2016 Outlook: No End to Mergers in Sight

A buyer’s market is on the horizon.

They say “past results are no indication of future performance.” Maybe. Maybe not. But if anyone should know, it’s our panel of experts, their comments drawn from the new edition of The Rosenberg MAP Survey. These are their bullet points and comments, verbatim, looking back at the last 12 months and looking ahead to 2016. – Rick Telberg, CEO

By Gary Adamson
Adamson Advisory

Lessons from 2015:

Merger mania continued over the last year for several reasons:

continued slow post-recession organic growth,
thousands of baby boomers with no internal succession plans in place and
competition heating up for middle-market clients (the big firms want our biggest and best clients!).

MORE FROM THE ROSENBERG MAP SURVEY: Why Outsourcing Beats Unicorn Hunting | 2016 Battleground: Aging Leaders vs. Emerging Leaders | Private Clouds on the Rise | Firms Growing, Still Face Talent Challenges | Outlook 2016: Another Economic Storm Coming? | How Succession Issues Are Driving Desperation Mergers | Outlook 2016: Change Catches Up with Auditors | Strategic Plans Undermined by Out-of-Control Partners | Growth, Succession Plans Critical for Firms | Talent Wars Go from White Gloves to Boxing Gloves | Trend Outlook 2016: Change Agents Needed

Firms are improving profitability with per-partner income rising while the talent wars that we saw pre-recession are returning.

Posted on January 4, 2016

Gary Adamson

About the Author

Gary Adamson, CPA, is the CEO of Adamson Advisory, a CPA practice management consulting firm. Bringing both his managing partner and consulting experience to the table, he specializes in succession planning and strategies, firm governance and management, merger and acquisition assistance, strategic planning and firm retreats, partner compensation systems, partner agreements and retirement, partner coaching. Gary is one of the few CPA firm consultants with Managing Partner on his résumé. He led a top 200 CPA firm for over twenty years growing it from a small local practice to a regional four office firm. His experience goes deep with personal first-hand knowledge of the challenges you face in your firm, each day. Adding to that, he has consulted with over 60 firms, bringing that broader knowledge and best practices into every engagement. Gary is a frequent speaker at professional conferences including state societies, associations and the AICPA. His articles have been published in over 40 professional publications. Gary’s professional background includes: Graduate of Indiana University, School of Business, Graduate of the Leading Professional Service Firms curriculum at Harvard University Business School, Indiana CPA Society Board member and Audit Committee Chairman, Ohio Society of CPA’s Council of Leaders, AICPA MAP Committee member, AICPA G400 Steering Committee member, and Member of CPA Consultants’ Alliance.

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