Vistamark Investments
Chicago Area312-895-3001 Phoenix Area480-906-3001 info@vistamark.com

M&A and expert advisory · through Vistamark Consulting

M&A Advisory & Expert Investment Analysis in the Chicago Area

Independent, credible analysis for owners and counsel — sell-side and buy-side advisory in the lower middle market, and expert insight for complex legal and business matters.

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Vistamark’s advisory practice supports business owners preparing for or executing a sale, boards and counsel who need independent investment analysis, and families integrating a liquidity event into a long-term plan. M&A advisory is provided through Vistamark Consulting, an affiliated company. The practice draws on the partners’ private equity, alternative credit and family office relationships.

Who this is for

Built for

  • Owners of lower middle-market businesses considering a sale or recapitalization
  • Family offices evaluating direct investments
  • Attorneys and fiduciaries who need independent investment analysis or expert review
  • Boards and committees facing a complex portfolio decision

What’s included

  • Sell-side and buy-side advisoryPreparation, valuation perspective, buyer or target identification through our private equity network, and process support through close.
  • Post-transaction planningIntegrating proceeds into a tax-aware investment plan through the VistaWealth Office™.
  • Expert investment analysisIndependent review of portfolios, fees, manager conduct and fiduciary process for legal and business matters.
  • Direct investment diligenceUnderwriting support for family offices considering direct private investments.
  • Valuation and deal-structure perspectiveAn independent read on multiples, earn-outs, rollover equity and seller notes before you sign a letter of intent — from partners who have sat on the buy side of private equity.
  • Board and committee supportIndependent analysis for boards, trustees and investment committees facing a one-time decision: a large gift, a concentrated holding, a manager dispute or a change of provider.

How an engagement works

From first call to standing partnership

  1. ConversationA confidential discussion of the situation and what a good outcome looks like.
  2. EngagementA defined, written scope and timeline.
  3. ExecutionAnalysis, process management and reporting on an agreed timeline.

Frequently asked

Questions we hear first

Short answers here; longer treatments in our Private Wealth & Family Office research.

Is Vistamark a broker-dealer?
No. Vistamark Investments is an SEC-registered investment adviser, and M&A advisory is provided through its affiliate, Vistamark Consulting. Where a transaction requires a licensed intermediary, we coordinate with appropriately registered partners.
What size of business do you work with?
Owners of lower middle-market companies — typically enterprise values from roughly $5 million to $100 million — where the sale is the largest financial event of the owner’s life and the proceeds need a plan as carefully built as the deal.
Do you provide expert testimony?
We provide independent investment analysis and written opinions for legal and business matters — portfolio reviews, fee analysis, fiduciary-process assessments. Whether that extends to testimony is decided engagement by engagement with counsel.
How does this connect to your wealth management practice?
Many owners engage us before a sale so that the transaction and the plan for the proceeds are designed together. Our article “From Business Owner to Investor” describes that transition.

Case study · from the book

The Dawsons: selling an $8 million business, simply

An eighteen-month preparation, an auction with five bids, and a first year after liquidity done in order — the archetype for a business-owner family.

Read the case

Related research

Read before you decide

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