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A business broker specialising in the selling of accounting practices says wealth management arms are actually a deterrent to buyers, despite many accountants believing they will boost the value of their practice.
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Wealth management arms a deterrent to buyers, says broker
24 March 2016
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Vivienne Quinn, of recruitment and practice broking specialists Quinn & Associates, has identified a distinct lack of demand for accounting practices that contain a wealth management arm as part of their revenue base.
“We’re finding that there’s not a great demand in the market from purchasers to buy wealth management fees,” Ms Quinn said.
“I believe it’s because purchasers are nervous about the changes that are happening around wealth management legislation and rules. I’m hoping it’s just a passing trend.”
According to Ms Quinn, even practices that are located within “very saleable” cities are proving unpalatable to potential buyers if they contain any presence of wealth management.
Ms Quinn gave the example of a reputable Sydney firm with a revenue base consisting of $700,000 in accounting fees and $200,000 in financial planning, which has been on the market since June 2015.
“It’s the financial planning side that’s held it back,” said Ms Quinn.
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“If it had been a straight accounting firm, we would have had it under contract within six weeks – no problems at all.”
Despite flagging a concerning trend, Ms Quinn was quick to point out that there was no succession planning issue within the accounting industry, as the demand for practices remains as high as ever.
“In all the years that we’ve been selling practices, there has always been a shortage of vendors and an oversupply of purchasers; the only time a one or two-partner firm would have difficulty selling or would take a lengthy time to sell is if it is located in a small regional town.”
She added: “There is high demand across every capital city in Australia, and high demand across every sizeable regional city.”
“It’s definitely a seller’s market," Ms Quinn concluded.
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