Exit Planning Institute - Find a CEPA

Ryan Carlson, AWMA®, CEPA®

Ryan Carlson is a private wealth advisor and transition strategist dedicated to helping privately held business owners align enterprise value with long-term family wealth. As one of fewer than 500 advisors nationwide to hold both the Certified Exit Planning Advisor (CEPA) and Accredited Wealth Management Advisor (AWMA) designations alongside full securities registrations, Ryan bridges the critical gap between middle-market business transitions and multi-generational wealth preservation.

Deeply committed to the advisory community and professional standard-setting, Ryan serves on the Board of Directors for the Northeast Ohio Financial Professionals Association, is an active member of the Cleveland Estate Planning Council, and belongs to the Financial Services Institute.

In practice, Ryan collaborates closely with deal teams, CPAs, and M&A attorneys to address the entire owner balance sheet. His work centers on de-risking operations and closing personal wealth gaps years prior to a sale, structuring pre-liquidity tax and trust strategies, and managing custom, in-house investment portfolios built specifically around deal terms, escrow holdbacks, and rollover equity post-close.

Leadership & Professional Memberships:
Board Member, Northeast Ohio Financial Professionals Association
Member, Cleveland Estate Planning Council
Member, Financial Services Institute
Specialties: Business Owner Transition Planning, Value Acceleration, Pre-Liquidity Tax & Estate Structuring, Bespoke In-House Portfolio Architecture, Multi-Generational Family Wealth Preservation.

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120-Day CEPA Playbook: Download the Playbook

For a new CEPA, following the 120-day CEPA Playbook will be a critical piec..

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2022 Colorado State of Owner Readiness Quick Look Brochure

Review the most notable statistics and findings from the 2022 Colorado Stat..

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2022 Colorado State of Owner Readiness Report

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2023 National State of Owner Readiness Report

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2024 Webinar Series

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2025 Webinar Series

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2026 Webinar Series

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5-4-3-2-1 Whitepaper

This whitepaper takes the Value Acceleration Methodology and breaks it into..

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5-4-3-2-1 Whitepaper

This whitepaper breaks the Value Acceleration Methodology into 5 easy conce..

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A Look Inside The Unique World of Value Creation Whitepaper

EPI interviewed 13 Value Advisors within the Exit Planning Community to lea..

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A Look Into Pressure Solutions Inc.: An Exit Planning Case Study

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Best-In-Class Whitepaper

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Case Study: The Value of Transitioning a Business to its Employees

Learn more about Happy Earth Cleaning’s transition from LLC to Co-operative..

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Case Study: Value Acceleration

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CEPA Development Scorecard

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Confidential Estate Planning Form

Use this document as a template for Confidential Estate Planning for your c..

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Decentralizing the Business Owner

Do you know the risks in with a business that is completely dependent on th..

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Decentralizing the Business Owner

Do you know the risks in with a business that is completely dependent on th..

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Email Marketing Templates

Sample templated emails to begin to educate owners and advisors and build y..

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EPI Chapter President Circle Meeting Notes

Meeting minutes from previous Chapter President Circle Meetings can be foun..

Case Study

Exit as a Business Strategy: A Collection of Case Studies from Advisors and Owners

When deciding to exit their business, an owner has several internal and ext..

First Steps

The first steps after earning your CEPA designation.

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Five Stages of Value Maturity Infographic

An in-depth look at the Five Stages of Value Maturity

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Five Stages of Value Maturity Infographic

An in-depth look at the Five Stages of Value Maturity

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From Successful to Significant

The framework for a high value business transition.

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From Successful to Significant Whitepaper

Business, Personal, Financial: A Holistic Approach to High-Value Transition..

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Infographic: Beyond CEPA Path

The Beyond CEPA Roadmap is designed to provide Certified Exit Planning Advi..

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Infographic: Decentralizing the Business Owner

See the importance of decentralizing the owner and ensuring the business ru..

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Infographic: Five Stages of Value Maturity

The Five Stages of Value Maturity impact the growth and ultimate sale of a ..

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Infographic: The 5 D's

Educate an owner on the ways they may be forced out of their business due t..

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Infographic: Who Has a Seat at the Table

Understand the key members on your exit planning team and the roles they pl..

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Whitepaper

Issue One: The Annual Exit Magazine

The Annual Exit is a valuable resource for professionals in the exit planni..

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Know Your Gaps

Three numbers every business owner should know and manage to meet their goa..

Phase 1 Stage 1: The Value Maturity Index - Identifying Value

Materials to use within the Value Maturity Index: Identifying Value portion..

Exercises

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Sample Personal Contingency Plan

A template for putting a contingency plan in place.

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The Impact of Unplanned Consequences on Business Value Whitepaper

Learn how professional advisors help mitigate the risks associates with the..

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The Value Acceleration Methodology

Download to utilize in your exit planning education or training with owners..

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Program Overview

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State of Owner Readiness

Annual Exit

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About EPI

Purpose Statement

RYAN CARLSON

RYAN CARLSON

120-Day CEPA Playbook: Download the Playbook

2022 Colorado State of Owner Readiness Quick Look Brochure

2022 Colorado State of Owner Readiness Report

2023 National State of Owner Readiness Report

2024 Webinar Series

2025 Webinar Series

2026 Webinar Series

5-4-3-2-1 Whitepaper

5-4-3-2-1 Whitepaper

A Look Inside The Unique World of Value Creation Whitepaper

A Look Into Pressure Solutions Inc.: An Exit Planning Case Study

Access My Courses

Best-In-Class Whitepaper

Beyond CEPA Roadmap

Business Attractiveness Scorecard

Case Study: A Framework To Build Value In Your Business

Case Study: CEPA and CPAs

Case Study: CEPA and EOS

Case Study: CEPA and M&A

Case Study: How to Strategically Build Transferrable Value

Case Study: How To Utilize Your CEPA Credentials In A National Wealth Management Firm

Case Study: Human Capital, The Exit Planning Institute

Case Study: The Value of Transitioning a Business to its Employees

Case Study: The Value of Transitioning a Business to its Employees

Case Study: Value Acceleration

CEPA Development Scorecard

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Chapter Logos

Confidential Estate Planning Form

Decentralizing the Business Owner

Decentralizing the Business Owner

Email Marketing Templates

EPI Chapter President Circle Meeting Notes

Exit as a Business Strategy: A Collection of Case Studies from Advisors and Owners

First Steps

Five Stages of Value Maturity Infographic

Five Stages of Value Maturity Infographic

From Successful to Significant

From Successful to Significant Whitepaper

Infographic: Beyond CEPA Path

Infographic: Decentralizing the Business Owner

Infographic: Five Stages of Value Maturity

Infographic: The 5 D's

Infographic: Who Has a Seat at the Table

Issue One: The Annual Exit Magazine

Know Your Gaps

Phase 1 Stage 1: The Value Maturity Index - Identifying Value

Sample Personal Contingency Plan

The Impact of Unplanned Consequences on Business Value Whitepaper

The Value Acceleration Methodology

Top Questions To Ask Your Business Owner's Advisors

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