The monthly WSRIA roundup brings you RIA-focused news for the past month. Constellation Wealth invested in BIP Wealth; Savant partnered with Heritage Financial; Wealth Enhancement acquired three teams; Aspen Standard bought BlueSky Wealth; NewEdge affiliated with Stonegate; Rise Growth purchased a minority stake in Cyndeo; Summit took a minority stake in Signet; WPCG and HGGC will invest in Verdence Capital Advisors; Creative Planning agreed to buy MASECO; Mercer launched its Women & Wealth practice; Gerber Kawasaki chose Altruist as a custodial partner; and Howard Capital named a General Counsel and Chief Compliance Officer.
Mergers & Acquisitions
BIP Wealth Receives Strategic Investment From Constellation Wealth
Atlanta-based BIP Wealth received an investment from Constellation Wealth Capital (CWC), an alternative asset management platform. CWC’s investment funds the acceleration of BIP’s acquisition strategy, which it announced in 2024, as well as its organic growth strategy, the firm said. BIP was represented by Jeff Singh of Chase Corporate Advisory.
Founded in 2007, BIP is a fee-only RIA with over $5.5 billion in assets under management (AUM). The firm said it organically added $725 million in AUM in 2025. It also formed partnerships with The Money Advisor Group in 2024 and Prehmus Financial in 2025, adding a total of more than $1.2 billion of AUM.
“We want to offer our client-first, servant leadership model to other firms looking for a solution. Whether a founder is looking for help with their succession plan or wanting to fuel their next stage of growth, we want to partner with like-minded people,” said Bill Harris, Co-Founder and CEO of BIP Wealth. “This partnership with CWC will open new doors of growth in our business that will benefit our clients and our entire team.”
Savant Wealth Management Partners With Heritage Financial
Savant Wealth Management, a fee-only RIA, said it partnered with Massachusetts-based Heritage Financial, which has $3.9 billion in assets under management (AUM) and offices in Westwood, Woburn and Rockland. The transaction closed Feb. 27.
The deal was Savant’s largest partnership to date and expanded its Massachusetts footprint to four offices. Heritage has 47 employees, and Savant said 15 joined as member-owners at closing. Turkey Hill Management advised Heritage on the transaction.
Charles Bean III, Founder and Chairman of Heritage Financial, said, “Through our collaborations, we determined that partnering with Savant would enable us to expand the services we can offer clients, such as tax and estate planning, and family office services.”
Wealth Enhancement Adds Three Firms Totaling $7.9 Billion In Assets
Wealth Enhancement said it acquired The H Group and its affiliated wealth management practice, FocusPoint Solutions, which collectively oversee more than $6.7 billion in client assets. The firm also said it acquired an advisor team from TFB Advisors in Overland Park, Kansas — its first location in the state — led by Josh Selzer, Tim Gaigals and Daniel Dolan, managing more than $1.2 billion in client assets.
Led by Founder and Owner Chris Hicks, The H Group and FocusPoint are headquartered in Portland, Oregon, with additional offices across the Pacific Northwest and Southwest, the firm said. Wealth Enhancement said FocusPoint will incorporate into Advisory Solutions Group, a newly formed RIA affiliated with Wealth Enhancement that supports advisors and RIAs not operating under Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services.
Jeff Dekko, CEO of Wealth Enhancement, said, “Chris Hicks and his team have built trusted businesses that help advisors and clients find clarity and confidence in a complex world. They are deeply committed to a strong fiduciary standard. We’re excited to be joining forces with such a talented team.”
Aspen Standard Wealth Acquires $1 Billion AUM RIA BlueSky
Aspen Standard Wealth acquired BlueSky Wealth Advisors, a New Bern, North Carolina-based RIA with $1 billion in AUM. BlueSky was founded in 1999 and provides financial planning and investment management services to individuals and families.
Aspen said the acquisition is its seventh RIA partnership since launching in late 2024. Sherman & Co. served as investment banker to BlueSky on the transaction.
