The Next Decade of Advisor Growth Will Be Business-Owner Led

The next wave of growth in wealth management isn’t hiding in portfolios—it’s locked inside privately owned businesses.

For years, advisory success was measured by portfolio performance and AUM growth. But the ground is shifting. Markets have become more volatile, portfolio management is increasingly commoditized, and digital tools are pushing advisors into a race to the bottom on fees.

What’s left standing? One of the most overlooked—and most valuable—client segments in wealth: the business owner.

At interVal, we believe the next 10 years will be defined not by who can manage money best, but by who can help business owners build, protect, and transition their wealth across both sides of the balance sheet.

Because here’s the reality: business owners control trillions of dollars in trapped value. But most of that wealth isn’t visible on a statement. It’s locked in a business—and that business is deeply personal, uniquely complex, and often underserved.

Why Business Owners Are the New Growth Engine

Business owners don’t just need a better portfolio. They need an advisor who can help them make sense of their whole financial picture. Someone who understands that value isn’t just market-driven—it’s enterprise-built. Someone who knows the right time to introduce an insurance solution, or how to structure a succession plan that doesn’t trigger unintended tax consequences.

They need a partner who can:

• Interpret business valuation as a planning tool, not a one-time event
  
  
• Spot opportunities to increase value long before a sale is in sight
  
  
• Connect the dots between operating cash flow, personal retirement goals, and wealth preservation
  
  
• Speak to both the balance sheet and the business plan
  
  

In short, they need someone who can make the invisible visible.

Portfolio Management Is Table Stakes. Strategic Insight Is the Wedge.

Yes, portfolios still matter. But they’re no longer the differentiator.

The real wedge today is helping business owners navigate complexity:

• Understanding how their business fits into long-term wealth goals
  
  
• Using valuation data to inform strategic decisions
  
  
• Aligning insurance, tax, and estate strategies with the reality of business ownership
  
  

This is where interVal comes in. We equip advisors with the tools to see what traditional wealth platforms can’t. Our software surfaces up-to-date business valuation insights and highlights strategic opportunities in real time—so advisors can show up with more than a generic financial plan. They can show up with relevance.

This Is the Decade to Get Closer to the Closest Source of Wealth

If you’re an advisor looking to grow your practice, the question isn’t whether you should work with business owners—it’s how quickly you can become indispensable to them.

Because while portfolios may fluctuate with the markets, the value locked inside businesses is being built every day. And the advisors who lean into that complexity—who learn to speak the language of ownership and understand how to unlock growth—won’t just win new clients.

They’ll become the trusted advisor that business owners can’t imagine building without.