July 2022
Buying financial planning businesses or accounting practices in regional areas is becoming a significant issue with many of our buyers. We have about 200 active buyers in Australia, many wanting sellers in the capital cities. They used to look at regional areas for acquisitions, but since the pandemic, it’s almost impossible to employ staff to replace the business owner.
Sellers in the country and regional areas generally want to collect the sale proceeds over a year, then move into retirement or some other career.
Qualified accountants and financial planners are impossible to find outside capital cities. Radar Results buyers are no longer prepared to risk not having support staff to run these businesses once the owner moves on.
Below in this newsletter are several positions our buyers want to fill, and with the lack of demand for regional practices, prices have fallen.
Radar Results has published a Price Guide for 15 years, and from July 2022, we will publish two Price Guides. One based on the age of the financial planning clients that are sold, and a new version based on the size of the client’s fee paid for the review service.
In capital cities and regional areas, the demand has lifted for clients who pay higher fees. The minimum fee payable to a financial planner is expected to be $4,000 to $6,000 per year. Similarly, accounting clients that pay higher fees are more valuable and sought after if they are small to medium-sized businesses.
The challenge is to find qualified accountants in these regional and country areas to take over from the owner.
May 2020 Newsletter
The main impact to the value of financial planning practices is from the Royal Commission Report released in Feb 2019 and the additional red tape that followed the recommendations. The banning of grandfathered trail commissions from Jan 2021 has had an immediate impact with as much as 25% of the recurring revenue from some practices disappearing. The strategy of moving these grandfathered clients to a fixed fee type client can be time-consuming and problematic, but not impossible.
The Corona Virus has not seen any substantial change in valuation multiples, whether it’s a multiple of normalised EBIT or recurring revenue. The share market crash of Feb-April 2020 has seen values diminish where the fees are connected to the Funds Under Management (FUM). Some practice revenues are down between 5% and 20% depending on the client’s exposure level to shares.
Radar Results consultants around Australia have reported that price multiples being paid for financial planning practices have softened due to the attitude of buyers in the current environment.
Another factor that has lowered planning practices values is the number of sellers compared to buyers. It’s a buyers market and has been that way now for about 18 months. There have been thousands of planners either sacked, told to move to another licensee or given a Buyer Of Last Resort (BOLR). Further, many don’t wish to do the FASEA exam, and certainly, they don’t want to commence a 4-year University course. With the average age of planners estimated to be 60 years or over and started their careers and businesses 25 to 35 years ago, many have had enough and wish to either retire or have a sea-change.
What’s in demand
Accounting practices are in significant demand, and prices remain steady.
SMSF administration fees are now selling for around $1.50 per $1.00.
General insurance registers or businesses are also hard to find for our buyers.
Radar Results has moved up the price paid for home loan books. Like accounting businesses, Radar Results do not have enough loan books to sell.
| Revenue Type | Recurring Revenue Multiple |
| Investment and super clients (aged 80 yrs+) | 0.8x to 1.0x
Previously 1.0x to 1.2x |
| Investment and super clients (aged 65 -79 yrs) | 1.7x to 2.2x
Previously 1.8x to 2.3x |
| Investment and super clients (aged up to 64 yrs) | 2.2x to 2.7x
Previously 2.3x to 2.8x |
| Risk clients (under 55 yrs) | 2.2x to 2.7x
Previously 2.3x to 2.8x |
| Risk clients (aged 55 – 60 yrs) | 2.0x to 2.3x |
| Risk clients (aged 61 yrs+) | 1.0x to 1.5x |
| Corporate super plans – commission switched off | Negotiable |
| Grandfathered investment trail commissions | Nil
Previously Nil to 1.0x |
| Mortgage clients – home loan trails | 1.8x to 2.5x
Previously 1.8 to 2.2x |
| Accounting fees – business clients | 0.75 x to 1.2x |
| Accounting fees – individual returns | 0.5x to 0.9x |
The above multiples can vary depending on the terms offered by the vendor, geographic location of the client, age of the client and the investment products within the client’s portfolio. Multiples paid for risk books or insurance revenue-based practices will vary depending on the client’s occupation, size of premium, type of policy (stepped or level) and geographic location of the client. The multiples displayed above are for high-quality risk clients.
The table above is based on market activity over the past eight months to May 2020.
Grandfathered trail commission clients (Down another 33%)
Grandfathered trail commission clients (Down another 33%)
Radar Results (Radar) had seen recent sale transactions of grandfathered trail commission clients trade between 1.5x and 2.0x the annual trail amount, but now that the Royal Commission has recommended trails cease on 1 Jan 2021, Radar Results believe the multiple has now fallen further.
These books are most likely to trade between 1.0 times and 1.5 times trails, giving buyers approximately 22 months of income. Previously these had been selling for as high as 3 times trail, but more commonly at a high of 2.7 times trail during the period 2013-2017. In 2013 these trail commissions books were sought after because no FDS (Fee Disclosure Statement) was required and the Opt-in requirement for new clients from 1 July 2013, didn’t apply. Radar Results expect a lot of grandfathered books to now come onto the market for sale.
The Royal Commission may not have explained the reasoning behind the recommended cessation of the trail commission, except to say it’s conflicted. They also feel that the financial planners have been receiving revenue without providing a service. Whilst in many situations this is correct, it’s not the situation across the industry. The Royal Commission would like the financial planners who own grandfathered clients, to make contact where possible, and try and convert them into fee-paying clients. If the grandfathered client is receiving a service already, then the trail commission needs to be changed to a fee, paid by the client and not by the product provider.
The principal of Radar Results, John Birt said, “I feel sorry for those planners who had borrowed money over the past 5 years to specifically buy grandfathered trail commission clients, thinking they would have an income for life.”
Radar Results was told that banks are not placing any value on these grandfathered clients now; basically, they do not see them as an asset. Radar Results does not hold this view, as with some effort, clients can be moved to fee paying.