David Blain, CEO of BlueSky Wealth Advisors, said, “BlueSky has achieved steady growth over the last 25 years because of the highly personalized, holistic financial advice we provide to our clients. We are excited to accelerate that trajectory in partnership with Aspen, with our clients’ long-term needs and aspirations guiding everything we do.”
NewEdge Capital Partners With $6 Billion RIA Stonegate
NewEdge Capital’s subsidiary RIA NewEdge Advisors affiliated with Stonegate Investment Group, an RIA in Birmingham, Alabama, that oversees $6 billion in client assets. Stonegate, which employs 13 people, joined NewEdge’s Pillar Channel affiliation program and boosted Pillar’s client assets to $14 billion.
Pillar Channel advisors receive both cash and equity in NewEdge, which helps them grow their practices and pursue strategic opportunities. The program establishes branches under the NewEdge Advisory brand.
“The core of our industry is the advisor-client relationship,” said Alex Goss, NewEdge Advisors CEO and Co-Founder. “This platform allows professionals to maintain that core tenet when entering a transaction with NewEdge Advisors. Our Pillar Channel affiliation ensures that a transaction doesn’t change the continuity and quality of service for clients. Too many competitor transactions fundamentally change or throw away what made advisors and their clients successful in the first place. This is the right program for a changing industry.”
Rise Growth Stakes Cyndeo Wealth, $3.1 Billion RIA That Serves Elite Athletes
Rise Growth Partners purchased a minority stake in Cyndeo Wealth Partners, an RIA in St. Petersburg, Florida, that oversees $3.1 billion in assets under management (AUM). Founded in 2020 and led by CEO and President Matt Kilgroe, Cyndeo works with agents, managers, accountants and other advisors to help athletes manage tax issues and pursue post-career opportunities, including NBA and NFL athletes.
Under the deal, Rise will help Cyndeo with brand and go-to-market strategy, advisor recruitment in Florida and the Southeast, and M&A initiatives. Dynasty Investment Bank served as advised Cyndeo on the transaction. Hill, Ward & Henderson served as Cyndeo’s legal counsel, while Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton was Rise's legal counsel.
“We treat this like a team, because teams want to win,” said Joe Duran, Managing Partner at Rise. “Cyndeo has built a performance-driven culture with clear expectations, accountability and support, which makes them exactly the kind of firm we look to partner with.”
Summit Takes Minority Stake In Signet Financial Management
Summit Financial took a minority stake in Signet Financial Management, a Parsippany, New Jersey-based RIA with $1.2 billion in assets. Merchant Investment Management holds stakes in both firms. Signet joined Summit’s ADV in February, bringing Summit’s client assets under administration to just over $27 billion at the end of that month, according to Summit CEO and Chairman Stan Gregor.
Signet was founded in 1988 and also has offices in Sterling, Virginia, and in Miami and Naples, Florida. The RIA is led by partners Eugene Yashin, chief executive officer and chief investment officer, Steve Tuttle, chief investment strategist, and Shawn Hirsch, and the transaction fits Summit’s strategy of taking stakes in RIAs while providing technology, investment and planning support.
“We are honored and humbled that Signet has agreed to partner with Summit,” said Stan Gregor, CEO and Chairman of Summit Financial. “By joining Summit and gaining access to all of our wealth management, technology, and business resources, we’re excited to see Signet achieve even greater heights.”
Verdence Receives Investment From WPCG, HGGC
RIA Verdence Capital Advisors said Wealth Partners Capital Group (WPCG) and HGGC’s Aspire Holdings platform will invest in the Hunt Valley, Maryland-based firm to support M&A, organic growth and expanded client resources. The firm said Verdence management will remain significant shareholders as part of the transaction.
The transaction is expected to close in April. Emigrant Partners is selling its stake in Verdence as part of the deal. Verdence said it had about $4.6 billion in AUM as of Dec. 31. Fenchurch Partners served as financial advisor on the deal, and Alston & Bird served as legal counsel.
