Acquisition financing tools and resources
Practical tools, guides and research for understanding what a business can support, how an acquisition can be structured and what lenders are likely to care about.
Calculators
Six free calculators built around consistent assumptions. No email address required.
- Valuation and SDE calculatorWhat are the earnings, and what is the business worth on them?
- Seller financing calculatorWhat does a seller note actually cost, and what is owed at maturity?
- Capital stack calculatorHow does the whole purchase get funded?
- Acquisition loan calculatorWhat is the payment, and what does the schedule look like?
- DSCR calculatorCan the target’s cash flow cover the debt?
- SBA eligibility calculatorDoes this deal fit the SBA program, or does it need another route?
Guides
24 practical guides covering buyer liquidity, acquisition debt, SBA financing, seller notes, capital structure and lender underwriting.
- Acquisition Financing Readiness: What Buyers Should PreparePrepare your acquisition financing profile with a practical checklist covering liquidity, experience, target financials, deal structure, and next steps.
- How Business Acquisition Capital Stacks WorkCompare senior debt, seller financing, buyer equity, and investor capital to understand how an acquisition funding structure comes together.
- SBA Business Acquisition Financing: A Buyer's GuideUnderstand SBA acquisition financing, buyer cash, seller notes, debt coverage, and diligence before choosing a structure for your business purchase.
Research
Original analysis using published assumptions, methodology and source data.
- Methodology: twenty acquisition-cash scenariosThe assumptions, formulas, and reproducible script behind the twenty modeled acquisition-cash scenarios, including every input and its limitations.
- How Much Cash Does Buying a Business Require? Twenty Modeled ScenariosCompare 20 illustrative acquisition cash scenarios with transparent assumptions for project costs, contribution sources, liquidity, and debt capacity.
- What SBA's 2026 Loan Data Reveals About Reported Changes of OwnershipAnalyze reported SBA change-of-ownership approvals through June 2026, with matched periods, source data, and limits on what the records establish.
- Methodology: reported SBA change-of-ownership approvalsHow the SBA 7(a) extract was filtered, which records were selected and excluded, and what the resulting figures can and cannot establish.
Insights
Shorter notes on lender requirements, changing rules, deal structure and issues we see come up in acquisition financing.
- Proof of Funds for Buying a Business: What Actually Impresses Sellers and LendersWhat sellers, brokers and lenders actually accept as proof of funds when you buy a business, and why a bank statement alone rarely does it.
- SBA Ownership Eligibility Changes in 2026: What Acquisition Buyers Should KnowFrom March 2026 the SBA bars green card holders from any ownership in a borrower. Here is what changed, and which financing routes remain open.
- SBA Loan vs. Conventional Loan: Breaking It Down with a $5 Million ExampleSBA against conventional financing on a $5 million acquisition: the rates, the interest each route costs over ten years, and which one suits which buyer.
Have a deal in front of you?
Whether you have a signed LOI, are preparing an offer or are still evaluating the opportunity, send us the basic numbers and where you are in the process. We’ll look at the business, buyer and proposed structure and determine what the financing path may look like.