United Advisor Group debuts as a new RIA aggregator

There’s a new kid on the block in the aggregator space. United Advisor Group officially launches Monday by bringing together founding partners from a mix of independent broker-dealers and independent RIAs.

Cincinnati-based UAG, operating as an independent registered investment advisor, has breakaway advisors in the pipeline that will grow the firm’s total assets to more than $750 million over the next 12 months, according to an announcement.

UAG, which has partnered with Goldman Sachs Advisor Solutions for custody services, has been designed to enable partners and advisors to run their own businesses.

“The founders have structured the organization to facilitate collaboration with similarly-minded advisors, avoiding the potential issues that can arise from traditional business models,” according to the announcement.

Ray Gettins, UAG director, said RIAs can join and operate under their own brand and business norm, or aspire toward partnership status, which will include benefits including profit-sharing in the platform.

Regarding the partnership with Goldman Sachs, Gettins said, “When we looked at custodians, they were right at the top in terms of pure offerings. The tools they have in the tool box cannot be matched by the other custodians.”

Bill Dalton, head of new business at Goldman Sachs Advisor Solutions, said in a prepared statement, “United Advisors Group’s ambitious growth plans align nicely with our custody offering, and we are proud to be supporting their journey as our business continues to expand.”

As a single-tier partnership, each firm comprising UAG can serve as the advisor for all the client assets through strategic partnerships. The UAG model is designed to let each partner or firm to grow autonomously while at the same time leveraging the strength of the group, according to the announcement.

Chuck Failla, founder and chief executive of Sovereign Financial Group, described the UAG news as “another example of the power of the RIA space.”

“There is no other industry that has a better ratio between barriers to entry and upside potential,” he said. “Specifically, there is no other industry I can think of that is easier to start a firm and then have the potential to grow that firm to meaningful size.”