Post-close · Wealth Advisors & RIAs

Independent Sponsor Post-Close Cap Table Design in Wealth Advisors & RIAs

Securities and M&A counsel for independent sponsors designing wealth advisors and RIAs transactions, from LOI to close to the capital markets that open up afterward.

EV range $10M to $180M EV EBITDA $3M to $25M Audience Independent Sponsor
The deal context

Wealth Advisors & RIAs deals in the lower middle market run a specific playbook. Post-Close Cap Table Design is where the structure either holds or starts to leak.

The typical wealth advisors and RIAs platform sits at $10M to $180M EV with EBITDA in the $3M to $25M range. The thesis runs on RIA aggregation or wealth platform roll-up. Client consent process is the longest pole. Start it the day after the LOI signs.

The moves

How Post-Close Cap Table Design actually gets structured.

  1. Reserve a 10 to 15 percent management incentive pool, vesting on time and performance.

  2. Document profits interests in the LLC operating agreement with a clear strike value.

  3. Build anti-dilution mechanics for the rolled-equity sellers, narrowly.

  4. Plan for add-on equity issuances with pre-approved dilution mechanics.

  5. In wealth advisors and RIAs, layer in negative consent process timed with regulators as part of the Post-Close Cap Table Design workstream.

The common mistake

Designing the cap table for day one only. The cap table you sign at close is the cap table you live with through year five.

Jason's take
"Cap tables are forecasts. Build them for the deal you want in year five, not the deal you signed in week one."
Jason Powell · Post-Close Cap Table Design
Capital after close

The deal is one thing. The capital that opens up after close is another.

The capital that opens up post-close, from refinancing to growth equity to strategic exit, runs through a small set of Wall Street relationships. That network is built in.

MONTH 18
Senior refi
MONTH 24
Dividend recap
MONTH 36
Growth equity
YEAR 4–5
Strategic exit
ENGAGE THE PRACTICE

Post-Close Cap Table Design for Wealth Advisors & RIAs, on independent sponsor terms.

Independent sponsor counsel that already speaks fluent deal-by-deal economics, structures clean LPAs, and travels with capital markets relationships for what comes after close.