Business Sales
Selling to an IFA Consolidator
A consolidator sale, with someone on your side
Consolidators are professional acquirers. They buy financial advice firms for a living, with their own M&A teams and lawyers working to get the best possible deal – for them. When you sell to one, you need advisers doing exactly the same for you.
We act only for sellers. As solicitors and accountants, we cover the legal, tax and regulatory ground a consolidator sale turns on, and we answer to you alone – never the buyer.
How IFA consolidators work
A consolidator is a buyer that acquires advice firms and brings them into a larger group, pooling compliance, administration and investment functions to gain scale. For an owner planning an exit, it can provide a clear path to liquidity and continuity for clients and staff. But consolidators are experienced, well-advised buyers, and the detail of the deal is where value is won or lost.
Where we protect your interests
When you sell to a consolidator, these are the areas that decide whether the headline offer is one you actually realise.
The right deal structure
Cash, deferred consideration, earn-outs and loan notes each carry different risk and tax treatment. We help you weigh them and structure the deal so that as much of the value as possible genuinely reaches you.
Protecting your consideration
Much of a consolidator’s offer is often deferred and tied to client or funds retention after completion. We scrutinise the earn-out and clawback terms so the number you are promised is one you can actually collect.
Regulatory and change-of-control approvals
A sale to a consolidator requires FCA change-in-control clearance and the orderly transfer of client relationships. We manage the regulatory and legal steps so approvals do not derail completion.
The terms you will live with
Warranties, indemnities, restrictive covenants and any continuing role: we make sure you understand and can meet what you are signing, long after the deal has closed.
Start with a free assessment
Our Triage assessment is free and without obligation. It is the sensible first step: an honest view of your options and what a consolidator sale would mean for you, your clients and your team.
Book a free Triage assessment
