington Capital Management Inc.
with:
M&A andFinancial Advisory Services
M&A andFinancial Advisory
Services
ECHELON provided the Management
of Halite Partners with:
M&A andFinancial Advisory Services
has agreed to a merger with
ECHELON provided the Managementof FiComm Partners and Nexus
Strategy, LLC with:
ECHELON provided the Management
of Concentric Wealth Management, LLC with:
Valuation andM&A Advisory Services
Valuation andFinancial Advisory Services
ECHELON provided the Management
of Blue Oak Capital, LLC with:
has completed the acquisition of
ECHELON provided the Managementof OBS Financial with:
Valuation andSell-Side Advisory Services
Sample Transactions & Advisory Assignments Executed by the ECHELON Team
Buy-Side Advisory Services
ECHELON provided the Management
Concentric Wealth Management, LLC with:
Research Methodology & Data Sources:
The ECHELON Partners RIA Deal Report is an amalgamation of all mergers, majority equity sales/purchases, acquisitions, shareholder spin-offs,capital infusions, consolidations and restructurings (“deals”) of firms that are SEC Registered Investment Advisors (“RIA”). The report is meant toprovide contextual analysis and commentary to financial advisors pertaining to the deals occurring within the wealth & investment managementindustries. The deals tracked and identified in the Deal Report include any transaction involving an RIA with over $100 MM assets undermanagement, which have also been reported by a recent data source (e.g., SEC IARD website, a press release, ECHELON Partners Deal Tracker,industry publications). This methodology aims to maintain consistency of data over time and ensure the utmost accuracy in the informationrepresented herein. Additionally, the report includes financial advisors who terminate relationships with other financial service institutions inorder to join RIAs. As with the other transactions reported in the Deal Report, the identified breakaway advisor transitions are transitioning over$100 MM assets under management to a new financial services firm. The reason for this being that transitions of this magnitude are more oftenthan not accompanied with compensation for the transition of assets. The contents of this report may not be comprehensive or up-to-date andECHELON Partners will not be responsible for updating any information contained within this Deal Report.
The ECHELON RIA M&A Deal Report: An Executive’s Guide to M&A in the Wealth Management, Breakaway, and Investment ManagementIndustries.