Comparison · 13 material differences
AM&AA vs PREA
This comparison was generated on request from the records. It carries no editorial verdict and is not indexed. The published comparisons are listed on the compare page.
Read down each column for one organization, across a row for the difference. A bronze mark at the left of a cell means the organizations differ on that row. A dash or “not published” means the organization does not disclose the fact; it is not a zero.
Verified September 2026
Professional association
Verified September 2026 AM&AA
Middle-market M&A advisers: investment bankers, CPAs, attorneys, valuation specialists, corporate financial investors and business advisers
Professional association
PREA
Institutional investors in real estate (public and corporate pension funds, endowments, foundations, insurers and family offices) together with the investment managers, advisers…
What the records say
- Maximum age at joining: AM&AA: Young Professional membership is limited to those aged 35 and under in the early stages of an M&A career; PREA: No published maximum age at joining.
- Industry restriction: AM&AA: Individual membership is for M&A and supporting trade professionals who practise independently; PREA: Corporate membership: organisations providing investment management, advisory, consulting, property management, legal, accounting, appraisal or other services to institutional investors, including REITs and real estate operating companies.
- Annual dues: AM&AA: $545 a year; PREA: $9,995 a year.
Side by side
| AM&AA | PREA | |
|---|---|---|
| Profile | ||
| Type | Professional association | Professional association |
| Founded | 1998 (Established in 1998 to bring together CPAs, attorneys and corporate financial advisers working in middle-market M&A) | 1979 |
| Headquarters | Dallas, United States | Hartford, United States |
| Geographic footprint | Chapters are all in the United States plus a virtual chapter; the membership network spans 25 countries | Primarily North America, with international institutional investor and manager firms among members; PREA runs conferences in the United States and abroad |
| Members | 1,100as of September 2026 | 700as of September 2026 |
| Chapters | 24 | No chapters; PREA operates as a single association with a conference and research programme. |
| Primary audience | Middle-market M&A advisers: investment bankers, CPAs, attorneys, valuation specialists, corporate financial investors and business advisers | Institutional investors in real estate (public and corporate pension funds, endowments, foundations, insurers and family offices) together with the investment managers, advisers and service firms that work with them |
| Typical member | Members are M&A and supporting trade professionals: accountants, lawyers, investment bankers, valuation and due diligence specialists, and corporate financial investors working in the middle market. Individual membership is aimed at those who practise independently; corporate membership covers teams of five or more from one firm. | PREA's membership is organisational. Its own description covers public and corporate pension funds, endowments, foundations, insurance companies, investment advisory firms, REITs, developers, real estate operating companies and industry service providers. The dues structure separates institutional investors, defined as organisations investing predominantly for their own account, from corporate members selling services to them. |
| Qualification | ||
| Maximum age at joining | Young Professional membership is limited to those aged 35 and under in the early stages of an M&A careerIdentification and proof of age are required during the application processverified September 2026 · source ↗ | No published maximum age at joining |
| Industry restriction | Individual membership is for M&A and supporting trade professionals who practise independentlyverified September 2026 · source ↗ | Corporate membership: organisations providing investment management, advisory, consulting, property management, legal, accounting, appraisal or other services to institutional investors, including REITs and real estate operating companiesverified September 2026 · source ↗ |
| Invitation required | No | No |
| Sponsor required | No | Not documented |
| Application process | Applicants complete an application through AM&AA's membership portal at amaa.wildapricot.org, or contact the association directly. Young Professional applicants must supply identification and proof of age. Corporate memberships are arranged by email with custom pricing. There is no published interview, sponsorship or committee review, but all members must accept the ethics and standards rules and the no-solicitation condition. | Applicants apply online, logging in first if they already hold a PREA account. Applications are reviewed before member-only access is activated; once approved and paid, access is granted the same business day. |
| Selectivity | Not publicly disclosed: AM&AA publishes membership categories and conditions but no acceptance data | Not publicly disclosed. PREA states applications are reviewed but publishes no criteria beyond the category eligibility tests and no acceptance rate. |
| Cost | ||
| Annual dues | $545 a yearIndividual membershipverified September 2026 · source ↗ | $9,995 a yearFull Corporate membership: unlimited company representativesverified September 2026 · source ↗ |
| Initiation fee | Not publicly disclosed | Not publicly disclosed; no joining fee appears alongside the published dues.verified September 2026 |
| Programme fee | $5,200 one-timeCertified Merger & Acquisition Advisor (CM&AA) programme fee, which includes first-year membership and materialsverified September 2026 · source ↗ | Dues are charged to the member organisation, not per individual. First-year billing covers the full calendar year and a prorated credit is issued in year two. |
| Membership term | Annual | Calendar year; first-year billing covers the full calendar year with a prorated credit in year two |
| Structure | ||
| Meeting frequency | Monthly chapter events plus two annual conferences (Summer and Winter), and CM&AA certification courses run in person and virtually | Conference programme through the year plus research and publications |
| Peer forums | No confidential peer forums; members organise through chapters, including a virtual chapter, and deal-sourcing tools | No confidential peer forum structure is published |
| Confidentiality | Members agree not to solicit fellow members without written board permission; no broader confidentiality policy was found | Not publicly disclosed |
| Time commitment | Not documented | Not documented |
| Organized as | Chapter-based, Event-focused, Virtual | Event-focused |
| Confidential peer forums | No | No |
| Local chapters | Yes | No |
| Virtual membership | Yes | No |
| Online community | Partial | Partial |
| Member directory | Yes | Yes |
| Events | Yes | Yes |
| Programming | ||
| Educational programming | Yes | Yes |
| Leadership development | Partial | No |
| Retreats | No | No |
| Travel | No | No |
| Family programming | No | No |
| Spouse and partner programming | No | Not documented |
| Next-generation programming | Yes | Not documented |
| Investment discussions | Yes | Yes |
| Investment opportunities | Yes | Partial |
| Philanthropic component | No | No |
| Networking emphasis | High | High |
| Social emphasis | Medium | Low |
Next
Last verified: not yet reviewed
Report an error on this page