In this week’s roundup, Prairie Wealth merged with The McEwen Group, Bluespring acquired Synthesis Wealth Planning, Beacon Pointe added Financially In Tune, Gryphon Wealth launched with TradePMR, LPL recruited three teams, Raymond James added Dan Berger and Karlynn Schramm, Cetera recruited Mark Gavrilov and Mark Yatros, Vanilla partnered with BlackRock, Wealth.com partnered with AcquireUp, Fiduciary Trust hired a CIO, Amplify hired an enterprise sales lead and The Oasis Group and AdvisorEngine released research on RIA operations.
Editor in Chief’s Take:
Estate planning was traditionally thought of as either something done with an external lawyer or, more recently, something provided to retain clients and provide holistic service. The trend, however, is for estate planning to be a part of a firm’s growth strategy. This week the partnerships between Wealth.com and AcquireUp, as well as Vanilla and BlackRock, highlight estate planning as part of the conversation advisors should have up front with clients and prospects.
– Julius Buchanan, Editor in Chief, Wealth Solutions Report
Mergers & Acquisitions
Prairie Wealth And McEwen Group Form Billion-Dollar RIA
Prairie Wealth Advisors announced a merger with The McEwen Group, a five-person advisory team formerly affiliated with RBC Wealth Management, forming a combined RIA with more than $1 billion in client assets. The McEwen Group adds over $400 million in assets under management (AUM) and approximately $200 million in 401(k) assets to Prairie Wealth, which serves mass affluent, high net worth and ultra-high net worth families.
Tim McEwen, Managing Director of The McEwen Group, will join Prairie Wealth as a Partner and become President. Prairie Wealth said the team adds an equity-focused investment perspective to Prairie’s existing expertise in municipal bonds and alternative investments.
Craig Hundt, Founder and CEO of Prairie Wealth, said, “This was never about finding just any partner; it was about finding the right one. Tim’s values align closely with our vision for delivering tailored client service and continuing to evolve the solutions we provide. The Prairie Wealth team is thrilled to welcome The McEwen Group.”
Bluespring Buys $1.1 Billion Synthesis Wealth Planning
Bluespring Wealth Partners announced the acquisition of Morristown, New Jersey-based Synthesis Wealth Planning, a Kestra-affiliated firm that, together with IFG Wealth Strategies, adds about $1.1 billion in client assets to Bluespring. The deal expands Bluespring’s footprint across New Jersey and Jupiter, Florida, and marks its fifth M&A announcement this year.
Synthesis was founded in 2018 by Managing Partners and Wealth Planners Alex Panas, Daniel C. Singer and Eric K. Rosenberger. Kim Luthy joined Synthesis as Director of Wealth Planning and was recently named Partner, while Robert Iola joins through the IFG merger. The Synthesis acquisition closed April 1.
Panas said, “When we set our long-term goal of serving 1,000 ideal client relationships, it became clear that reaching it while maintaining the level of service our clients expect would require additional infrastructure and a partner that could help us scale through both organic and inorganic growth.”
Beacon Pointe Adds Financially In Tune
Beacon Pointe Advisors acquired Financially In Tune, a female-founded wealth management firm based in Stoneham, Massachusetts, increasing Beacon Pointe’s assets to approximately $63 billion. Financially In Tune has $360 million in assets, operates under a fiduciary model and was founded in 2011 by Jeanne Gibson Sullivan.
Financially In Tune is Beacon Pointe’s sixth team addition in Massachusetts in the past two years, bringing its New England client assets under advisement to approximately $4.3 billion. The acquisition closed May 1. Turkey Hill Management advised Financially In Tune on the transaction.
Jeanne Gibson Sullivan, Partner and Managing Director of Financially In Tune, said, “We provide straightforward, no-frills investment portfolios. As our firm grew, we came to recognize the importance of partnering with a firm that would allow us to expand the resources available to our clients and our team. We were excited to find Beacon Pointe.”
