What Gladstone Group does

Gladstone Group is a privately held boutique investment bank headquartered in Plymouth Meeting, Pennsylvania, with a second office in San Diego. The firm exclusively serves the wealth and investment management ecosystem, providing M&A advisory (sell-side, buy-side, and merger advisory), Fair Market Valuation services, retained executive search, and strategic growth consulting to RIAs, asset managers, independent broker-dealers, private equity-backed aggregators, and institutional financial services organizations nationwide. The firm is the product of a 2025 restructuring that merged legacy executive search firm D.A. Kreuter Associates (founded 1979) into Gladstone Group to unify the brand under a single entity, and has completed more than 960 engagements across its history while representing clients collectively managing over $10 billion in AUM.

Gladstone's core technology and proprietary assets include a 14-step sell-side transaction process, a proprietary Fair Market Valuation model built on a private RIA transaction database with industry-specific KPIs, and the Intelligent Search™ executive search methodology. In July 2025, the firm launched Gladstone Connect, a digital-first platform designed to democratize M&A advisory for smaller RIAs under $250 million in AUM at a $500 flat fee, with credit applied if sellers upgrade to full-service advisory. The firm also publishes The Gladstone Prognosticator™, an industry research study, and operates an annual M&A conference at the W Hotel in Philadelphia.

Revenue is generated primarily through professional services fees: a soft-retainer-plus-success-fee model for M&A advisory, flat-fee retainers for talent search, competitive fees for valuations, customized engagements for strategic consulting, and a $500 platform fee for Gladstone Connect. The firm operates a sales-led, senior-led go-to-market motion without dedicated SDR/BDR functions, generating demand through thought leadership in industry publications, The Hunter podcast, the annual conference, and a referral network of attorneys, CPAs, custodians, and past clients. With approximately ten team members, the firm is founder-owned by Daniel A. Kreuter and concentrated on the U.S. national market.

Name

Gladstone Group

Legal name

Gladstone Group Inc.

Website

https://gstoneinc.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1979

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Gladstone Group is a privately held boutique investment bank that provides M&A advisory, valuation, and executive search services exclusively to the wealth and investment management ecosystem, serving RIAs, asset managers, independent broker-dealers, and PE-backed aggregators across the United States.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Investment Banking and Wealth Management Advisory

NAICS

Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (523940), Management Consulting Services (54161)

SIC

Investment Advice (6282), Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro primary industry

Industry-Specialist / Sector-Focused M&A Advisory (FSAEAGAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

Sell-Side M&A Advisory (FSAEAGAA), Buy-Side M&A Advisory (FSAEAGAB), M&A Advisory (Buy-Side & Sell-Side) (BPAHAOAA)

Keywords

• M&A advisory
• Investment banking
• Executive search
• Wealth management services
• Valuation services

Headquarters

HQ city

Plymouth Meeting

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. M&A Advisory – Soft Retainer + Success Fee: Gladstone works on a 'soft retainer' basis with M&A clients ensuring discretion, intense focus, and complete alignment, with a reasonable Success Fee only upon completion of a transaction.
2. Talent Search – Flat Fee Retainer: Gladstone operates on a flat-fee retainer basis for executive talent search engagements, providing transparent and fair pricing for identifying, assessing, and placing candidates across financial services roles.
3. Valuation Services: Competitive fee structure for industry-leading RIA valuations, including Fair Market Valuation reports that capture tangible and intangible business factors.
4. Strategic Growth Consulting: Customized engagements for enterprise clients providing deep-dive advice on growth strategy, more quickly and at lower cost than large consulting firms.
5. Gladstone Connect – Digital Platform Fee: Gladstone Connect charges sellers a total fee of $500 to have their firm confidentially presented and sold to a consortium of highly screened potential buyers. If retained investment banking white-glove services are required, the $500 is credited toward that.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Gladstone Group is a boutique investment bank that delivers M&A advisory (sell-side, buy-side, and merger advisory), retained executive talent search, and proprietary Fair Market Valuation services exclusively to the wealth and investment management community. The firm also offers Strategic Growth Consulting and, via its Gladstone Connect digital-first platform, democratized M&A access for smaller RIAs under $250M AUM at a $500 entry point.

