A clear view of a market that’s moving fast.

01 · Why we publish

Owners should hear about the market from someone who isn’t selling them anything.

For most of the profession’s history, firms were bought by other firms, funded by their own partners. That has changed. Financial acquirers, mostly private equity, accounted for 54.8% of accounting-services deals in 2026 year to date, up from 38.9% in the same period a year earlier (Capstone Partners). Some of the firms that took outside capital are now buying firms themselves.

If you own or lead a firm, the first detailed account of this market you get is often a buyer’s pitch or a broker’s deck. Both have a stake in what you decide. Firm Owner Brief doesn’t. Each week we lay out what happened, who was involved and what it suggests for a firm like yours, with a link behind every fact so you can check it.

02 · Who it’s for

Written for the people who get the call.

Owners, managing partners and partners of US CPA and accounting firms who are weighing whether to sell, merge, take outside investment or stay independent. We write for the partner who has a buyer meeting next month and the one who just wants to know what the firm across town did.

It’s also for the people on the other side of the table: leaders at PE-backed platforms, deal teams, M&A advisors, practice brokers, lenders and the companies that sell to accounting firms. They’re welcome, and we write the same way for everyone.

03 · Editorial standards

How we report

• Every fact links to its source. If we can’t source it, we don’t print it.
• Public sources only. Firm and investor announcements, public rankings, trade press and regulatory filings. No rumors and no unnamed sources.
• Analysis is labeled as analysis. The “What it means for firm owners” section is our read of the facts, kept apart from the deal log.
• Company-level data only. We track firms, platforms and investors. We don’t collect or publish individuals’ personal contact details.
• Corrections are made in the open. If we get something wrong, we fix it and say so in the next issue. Tell us at hello@firmownerbrief.com.
• Not advice. Firm Owner Brief is general information, not legal, regulatory or investment advice. On structure questions, talk to your state board and your own counsel.

04 · Independence & sponsors

Sponsors pay for a labeled slot. Nothing else.

• We don’t broker deals, and we have no stake in whether any firm sells.
• Every paid placement is clearly labeled “Sponsored.”
• Sponsorship doesn’t buy coverage. Sponsors have no input on, and no preview of, editorial content. The only thing a sponsor approves is the proof of its own ad.
• If a sponsor appears in a deal we report, as buyer, seller, advisor, lender or investor, that item says so.
• Sponsors never receive our subscriber list. We don’t sell, rent or share your address (see our privacy policy).
• We can decline any sponsor or ad that doesn’t fit our readers or is misleading.

Companies on the deal side, including PE platforms, brokers, advisors and lenders, can sponsor under these same rules. See sponsorship details.

05 · Who publishes it

Published by Chandler Media

Firm Owner Brief is an independent publication of Chandler Media. The first issue goes out Thursday, Nov. 5, 2026, and a new one follows every Thursday at 7:00 a.m. Eastern.

Brandon Chandler edits Firm Owner Brief, a free weekly brief on who's buying US accounting firms, who's backing them, and what it means for the owners and partners who run them. He started Chandler Media to publish clear, sourced reporting for small-business owners who don't have time to track deal news themselves. Every issue follows one rule: if we can't source it, we don't print it.