Unlocking the value of your business

Private Wealth Management 

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    Keith Apton, CEPA

    Managing Director–Wealth Management

    Private Wealth Advisor

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    • AK
    • AL
    • AR
    • AZ
    • CA
    • CO
    • CT
    • DC
    • DE
    • FL
    • GA
    • HI
    • IA
    • ID
    • IL
    • IN
    • KS
    • KY
    • LA
    • MA
    • MD
    • ME
    • MI
    • MN
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    • NC
    • ND
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    • NH
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    • OK
    • OR
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    • RI
    • SC
    • SD
    • TN
    • TX
    • UT
    • VA
    • VT
    • WA
    • WI
    • WV
    • WY

    Keith has over 21 years of experience in the financial services industry, with an extensive background in corporate finance. As the founding partner of The Capital ESOP Group at UBS, he heads the team's private wealth practice, in which he works to determine client needs and match them with the proper resources of UBS, a leading global bank. Keith focuses on solutions encompassing asset allocation, wealth and liability management, and tax and estate planning in order to create tailored financial plans for his clients. Prior to joining UBS in 2009, Keith was a financial advisor at Morgan Stanley, where he was an integral member of the team handling all of the firm's ESOP transactions. Keith is an author and nationally recognized leader on ESOPs and Internal Revenue Code § 1042 rollovers.

    In 2014, Keith was given the prestigious opportunity to sit on the UBS Capital Markets Advisory Committee. As an active member in the ESOP community, Keith's total participation in ESOP transactions has exceeded $2.5 billion in transaction value across various sectors and industries.

    Keith is a member of both the National Center for Employee Ownership and the finance committee for the ESOP Association. He coauthored the book Selling Your Business to an ESOP, now in its ninth edition. After becoming a Certified Exit Planning Advisor® (CEPA®) in 2018, he was asked to teach and became an instructor for the Exit Planning Institute. Additionally, Keith frequently speaks at national conferences on topics including ESOPs, § 1042 rollovers and business succession planning.

    Keith previously sat on the board of Patriot Farmers of America, a nonprofit teaching entrepreneurship and sustainability to veterans who are seeking a future in farming. Outside the office, he enjoys traveling, fly-fishing, reading and spending time at his family farm in Virginia. More than anything, he simply loves being a dad. Keith lives in Washington, DC with his wife, Kathryn, and their daughters, Lyla and Sutton.

    • Barron's Top 1,000 Financial Advisors, 2012, 2013The Barron's rating is awarded annually in March and is based on information from the prior year Q3. 
    • Barron's Top 1,200 Financial Advisors, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024
      The Barron's rating is awarded annually in March and is based on information from the prior year Q3. 
    • Forbes America’s Top Wealth Management Teams, 2022, 2023The Forbes rating is compiled by Shook Research and awarded annually in November based on information from a 12 month period ending in March of the award year.
    • Forbes America's Top Wealth Advisors, 2021, 2022, 2023The Forbes rating is compiled by Shook Research and awarded annually in April based on information from a 12 month period ending June of the prior year.
    • Forbes Best-in-State Wealth Advisors, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023The Forbes rating is compiled by Shook Research and awarded annually in April based on information from a 12 month period ending June of the prior year.
    • Forbes Best-in-State Wealth Management Teams, 2023, 2024The Forbes rating is compiled by Shook Research and awarded annually in January, based on information from a 12 month period ending March of the prior year.
    • On Wall Street – Top 40 Advisors Under 40, 2016, 2017The Financial Planning rating is awarded annually in Q1 based on information from a 12 month period ending in September of the prior year.

      • Private Wealth Advisor
      1501 K Street North West
      Suite 1100
      Washington, D.C., DC 20005
    Monetizing your privately held business

    Monetizing your privately held business

    Making the ESOP decision

    Making the ESOP decision

    A strategy for succession

    A strategy for succession

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