COMPANIES

EP Wealth Advisors

Office address: 21535 Hawthorne Blvd., Suite 400, Torrance, CA 90503
Website: epwealth.com
Year established: 1999
Company type: financial services
Employees: 600+
Expertise: investment management, financial planning, retirement planning, estate planning, tax planning, business planning, divorce financial planning, family office services, wealth management for athletes, NIL financial services
Parent company: N/A
Key people: Ryan Parker (CEO), Derek Holman and Brian Parker (co-founders), Jorge Bernal (COO), Alan Berkshire (general counsel), Christopher Toumajian (CFO), Adam Phillips (managing director)
Financing status: private equity-backed

EP Wealth Advisors (EPWA) is a fiduciary financial planning and investment management firm in Torrance. The company manages more than $42 billion in client assets as of December 31, 2025. Over 600 professionals work from 60+ US offices and provide services from estate planning to NIL advisory for college athletes.

History of EP Wealth Advisors

EP Wealth started with a friendship that goes back to the 6th grade. Co-founders Derek Holman and Brian Parker even worked side by side at a San Diego frozen yogurt shop.

Both became financial advisors but grew frustrated with an industry driven by commissions over clients. They launched Premier Financial Management in 1999 and later teamed up with advisor Stephanie Enright to form EP Wealth.

EP Wealth Advisors goes national

The firm’s fee-only, fiduciary model struck a chord with investors who wanted objective advice. EP Wealth Advisors secured an investment from Wealth Partners Capital Group in 2017 to help fund its next chapter.

EPWA also added Berkshire Partners, a Boston-based private equity firm, as a minority investor in 2020. It then completed multiple acquisitions per year from 2022 to 2024 across the East Coast and Midwest.

A record-setting 2025

The company opened 2025 with the acquisition of Executive Wealth Management, a Michigan-based firm. It also brought in NBS Financial Services to deepen its presence in California’s Conejo Valley region. EP Wealth Advisors closed out 2025 with a record nine acquisitions.

EPWA also took home an excellence award for RIA Firm of the Year at the 2025 InvestmentNews Awards. The honor came during a standout year that placed the company among the top RIAs in the country.

New backing and what’s ahead

EP Wealth Advisors landed a minority investment from Ares Management in 2025, which marked Ares’ first equity stake in a US RIA. The added capital is set to support talent acquisition, technology upgrades, and further M&A activity. EPWA also kicked off 2026 by acquiring Scottsdale-based Capital Insight Partners as its first deal of the year.

EP Wealth Advisors’ products and services

EPWA builds its services around a fee-only, fiduciary model tailored to each client’s financial life:

Planning services

  • financial planning: customized strategies based on each client’s goals
  • retirement planning: cash flow and savings plans for retirement
  • estate planning: tax-efficient wealth transfer for families
  • tax planning: reduces tax impact across financial decisions
  • business planning: guidance for business owners and partnerships

Investment management

  • portfolio management: diversified portfolios built around client objectives
  • family office services: full-service wealth support for high-net-worth families

Specialized advisory

  • divorce financial planning: support before, during, and after divorce
  • NIL wealth management: financial planning for college athletes with NIL income
  • LGBTQ+ financial planning: plans sensitive to current legal and regulatory needs

Each client works with a dedicated team of CFPs, tax professionals, and portfolio managers. EP Wealth Advisors also runs a Women’s Initiative focused on financial literacy and community outreach for women.

Culture and corporate values

EP Wealth Advisors says a “client-first” mentality drives its culture. The firm extends that people-focused approach to its teams and communities as well. Its culture programs cover several areas:

  • Women’s Initiative: Three C’s program for colleagues, clients, and community
  • community outreach: regional events, fundraisers, and support for local causes
  • financial literacy and mentorship: programs to build knowledge and develop future leaders
  • career development: growth paths for team members from diverse backgrounds

EPWA says enriching lives starts with its own team. To do this, it offers employee benefits across several areas:

  • health and wellness: subsidized insurance, mental health plan, EAP, and wellness reimbursement
  • time off and flexibility: three weeks vacation, paid sick days, 11 holidays, parental leave, and hybrid options
  • financial security: 401(k), Safe Harbor contribution, life insurance, and disability coverage
  • charitable giving: company-backed donations and eight paid volunteer hours

Beyond perks, EP Wealth Advisors says it cares about diversity, inclusion, equity, and belonging. It also has a six-month Fellowship Program that offers future finance professionals hands-on experience with EP Wealth leaders.

About CEO Ryan Parker and key people

Ryan Parker leads as chair and CEO, joining EP Wealth Advisors in 2021 and has over 25 years of industry experience. Parker also held leadership roles at Citizens Bank, Edelman Financial Services, and LPL Financial. He graduated from the University of Michigan and later earned a certificate from Stanford Graduate School of Business.

