--- title: How We Work | Gorman Jones — Sell-Side M&A for Wealth Management RIAs description: A boutique sell-side process built around what RIA owners care about most — the right partner, full value, certainty, and a protected business. --- [![Gorman Jones](https://www.gormanjones.com/hs-fs/hubfs/raw_assets/public/gormanjones-cms/images/logos/gj-logo-color-hor.png?width=154&height=80&name=gj-logo-color-hor.png)](https://www.gormanjones.com/) - [Who We Are](https://www.gormanjones.com/who-we-are) - [How We Work](https://www.gormanjones.com/how-we-work) - News & Resources - [Insights](https://www.gormanjones.com/insights) - [Press](https://www.gormanjones.com/news-press-releases) - [Contact Us](https://www.gormanjones.com/contact-us) [Contact Us](https://www.gormanjones.com/contact-us) For Owners Considering a Sale # How We Work *You built your firm once. You will likely sell it only once. We have sat on every side of that table — advising sellers, evaluating firms from the buyer's seat, and, in our founding principal's case, building, scaling, and selling an RIA of his own.* That experience shapes everything about how we work. A sale is not a transaction to us; it is the moment your life's work passes into new hands. So we build the entire process around what owners actually care about: finding the right partner, realizing full value, reaching a confident close, and protecting the firm and the people inside it every step of the way. ## Our Four-Step Process Great outcomes are made long before a deal is signed. The work that protects your value happens up front — in preparation, not improvisation. Our process moves through four steps, each building on the last. 1. 01 We get you current ### Industry Analysis Most owners haven't looked closely at the M&A market since they built their firm, and the market has changed. We bring you up to speed first: where valuations sit today, how deals are actually structured, the kinds of buyers active right now, and the integration models behind them. You make better decisions about your future when you can see the whole landscape — not just a headline multiple. 2. 02 We unlock your value ### Financial Discovery Buyers form their view of your firm from your numbers, so we make sure your numbers tell the true story. Working alongside you, we recast your financials into a clear, defensible picture of earnings, supported by the analysis and metrics a serious buyer will expect to see. We bring Big Four–caliber accounting and diligence support to this work, so what we present holds up to the toughest quality-of-earnings review. The result is a firm valued for what it is genuinely worth. 3. 03 We find the right fit ### Partner Identification We don't broadcast your firm to a long list of names or fill your calendar with buyer calls that lead nowhere. From the outset we build a highly targeted list of potential partners who match the profile you care about — culture, client service, autonomy, growth, and economics — and we focus the process on the firms most truly compatible with what you've built. Fit first; value follows. 4. 04 We run the process, end to end ### Go-To-Market With your story prepared and the right buyers identified, we take your firm to market and manage every step: first conversations, information sharing, indications of interest, management meetings, and competing bids. We create genuine competitive tension so buyers put their best foot forward, we lead the negotiations and deliver any difficult messages, and we work hand-in-glove with your attorney and other advisors through the legal documentation, so the deal closes cleanly. You stay focused on your clients; we carry the deal to the finish line. [Meet the team behind the process→](https://www.gormanjones.com/who-we-are) ## What We Carry, and What Stays With You Selling your firm should not become a second full-time job. We take on the work that wins the outcome, and we keep what only you can do appropriately in your hands — always prepared and supported, never dropped in your lap. ### Gorman Jones leads - Your marketing materials and the confidential information memorandum buyers rely on - The financial recast, the analysis, and the data behind your numbers - The data room and the flow of information to buyers - Buyer outreach, the bid process, and the competitive tension that drives value - Negotiations and any difficult messages along the way ### You and your advisors hold - Every decision along the way — we'll provide insights and our honest counsel at each step, but the final call is always yours - Your perspective on your story, your people, and your priorities — the context we use to frame your numbers and shape the partner search - Communications to your clients and team — supported by our experience - Running your firm, while we run the sale ## What Our Clients Say April 2026 ![Covenant Partners](https://www.gormanjones.com/hubfs/raw_assets/public/gormanjones-cms/images/deals/covenant-partners.png) merged with ![Cerity Partners](https://www.gormanjones.com/hubfs/raw_assets/public/gormanjones-cms/images/deals/cerity-partners.png) Gorman Jones served as exclusive financial advisor to Covenant Partners > We built this firm over nearly three decades on discretion and trust, and we wanted to find partners the same way. Gorman Jones ran the process the way we run our practice. A few of the right