Advisor Transactions
Gryphon Wealth Launches Independent RIA With TradePMR
Gryphon Wealth, a Jacksonville, Florida-based wealth management firm with more than $3 billion in AUM as of April 17, launched as an independent, fee-only fiduciary RIA and selected TradePMR as its technology, service and custodial support provider. The firm is led by Jeffrey L. Wyatt, Chairman and Co-Founder; Jason D. Hyrne, CEO, CIO and Co-Founder; J. Adam Kirby, President and CCO; and Melissa Storch, COO.
The firm has 22 professionals, including in-house investment analysts and wealth planners, and serves high net worth individuals and families across financial planning, portfolio management, estate planning strategies, retirement income planning and cash flow management. Gryphon is leveraging TradePMR’s Fusion platform, including digital account opening, trading tools and client relationship management capabilities.
Hyrne said, “Our mission is to be your most trusted advisor by helping you feel more confident about your financial life and bringing you peace of mind. We have a commitment to helping our clients save and invest wisely with comprehensive financial planning and portfolio management. We’re trying to build the advisory company that we’d want for our own families.”
LPL Adds Three Advisor Teams With Almost $2.5 Billion Combined Assets
LPL Financial recruited three advisor teams with almost $2.5 billion in combined assets. Davis Executive Wealth joined LPL Strategic Wealth from Steward Partners. The Norwell, Massachusetts-based team reported serving approximately $635 million in advisory assets as of Dec. 31 and is led by Timothy Davis, Senior Managing Partner.
LPL also added Cebert Wealth Advisors to its broker-dealer and RIA platforms from Ameriprise. The Central Florida team reported serving approximately $1 billion in advisory, brokerage and retirement plan assets as of Dec. 31, has more than 1,700 clients and is led by Dale Cebert, Founder and President.
In addition, LPL recruited Emerald Wealth Management to its broker-dealer and RIA platforms from Northwestern Mutual. The Seattle-based team reported serving approximately $815 million in advisory, brokerage, insurance and retirement plan assets as of Dec. 31 and is led by Darren Trautmann, Founder and Private Wealth Advisor, and Brendan Foor, Private Wealth Advisor.
Raymond James Adds Berger And Schramm
Raymond James recruited Financial Advisor Daniel Berger to Raymond James & Associates, the firm’s employee advisor channel. Berger is based in St. Louis and was previously affiliated with UBS Financial Services, where he managed approximately $480 million in client assets. He is joined by his son, Investment Portfolio Associate Chase Berger.
Raymond James also onboarded Karlynn Schramm to Raymond James & Associates. Schramm was previously affiliated with Gallagher Fiduciary Advisors, where she managed more than $500 million in client assets. She now operates as Golden Retirement Plan Solutions of Raymond James in Denver, serving corporate, nonprofit and public-sector retirement plan sponsors.
Berger said, “My transition to Raymond James is rooted in the desire to serve my clients with greater flexibility and expanded resources. The firm’s technology allows us to deliver tailored solutions while continuing to focus on the long-term relationships that define our practice.”
Cetera Recruits Gavrilov And Yatros
Cetera re-onboarded Financial Advisor Mark Gavrilov and his Brooklyn, New York-based Gavrilov Wealth Management practice less than a month after he transferred to LPL for what he described as a “trial period.” Gavrilov oversaw approximately $217 million in AUA as of May 11, and previously affiliated with LPL from 2012 to 2019 and Cetera from 2019 to 2026.
Cetera also recruited Mark Yatros and his Michigan-based Allegiant Wealth Strategies practice, which oversaw approximately $176 million in AUA as of Jan. 6. Yatros spent nearly a decade affiliated with Commonwealth Financial Network before joining Cetera’s Summit Financial Networks community after a year-long evaluation of the independent broker-dealer landscape. He leads a four-person, fully licensed team.
Gavrilov said, “After reviewing other options, it became clear to me that Cetera is at the head of the industry in terms of technology, service and turnaround time for issue resolution. And I find Cetera to be more advisor-friendly because there's more personalized service to the advisor which helps me manage client assets more efficiently – it's good to be back home.”
