Comparison · 21 material differences
AM&AA vs Front Row Dads
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
Paid mastermind
Front Row Dads
Fathers who own or run businesses and want to organise their working life around family rather than the reverse.
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; Front Row Dads: No published maximum age at joining.
- Industry restriction — AM&AA: Individual membership is for M&A and supporting trade professionals who practise independently; Front Row Dads: No published industry restriction.
- Annual dues — AM&AA: $545 a year; Front Row Dads: $2,497 a year.
Side by side
| AM&AA | Front Row Dads | |
|---|---|---|
| Profile | ||
| Type | Professional association | Paid mastermind |
| Founded | 1998 (Established in 1998 to bring together CPAs, attorneys and corporate financial advisers working in middle-market M&A) | 2016 (Founded in 2016 by Jon Vroman, who had earlier founded the Front Row Foundation in 2005. The frontrowdads.com About page returned HTTP 403 to automated fetching on 2026-09-06; the year was read from search results quoting that page.) |
| Headquarters | Dallas, United States | Austin, United States |
| Geographic footprint | Chapters are all in the United States plus a virtual chapter; the membership network spans 25 countries | Primarily virtual, with in-person retreats and an annual FRD Live event in Austin, Texas; the organization describes members in multiple countries. |
| Members | 1,100as of September 2026 | Could not be independently verified. Search results quoting the organization's About page describe "over 300 members in 10 countries", while an earlier account cites 230 members in 12 countries; the page returned HTTP 403 to direct fetching on 2026-09-06. |
| Chapters | 24 | No chapters; members are placed in small accountability groups called "Bands". |
| Primary audience | Middle-market M&A advisers — investment bankers, CPAs, attorneys, valuation specialists, corporate financial investors and business advisers | Fathers who own or run businesses and want to organise their working life around family rather than the reverse. |
| 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. | Members are entrepreneurial fathers. The organization's framing is "family men with businesses, not businessmen with families"; it publishes no revenue, net worth or company-size test. |
| 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 ↗ | No published industry restriction |
| Invitation required | No | No |
| Sponsor required | No | No |
| 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. | Core membership is bought directly at the published monthly or annual rate. The VIP tier requires an application and at least three months of Core membership before applying. The organization states there is no trial period. |
| Selectivity | Not publicly disclosed — AM&AA publishes membership categories and conditions but no acceptance data | Not publicly disclosed for Core, which is open at the published price. VIP requires an application; no acceptance rate is published. One third-party summary states the Brotherhood is closed to new members, which the live membership page does not corroborate. |
| Cost | ||
| Annual dues | $545 a yearIndividual membershipverified September 2026 · source ↗ | $2,497 a yearCore membership, annual rate, described on the page as saving 15 per cent against monthly.verified September 2026 · source ↗ |
| Monthly dues | Not publicly disclosed | $247 a monthCore membership, monthly rate.verified September 2026 · source ↗ |
| Programme fee | $5,200 one-timeCertified Merger & Acquisition Advisor (CM&AA) programme fee, which includes first-year membership and materialsverified September 2026 · source ↗ | Core pricing is published; the VIP tier price is not. |
| Event costs | Not publicly disclosed | Not publicly disclosed. Members receive preferred access and discounted admission to FRD Live in Austin; no ticket price is published.verified September 2026 · source ↗ |
| Membership term | Annual | Monthly or annual; no trial period |
| Structure | ||
| Meeting frequency | Monthly chapter events plus two annual conferences (Summer and Winter), and CM&AA certification courses run in person and virtually | Monthly deep dive calls and Band meetings, quarterly online summits, VIP retreats in spring and autumn, plus the annual FRD Live event |
| Peer forums | No confidential peer forums; members organise through chapters, including a virtual chapter, and deal-sourcing tools | Small accountability groups called "Bands", supported by a private members' community and, for VIP members, a separate private thread |
| 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 | Third-party summaries citing the organization describe an expectation of roughly 3-4 hours a month; not confirmed on a page that could be fetched directly. |
| Organized as | Chapter-based, Event-focused, Virtual | Virtual, Event-focused, Forum-based |
| Confidential peer forums | No | Yes |
| Local chapters | Yes | No |
| Virtual membership | Yes | Yes |
| Online community | Partial | Yes |
| Member directory | Yes | Yes |
| Events | Yes | Yes |
| Programming | ||
| Educational programming | Yes | Yes |
| Leadership development | Partial | Yes |
| Retreats | No | Yes |
| Travel | No | Partial |
| Family programming | No | Yes |
| Spouse and partner programming | No | Yes |
| Next-generation programming | Yes | Partial |
| Investment discussions | Yes | Partial |
| Investment opportunities | Yes | No |
| Philanthropic component | No | Partial |
| Networking emphasis | High | Medium |
| Social emphasis | Medium | High |
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Last verified: not yet reviewed
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Sources
Drawn from the sources listed on each page: AM&AA · Front Row Dads