Few people have overseen more RIA deals than Accelerated Wealth Partners CEO Eric Amar. During a decade at Focus Financial Partners, he worked on more than 60 mergers and acquisitions, giving him a firsthand view of what buyers want, and what sellers should know, when making a deal. In this episode of This Week in Wealth, Eric talks to Ian and Alex about that process. He shares how it has changed with the influx of private equity money, the key metrics that buyers look at, and what sellers should ask so that they can make a decision that’s best for them.

Ian and Sam Bojarski have an extended discussion about Sam's scoop on LPL Financial making a concerted push to convert hybrid advisors onto its corporate RIA. In addition to discussing who wins financially through these conversions, Ian and Sam touch on Sam's brush with fame and King of the Hill.

M&A, beards, babies and baseball — this podcast has it all! Ian, Alex and Andrew go deep on MAI and Evoke's tie-up and Merchant’s minority investment in a $2.5bn California RIA — two deals which speak to the maturity of the RIA market and the variety options now available to sellers. Facial hair, paternity leave and the Mets also get a mention.

Ian and — in his podcast return — Andrew Foerch discuss what Cresset's move to merge with $124bn investment consultancy Monticello Associates says about the industry-wide drive to acquire wealth assets which may not be under management and talk about how $25bn Homrich Berg's rebrand is a sign of how much the RIA industry has changed recently.

Alex, Ian and Alec Rich discuss three major Citywire RIA exclusives: Alec’s scoop on a flood of exits from Raymond James’s custody unit, Ian’s discovery that Hightower founder Elliot Weissbluth is returning to the wealth business and a new feature highlighting the fastest-growing RIAs under $1bn in assets.

Alex Steger, Ian Wenik and Alec Rich do a deep dive into one of Citywire’s biggest projects: 50 Growers Across America. The trio discuss how they identified the fastest-growing RIAs in the country, how those firms beat the competition and their relationships with institutional investors.

Alex Steger and Ian Wenik do a deep dive into why so many new RIA-focused minority investors have popped up in recent years, what they're offering and why sellers might like them to traditional options such as private equity firms and strategic acquirers.

Creative Planning CEO Peter Mallouk joins This Week in Wealth to discuss the state of RIA M&A, how his own role has evolved, and what’s next for his $370bn firm.

Mallouk, who has completed scores of acquisitions, including the 2023 deal for Goldman Sachs Personal Financial Management, explains why there is still plenty of PE money chasing RIAs but argues that multiples are increasingly challenged for larger firms, unless they are growing organically.

In a wide-ranging interview, Mallouk also shares how his responsibilities have changed and looks back at a formative job for the Kansas City Royals.

Alex Steger and Ian Wenik walk through Osaic's $4.3bn debt capital raise, which allowed Citywire RIA readers and listeners to get a rare look inside the financial terms of a large RIA acquisition, along with AllianceBernstein's efforts to acquire an RIA. Plus, Alec Rich joins to the show to recap a new lawsuit filed against Edelman Financial Engines by a woman who claims she is the victim of a crypto scam.

Ian Wenik and Alec Rich come back from the long weekend to discuss how a new survey from AdvisorPro sheds light on the looming demographic crisis RIAs face and recap how Merit Financial Advisors grew to $20bn and secured a new investment from Constellation Wealth Capital.