Strategic Partnerships
Vanilla And BlackRock Partner On Estate Planning Education
Vanilla partnered with BlackRock to provide estate planning education to advisors through the BlackRock Advisor Center. The resources include Vanilla’s State of Estate Planning Report 2026, two continuing education video courses and educational articles covering estate planning strategies for wealthy families.
The firms said the partnership is designed to help advisors make estate planning a more consistent part of client service, and that the materials are intended to support planning conversations with high net worth clients and families.
Topics covered in the available materials include wills, trusts, grantor retained annuity trusts and charitable trusts, with additional resources expected in the coming months.
Wealth.com And AcquireUp Launch Seminar Partnership
Wealth.com and AcquireUp announced a partnership to help financial advisory firms use estate planning-led seminars for client acquisition, engagement and conversion. Advisors using AcquireUp’s estate planning seminar campaign package can now access Wealth.com, while the companies provide seminar content, presentation materials, marketing assistance and acquisition support.
The firms said the partnership was informed by AcquireUp’s 2026 Industry Index and seminar performance data. AcquireUp has worked with more than 9,500 financial professionals, facilitated more than 160,000 seminars and engaged more than 3.7 million prospects. Wealth.com and AcquireUp worked for more than three months on advisor content before the announcement.
Greg Bogich, CEO of AcquireUp, said, “We’ve seen firsthand that the right seminar content drives real results. This partnership equips advisors with content that performs and a proven approach to lead with estate planning and engage the next generation of clients in a more structured and effective way. That ultimately drives strong return on investment and reliable organic growth.”
Promotions & People Moves
Fiduciary Trust Names Frank Brochin As CIO
Fiduciary Trust Company hired Frank Brochin as Chief Investment Officer. In the role, Brochin will lead the Boston-based private wealth management firm’s investment department and oversee its investment strategies as the company continues investing in its platform following its new capital partnership with GTCR.
Brochin previously served as CIO of the Family Office Practice at Focus Partners Wealth. He earned an MBA from Harvard Business School and a Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from Princeton University. Fiduciary Trust provides wealth planning, investment management, trustee and estate services, family office, tax and custody services.
Brochin said, “I’m excited to be joining Fiduciary and to work with a talented team that is deeply committed to serving clients’ best interests. Fiduciary has a long history of thoughtful, client-centered investing, and I look forward to building on that foundation.”
Amplify Appoints Adam Scully-Power To Lead Enterprise Sales
Amplify Technology hired Adam Scully-Power as Managing Director, Enterprise Strategy. Scully-Power will lead the firm’s enterprise sales organization, bringing experience in investment management, wealth technology and enterprise strategy to the Scottsdale, Arizona-based RIA growth platform.
Scully-Power spent 23 years at Columbia Threadneedle Investments, later served as Senior Investment Strategist at Brighthouse Financial and most recently was Managing Director at Nebo Wealth. Amplify said it supports $24.5 billion in assets on platform, 655 advisors and 39,528 client households.
Scully-Power said, “The most consequential decisions a wealth management firm makes are operational. How a firm is built determines whether it can grow, deliver the client experience at scale and, ultimately, the value of the enterprise. Amplify is the platform I wish existed when I was on the other side of the conversation.”
Research
Oasis Group And AdvisorEngine Study RIA Growth Operations
The Oasis Group and AdvisorEngine Portfolio Solutions released a white paper, “Scale to Win: Examining the RIA Growth Model,” focused on automation trends and operating models for RIAs managing between $100 million and $1 billion in AUM. The paper argues that many firms face an “operational paradox” as growth adds complexity that limits further expansion.
The firms cited Fidelity benchmarking data showing profitable firms had 25.7% overhead and served almost twice the number of clients per professional compared with smaller RIAs, where advisory expenses were 82% of revenue. The paper says outsourcing investment management could recover eight to nine hours per week and that TAMPs and automation can support scale.
John O’Connell, CEO of The Oasis Group, said, “The paradox compounds; each new client adds administrative load that current operating models absorb imperfectly. Principals find they are not building a firm; they are buying time in six-month increments against a problem that requires a fundamental shift in the operating model.”
Wealth Solutions Report can be reached at info@wealthsolutionsreport.com.
