Christoph Totter, Author at CT Acquisitions - Page 20 of 143

LTM EBITDA (Last Twelve Months): How to Calculate It and Why Buyers Use It (2026)

Home / Guides / Current article LTM EBITDA: How to Calculate It and Why Buyers Use It LTM EBITDA is the single most important number in private-company M&A pricing, lender underwriting, and sell-side mandates, because LTM EBITDA captures a business as it actually performed over the last four reported quarters rather than over a fiscal […]

How to Open an Escrow Account for a Business Sale: 2026 Step-by-Step Guide

Home / Guides / Current article How to Open an Escrow Account for a Business Sale: Step-by-Step If you are selling a privately held company, you will almost certainly need to set up a third-party escrow before closing, and most founders Google how to open an escrow account about a week before the wire instructions […]

Royalty Fee Definition: What Franchisors Charge and Why (2026 FDD Guide)

Home / Guides / Current article Royalty Fee Definition: What Franchisors Charge and Why The royalty fee definition that matters in practice is this: a royalty fee is the ongoing payment a franchisee owes the franchisor for the right to keep operating under the brand, system, and trademarks after the initial franchise fee is paid, […]

Horizontal Merger Definition: What It Means, Examples, and FTC Antitrust Treatment (2026)

Home / Guides / Current article Horizontal Merger Definition: Meaning, Examples, FTC Treatment The horizontal merger definition that actually matters in practice is short: two companies that sell the same thing, to the same customers, in the same geography, choose to become one company. That is it. The legal language is fancier, the antitrust math […]

Football Field Valuation Chart: How to Build One With Worked Examples (2026 M&A Guide)

Home / Guides / Current article Football Field Valuation Chart: How to Build One A football field valuation chart is the one slide every M&A banker, sell-side advisor, and board director ends up staring at: a horizontal floating-bar visual that stacks every valuation method side by side on a common enterprise-value (or per-share) axis. This […]

Private Equity Analyst: 2026 Career Guide to Comp, Recruiting, and Day-to-Day Work

Home / Guides / Current article Private Equity Analyst: 2026 Career Guide to Comp, Recruiting, and Daily Work The private equity analyst is the youngest investment professional inside a buyout firm, hired straight from undergrad or a non-MBA masters program to build LBO models, sit through diligence calls, and write the memos that go to […]