Close · Wealth Advisors & RIAs

SBA Financing Counsel for Wealth Advisors & RIAs Acquisitions

Independent sponsor counsel for wealth advisors and RIAs, focused on SBA Financing and the deal mechanics that protect sponsor economics and LP alignment.

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

The economics on a wealth advisors and RIAs platform deal usually hinge on a handful of structural decisions. SBA Financing is one of them.

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 SBA Financing actually gets structured.

  1. Confirm eligibility against SBA size standards before signing the LOI.

  2. Structure personal guarantees with care; SBA lenders require them but they can be narrowed.

  3. Plan the seller note as on-standby debt, supporting the SBA loan covenant package.

  4. Time the SBA approval process into the closing schedule; allow 90 days from full application.

  5. In wealth advisors and RIAs, layer in negative consent process timed with regulators as part of the SBA Financing workstream.

The common mistake

Promising the seller an SBA-funded close in 60 days. SBA does not move at LOI speed.

Jason's take
"SBA debt is the cheapest money in the independent sponsor market. The trade is paperwork and time."
Jason Powell · SBA Financing
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
TALK TO JASON

An LOI on the desk, a wealth advisors and RIAs target, and a SBA Financing question worth a real conversation.

Twenty minutes of practitioner-grade input from a securities attorney whose first move is to read the deal, not the engagement letter.