FAQ

APBOE® charges zero subscription fees to Standard access buyers. Buyers who receive designations incur fees for their respective designation level.

There are two levels of buyer designations – Xccelerate™ and NextLevel™. Each designation level has different qualification requirements and offers varying buyer benefits.

The Xccelerate™ buyer designation advanced access to new listings, Buyer Representative access and enhanced APBOE functionality.

The NextLevel™ buyer designation provides exclusive access to off-market listings, advanced access to new listings, a dedicated Buyer Representative and enhanced APBOE functionality.

The Pitchbook Generator and M&A Documents are available exclusively to Xccelerate™ and NextLevel™ designees.

Buyers who are approved for a designation receive exclusive access and advanced to seller listings in addition to additional buyer functionality.

Designated buyers who wish to return to Standard buyer status can do so at any time.

APBOE® utilizes a virtual data room for each buyer and seller. The virtual data room has received a SOC 2 Type I report attesting to their security policies and procedures.

Financing requests can be made via the Apply for Financing page. Depending on transaction details, each applicant will be routed to viable lenders based on each lender’s credit policy.

Currently, over twenty banks can review applicants from APBOE®.

The APBOE® Index reflects the average multiple on revenue paid for wealth management practices as reported by the M&A consultant and IBD participants on APBOE®. The APBOE® Index does not reflect every transaction in wealth management mergers and acquisitions.

APBOE® representatives are available M-F from 9:00 AM to 4:30 PM EST at (800)263-4908 or buyers@apboe.com.

No, other buyers will not be able to view your information.

Many of our buyers utilize their actual practice name as their display name to promote their practice as an active buyer on APBOE®. Other advisors elect to use a display name that maintains their anonymity of APBOE®. Buyers can change their display name at any time.

APBOE® does not provide a mechanism for buyers to contact sellers. Rather, sellers can only contact buyers. When a buyer has interest in a seller listing, the buyer Bookmarks the listing. When the seller decides to determine finalists, they will review all buyers PurchasingPower™ rankings that have bookmarked their listing.

Bookmarking indicates your interest in acquiring the practice to the seller and their M&A consultant.

When will I hear from a seller’s M&A consultant after I have indicated interest (bookmarked) in a practice?

Evaluating each buyer that has indicated interest in a seller’s practice can take time for an M&A consultant to review. If the consultant has begun reaching out to prospective buyers, that phase will be shown on the individual practice page. Each step of the sales process is tracked on a 5-phase scale.

Buyers can increase their ability to purchase another practice by increasing their PurchasingPower™ score.

Sellers and the M&A consultant utilize PurchasingPower™ scores to determine which buyers are included in the final round for each seller.

APBOE® collects five documents from buyers to verify the information required to obtain a PurchasingPower™ score. This is comparable to verifying income and assets for a preapproval to purchase real estate. All documentation is placed in a highly secure virtual data room for each buyer.

Sellers consider other factors in deciding on finalists. Many sellers prefer a buyer that is in close proximity to their practice, serve a similar client niche, or utilize a compatible client service model. Buyers in close proximity with the highest PurchasingPower™ score may be viewed more favorably than national buyers with higher PurchasingPower™ scores.

The manner in which buyers accounts will be managed after sale is very important to sellers. Sellers require that they review a prospective buyer’s investment philosophy. Submission of model investment portfolios increases PurchasingPower™ scores. In addition, utilization of recognized outsourced CIO models incrementally increases buyer scores.

Buyers who have a preexsting relationship with a bank that funds advisory loans also have a relationship with the bankers who will inevitably make decisions about extending financing. In addition, placing capital in those accounts substantiates that prospective buyers have requisite cash (typically 5% of purchase price) for closing.

Each factor for PurchasingPower™ has a different weighting. For more information on increasing your PurchasingPower™ score, contact our APBOE® Consulting Team at (800)263-4908 or info@apboe.com.

Buyers can hide their profile on APBOE® at anytime by visiting the My Practice Profile page and checking the Hide My Profile box.

To permanently delete your profile on APBOE®, please email support@apboe.com with your display name and password to permanently delete your profile.

Sellers can list their practice on APBOE® at no cost. Please schedule a consultation with a Managing Partner or call (800) 263-4908 for more information.

There are zero costs to list a practice for sale on APBOE®. All sellers are required to be represented by an M&A expert from a consulting firm or their broker dealer. In addition, all sellers need to be verified by both APBOE® and their respective M&A consultant or IBD.

M&A consultants act in the best interest of sellers, yet their cost is oftentimes shared or paid in full by the buyer. Sellers who utilize an M&A consultant structure the most appropriate deal structure, efficiently progress through the acquisition process, and very commonly receive higher multiples for their firm.

Each M&A consultant has different specialties and service offerings. We encourage sellers to contact our APBOE® Consulting Team at (800) 263-4908 to determine the M&A consultant that is best suited for your needs.

APBOE® can determine the amount of bank financing attainable from the seller’s practice alone prior to ascertaining buyers credit availability. Through very light cash flow underwriting, our Team can provide sellers with additional insight into an appropriate Listing Price after receiving Seller Bank Financing Analysis.