Financial advisor firm mergers and acquisitions have been breaking records over the last few years. In the second quarter of 2025, M&A data shows 148 transactions from January through June, making it the most active first half of the year in the financial advising history books. Further, despite a volatile market and geopolitical concerns, the industry has had three consecutive quarters with at least 70 transactions, showing that deal-making is not apt to slow down anytime soon. However, to continue making records or even hovering near these historic highs, acquiring firms must deploy streamlined onboarding procedures.

Financial advisor mergers are becoming like a fast-moving assembly line with firms selecting their acquisition target, performing due diligence, making an offer, closing the deal, onboarding the new firm and then starting all over. But to avoid this becoming a chaotic mess, acquiring firms need solid onboarding processes aligned to best-in-class technology.

After all, firms that don’t properly repaper their new clients promptly can’t quickly utilize that capital on their next target. These missteps and malfunctions cause the wheels of progress to start halting.

How To Keep the M&A Wheels Greased

While machines require oil to function continually, financial advisory acquirers, particularly the mega aggregators, must utilize onboarding technology. Literal repapering, as in getting client information on paper and correctly transferring that data, is so antiquated and unreliable. From a client’s standpoint, papers get lost; therefore, there’s a delay in returning them promptly. If an investor misses one check box or a place for their initials, firms must mail back forms to be fully completed. What a mess, not to mention an opportunity for the client to skip the process and stay where they are.

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Instead, technology speeds up the process in a variety of ways. First, unlike paper, which has become burdensome, cell phones and other electronic devices are practically glued to investors, so a firm can attract their attention much faster. Additionally, errors or gaps in completion can be spotted almost instantaneously, saving days or weeks from the manual process. Finally, if firms utilize a text message-based system, gentle reminders to complete the repapering documentation can be sent without taking away from a staff member’s day.

Lots of M&A Is In The Cards

Without having a crystal ball, it’s easy to project that this will be another year with many M&A deals completed. Between the confluence of advisors aging and the latest and greatest technology often residing at larger firms that can afford it, practices will likely want to leverage this opportunity for several years to come. Never mind that the mega aggregators don’t seem to have reached their limits. Therefore, technological innovations to onboarding will be necessary to keep the M&A market vibrant.

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The Infrastructure Behind Successful Transitions

As firms continue this M&A pace, automated client onboarding solutions that reduce account opening timeframes from weeks to days, allowing acquiring firms to integrate new practices more efficiently, are crucial. Advisors should prioritize platforms with built-in compliance management features that ensure regulatory requirements are met throughout the transition process, reducing the risk of costly oversights.

Security remains paramount when handling sensitive client data during transitions. Choose onboarding solutions that protect enterprise-level data while maintaining client confidentiality during firm information transfer. Consider platforms that offer real-time progress tracking, giving acquiring firms visibility into where each client stands in the transition process, enabling better resource allocation and timeline management.

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For an industry that shows no signs of slowing its acquisition activity, reliable technology infrastructure to support rapid client transitions has become as essential as deal-making expertise.