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.”

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