conversations, handled quietly, and it ended with a partner who genuinely fits. **J. Banks Link** Cofounder, Covenant Partners February 2026 ![Alpha Cubed Investments](https://www.gormanjones.com/hubfs/raw_assets/public/gormanjones-cms/images/deals/alpha-cubed.jpeg) sold to ![CAPTRUST](https://www.gormanjones.com/hubfs/raw_assets/public/gormanjones-cms/images/deals/captrust.png) Gorman Jones served as exclusive financial advisor to Alpha Cubed Investments > Rush knows who the buyers are and how they think. The Gorman Jones team anticipated every question before it was asked and knew where to push on our behalf, and it showed in the outcome for our team and our clients. **Todd Walsh** CEO, Alpha Cubed Investments December 2025 ![Burt Wealth Advisors](https://www.gormanjones.com/hubfs/raw_assets/public/gormanjones-cms/images/deals/burt-wealth.png) sold to ![Creative Planning](https://www.gormanjones.com/hubfs/raw_assets/public/gormanjones-cms/images/deals/creative-planning.png) Gorman Jones served as exclusive financial advisor to Burt Wealth Advisors > Forty years in business means forty years of history to explain, and Gorman Jones prepared ours so thoroughly that nothing in diligence came as a surprise. Gorman Jones brought a level of organization and preparation that made a complex process feel comfortable and easy, allowing us to focus on what mattered most: finding the right home for our clients and our team. **Fred Cornelius** President, Burt Wealth Advisors November 2025 ![Greenwood Gearhart](https://www.gormanjones.com/hubfs/raw_assets/public/gormanjones-cms/images/deals/greenwood-gearhart.png) received a minority investment from ![Constellation Wealth Capital](https://www.gormanjones.com/hubfs/raw_assets/public/gormanjones-cms/images/deals/constellation-wealth-capital.png) Gorman Jones served as exclusive financial advisor to Greenwood Gearhart > We weren't selling the firm. We wanted a partner who would back our growth and respect our independence. Gorman Jones understood that distinction from the first conversation and shaped the process around it. We got the capital, and we kept the firm. **Brock Gearhart** CEO, Greenwood Gearhart February 2025 ![Criterion Capital Advisors](https://www.gormanjones.com/hubfs/raw_assets/public/gormanjones-cms/images/deals/criterion-capital.png) sold to ![EP Wealth Advisors](https://www.gormanjones.com/hubfs/raw_assets/public/gormanjones-cms/images/deals/ep-wealth.jpg) Gorman Jones served as exclusive financial advisor to Criterion Capital Advisors > You only sell your firm one time, and it mattered to us that Rush had experience building and selling his own. That experience was evident throughout the process. If we had to sell the firm again, the Gorman Jones team would be our first call. **Allan Horner** Co-Founder, Criterion Capital Advisors ## Get in touch The best outcomes start long before a firm goes to market. If you’re thinking about a sale, we’d love to talk. A first conversation carries no cost or obligation, and everything you share with us stays confidential. [Start a confidential conversation](https://www.gormanjones.com/confidential-conversation) GORMAN JONES Sell-side M&A advisory for wealth management RIAs. ## Our Company - [Who We Are](https://www.gormanjones.com/who-we-are) - [How We Work](https://www.gormanjones.com/how-we-work) - [Contact Us](https://www.gormanjones.com/contact-us) ## Explore - [Insights](https://www.gormanjones.com/insights) - [Press](https://www.gormanjones.com/news-press-releases) ## Talk to Us 30 Burton Hills Blvd, Suite 300 Nashville, TN 37215 [(615) 924-0655](tel:16159240655) [team@gormanjones.com](mailto:team@gormanjones.com) © 2026 Gorman Jones, LLC. All rights reserved. - [Privacy Policy](https://www.gormanjones.com/privacy-policy) - [Terms of Use](https://www.gormanjones.com/terms) × - [Who We Are](https://www.gormanjones.com/who-we-are) - [How We Work](https://www.gormanjones.com/how-we-work) - News & Resources - [Insights](https://www.gormanjones.com/insights) - [Press](https://www.gormanjones.com/news-press-releases) - [Contact Us](https://www.gormanjones.com/contact-us) ```json { "@context" : "https://schema.org", "@id" : "https://www.gormanjones.com/#organization", "@type" : "FinancialService", "address" : { "@type" : "PostalAddress", "addressCountry" : "US", "addressLocality" : "Nashville", "addressRegion" : "TN", "postalCode" : "37215", "streetAddress" : "30 Burton Hills Blvd, Suite 300" }, "areaServed" : "US", "description" : "Gorman Jones is a boutique investment bank providing sell-side M&A advisory to wealth management RIAs.", "email" : "team@gormanjones.com", "founder" : { "@id" : "https://www.gormanjones.com/who-we-are/rush-benton#person", "@type" : "Person", "jobTitle" : "Founding Principal", "name" : "Rush Benton", "sameAs" : [ "https://www.linkedin.com/in/rushbenton", "https://www.wealthmanagement.com/author/rush-benton" ] }, "image" : { "@id" : "https://www.gormanjones.com/#logo" }, "logo" : { "@id" : "https://www.gormanjones.com/#logo", "@type" : "ImageObject", "url" : "//246341757.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na2.net/hubfs/246341757/raw_assets/public/gormanjones-cms/images/logos/gj-logo-color-hor.png" }, "name" : "Gorman Jones", "sameAs" : [ "https://www.linkedin.com/company/gormanjones/" ], "telephone" : "+1-615-924-0655", "url" : "https://www.gormanjones.com" } ```