Beacon Pointe

Updated: May 7, 2026

Office address: 24 Corporate Plaza Drive, Suite 150, Newport Beach, CA 92660
Website: beaconpointe.com
Year established: 2002
Company type: financial services
Employees: 750+
Expertise: private wealth management, institutional consulting, retirement plan services, financial planning, investment manager research, impact investing, ESG and SRI strategies, alternative investments, family office services, OCIO services
Parent company: Beacon Pointe, LLC
Key people: Matthew Cooper (CEO), Shannon Eusey (board chair), Garth Flint (co-founder), Karisa Diephouse (COO), Jon Frojen (CFO), Michael Dow (CIO), Allison Warner (CMO)
Financing status: private equity-backed

Beacon Pointe Advisors is the biggest women-led RIA in the US. The company is headquartered in Newport Beach and serves individuals, families, and institutional clients. As of February 2026, it advises on over $62 billion in assets across more than 90 offices with over 750 professionals.

History of Beacon Pointe

Beacon Pointe Advisors started as a business school project that barely made the grade. Co-founder and board chair Shannon Eusey built the plan during an entrepreneurship class at UCLA Anderson School of Management in 2001.

Her professor only gave it a "B" because he didn't think the concept would take off. Eusey and her father Garth Flint launched the firm in Newport Beach in 2002 to prove otherwise.

From zero assets to a first deal

Beacon Pointe opened with zero client assets but built its book over the next several years. The company changed direction in 2009 and started pursuing breakaway brokers through acquisitions.

It closed its first deal in 2011 and launched the Beacon Pointe Women's Advisory Institute that same year. The institute was created to focus on the financial planning needs of women investors. Eusey shared more on the firm's founding and growth on The InvestmentNews Podcast:

Beacon Pointe's new backer and national reach

The company reached a turning point in 2020 when it merged with sister firm Beacon Pointe Wealth Advisors. Private equity firm Abry Partners held a minority stake in the combined entity at that time.

Global investment firm KKR then took a minority stake in 2021, and Abry fully exited. The Beacon Pointe team kept majority ownership, with about $20 billion in client assets at that point.

The KKR deal gave the company the backing to speed up its acquisition strategy across the US. It has since closed dozens of deals and grown to more than 90 offices nationwide.

Beacon Pointe's products and services

Beacon Pointe Advisors offers fee-only, fiduciary services across wealth management and institutional consulting:

Wealth advisory

• private wealth management: custom strategies for individuals and families
• family office services: dedicated support for high-net-worth households
• financial planning: guidance on retirement, estate, and tax decisions

Institutional and retirement

• institutional consulting: investment solutions tailored to portfolio goals
• retirement plan services: advisory for 401(k)s, 403(b)s, and deferred compensation
• OCIO services: outsourced investment oversight for institutions

Investment research and partnerships

• investment manager research: proprietary selection on an open-architecture platform
• impact and alternative investing: SRI, ESG, and values-driven portfolio strategies
• advisor partnerships: growth and support for independent RIAs nationwide

The company also operates the Beacon Pointe Women's Advisory Institute for women and next-generation investors. It uses its allWEALTH® framework and proprietary research process to build client portfolios.

Culture and corporate values

Beacon Pointe Advisors says its people drive the firm. To uphold this, the company follows equal-employment principles and a diversity-friendly approach. It follows five values called FACES:

• Be Family: treating others as they'd like to be treated
• Be Ambitious: transparency, accountability, and career growth for staff
• Be Collaborative: team-first mindset with support across projects
• Be Entrepreneurial: taking initiative and sharing ideas for client impact
• Be of Service: paid volunteer days at local 501(c)(3) nonprofits

The company also says that it aims to develop and retain talent. It does this through its workplace benefits:

• health and wellness: medical plans, HSA contributions, and quarterly wellness days
• time off and leave: PTO, six-week paid parental leave, and volunteer days
• retirement and insurance: 401(k) match and firm-sponsored life insurance
• growth and support: certification funding, 24/7 EAP, and referral bonuses
• recognition: monthly FACES awards and perks for staff

Beacon Pointe also has women in leadership and advisory roles across the country. Its Women's Advisory Institute helps women plan for retirement and major life changes.

About CEO Matthew Cooper and key people

Matthew Cooper is CEO of Beacon Pointe Advisors and spent 15 years as the firm's president before assuming the role in February 2026. He has led key strategic initiatives including mergers and acquisitions, driving the firm's expansion across the US.

Cooper holds a BS in Finance and Business Economics from the University of Southern California Marshall School of Business.

Joining Cooper in leading Beacon Pointe Advisors are:

• Shannon Eusey is board chair and co-founder, focusing on governance and long-term vision
• Garth Flint is partner and co-founder, shaping the firm's institutional consulting practice
• Michael Dow is CIO, leading the proprietary investment research process
• Jon Frojen is CFO, overseeing the company's financial operations
• Karisa Diephouse serves as COO, managing daily operations across all offices
• Allison Warner works as chief marketing officer, steering the firm's brand strategy

This team manages over 750 professionals across more than 90 US offices. It maintains that its people are the force behind the company.

The future at Beacon Pointe Advisors

Two Beacon Pointe leaders earned spots at InvestmentNews' 2025 Women to Watch awards in New York City. Board chair Shannon Eusey was named an excellence awardee for executive leadership, and advisor Merriweather Mulé received the same honor for financial literacy. The recognition signals the firm's growing influence in women-led wealth management across the US.

The company is also scaling through acquisitions. Beacon Pointe Advisors added three RIA firms in February 2026 across Massachusetts, Wisconsin, and Texas:

• Financial Planning Solutions
• Voyager Wealth Management
• InvestmentHunter Wealth Services

These acquisitions pushed total assets to about $62 billion. CEO Matthew Cooper said that the company has become a destination for advisory teams that want a collaborative home.

The latest Beacon Pointe news