Platform-Agnostic
We work with the top firms but aren't beholden to any. You see the full landscape, not one narrow lane.
Strategic Consulting for Financial Advisors Contemplating What's Next
Platform-agnostic guidance for career transitions, mergers, acquisitions, and succession planning.
Advisors come to us when the options all sound good on paper, but the long-term implications are harder to see. The goal is clarity before commitment.
We work with financial advisors at every stage - whether you're exploring a platform change, building an independent RIA, or evaluating a sale, merger, or succession opportunity.
Platform-agnostic guidance for advisors evaluating a move - wirehouse to independent, independent to RIA, or any channel in between.
Learn more →From valuation guidance to identifying aligned buyers or sellers, structuring the deal, and supporting the transition through close.
Learn more →Evaluate internal succession, external acquisition, and equity partnership structures that protect your clients, team, and legacy.
Learn more →Evaluate whether independence is right for your practice, map out the build, and connect with the right partners.
Learn more →Our methodology evaluates every firm across six critical dimensions to find where you'll thrive for the next 10, 15, or 20 years.
The 6C Framework guides every engagement - platform transitions, M&A evaluations, and succession planning - to ensure every decision is grounded in long-term alignment, not short-term economics.
Learn How the 6C Framework Works →Leadership style, values, and the day-to-day environment your team will actually feel.
The peer network, access to leaders, and sense of belonging around your practice.
How cleanly the firm's operating model aligns with your clients, team, and service style.
The technology, transition support, and operational horsepower behind the promise.
Economics that make sense not only upfront, but over the life of the relationship.
The capital resources, succession flexibility, and deal optionality available to your business.
We are not optimizing for a transaction. We are helping you make a decision that holds up when culture, economics, client impact, and timing all matter at once.
We work with the top firms but aren't beholden to any. You see the full landscape, not one narrow lane.
We optimize for where you'll thrive over the next 20 years, not just the biggest upfront check.
Explore options privately. Your current firm will never know unless you choose to move.
Beyond platform transitions, we guide advisors through acquisitions, practice sales, and succession structures - evaluating not just economics, but long-term cultural and operational alignment.
Real market intelligence on what firms are offering, not just what they advertise. Make decisions with full information.
Rick brings the perspective of an advisor transition strategist, operator, and business development leader, plus hands-on work around acquisitions and succession structures.
Continuum Search Group was founded by Rick Kerstiens, a 20+ year veteran of the independent financial advisor transition landscape. As former Vice President of Recruiting at Kestra Financial, Rick developed the 6C Framework based on thousands of advisor conversations and hundreds of successful placements.
His experience spans leadership roles at Fortune-100 firms, running an independent general agency, and serving as VP of Business Development at Kestra Financial. That insider perspective - combined with hands-on work guiding practice acquisitions, succession structures, and equity partnerships - gives advisors a partner who understands the full picture, not just the transition deal in front of them.
No pressure. No guessing. Just a clear, advisor-focused process from first conversation to a confident transition, transaction, or succession plan.
A private, no-pressure call to understand your goals, concerns, and timing.
We benchmark your priorities using our framework to clarify what matters most.
You meet only firms, acquirers, or partners that align with your values, economics, and long-term goals. We negotiate on your behalf - not just facilitate introductions.
When you're ready, we help with due diligence, negotiation, timelines, and onboarding so the move feels organized - not overwhelming.
We're building a library of guides, frameworks, and market intelligence for advisors navigating career-defining decisions.
Clear answers for advisors exploring their next move, evaluating a deal, or pressure-testing the timing of a change.
A confidential 30-minute call could clarify your next step. No pressure, no obligation.