Leo Kelly, CEO of Verdence Capital Advisors, said, “WPCG’s track record is exceptional and we are proud to be one of the few RIAs with whom they have partnered. Our firms share a client-first philosophy and a belief that disciplined growth strengthens our culture, expands our capabilities and enhances the experience we deliver to clients.”
Creative Planning To Acquire MASECO
Overland Park, Kansas-based Creative Planning said it will buy MASECO, a London-based RIA. The acquisition will add 123 employees and more than $5 billion in AUM. MASECO was founded in 2008 to serve internationally mobile families and U.S. citizens living abroad with cross-border wealth management and tax-aware investment advice.
Creative Planning said the transaction is its second international acquisition after buying Switzerland-based Baseline Wealth Management in January. Spencer House Partners and Houlihan Lokey advised on M&A, while Paul Weiss and Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer served as legal counsel.
Josh Matthews and James Sellon, Co-Founders and Managing Partners of MASECO, said in a joint statement, “By combining MASECO’s cross-border expertise with Creative Planning’s scale, technology and global capabilities, we believe we can not only continue delivering the high level of service our clients expect but also raise the standard of advice and broaden the range of services available to U.S. citizens and international families living outside the United States.”
Strategic Initiatives
Mercer Advisors Launches Women & Wealth Practice
RIA Mercer Advisors launched its Women & Wealth practice and named Executive Managing Partner Laura Combs as its head. The firm said the practice will focus on women-centered planning needs including longevity planning, caregiving, business ownership and multigenerational wealth, delivered through its family office services.
Mercer cited projections that women in the U.S. will control $34 trillion in assets by 2030, tying the initiative to rising earning power and wealth transfers. It said the new practice builds on earlier internal efforts to engage women investors, including InvestHERs, a program it launched in 2018 to support women as both investors and professionals.
Combs said, “Meeting women’s needs—building trust, engaging them meaningfully, and sustaining those relationships—is not just sound advice, it’s a business imperative. I’m grateful to my partners at Mercer Advisors for entrusting me with this opportunity as we are committed to being the firm best positioned to serve women with excellence.”
Strategic Partnerships
Altruist Partners With $4.09 Billion Gerber Kawasaki
Los Angeles-based Altruist announced it was selected as a custodial partner to Gerber Kawasaki Wealth & Investment Management, an RIA based in Santa Monica, California. Gerber Kawasaki had more than $4.09 billion in AUM as of Dec. 31.
Altruist was selected for its “enterprise-ready infrastructure, self-clearing custodial model, fractional share trading capabilities, and unified platform for account opening, trading, portfolio management, billing, and reporting,” the firm said. Gerber Kawasaki said Altruist’s technology will help it streamline operations and support its future growth. The firm will adopt Altruist’s AI platform, Hazel, to provide clients with advanced tax planning and other services.
“We’re entering a rapid growth phase, and Altruist is the partner to help us scale,” said Ross Gerber, CEO and President of Gerber Kawasaki. “As part of this transition, we’re moving all new business to Altruist to streamline operations and accelerate our path to $10 billion.”
Promotions & People Moves
Howard Capital Names Dory Black As General Counsel And Chief Compliance Officer
RIA Howard Capital Management said Dory Black joined as General Counsel and Chief Compliance Officer. The Atlanta-based firm said Black brings more than 25 years of experience in financial services and investment management.
Black joined Howard Capital from Lubert-Adler Partners, an RIA focused on real estate and private funds, where she served as General Counsel. Earlier in her career, she held legal leadership roles at Momnt Technologies, Angel Oak Companies, Angel Oak Mortgage REIT and GE Asset Management. She began her career at Dewey Ballantine. Howard Capital said it manages about $8 billion in assets.
Black said, “Howard Capital Management has built a strong reputation for helping investors navigate volatile markets with discipline and a long-term perspective. I look forward to supporting the firm’s continued growth while upholding the highest standards of compliance and governance.”
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