Financial Advisor Recruiter

"Can you help me find a retiring financial advisor who's looking to sell their practice?" I wish those opportunities were easier to find. The reality in 2026 is very different than it was 10 or 15 years ago. When a quality firm comes to market today, there are usually a lot of buyers interested. Many of those buyers are large, private equity-backed firms with dedicated M&A teams. They're fast. They're well capitalized. And they're willing to pay up. Does that mean individual advisors never buy practices anymore? Of course not. Those deals still happen. They're just a lot harder to find than most people realize. Personally, I think too many advisors make buying a practice Plan A. Then they spend years waiting for the right opportunity to show up. I'd rather see someone spend those years figuring out how to build. Build a referral network. Build relationships with CPAs and attorneys. Build a niche. Build a reputation. Those are things you control. If the right acquisition comes along one day, great. You'll be in a much stronger position to take advantage of it. But don't put your career on hold waiting for a deal that may never come.

The average financial advisor is in their 50s. And for years, the projection has been the same. A massive wave of retirements is coming. 30%+ of advisors expected to retire over the next decade. A lot of younger advisors see that and think: “I want to be the succession plan.” Logically, it makes sense. But in reality, those opportunities have been a lot harder to come by than people expected. A few things have slowed it down. First, a lot of senior advisors brought on associates or junior advisors to take work off their plate. Once that happens, the job gets easier. And when the job gets easier, it’s a lot easier to stick around for a few more years. Second, valuations have continued to rise. Higher multiples have given many senior advisors a reason to wait. Another year or two can make a meaningful difference in what they ultimately walk away with. At the same time, competition has exploded. Aggregators. PE-backed firms. Dedicated M&A teams. All going after the same businesses. Which makes it very difficult for a younger advisor to step in as the successor. So while the opportunity is real, it’s also been a lot more limited than most people expected. That may be starting to shift. I’m currently working on a few of these at existing firms with retiring advisors in Pennsylvania and Massachusetts. They’re still rare, but opportunities are starting to surface. If you’re exploring this path in those areas, I’m happy to talk.