Dallas-based Ascentis Wealth Management has expanded to the Caribbean as Ryan Uszenski, a wealth advisor with more than two decades in the industry, joins the RIA an equity partner.
Uszenski manages approximately $160 million in client assets and operates out of St. Thomas in the US Virgin Islands, but serving clients across the country.
The move grants Uszenski an ownership stake in the firm, a structure designed to align his practice with Ascentis Wealth Management's long-term strategy while preserving the independence that has defined his approach to client service.
Uszenski works primarily with high-net-worth and ultra-high-net-worth individuals, including entrepreneurs, startup founders and family offices. His client work spans investment strategy, liquidity planning, private assets and long-term wealth structuring, and extends into real estate, lending and credit markets — areas that reflect the complexity of the balance sheets he regularly advises on.
Before joining Ascentis, Uszenski founded Century Wealth Advisors after leaving large institutional firms to go independent in 2017. He holds the Chartered Retirement Planning Counselor designation and earned his undergraduate degree from Trinity College.
Michael Mansur, CFP, CEO of Ascentis Wealth Management and co-founder of parent company Ascentis Holdings, said the addition reflects precisely the kind of advisor the firm set out to attract.
"Ryan has spent two decades building deep, complex client relationships, and he has done it on his own terms," Mansur said. "Joining as an equity partner gives him greater operational and investment support without changing what makes his practice distinctive, and it gives his clients access to a stronger platform. Practices like his are exactly what Ascentis was built for."
Ascentis Holdings was formally launched at the start of this year as a unified holding company encompassing three registered investment adviser businesses: Ascentis Wealth Management, Ascentis Asset Management and Ascentis Independent Advisors. The structure is intended to offer affiliated advisors flexible affiliation options alongside shared technology and service infrastructure.
Mercer, Focus Partners Wealth, Mariner, Creative Planning and Captrust top the leaderboard tracking AI search results for RIA firms.
"We believe this model will help younger investors – and any investors who value a hybrid advice experience,” said Ryan Robson, principal at Edward Jones.
Conte Wealth Advisors reportedly has $1.4 billion in client assets and 20 advisors.
The Cleveland-based RIA's latest tie-up extends the firm's national footprint into the Golden State, where opinions continue to be split over a contentious billionaire wealth tax proposal.
Meanwhile, Cetera has welcomed a family-run practice from Commonwealth, and a Merrill advisor joins an existing UBS team in Connecticut.
Northern Trust’s Ken Lassner shows advisors how to convert volatility into after-tax portfolio gains
Dan Biagini of American Equity says the steady decline of pensions, longer lifespans and a reset in interest rates are rewriting how advisors build retirement income