Fort Lauderdale's Financial Services M&A Wave: What Business Owners Need to Know in 2026

Fort Lauderdale's Financial Services Market Is Having a Moment — Here's What's Actually Happening

Let's cut straight to it: South Florida's financial services sector is in the middle of one of the most active M&A cycles it's seen in years. And Fort Lauderdale? Right at the center of it.

We're not talking about a few quiet deals slipping through. We're talking about 20+ acquisitions of Florida financial services firms in 2025 alone — up from 14 in 2023 and 12 in 2024. The pace is accelerating, the buyers are capitalized, and the sellers who moved first are walking away with the best terms.

So what does this mean if you own a financial services business in Broward County right now? A lot. Let's break it down.

The Fort Lauderdale Story: Global Wealth Management's $1.3B Playbook

Here's a deal that tells you everything about where this market is headed. Global Wealth Management, headquartered right here in Fort Lauderdale, quietly executed a strategic acquisition of Gulf Coast Financial Planning in Sarasota County in 2025 — adding over $150 million in assets under advisement in a single move.

By March 2026, the firm had crossed $1.3 billion in total AUM. That's not luck. That's a deliberate growth strategy built on acquiring well-run practices at the right time.

And they're not alone. National consolidators are flooding into Florida from every direction — Modern Wealth Management just closed a $1.2 billion acquisition of a South Florida RIA as its 20th deal since launching in April 2023. Cary Street Partners grabbed two Florida firms in less than a year. Mercer Advisors, Carson Group, Carnegie Investment Counsel — all of them have been active in the state.

The message is clear: Florida financial services firms are in demand, and the buyers have deep pockets.

What Are These Firms Actually Worth? The Numbers Might Surprise You

Real talk — most financial services business owners have no idea what their firm is actually worth in today's market. They're guessing based on old rules of thumb, and those rules are outdated.

Here's what the 2025 transaction data actually shows:

Wealth and asset management firms are trading at 4.7x to 8.3x EBITDA depending on size. Financial advisors are fetching 4.3x to 8.3x. Accounting and CPA practices? 4.6x to 9.5x EBITDA — with the larger firms commanding the premium end.

The median sale price for financial services businesses nationally hit $505,000 in 2025 — a 40% jump year-over-year after a dip in 2024. And sellers are getting 96 cents on every dollar of asking price on average. That's a seller's market, full stop.

The firms getting top dollar? They ran a formal process, had clean books, and didn't just take the first offer that walked in the door.

Why Fort Lauderdale and Broward County Are Ground Zero for RIA Acquisitions

Fort Lauderdale isn't just a nice place to live — it's a strategic market for financial services M&A. Here's why buyers keep targeting Broward County firms specifically.

First, the wealth concentration. Fort Lauderdale and the surrounding communities — Weston, Coral Springs, Deerfield Beach, Pompano Beach — have a dense population of high-net-worth individuals who need sophisticated financial planning. Any firm with a strong HNW client base here is immediately attractive to a national acquirer.

Second, the succession wave. Approximately 37% of RIA advisors nationally are expected to retire in the next decade, and Florida skews older. That means a significant number of well-established Fort Lauderdale advisory practices will be coming to market over the next 3-5 years — and the smart sellers are getting ahead of it now, not waiting until they're burned out.

Third, private equity is everywhere. PE-backed consolidators are specifically targeting Florida because of the state's favorable tax environment, population growth, and the sheer volume of independent advisors who haven't yet been rolled up. If you haven't been approached yet, you will be.

The Buyer's Perspective: What National Acquirers Are Actually Looking For

So what makes a Fort Lauderdale financial services firm a target? Let's be honest about what buyers are screening for.

Recurring revenue is king. Firms with fee-based, AUM-driven revenue models command significantly higher multiples than those dependent on commissions or one-time transactions. If your revenue is lumpy, buyers will price in that risk — hard.

Buyers also want clean client demographics. A book of business concentrated in clients aged 75+ is a liability, not an asset. Firms with multi-generational relationships and younger HNW clients are worth considerably more.

And here's one that surprises people: technology matters. Acquirers in 2025-2026 are specifically looking for firms with integrated tech stacks — CRM, portfolio management, financial planning software all talking to each other. Firms running on spreadsheets and legacy systems get discounted. It's that simple.

What This Market Means for Sellers in West Palm Beach, Miami, and Beyond

The M&A wave isn't just a Fort Lauderdale story. It's playing out across all of South Florida — from West Palm Beach down through Miami and across to Naples. The entire corridor is hot.

If you're a financial services business owner in this region — whether you run an RIA, a CPA practice, an insurance agency, or a boutique financial planning firm — the window of opportunity right now is genuinely exceptional. Interest rates have come down, buyer appetite is strong, and valuations are at multi-year highs.

But here's the thing nobody tells you: the best deals don't happen by accident. They happen because a seller prepared properly, ran a competitive process, and had the right intermediary in their corner. Owners who just accept the first unsolicited offer from a consolidator typically leave 20-30% of value on the table.

Don't be that seller.

The Real Talk: What You Should Do Right Now

If you own a financial services business in Fort Lauderdale, Broward County, or anywhere in South Florida, here's your action plan: get a professional valuation done before you do anything else. Not a back-of-the-napkin estimate. A real, market-based valuation that reflects current multiples and buyer demand.

At Shilalis Business Brokerage, we specialize in exactly this — helping South Florida financial services business owners understand what their firm is worth, who the right buyers are, and how to run a process that maximizes value. Whether you're thinking about selling in 6 months or 3 years, the time to start the conversation is now. Visit biz.shilalis.com or reach out directly — the market won't wait forever, and neither should you.