XML 18 R7.htm IDEA: XBRL DOCUMENT v3.23.3
Description of the Business
9 Months Ended
Sep. 30, 2023
Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements [Abstract]  
Description of the Business
Note 1: Description of the Business
Avantax, Inc. (the Company,” “Avantax, we, our, or us) is a leading provider of integrated tax-intelligent wealth management services and software, assisting consumers, small business owners, tax professionals, financial professionals, and certified public accounting (“CPA”) firms. Our integrated tax-intelligent wealth management services consist of the operations of Avantax Wealth Management and Avantax Planning Partners.
Avantax Wealth Management provides tax-intelligent wealth management solutions for financial professionals, tax professionals, CPA firms, and their clients. Avantax Wealth Management offers its services through its registered broker-dealer, which is a leading U.S. tax-focused independent broker-dealer, registered investment advisor (“RIA”), and insurance agency subsidiaries. Avantax Wealth Management works with a nationwide network of financial professionals that operate as independent contractors. Avantax Wealth Management provides these financial professionals with an integrated platform of technical, practice, compliance, operations, sales, and product support tools that enable them to offer tax-intelligent planning, investing, and wealth management services to their clients.
Avantax Planning Partners is an in-house/employee-based RIA, insurance agency, and wealth management business that partners with CPA firms in order to provide their consumer and small business clients with holistic financial planning and advisory services, as well as retirement plan solutions through Avantax Retirement Plan Services.
Merger Agreement
On September 9, 2023, Avantax entered into an Agreement and Plan of Merger (the “Merger Agreement”) with Aretec Group, Inc., a Delaware corporation that does business as Cetera Holdings (“Parent”), and C2023 Sub Corp., a Delaware corporation and a wholly-owned subsidiary of Parent (“Acquisition Sub”) whereby Parent will acquire all of the issued and outstanding equity of Avantax in an all-cash transaction valuing Avantax at approximately $1.2 billion, inclusive of Avantax’s net debt. On the terms and subject to the conditions of the Merger Agreement, holders of shares of Avantax common stock (other than Excluded Shares and Dissenting Shares (each, as defined in the Merger Agreement)) will receive $26.00 per share in cash, without interest and less any required tax withholdings. Upon the closing of the transactions contemplated by the Merger Agreement, Avantax will operate as a privately-held company. The closing remains subject to customary closing conditions, including approval by Avantax’s stockholders. Avantax expects the closing to occur by the end of November 2023.
Divestiture of Tax Software Business
On October 31, 2022, we entered into a Stock Purchase Agreement (the “Purchase Agreement”) with TaxAct Holdings, Inc. (f/k/a Avantax Holdings, Inc.), a Delaware corporation and a direct subsidiary of Avantax, Franklin Cedar Bidco, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (the “Buyer”), and, solely for purposes of certain provisions thereof, DS Admiral Bidco, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company, pursuant to which we sold our former tax software business to Buyer for an aggregate purchase price of $720.0 million in cash, subject to customary purchase price adjustments set forth in the Purchase Agreement (the TaxAct Sale). This transaction subsequently closed on December 19, 2022.
In accordance with ASC 205 (“ASC 205”), Presentation of Financial Statements, we determined that the sale of our tax software business represented a strategic shift that will have a major effect on our operations and financial results. As a result of the TaxAct Sale, the historical results of our former tax software business, and any adjustments to amounts previously reported in discontinued operations in a prior period (if applicable) have been reclassified as a discontinued operation and are excluded from continuing operations for all periods presented within the condensed consolidated financial statements.
Segments
Our Chief Executive Officer is our chief operating decision maker and assesses performance and allocates resources on a consolidated basis. Given the similarities in economic characteristics between our operations and the common nature of the products, services, we currently operate in one reportable segment.