Aspen Standard Wealth expands to Denver in ninth RIA deal

Aspen Standard Wealth, a New York-based aggregator of independent registered investment advisors, has taken another step forward in its slow-and-steady expansion strategy.

Aspen announced Tuesday that it has acquired Denver Private Wealth Management, a boutique firm managing roughly $550 million in client assets.

The deal marks Aspen's ninth transaction since it began its acquisition strategy in late 2024, and its first affiliate firm in Colorado. Denver PWM, founded in 2014, works with families, business owners and executives on investment management, retirement planning, tax-efficient strategies and legacy planning.

"By joining the Aspen platform, we will be able to further expand the robust suite of services available to our clients and extend our legacy for decades to come," said Darin Snow, managing partner of Denver PWM.

Aspen chief executive Aly Kassim-Lakha welcomed the addition, saying the firm looked forward to giving Denver PWM's team the resources to keep delivering for clients "for many, many years to come."

FP Transitions advised Denver PWM on the transaction.

Aspen has built its platform on what it describes as long-term alignment rather than a buy-to-sell model – acquired firms retain their names and leadership while tapping into Aspen's capital, technology and back-office support. That structure was on display just last month, when Aspen added roughly $1.3 billion in assets through its acquisition of Kalamazoo, Michigan-based CWS Financial Advisors,

Earlier this year came Aspen's March acquisition of BlueSky Wealth Advisors, a roughly $1 billion New Bern, North Carolina firm. In February, Aspen announced that it had welcomed Kevin DiSano – previously chief growth officer at Beacon Pointe Advisors – as Aspen's president overseeing organic growth.

Aspen's dealmaking debut came in November 2024 with its acquisition of Summitry, a San Francisco Bay Area practice that oversaw $2.8 billion in regulatory assets at the time.

The RIAs Aspen has acquired now total roughly $15.5 billion in AUM.

The Denver PWM deal lands in the middle of a record year for RIA dealmaking. According to Echelon Partners' most recent quarterly report, the industry logged 120 transactions in the second quarter of 2026, bringing first-half volume to 262 deals – the most active first half in the sector's history. The investment bank now projects roughly 500 total transactions for the full year, which would eclipse 2025's record of 466 and mark the busiest year on record for wealth management M&A.

That backdrop has put mid-sized firms – those managing between $500 million and $5 billion – under particular pressure to decide how they want to compete, according to a separate industry analysis. Firms in that range are increasingly weighing partnership deals to fund growth and manage rising operational complexity rather than remain fully independent.