AdvisorBox is a tech firm supporting independent advisors to open their potential by thinking inside the box. We box solutions into one place for now-gen, next-gen, exit-gen, and novice advisors. Utilize AdvisorBox as your personalized outsourced intranet-like support platform.

AdvisorBox tech empowers advisors with innovative resources, insider insights, and assistance in navigating the inorganic growth and succession ecosystems.

AdvisorBox is the super app for advisors looking to: grow through mergers and acquisitions, recruit and hire the right talent, plan for short or longer term succession, selling internally or to a peer, or need a business loan for financing any of this.

AdvisorBox gives access to what and who to know by clicking a few buttons (from your smartphone if you want). You don’t have to try to figure everything out on your own. Get clarity and the direction needed for the best practices and considerations about your goal.

Law Firm - We are not a law firm but our platform provides agreements and plans which are lawyer created and reviewed. We created AttorneysBox to better consolidate and expedite access to the various specialist attorneys needed in the inorganic growth and owner transition and succession. Also find attorneys specializing in working with advisors on the vendor portal on AdvisorBox.

Tax Firm - We are not a tax firm and do not provide tax advice. We do share what typical tax structures on acquisition deals look like and share how sellers can defer payments over multiple years as part of a tax strategy. Tax firms can be found on the vendor portal in AdvisorBox.

Recruiting Firm - We are not a recruiting firm but were initially established as recruiting and human capital firm 2004. Because we've had over 1,000 advisor placements and transferred tens of billions to our client firms we share what we hope is helpful about recruiting topics, provide guides, FAQs, and financing for recruiting bonuses and payoffs. Recruiting firms can be found on the vendor portal in AdvisorBox.

M&A Broker - We are not brokers, don't pit buyers against each other, and don't boast to sellers that we can get them big premium, and then charge 6% to 10% on the total, all for usually two advisors at the same firm, broker dealer, or custodian. We don't charge broker fees. We do not provide advisor sourcing services or offer retainer type services. Instead, we provide a free M&A matchmaking marketplace platform. We created AdvisorPortals to connect with everyone you would need to know or use. And for you advisors who are serious about sustained inorganic growth we have a growth manager to help you not need an M&A broker in the first place. We also post a substantial quantity of M&A intel and guides including a robust acquisition and recruiting advisor sourcing guide found in our Intel Boxes.

Valuation Firm - We are not a valuation firm but have to deal with a business valuation in every acquisition loan we do. The multiples paid are key factors in determining ROI, cash flow, and if the deal makes sense or not for a buyer. We think valuations have now reached the point of pause, discuss multiples and where these multiples come from, and fluent in the revenue and EBITDA multiple ranges we work around every day.

News or News Feed - We do not provide current news or news feeds. We do post original articles and provide content about current events and post interviews and webinars.

Succession Planning Firm - We are not a succession planning firm. We have integrated succession plans into SuccessionBox, provide easy access to specialists and succession expert attorneys on the vendor portal, and we provide extensive content and consulting on all things succession based lending. LoanBox is setup for equity buyouts and buy-ins and LoanBox Advisors are fluent in conventional and SBA options.

RIA or Financial Firm - We are not an RIA or financial firm. There is no conflict of interest in the support, intel, and lending solutions we provide RIAs, Independent Broker Dealers, Custodians, and advisors with practices of all shapes and sizes.

Bank or Lender - We are not a direct lender and we do not lend from our own balance sheet. We do work with the select and top lenders on LoanBox to help advisors with direct and supported conventional and SBA lending. AdvisorBox helped introduce Live Oak Bank to the industry a decade ago and Byline Bank shorty thereafter. AdvisorBox founder founded AdvisorLoans to be a Loan Advisor to Financial Advisors in 2015. While we're not a bank, that's a good thing for the advisors we help. Banks are all different and outside the box it's easy for an advisor to get rejected by one lender and then be approved by another. Many of the advisors who want a very niche within a niche lending pro to consult and then just navigate it for them with the right lender for their situation have used AdvisorLoans.

AdvisorLoans occupies 1/3 of the originated market share of funded SBA loan dollars to financial and investment advisors over the last 5 years ending 6/30/24. There are 169 lenders who have the 2/3 market share. Need an SBA loan between $1M and $4M? That's our specialty with a 50% advisor market share over the same period.

Conventional lending isn't publicly reported by lenders like SBA loans are so we do not have the data to generate rankings on.

Not being a direct lender not only avoids conflict of interest with LoanBox lenders it fosters the transparency in what is shared about lenders and lending in our intel, guides, and support to advisors.

Use LoanBox to get matched with the top lenders in our niche and work with direct. Or utilize our independent Loan Advisor to independent Financial Advisor model. Either way, this is where you should start your loan.

How We Started

Advisorbox 2.0 is our 20 year anniversary of the bootstrapped virtual work from home business model we first launched two decades ago. While the virtual world is commonplace in 2024 it was just becoming a thing in 2004 which was before smart phones, social media, wi-fi, the cloud, and GPS. 

In 2004 we established RJ & Makay a firm focused on experienced advisor recruiting and transitioning, next-gen advisor recruiting and training programs, and non-advisor human capital solutions for the financial services industry. In 2012 we transitioned completely to an independent channel focus and changed our name to Advisorbox coinciding with expanding our human capital solutions to encompass acquiring, selling, succession, and lending solutions for independent advisors. Our spinoff launch of AdvisorLoans in 2015 followed by our vision of expanding technology solutions in 2018 marked new and converging paths.

