{"type":"succession_guide","title":"How long a sale or succession takes","lead":"As of Oct 5, 2026, Succession Resource Group says a practice sale typically takes 6 to 12 months from first engagement to closing, and it reported an average of 129 days from listing to funding for 2024 deals.","as_of":"2026-10-05","facts":{"summary":"Years to prepare, months to sell, and a year or more of payments and transition after closing.","key_facts":["A sale typically takes 6 to 12 months from engagement to closing.","Average time from listing to funding was 129 days in SRG's 2024 deals.","Most internal succession plans take 5 to 15 years, according to FP Transitions.","35% of financial advisors plan to retire within the next 10 years, according to Cerulli."]},"sources":[{"url":"https://www.successionresource.com/merger-or-sale-finding-the-right-path-to-your-exit/","checked":"2026-10-05","label":"Succession Resource Group: Merger or sale: finding the right path to your exit"},{"url":"https://www.successionresource.com/blog/srg-advisor-deal-report-2025/","checked":"2026-10-05","label":"Succession Resource Group: SRG Advisor Deal Report 2025 (2024 transactions)"},{"url":"https://www.fptransitions.com/internal-succession-seeker","checked":"2026-10-05","label":"FP Transitions: Internal succession"},{"url":"https://www.cerulli.com/press-releases/advisor-retirements-underscore-need-for-stronger-rookie-development","checked":"2026-10-05","label":"Cerulli Associates, press release: Advisor retirements underscore need for stronger rookie development"},{"url":"https://www.successionresource.com/selling-in-the-next-3-5-years/","checked":"2026-10-05","label":"Succession Resource Group: Selling in the next 3 to 5 years (webinar page, David Grau Jr.)"},{"url":"https://www.fptransitions.com/blog/preparing-to-sell","checked":"2026-10-05","label":"FP Transitions: Preparing to sell"},{"url":"https://www.successionresource.com/selling-book-of-business-for-financial-advisors/","checked":"2026-10-05","label":"Succession Resource Group: Selling a book of business for financial advisors"},{"url":"https://mercercapital.com/insights/blogs/ria-valuation-insights-blog/2025/earnouts-that-actually-pay-in-ria-ma/","checked":"2026-10-05","label":"Mercer Capital: Earnouts that actually pay in RIA M&A"},{"url":"https://www.kitces.com/blog/deferred-payments-trap-seller-valuation-terms-retention-payments-earnout-cagr-target/","checked":"2026-10-05","label":"Kitces.com, Richard Chen: Deferred payments: retention payments, earnouts and growth targets"},{"url":"https://www.sec.gov/files/formadv-instructions.pdf","checked":"2026-10-05","label":"U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission: Form ADV: General Instructions (SEC 1707)"}],"related":[{"title":"Asset sale or equity sale: how practice deals are structured","url":"https://advisoriq.com/succession/guides/asset-sale-vs-equity-sale/"},{"title":"Down payments, seller notes and earnouts: how the price gets paid","url":"https://advisoriq.com/succession/guides/how-the-price-gets-paid/"},{"title":"Minority stakes and outside capital","url":"https://advisoriq.com/succession/guides/minority-stakes/"},{"title":"What buyers look at","url":"https://advisoriq.com/succession/guides/what-buyers-look-at/"},{"title":"Valuation estimator","url":"https://advisoriq.com/succession/valuation/"},{"title":"RIA deal tracker","url":"https://advisoriq.com/succession/deals/"}],"notes":["Educational, not legal, tax or investment advice.","Practice management content is not eligible for CFP Board CE. CFP Board plans to allow up to five hours of it per cycle once its Q4 2027 changes take effect."],"url":"https://advisoriq.com/succession/guides/how-long-a-sale-takes/","citation":"AdvisorIQ, as of 2026-10-05. https://advisoriq.com/succession/guides/how-long-a-sale-takes/","license":"https://advisoriq.com/license/","publisher":"AdvisorIQ, independent education for financial advisors","disclaimer":"Summaries of rules set by designation bodies and regulators, which have the final word."}