SignatureFD launches specialized wealth practice for franchise owners

Atlanta-based wealth manager SignatureFD has built a new advisory arm dedicated entirely to franchise business owners, extending a specialized-practice model the firm has used for nearly three decades to serve distinct client groups.

The new offering, called SignatureFRANCHISE, is designed to help owners of franchise businesses coordinate decisions that span their companies, their personal balance sheets and their families – three areas the firm says are too often managed in isolation.

The franchise-focused initiative becomes SignatureFD's ninth specialized practice group, joining existing divisions built around executives, healthcare professionals, attorneys and other niche client segments.

Leading the new group is Kenton "Kenny" Loar, a certified financial planner whose background includes stints as a franchise banker, a financial planner and an operator inside a franchise brand he had previously helped finance.

"Franchise owners are entrepreneurs whose business and personal financial lives are often deeply interconnected," Loar said. "Having worked across multiple sides of the franchise ecosystem, I've seen firsthand how decisions viewed through the lens of a lender, franchisor, or operator can carry very different consequences for an owner's broader financial position and long-term goals."

SignatureFRANCHISE is aimed at owners across the franchise lifecycle, from operators opening their first unit to multi-unit groups running sizable, complex operations. The firm lists business growth and financing, tax strategy, asset protection, real estate, investment management, insurance, succession planning, estate planning and exit preparation as areas the practice will cover.

Loar argues that the timing of advice matters as much as its substance. "For franchise owners, building a successful business is often one of the most important components of building long-term personal wealth," he said. "Yet the business plan and personal financial plan are too often treated as separate and distinct, when in reality they are deeply connected. Owners who wait until a sale or liquidity event to seek coordinated advice may miss important planning opportunities along the way."

Franchising remains a sizable target market for advisors chasing a defined niche. The International Franchise Association's 2026 economic outlook, produced with research firm FRANdata, projects US franchise establishments will grow to approximately 845,000 units this year, supporting nearly 8.9 million jobs and more than $920 billion in economic output.

In October last year, the firm reported that it had surpassed $10 billion in assets managed or reported. That same announcement touted several other milestones, including a $1 billion asset milestone for its Charlotte office and whole-firm growth of $1 billion in net new assets in 2024 alone.

Before that, the firm expanded its board with the addition of mergers-and-acquisitions specialist Peter Nesvold, a move CEO Heather Robertson Fortner described at the time as "a pivotal step as we continue our trajectory of growth and innovation."