Wealth management CFOs juggle a broad array of responsibilities. They must plan for capital injections both as investors and investees, coordinate across hundreds of advisors and oversee rapidly evolving investments in tech and services. This week, we honor leading CFOs in our industry with our fourth annual CFO 5 – Top Wealth Management CFOs.
Dear Ryan – Wealthtech Industry Advice For All
This week, we introduce “Dear Ryan,” an advice column for wealthtech and wealth management professionals, by Ryan George of Docupace.
In the first installment, George advises a COO who feels the CEO isn’t listening.
Approaches For Home Offices Recruiting Solo And Duo Teams
Recruitments of large teams often capture attention, but solo and duo advisory practices are a major portion of the recruiting landscape. We discuss approaches to recruiting them with Jason Inglis of Trilogy Financial, Jodie Papike of Cross-Search and Louis Diamond of Diamond Consultants.
In keeping with WSR’s second quarter theme of services in wealth management, two of the experts are from recruiting specialist firms.
WSR Names CFO 5 – Top Wealth Management CFOs
This year’s top CFOs, in alphabetical order, are Kristy Britt of Osaic, Jeff Buchheister of Cetera Financial Group, Jason Hanavan of VestGen, Molly McMillin of Choreo and Justin Weinkle of Dynasty Financial Partners.
Please join us in congratulating them.
The Efficiency Illusion: ‘Busy’ RIAs Are Quietly Capping Their Growth And Value
Emily Blue of Hue Partners and Libby Greiwe of The Efficient Advisor discuss the need to simplify and standardize to avoid “invisible work” capping growth. They argue that this can be done without sacrificing relationships.
This article accompanies a video interview between Blue and Greiwe in the Hue Partners: M&A Confidential video series.
WSRIA Roundup
This month’s roundup of RIA news includes acquisitions by Savant, Wealth Enhancement, Aspen Standard and Creative Planning; investments by Constellation, Rise Growth, Summit, WPCG and HGGC; NewEdge partnering with Stonegate; Gerber Kawasaki partnering with Altruist; Mercer launching its Women & Wealth Practice; and an appointment by Howard Capital.
Custodian Altruist continues to draw attention, this time by signing a deal with Gerber Kawasaki.
Deals & Recruiting Roundup
This week’s roundup features Carlyle staking MAI; acquisitions by Modern Wealth, Mercer, NorthRock, Integrated, Savant, EP Wealth and Cambridge; recruiting by Lincoln Investment and LPL; and appointments by Moneta and Oppenheimer.
We enter the second quarter with high M&A momentum.
Cerulli: Mass-Affluent Are A $25 Trillion Market Opportunity
Mass-affluent and middle-market households with $100,000 to $2 million in assets represent about a $25 trillion market opportunity for advisors, according to a Cerulli report.
Cerulli’s Scott Smith said that the traditional approach of seeking clients only when they have from $250,000 to $1 million in investable assets is under pressure.
Mercer Adds $1.5 Billion New Hampshire RIA
Mercer Advisors announced the acquisition of RIA Charter Oak Capital Management, headquartered in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, with over $1.5 billion in assets under management (AUM).
This is Mercer’s third acquisition announced in 2026, following Long Run Wealth Advisors And Poterack Capital Advisory in January.
Carlyle To Acquire Majority Stake In MAI At $2.8 Billion Valuation
MAI Capital Management announced that it signed an agreement for funds managed by investment firm Carlyle to acquire a majority stake in it at a valuation of over $2.8 billion.
Galway Holdings, Oak Hill and Harvest Partners will exit their ownership, while employees will continue with a minority stake.
Cambridge Launches AI-Enabled Chat Assistant
Cambridge Investment Research announced the launch of its proprietary AI-based chat assistant. “Indy” was trained on the firm’s proprietary knowledge and is designed to provide advisors with answers that are both quick and compliant.
Interactions with Indy are governed in the same way as interactions with human associates, to comply with regulatory standards and security needs.
NorthRock Buys $950 Million Midwest RIA
NorthRock Partners acquired RIA Vantage Financial Partners, an advisory team with six offices in three Midwest states with 19 team members, including seven advisors who manage about $950 million in assets.
The move added Vantage’s Ohio, South Dakota and Wisconsin locations to NorthRock.
Socium Advisors Merges With $1.6 Billion Amplify Wealth Partners
Socium Advisors announced its merger with fellow Northwestern Mutual Private Client Group firm Amplify Wealth Partners of Milwaukee.
The addition of Amplify’s $1.6 billion in AUM brings Socium’s total client assets to $4.3 billion.
Artisancap Adds $3.4 Billion In Assets Since January 2025
Artisancap, an affiliate of Osaic, recently announced that since January 2025, it added $3.4 billion in assets under administration, raising its client assets to $11.1 billion.
The firm’s Shehab Mohammad attributes the success to culture and community.
CogniCor Case Study Demonstrates Time Savings
Plancorp Wealth Management was the subject of a recent case study for CogniCor’s Advisor Copilot solution. After 28 days, the RIA found that its client-facing users saved 45 to 60 minutes per meeting on preparation activities and approximately 60 minutes on follow-up tasks, including meeting notes, action item creation and emails generated.
Plancorp estimated this time savings equated to between three and 10 hours per day for advisor teams, representing more than 700 hours over the month.
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Wealth Solutions Report