Parker works alongside several leaders who steer EP Wealth Advisors’ direction:

  • Derek Holman, CFP, AIF - co-founder
  • Brian Parker, CFP - co-founder
  • Jorge Bernal - COO
  • Adam Phillips, CFA, CAIA, CFP - managing director of investments
  • Christopher Toumajian, CPA - CFO
  • Alan Berkshire - chief administrative officer and general counsel

The leadership team works across EP Wealth Advisors’ offices in the US. That footprint lets the company serve clients through local teams in each market.

The future at EPWA

EP Wealth Advisors’ Erin Voisin, managing director of wealth management services, landed a spot on the InvestmentNews Hot List 2025. The list highlights top US wealth professionals who helped clients navigate a year of market swings and rising expectations. The recognition shows EP Wealth’s growing influence in the RIA space as it continues to expand nationwide.

On the growth front, the company has more than doubled in size since Parker took the CEO role in July 2023. EP Wealth manages over $42 billion across 63 offices in 23 states as of early 2026, up from $18 billion and 30 offices when Parker started in 2023. Parker told InvestmentNews that EPWA’s goal is to keep a boutique feel as it scales, so that clients and employees don’t become “nameless, faceless numbers.”

The latest EP Wealth Advisors news

Displaying 46 results
Summertime and the advisors are busy! How wealth managers make the most of their breaks
Summertime and the advisors are busy! How wealth managers make the most of their breaks

The summer months are a good time for financial advisors to recharge their batteries, as well as get a jump on the competition.

5-Star Wealth Management Teams
BEST IN WEALTH MAY 12, 2026
5-Star Wealth Management Teams

Celebrating the 5-Star Wealth Management Teams that deliver for clients by being dependable, long-term partners

Why graduation season is the perfect time for advisors to educate their clients' kids
Why graduation season is the perfect time for advisors to educate their clients' kids

Graduation marks a formal shift to adulthood, making it a natural moment when young adults are more receptive to discussions about financial responsibility.

EP Wealth expansion, RFG majority deal highlight alternate paths in RIA M&A surge
RIA NEWS MAR 31, 2026
EP Wealth expansion, RFG majority deal highlight alternate paths in RIA M&A surge

Regional scale and succession solutions emerge as defining themes in wealth deals.

How healthcare needs shape retirement and estate planning
How healthcare needs shape retirement and estate planning

Wealth managers discuss why it is vital to include healthcare in a client's overall financial plan.

Winter's deep freeze has Americans dreaming of summer homes, but advisors warn of risks
Winter's deep freeze has Americans dreaming of summer homes, but advisors warn of risks

The uncommonly cold winter has advisory clients thinking about buying second homes in sunny places. But wealth managers say that can bring financial headaches.

RIA moves: Waverly snaps up $437M Pure Portfolios in Pacific Northwest
RIA NEWS FEB 03, 2026
RIA moves: Waverly snaps up $437M Pure Portfolios in Pacific Northwest

EP Wealth has also acquired a socially conscious financial services firm in New Mexico, while Carson Group fully acquires another longtime partner in Atlanta.

Carson Group, EP Wealth kickstart 2026 dealmaking calendars
RIA NEWS JAN 06, 2026
Carson Group, EP Wealth kickstart 2026 dealmaking calendars

Carson’s first full-office purchase of the year and EP’s latest Southwest partnership spotlight their continuing growth-by-acquisition strategies.

Steward Partners lands $475M strategic investment from Ares
RIA NEWS DEC 19, 2025
Steward Partners lands $475M strategic investment from Ares

The $50 billion employee-owned RIA looks to use new debt and equity funding to accelerate recruiting, M&A and tech investment while keeping advisors in control of the business.

RIA moves: Wealth Enhancement snaps up $476M hybrid firm in Utah
RIA NEWS DEC 17, 2025
RIA moves: Wealth Enhancement snaps up $476M hybrid firm in Utah

EP Wealth also expanded in Phoenix with a father-and-son led planning firm, while Integrated Partners extended its reach in Michigan.

Top Wealth Professionals | Hot List
BEST IN WEALTH NOV 11, 2025
Top Wealth Professionals | Hot List

Celebrating the top US financial professionals at the industry's leading edge and recognizing the impact of their leadership.

CEO change at Edelman Financial Engines shows how private equity is reshaping industry
RIA NEWS OCT 21, 2025
CEO change at Edelman Financial Engines shows how private equity is reshaping industry

From on-off sale talk to organic growth rate rumors, what's going on at $308 billion RIA?

EP Wealth secures backing from Ares Management to fuel next growth phase
RIA NEWS SEP 30, 2025
EP Wealth secures backing from Ares Management to fuel next growth phase

The Torrance, California-based consolidator's newest strategic minority investment, marking a first for Ares, will help advance the RIA's talent acquisition, M&A strategy, and other priorities.

EP Wealth secures $500M debt package as capital raise looms
RIA NEWS SEP 26, 2025
EP Wealth secures $500M debt package as capital raise looms

California-based $36 billion RIA EP Wealth Advisors has landed a $400 million term loan and $100 million credit facility as it readies for a fresh equity raise and continued M&A activity.