Product overview

Gladstone Group operates as a boutique investment bank offering a portfolio of advisory services to the wealth and investment management community. The core offerings include M&A Advisory (sell-side, buy-side, and merger advisory), Talent Search (executive search services), and Valuation services. The company has recently launched Gladstone Connect, a digital-first platform that democratizes M&A advisory for smaller RIAs under $250M in assets, combining technology with the firm's 20-year M&A expertise. Additional offerings include The Gladstone Prognosticator™ (industry research study), the annual Gladstone Conference (M&A industry event), and Strategic Growth Consulting. The firm serves RIAs, asset managers, independent broker-dealers, private equity firms, and institutional providers nationwide.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Gladstone Connect: Digital-first platform designed to democratize M&A advisory services for smaller wealth management firms under $250 million in assets, combining technology with the firm's M&A expertise to streamline the matching process.

Products and services

• M&A Advisory Comprehensive merger and acquisition advisory services including sell-side advisory, buy-side advisory, and merger advisory for wealth management firms and RIAs. Delivered through a proprietary 14-step sell-side transaction process that exclusively represents seller interests to optimize enterprise value and deal terms.
• Talent Search Executive search and talent acquisition services for financial services firms, including identification, assessment, and placement of top talent across C-suite, investment teams, sales, and back-office roles. Delivered on a flat-fee retainer basis using the proprietary Intelligent Search™ methodology pioneered in 1995.
• Valuation Fair market valuation services for privately-held RIAs and investment advisory businesses using proprietary valuation models that consider complex details, market dynamics, KPIs, and private market comparables. Goes beyond revenue multiples by incorporating discounted cash flow modeling, a private transaction database, and RIA-specific premium/discount drivers.
• Strategic Growth Consulting Strategic consulting services designed to drive revenue with informed, creative solutions tailored for enterprise clients in the wealth management space. Customized per engagement, providing deep-dive advice more quickly and reasonably than large consulting firms.
• Gladstone Connect A digital-first platform that democratizes M&A advisory services for smaller RIA firms under $250 million in assets, combining technology with Gladstone's M&A expertise to streamline the matching process between buyers and sellers. Charges sellers a total fee of $500 to have their firm confidentially presented to a consortium of highly screened potential buyers.
• Gladstone Conference Annual M&A conference serving as the wealth management industry's premier event for RIA founders, principals, and key next-gen leaders, featuring networking, education, buyer and seller panels, sidebar meetings, and deal-making opportunities. Held at the W Hotel in Philadelphia.

Quantifiable outcome

• 960+ completed engagements across M&A, valuations, consultations, and talent searches over the firm's history.
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers11 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• DeVoe & Company: Boutique M&A and consulting firm exclusively focused on the RIA and wealth management industry. Directly comparable to Gladstone in target market, service mix (M&A advisory, valuation, consulting), and deal size focus.
• Echelon Partners: Investment bank and wealth management consultancy serving RIAs, broker-dealers, and asset managers with M&A advisory, financing, and consulting. Closely comparable to Gladstone in niche focus and service offering.
• Park Sutton Advisors: Specialized M&A and strategic advisory firm serving the wealth and investment management industry. Directly comparable boutique investment bank competing for the same RIA M&A mandates as Gladstone.
• MarshBerry: Consulting firm specializing in M&A advisory, growth consulting, and valuation for the wealth management industry. Comparable in target customer (RIAs and broker-dealers) and adjacent service offerings.

Broad incumbents

• Harris Williams: Large middle-market investment bank with a dedicated Consumer Services group that includes wealth management M&A. Comparable on the M&A advisory function but operates at much larger scale across multiple industries.
• Lincoln International: Global investment bank with an active financial services M&A practice including wealth and asset management. Overlaps with Gladstone on RIA and asset manager transactions but serves a broader cross-industry mandate.
• Heidrick & Struggles: Global executive search firm with a dedicated Financial Services practice. Comparable to Gladstone's Talent Search / D.A. Kreuter executive search division but operating at significantly larger scale across industries.

Emerging players

• Truelytics (an Envestnet company): SaaS platform for RIA valuation analytics and benchmarking; originally acquired Gladstone's eValuation Index in 2017 and ultimately became part of Envestnet. Comparable on RIA valuation methodology now embedded in technology rather than advisory services.

Regional players

• Wealth Enhancement Group: PE-backed RIA aggregator platform that is both a Gladstone client (buy-side advisory) and a market participant competing for many of the same RIA acquisition targets. Comparable as a buyer of RIAs in the firm's pipeline.
• Modern Wealth Management: Fast-growing RIA aggregator founded in 2023 that has been a significant Gladstone advisory client (14-15 acquisitions to date). Comparable as a strategic acquirer of RIAs and a key counterparty in Gladstone's deal flow.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/gladstone-group-inc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Gladstone Group