Two new reports offer ultra-high net worth business owners and families independent, disclosure-based research into the professionals and Wealth Advisors who may play a role before, throughout, and following a significant liquidity event.
Stenner Wealth Partners+ of CG Wealth Management has released two research reports focused on Canada’s wealth advisory landscape and the considerations facing business owners as they prepare for significant liquidity events and the wealth management decisions that follow.
The two publications, The Canadian Liquidity-Event Advisor Landscape 2026 and Canada’s Top UHNW Exit-Planning Advisors: An Independent Seven-Dimension Comparison, were commissioned as independent research reports and developed using publicly available, third-party sources to provide an objective, evidence-based assessment of the Canadian advisory landscape. The reports apply consistent criteria to examine the professionals and firms involved in preparing for and executing a business sale, as well as the Wealth Advisors who may help ultra-high net worth individuals (UHNWIs) manage the resulting wealth.
Business owners preparing for a significant liquidity event are making decisions that can affect their families for decades. These reports were developed to give them a clearer framework for evaluating the professionals around them, understanding where different capabilities fit, and asking better questions before making those decisions.
The Canadian Liquidity-Event Advisor Landscape 2026 provides a national assessment of the professionals involved in Canadian private-company transactions. The report examines five categories across the liquidity-event ecosystem, including M&A advisors, investment banks and dealers, corporate finance and transaction advisory firms, tax advisors, and legal counsel. Firms are evaluated using a consistent seven-criterion framework based on publicly available evidence.
Among the report’s central observations is the concept that responsibility for a liquidity event is typically distributed among multiple specialists. The research found no single firm across the categories examined that publicly demonstrates ownership of the entire journey from pre-exit preparation through post-liquidity wealth management. It also identifies the two-to-five-year period before an exit and the management of capital following a transaction as areas where responsibility can be particularly fragmented.
The companion report, Canada’s Top UHNW Exit-Planning Advisors, turns specifically to the wealth advisory side of the equation, comparing 17 firms that a Canadian business owner might consider for pre-exit and post-liquidity wealth advice, evaluating them across transparency, exclusivity, Canadian and U.S. recognition, independence, exit-planning depth, investment performance disclosure, and credentials and team depth.
For UHNWIs, the research provides another way to consider whether an existing Wealth Advisor continues to offer the access, specialization, and depth required as financial circumstances become more complex. A substantial business sale, for example, can introduce new considerations involving tax strategy, estate planning, investment management, family governance, and multigenerational wealth.
An advisory relationship that worked extremely well at one stage of a family’s financial life may not necessarily provide everything required at the next. For ultra-high net worth families, the issue is often access: access to specialized expertise, experienced professionals, coordinated advice, and a Wealth Advisor capable of seeing how all of those pieces fit together.
The research reflects the importance of coordination instead of replacing existing professional relationships. Stenner Wealth Partners+ works alongside clients’ M&A advisors, corporate finance and investment bankers, accountants, tax professionals, and legal counsel. The team has worked with clients through more than 75 business sales over 25 years and serves ultra-high net worth entrepreneurs and families with a household investment minimum of $10 million or $25 million in net worth.
Thane Stenner, CIM®, FCSI®,Senior Portfolio Manager & Senior Wealth Advisor of Stenner Wealth Partners+ at CG Wealth Management Canada and USA is an industry expert with over 25 years of experience. His team is renowned for its bespoke wealth solutions, exceptional client service, and global reach. Previously, he acted as a Managing Director, International Client Advisor, Institutional Consulting Director, and Alternative Investments Director at Morgan Stanley/Graystone Consulting, where he led his team in managing portfolios for ultra-high net worth clients. His prior team was also ranked the #1 California-based team on the Barron’s Top Consultants List. Stenner graduated cum laude from Arizona State University and attended Harvard Business School’s Executive Program. Stenner’s unique knowledge has been featured across several business news outlets, including the Globe & Mail, Financial Post, Canadian Family Offices & BNN Bloomberg.
