A team of industry veterans has launched Uniting Wealth Partners (UWP), an RIA succession incubator supported by Wealth Advisor Growth Network (WAGN).

UWP’s model is strategically designed for sale to an institutional buyer within the next three to five years.

Advisors within UWP focus on a comprehensive approach to client service, which includes financial planning, wealth management, banking, insurance, trust and estate services, and business valuation and M&A advisory.

UWP managing partner and WAGN founderJohn Phoenix said: “The mistake most advisors make when looking at succession is that they let middlemen benefit from the margin expansion created by aggregation.

“UWP solves this issue by allowing the advisors to become the aggregator and to achieve the multiple expansion normally reserved for the middlemen and their institutional financers.”

UWP introduces a unique two-step succession incubator model that enables advisors to maintain majority ownership of their practices while also acquiring majority ownership of the holding company that supplies essential operational support and resources.

This structure is intended to enhance the size, scale, and profitability of advisory firms, making them more appealing to potential institutional buyers.

Advisors affiliated with UWP can benefit from the collective scale and resources of the network, gaining access to advanced technology, compliance, accounting, strategic marketing, transition services, and recruitment support.

Furthermore, UWP allows advisors to broaden their service offerings to include lending, trust and estate planning, insurance, business valuation, and M&A advisory services.

UWP managing partner and WAGN founder Jay Hummel said: “Most advisors today work for the house; with UWP they own the house.

“This will be the next trend in succession and, for those advisors willing to put a plan in place, the results will be multiples normally reserved for the private equity firms that are aggregating smaller shop.”