FIG Investment Banking: A Founder and Career Guide to the Financial Institutions Group (2026)
Home / Guides / Current article FIG Investment Banking: A Founder and Career Guide to the Financial Institutions Group If you own a community bank, an RIA, a specialty lender, an insurance brokerage, or a fintech platform and you are starting to think about a sale, fig investment banking is the corner of Wall Street […]
Amortization Meaning in EBITDA: PPA, QofE, and the Phantom Amortization Wedge (2026)
Home / Guides / Current article Amortization Meaning in EBITDA: What the A Stands For, How PPA Creates It, and Why Buyers Add It Back The amortization meaning in EBITDA is the non-cash accounting charge that spreads the recorded cost of acquired intangible assets (customer relationships, trade names, developed technology, non-competes, and the rest of […]
Paper LBO Example: Step-by-Step Walkthrough for PE Interviews
Home / Guides / Current article Paper LBO Example: A Step-by-Step Walkthrough A paper LBO example is the single most-asked technical drill in a private equity interview, and getting it right in 5 to 10 minutes with nothing but a pen separates the candidates who get a callback from the ones who do not. This […]
Buying a Laundromat: 13-Step Guide for First-Time Buyers (2026) | CT Acquisitions
This article has moved. Click here to continue to the canonical version.
Buying a Franchise in 2026: Step-by-Step Guide With FDD, SBA 7(a), and Citations
This article has moved. Click here to continue to the canonical version.
Forward Integration: 10 Real Examples, Strategy and Risks (2026)
Home / Guides / Current article Forward Integration: Strategy, Examples, and How to Execute It Forward integration is the corporate strategy where a company moves down its own value chain by acquiring (or building) a distributor, retailer, or direct customer, taking ownership of the path between its product and the end user. Tesla running its […]
LBO Model: Step-by-Step Guide With Excel Template (2026)
Home / Guides / Current article LBO Model: Step-by-Step Guide With Excel Template An lbo model is the financial model that private equity firms use to estimate the equity return on a leveraged buyout: a transaction where most of the purchase price is funded with debt, the acquired company services that debt from its own […]
Horizontal vs Vertical Integration: The Sell-Side Advisor’s Guide (2026)
Home / Guides / Current article Horizontal vs Vertical Integration Explained Horizontal vs vertical integration is the single biggest strategic choice on the M&A whiteboard: buy a competitor at your level, or buy a supplier or distributor above or below you. Each path reshapes margin structure, regulatory risk, and exit multiple in opposite directions. This […]
Best Franchises to Own in 2026: 25 Top Picks by AUV, Satisfaction, and SBA Data
Home / Guides / Current article 25 Best Franchises to Own in 2026 (Ranked by Real Item 19 Data) The best franchises to own in 2026 share three measurable traits: disclosed Item 19 revenue above the category median, franchisee satisfaction above 75 percent on the Franchise Business Review survey, and an SBA 7(a) default rate […]