Office address: 14600 Branch Street, Omaha, NE 68154
Website: carsongroup.com
Year established: 1983
Company type: financial services
Employees: 370+
Expertise: wealth management, investment advisory, financial planning, advisor coaching, succession planning, mergers and acquisitions, compliance support, marketing support, technology solutions, high-net-worth client services
Parent company: Carson Group Holdings, LLC
Key people: Burt White (CEO), Omani Carson (chair), Daniel Applegarth (CFO), Dani Fava (chief strategy officer), Dan Tobin (COO), Kelsey Ruwe (chief talent officer), Julie Pine (chief legal officer)
Financing status: private equity-backed
Carson Group is an Omaha-based registered investment advisor (RIA) that serves financial advisors and investors across the US. The company's mission is to be the most trusted in financial advice through a client-first, planning-first approach. As of early 2026, it serves more than 54,000 client households through a network of over 150 partner firms and 650+ advisors nationwide.
Carson Wealth, the founding entity of what is now Carson Group, was launched in 1983 from a dorm room at the University of Nebraska's Abel Hall. Founder Omani Carson began with no capital and a negative net worth of $2,600.
His farm family's financial hardship shaped his drive to help others avoid the same path. A football injury in his first year also freed up time to focus entirely on building the practice.
By the early 1990s, Carson recognized that financial advisors faced their own operational challenges. He launched Carson Coaching in 1993 to help advisors overcome business obstacles and scale their practices.
Then in 2012, Carson Partners arrived to fill another gap by offering independent firms technology, compliance tools, and investment research they couldn't build alone.
The company's growth caught the attention of major investors. Bain Capital, a leading private equity firm, took a minority stake in Carson Group in 2021.
That capital unlocked an aggressive acquisition strategy. In 2024, Omani Carson stepped away from the CEO role, handing leadership to Burt White, who accelerated the firm's purchase of other practices at scale.
By 2025, the company was moving fast by completing 21 acquisitions that year and crossing $50 billion in AUM. Key deals included Colorado's Aveo Capital and Ohio's Total Wealth Planning, both bringing substantial advisor networks into the fold.
In early 2026, Carson Group acquired Brent Pine's Scottsdale practice, which manages $430 million in assets. Pine had originally connected to Carson through its coaching program in 2021 and operated as a minority equity partner before the full acquisition. This showed how Carson now views advisor succession as its most powerful growth lever.
Carson Group provides an integrated platform where financial advisors and investors access advisory services, coaching, and operational tools in one ecosystem:
Carson Group emphasizes client-first planning and advisor freedom through its unified three-part model. The firm also builds community through events, peer networks, and ongoing development to support sustained business growth.
Carson Group seeks to be the most trusted financial services provider. The company also says this mission rests on core values:
The company also created the IDEA Council (Inclusion, Diversity, Education, Action) to drive inclusive workplace initiatives. In support of this, Carson Group provides its employees with several benefits, which include:
Reinforcing its commitment to advisor growth, Carson Group launched a NextGen Advisor Council in January 2026 with a standardized career development framework. The council gives emerging advisors input into firm strategy and development pathways while the framework clarifies expectations and compensation progression.
Burt White became CEO of Carson Group in 2024 after serving as managing partner and chief strategy officer. He spent 14 years at LPL Financial as managing director and CIO before joining the company. White holds a bachelor's degree in finance from William & Mary.
Beyond White's leadership, Carson Group's executive team brings decades of combined experience:
This leadership team oversees Carson Group's three-part platform and drives initiatives around advisor growth, technology investment, and client-first planning.
In late 2025, the company discharged an Indiana advisor for ignoring compliance audit issues. The advisor failed to respond to 12 identified deficiencies within 30 days, even after Carson Group sent repeated reminders. This enforcement shows how the firm takes regulatory oversight seriously to protect its clients and $55 billion network.
Neal McGrath, managing partner at Carson Wealth Pittsburgh, earned recognition as one of InvestmentNews' Top Financial Professionals for 2026. The award signals that Carson Group continues to develop top-tier advisors and attract new talent.
The Wauwatosa-based fiduciary team brings $145 million in client assets to Carson Wealth's Great Lakes platform.
Swedish private equity giant EQT has lobbed an improved offer for Australian asset manager Perpetual, intensifying a months-long pursuit.
David Haughton, formerly of Carson Group and Commonwealth Financial Network, takes on VP of engagement role at Hargrove MSO, a subsidiary of Hargrove Firm.
To achieve contentment, advisors should think twice before selling their firms for the biggest dollar amount.
Carson Group advisors say psychology, education, and operations professionals are developing the relationship skills wealth management clients actually need
Berkshire Global Advisors reports reveals scaled buyers and steady tuck-ins push 2026 dealmaking to new highs.
The mega-RIA's new program targets next-gen advisors and staff, but one recruiter calls equity offers "lottery tickets."
FFR Wealth Team's move to full integration follows years as an independent partner office.
Vanilla is extending its estate planning tech to Callan Family Office's ultra-high-net-worth business, while WealthFeed's organic growth engine will now be available to roughly 100 advisors at The Mather Group.
The Omaha, Nebraska-based RIA's latest acquisition expands its Rocky Mountain footprint after two prior Colorado deals last year.
Catherine Williams brings 30-plus years of practice management experience, including roles at Dimensional Fund Advisors, Fidelity, and Coldstream.
$58B RIA is giving advisors a structured toolkit to capitalize on the wealth transfer era.
Meanwhile, a Osaic and Envestnet ink a new adaptive wealthtech partnership to better support the firm's 10,000-plus advisors, and RIA-focused VastAdvisor unveils native integrations with leading CRMs.
Meanwhile, Waverly has entered Louisiana with a new $3.1 billion partner, and Carson absorbs a decade-long coaching partner in Green Bay, Wisconsin.
Two RIAs expand in the Mountain West as M&A, advisor succession and scale remain top priorities.
