Could Rising Interest Rates Increase M&A Valuations for Independent Broker-Dealers?

M&A Strategies and Valuations, Insurance Trends in Artificial Intelligence and Young Clients and a CEO Who Visits Advisors Nationwide in Person

To My Fellow WSR Community Members:

Marriage experts, business coaches and self-help gurus all agree that frequent, personal contact and regular focus are the glue that cements relationships – but we get busy with our lives and procrastinate on relationship cultivation.

That procrastination comes at a price because there’s no low-power mode for relationships – they need work – and sometimes they require many miles of travel. This week we relate the story of a super-OSJ CEO who did the miles – 20,000 of them – to strengthen advisor relationships.

We also cover the latest trend in insurance this week – rising demand for insurance solutions from investors who amassed wealth early in their careers and the artificial intelligence needed for success in the insurance space.

Finally, for anyone interested in an M&A transaction in 2022 – which may be half the industry – we sat down with a leading banker in wealth management M&A to learn the best strategies for sellers, buyers and private equity and a panel of M&A experts to understand valuations of IBDs vs RIAs. 

This Week’s Issue

Here’s what we have on tap for you this week:

• Will the increase in cash sweeps from rising interest rates raise valuations of IBDs relative to similarly sized RIAs? In our M&A Roundtable, also in the Capital Connections section, a panel of experts including Brett Mulder, Vice President of Echelon Partners, Derek Bruton, Senior Managing Director at Gladstone Group and Adam Malamed, President and CEO of Ajax Investment Partners, answer this and more.

• In the Investment Solutions & Gatekeepers section, industry leaders 

Doyle Williams, CEO of Concourse Financial, Josh Harris, Managing Director, Corporate Development at Coldstream Wealth Management, Jim Gelder, CEO of Highland Capital Brokerage, and Robert Amoruso, CEO and Managing Partner of Gideon Strategic Partners, describe the surge in insurance solutions for younger wealthy investors and advise on the best strategies to meet their needs.

• In the Capital Connections section, Bomy Hagopian, Partner and Co-Head of Wealth Management Advisory at Berkshire Global Advisors, gives us an inside view of M&A in wealth management, including trends for 2022 and advice for sellers on how to get the best valuation, new entrant private equity firms on establishing an industry presence and buyers and sellers on common mistakes to avoid. 

• Conor Delaney, Founder and CEO of super-OSJ and wealth management firm Good Life Financial, shares with us his reasons for taking a 20,000 mile journey in Q4 to meet advisors face-to-face in their hometowns, what he learned and how it bolstered their relationships in the Upmarket section.

• CogniCor, which specializes in AI-driven back and middle office solutions for independent wealth management and insurance firms, is a fintech company that sees the tremendous expansion opportunities at the intersection of wealth management and insurance. Michael Madden interviews the company’s Founder and CEO, Sindhu Joseph, Ph.D., on the artificial intelligence platforms that insurance firms need to drive scalable growth that enables them to sufficiently capture the surge of interest among firms, financial advisors and end clients in insurance solutions that protect income and wealth.

As a brief reminder, our first annual WSR Growth & Innovation Awards will kick off with two winners and three honorable mentions for Hybrid RIA / Independent Financial Advisor Group of the Year – submissions are open until March 15 and firms may nominate themselves.

Please continue to send us your ideas, suggestions and tough questions. We enjoy hearing from you – our WSR Community!

We always endeavor to hit the mark with content that meets your needs. Please share when we do.

As always, thank you for being part of our Community!

Have an excellent week!

Cheers!

Larry Roth, CEO

Wealth Solutions Report