The 2026 National Exit Planners Survey

Underwritten by ExitMap^® LLC
Exit Planning is complicated… ExitMap isn’t.

ExitMap^® is a subscription-based coaching system for any advisor engaged in exit planning services. It provides a streamlined framework for advisors to guide business owners through exit planning focused on their goals for life after the business. With a clear roadmap, tools, and resources, it ensures a smooth process, identifies readiness gaps, and delivers tailored transition strategies—all while seamlessly integrating with your existing workflows. Our clients include Financial Planners, Business Consultants, Business Brokers, Accountants, Appraisers, Attorneys and Insurance professionals.

Now in its sixth consecutive year, we conduct this survey to document the trends shaping a maturing advisory specialty — tracking how practitioners work, price their services, adopt new tools, and build their practices over time. The 2026 edition captures a profession at an inflection point, with growing formalization, near-universal AI adoption, and a deepening body of data on what distinguishes the most successful practitioners.

Approximately 50% of the six million private employers in the United States are owned by persons 61 years old or older. The long-predicted Silver Tsunami of business exits is not a single event — it is a generational process that will play out over the next decade and beyond. The advisors and firms investing now in exit planning expertise are positioning themselves to guide the largest private wealth transfer in American history.

We are available to comment on the transition of the Baby Boomers, the exit planning profession, practice development trends, AI adoption in advisory services, and exit planning industry methodologies.

For journalistic inquiries or to arrange media appearances, please contact John F. Dini, CExP, CEPA, CBEC, CEMC, Founder and CEO, ExitMap^® LLC at (800) 653-5405 or via email to jdini@exitmap.com.