Don’t expect high prices to derail momentum

by Jeff Nash, Founder & CEO, Bridgemark Strategies

Published July 30 on AdvisorHub

Though we’re just over halfway into 2025, if you mistakenly felt a year’s worth of deals had already either been rumored, announced or executed, you’d be in good company. Many big names in the headlines, a lot of big numbers bandied about and plenty of financial advisors in motion have made for an eventful 2025 so far on the M&A/consolidation/aggregation front.

Of course, the LPL Financial/Commonwealth deal remains top of mind – if for no other reason than the (ongoing) feeding frenzy it has prompted among LPL competitors seeking to pick off unhappy Commonwealth advisors. Big deals involving Mariner Wealth Advisors, Mercer, Osaic, Carson Group, Blackstone, SEI and others, as well as talk of strategic moves by  SageView and Shore Capital Partners, among others, monopolized the headlines while smaller deals kept the pipeline flowing.

RIAs are still good long-term investments with impressive organic growth prospects, as a recent Schwab report highlighted. So, for aggregators, consolidators, institutional investors and private equity investors who have done their due diligence, these strategic moves are smart ones. Plus, given the dearth of investment opportunities in an independent BD space dominated by a few mega-firms, RIAs have emerged as the target du jour for PE money looking for a lucrative home.

I believe the stage has been set for a continuation of robust activity – and perhaps an uptick. Historically, second quarter dealmaking is slow; however 2Q ’25 deals represented the most active second-quarter on record. How has this aberration set us up for the rest of the year? Read more here.