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Benjamin Bryer, CFA, Finance Expert in West Chester, PA, United States
Benjamin Bryer, CFA

Finance Expert in West Chester, PA, United States

Member since February 24, 2021
A CFA charterholder with an MBA from NYU, Ben has more than 10 years of buy-side experience. Having worked in both institutional asset management (fixed income) and middle market private equity, Ben has been involved with a wide variety of transactions. As a freelancer, Ben offers M&A advisory services to buy-side and sell-side clients, specializing in due diligence, financial modeling, valuation, and deal structuring.
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Case studies

Expertise

Employment

  • Founder & Managing Partner

    2019 - PRESENT
    Highspire Holdings, LLC
    • Constructed bank buyout model to perform LBO analysis; determined that sponsor would need 38% multiple expansion to meet hurdle rate; concluded that the deal was not feasible since return projections did not justify the required multiple expansion.
    • Led buy-side due diligence, including engagement of third-party advisors, for potential $2.25MM acquisition; uncovered significant capex requirements; analysis was used in negotiations to support a proposed $450M purchase price decrease (to $1.8MM).
    • Built dynamic LBO model with multiple pro forma operating and financing scenarios to evaluate a potential $4MM buyout; model was used to produce insights that supported financing and transaction agreement negotiations.
    Focus areas: Mergers & Acquisitions (M&A), Leveraged Buyout (LBO), Private Equity, Due Diligence, M&A (Buy-side), M&A Modeling, Small & Medium-sized Enterprises (SME), Financial Modeling, Valuation, Entrepreneurial Finance, Market Research, Credit Analysis, Business Planning, Discounted Cash Flow (DCF), Scenario Analysis, Financial Forecasting, Leveraged Buyout Modeling, Investment Research, Industry Analysis, Cash Flow Analysis, Operations, Due Diligence Consultant, Cash Flow Modeling, Discounted Cash Flow Analysis, Capital Structuring, Pro Forma Analysis, Asset Management, Forecasting, Accounting, Financing, Investment Analysis, Investments, US GAAP, Trade Finance, Credit/Debt, Private Company Valuation, Three-statement Modeling

  • Senior Associate

    2018 - 2019
    Main Line Equity Partners
    • Responsible for deal sourcing, due diligence, valuation, financial modeling, financing, closing, and portfolio company management.
    • Performed valuation analysis on potanital acquisition targets using public company comparables, precedent transactions, DCF, and LBO methodologies.
    • Conceptualized and led the execution of operationally-focused value creation initiatives.
    • Created investment memoranda, including teasers, internal investment committee memos, and lender presentations.
    Focus areas: Mergers & Acquisitions (M&A), Deal Sourcing, Deal Execution, Due Diligence, Financial Modeling, Leveraged Buyout (LBO), Leveraged Buyout Modeling, Small & Medium-sized Enterprises (SME), Valuation, Operations, Private Equity, Entrepreneurial Finance, Market Research, Credit Analysis, Business Planning, Discounted Cash Flow (DCF), Scenario Analysis, Financial Forecasting, Investment Research, Industry Analysis, Cash Flow Analysis, M&A (Buy-side), Due Diligence Consultant, Cash Flow Modeling, Discounted Cash Flow Analysis, Capital Structuring, Pro Forma Analysis, Asset Management, Forecasting, Accounting, Financing, Investment Analysis, Investments, US GAAP, Trade Finance, Credit/Debt, Private Company Valuation, Three-statement Modeling

  • Credit Research Associate, Structured Finance

    2015 - 2018
    Vanguard Group, Inc.
    • Directed the fundamental credit review of asset-backed security (ABS) transactions; collaborated with portfolio managers and traders to manage the $19B ABS position held across Vanguard’s active and index fixed income portfolios.
    • Constructed detailed, transaction-specific financial models to perform cash flow analysis on ABS deals in the primary and seconday markets.
    • Invested in transactions sponsored by companies in a wide variety of industries and collateralized by both traditional and highly-esoteric assets, such as coin-counting kiosks, tugboats, and franchised quick-service restaurant royalties.
    Focus areas: Structured Products, Structured Finance, Financial Modeling, Cash Flow Analysis, Cash Flow Modeling, Investment Research, Due Diligence, Credit Analysis, Credit Risk, Investment Thesis, Research, Financial Writer, Mergers & Acquisitions (M&A), Valuation, Market Research, Discounted Cash Flow (DCF), Scenario Analysis, Financial Forecasting, Leveraged Buyout Modeling, Industry Analysis, Operations, Leveraged Buyout (LBO), Due Diligence Consultant, Discounted Cash Flow Analysis, Capital Structuring, Pro Forma Analysis, Asset Management, Forecasting, Accounting, Financing, Investment Analysis, Investments, US GAAP, Trade Finance, Credit/Debt, Private Company Valuation, Three-statement Modeling

  • Credit Research Associate, Investment Grade Corporate Credit

    2014 - 2016
    Vanguard Group, Inc.
    • Generated in-depth fundamental credit research on issuers within the insurance, banking, and asset management sectors; supported senior analysts, portfolio managers, and traders on the investment grade team.
    • Built, maintained, and managed financial models used to facilitate new deal analysis, monitor current holdings, and generate company-specific and sector-level relative value recommendations.
    • Conducted scenario analysis and ad-hoc research projects on topical issues.
    Focus areas: Credit Analysis, Credit Risk, Financial Statements, Pro Forma Analysis, Pro Forma Financial Statements, Financial Analysis, Investment Briefs, Investment Ideas, Investment Research, Financial Modeling, Due Diligence, Valuation, Market Research, Discounted Cash Flow (DCF), Scenario Analysis, Financial Forecasting, Leveraged Buyout Modeling, Industry Analysis, Cash Flow Analysis, Operations, Leveraged Buyout (LBO), Due Diligence Consultant, Cash Flow Modeling, Discounted Cash Flow Analysis, Capital Structuring, Asset Management, Forecasting, Accounting, Financing, Investment Analysis, Investments, US GAAP, Credit/Debt, Three-statement Modeling

Education

  • Master's Degree in Business Administration (MBA)
    2019 - 2021
    NYU Stern School of Business - New York, NY
  • Bachelor' Degree in Business Administration
    2007 - 2011
    University of Richmond - Richmond, VA

Certifications

  • Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA)
    FEBRUARY 2016 - PRESENT
    CFA institute

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