We work in different acquisition and succession ecosystems in the advisorverse, exposing us to a diverse range of deal structures, workarounds, banks, vendors, specialists, and know how. Our firms have placed over 1,000 advisor and financial professionals with tens of billions in assets transitioned. Through AdvisorLoans we’re now surpassing 400 closed advisor loans and consulted with hundreds more on their SBA and conventional loan options, strategy, and pre-qualification.

AdvisorBox 2.0

AdvisorBox has spent years streamlining the value we provide by transforming into a tech platform designed to assist the maximum number of advisors in the ways we know best. We’ve consolidated our knowledge and connections and integrated them into a platform specifically developed for this purpose. AdvisorBox has now fully transitioned into a technology firm, offering our solutions in a more current and effective manner.

Since 2018, AdvisorBox no longer directly recruits advisors, sources selling advisors or succession advisors, places corporate or branch leadership and staff, or connects next-gen advisors with local RIAs. Instead, we utilize our AdvisorBox platform technology to instill confidence, clarity, and direction for advisors, aiding them in achieving success with inorganic growth and navigating owner transitions and succession.

Our technology enables advisors to succeed with these solutions, saving significant time and effort while providing clear guidance on what and who to know. In many cases, our platform saves advisors the most by eliminating the need to pay AdvisorBox a matching, placement, or broker fee for successful connections.

The AdvisorBox Builder was created to reduce the costs advisors incur for continuity and succession plans, as well as purchase and partner buyout agreements needed for the 70% of advisors with straightforward structures and goals.

Our free LoanBox platform helps advisors save time, stress, and frustration by matching them with the right lender for their loan on the first attempt. Advisors can pre-screen and then complete the loan package, with responses feeding into our algorithms that match 100% of dozens of criteria from top lenders specializing in both conventional and SBA lending. Work directly with the winning lender you select while having access to tools, insights, and human support whenever needed. Not only is it free, but it’s also the fastest, easiest, and least stressful way to get your loan funded with minimal human interaction if that’s your preference.

The M&A sourcing and brokering we focused on in the past is now channeled through our robust AdvisorPortals, Marketplaces, and IRM System. Rather than charging success fees, we now only charge an annual app membership. For advisors who are generally in agreement and would like us to orchestrate and navigate everything, including purchase agreements and exhibits, we offer deal mediation services to our AdvisorBox members for a flat fee of $10,000.

Our technology allows us to leverage our experience and expertise to serve more advisors than ever before, appealing especially to those financial advisors who are accustomed to advising themselves. A significant amount of wasted money and time is often lost by advisors who initially follow the wrong path, engage the wrong vendors, act on misinformation or misguided strategies, or try to navigate everything alone. With AdvisorBox you can access what to know and who to connect with for your specific need in this niche and nuanced ecosystem.

We invite you to explore if AdvisorBox is the right toolbox for you.

LoanBox: Free (and saves you money, time and stress)

AdvisorBox: $999 year
Access to all platform features and private app/vault

AdvisorBox Pro: $1,999 year
Tailored and customization for OSJs and Enterprise Firms with discounted pricing for additional connected advisor users.

Additional Discounted Services Available for AdvisorBox members:

Practice Analysis: $999 flat fee
Readiness assessment for buying, selling, expanding, or merging.

Acquisition Advocate: $10,000 flat fee
Mediate and navigate acquisition including purchase agreements, financing, and all that has to happen to make closing a reality.

While we have completely done away with the concept of a 6% to 10% marketplace or broker fee on our platform, we do offer the Advisorbox Advocate Program. An Advisorbox corporate agent will advocate for the deal and mediate with both parties neutrally according to the Advisorbox Advocate Deal Guidelines.

SuccessionBox and AgreementsBox are included in AdvisorBox and were created to drastically reduce the costs and complications advisors incur for continuity and succession plans, as well as purchase agreements and partner buyout agreements needed for the 70% of advisors with mostly straightforward structures and goals. It combines our tech with niche lawyer expertise to provide high caliber agreements and plans. To streamline the economics without sacrificing quality we have structured so each completed template is reviewed by one of the attorneys that wrote the template. Up to an hour long review and asking the lawyer any questions is included in the flat fee. In this efficient system most advisors for most plans and book buyouts and single partner buyouts slash the costs by 50% to 75% compared to the other primary firms offering these services to advisors direct or indirect. Of course if you color outside the lines it costs more but you'll find we've taken care to make sure these are quality agreements and plans, with creative optionality, provisions, and contingencies that most advisors for most deals will have more than what they need. And if not, these attorneys are happy to bill you for major adjustments.

The Advisorbox App Delivers Value:

No marketplace broker matching fees

No recruiting or hiring placement fees

Vendors do not pay a commission or referral fee for working with advisors on Advisorbox, ensuring you get the best pricing available

Lenders offer more aggressive loan rates due to the efficiency of LoanBox in originating and processing loans

The app includes specifically designed purchase, partnership, and recruiting agreements in our template builder that would cost thousands more elsewhere. We’re continually expanding our template library.

While we have completely done away with the concept of a 6% to 10% marketplace or broker fee on our platform, we do offer the Advisorbox Advocate Program. For a flat fee of $10,000, an Advisorbox corporate agent will advocate for the deal and mediate with both parties neutrally according to the Advisorbox Advocate Deal Guidelines.

We offer a unique blend of experience, expertise and in the trenches observations and insights shared through this platform and the humans to call when you want to talk through it.