What’s your advice business worth (to someone else)?

This is the first in a two part-series of articles that examines the sale of financial advice firms. In this initial article, we consider the various valuation methods that can be used to place a value on your business. Next month we’ll take a look at some of the ways that you can (positively) influence that value.

How to value your business

There are many methods that are used to value businesses, however the most common methods are,

  1. A multiple of recurring income
  2. A multiple of EBITDA

We’ll examine both of these in turn.

 

A multiple of recurring income

This is still the most widely used valuation method, and it is certainly the one used in casual conversations among advisers. This is the basis that is quoted in relation to any “buy back” agreements in place in the market. This basis is popular because of its simplicity, and also because a potential purchaser will be satisfied that they are buying a future income stream. The value of the business is not skewed by a huge uplift in new business sales (and attaching initial commissions) in the year or two before the sale of the business.

Of course the next question is – what’s the multiple! And that’s really where the negotiations start. This will be determined by a whole range of elements including;

  • The business retention strategy in place and the actual retention record of the business. This is a critical factor for would-be purchasers.
  • The compliance profile of the business – are the systems in place robust or is it all a bit lacklustre, with potentially significant hidden problems down the road?
  • The synergy between the seller’s business and that of the purchaser. This includes target markets, systems and the ability to easily integrate the two firms. These factors may make one potential purchase a better prospect than others, as the purchaser may gain more from synergies and be willing to pay a higher price.

 

Multiple of EBITDA  

The simple calculation based on recurring income is not deemed sufficient in all situations. For larger firms, a more refined calculation method is often deemed necessary, and this is where the multiple of EBITDA (Earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation) comes in, as this takes a much broader view of the business as a whole and looks at the actual profitability of the business.

When this calculation method is used in relation to smaller firms and where the business owner’s salary is the main overhead, EBITDA is often adjusted by removing the owner’s salary from the calculation as this can often significantly skew the EBITDA figure. With the salary excluded from overheads, a prospective purchaser can get a clearer picture of the real profitability of the business.

 

Payment Terms

Usually when an advice business is sold, there is a handover period where the previous owner remains with the business for a year or two to ensure a professional handover of the clients to the buyer, and to assist in the retention of those clients.

As a result, the payment terms usually include some of the purchase price to be deferred – maybe with half paid up front and the remainder paid in tranches over the following two years. There will typically be penalty clauses if the retention turns out to be lower than anticipated. These terms are really important, as they align the interests of both the buyer and seller towards a smooth handover with high retention rates.

 

Make the process easy

Due diligence before a sale is key. Once any confidentiality agreements are in place, it is really important that the required information is easily accessible to a prospective purchaser. If they feel they have to drag the information from you, they will wonder what you are hiding. So make sure you are capable of providing the required information before you start seeking out a buyer.

Equally, be realistic in your price expectations. While of course you may not choose to take the first offer that comes your way, don’t hold out forever for that elusive windfall sale price.

 

These are thoughts solely on the financial side of selling your business. In a follow-up article, I’ll look at steps you can take to actually increase the value (and more importantly the price!) of your business.

What’s the right fee structure for you?

Trail commission. Is it the silver bullet that enables Financial Brokers to be paid for the value they add, to build value in their businesses and eventually sell the business at a healthy multiple? Or is it a somewhat opaque way for advisers to be paid, sometimes with very tenuous links between the value provided by the adviser and the payment received?

Trail commission is far and away the most popular method of ongoing fee collection today. First of all it’s relatively easily explained. Clients understand it. And of course trail is very easily collected. Clients don’t have to write another cheque, which is always a potential hurdle. Clients also see a level of alignment of interest – if the portfolio sees strong growth, both the client and the adviser win. Also there is no VAT payable on trail commission, that will apply to retainers and fees if the adviser’s fee based turnover threshold for VAT of €37,500 is exceeded. This is good news for personal clients.

For the adviser, trail makes a lot of sense. It’s the most used factor in advice firm value calculations and trail tends to naturally increase each year in line with portfolio growth, and as new contributions are paid into investments and pension policies. Very importantly too, it doesn’t tend to dominate review meeting conversations. Many advisers have moved to Modular AUM-based Pricing, which is where prices are linked to AUM, but then varied based on the level of service. This has become very popular in Ireland, as the focus of the conversation shifts from the price paid to the value added.

But trail is not perfect. As we see asset management fees fall dramatically in some markets (note Fidelity’s recent announcement of zero charge funds – yes, you read it right!), trail levels will come under a lot more scrutiny. In any case, some advisers (and/or their clients) already baulk at the idea of their remuneration being based on the client’s asset levels rather than the value provided. This might be where fees come in.

 

How do you structure a fee?

I am often asked this question by advisers who have decided to go down the fees route, usually just for a segment of their clients, but on occasion for their business as a whole.

There are of course many different ways of structuring fees – below are listed some of the most common structures used in Ireland and/or in other markets. Of course each of them has their merits and drawbacks, but hopefully this list will help you identify one or more structures that suit you and your business. First of all, the most common structures are,

  • A fixed rate for each service (plan preparation, annual review service etc.). These rates can differ for different levels of complexity associated with different clients.
  • The “McDonalds Menu” approach of bundling services together into service packages, and then charging different fixed fee levels for different service packages.
  • A monthly retainer

Some advisers are now combining one or more of these, including combining them with trail commission. The most often used combination is a fixed fee for preparation of a financial plan alongside modular based trail commission or a retainer for ongoing services.

Other less often used structures include,

  • Hourly charging – rates are quoted by lots of advisers here, but few actually end up using this basis…
  • A model used by advisers in some markets aimed at millennials and others with low asset levels but often high incomes, is advice fees linked to the client’s income and net worth, instead of to AUM.
  • A subscription model based on client preference and personality. A client who is a “delegator” pays more than a client who is simply looking for validation of their own decisions, who in turn pays more than a DIY client who simply wants help with product execution.

As you can see, there are many different bases that can be used, and often the preferred structure is a combination of different structures. The challenge for you is to identify the model that fits best with your own client proposition and that reflects the value that you are adding.