It was 1997 when Captrust launched as an independent registered investment advisor. Just over a quarter of a century later and it has surpassed a major milestone of $1 trillion in assets under management as of June 30, 2024.
The firm, headquartered in Raleigh, North Carolina, has grown to a national operation with clients in all 50 states and offers investment and wealth management services for individuals and families, solutions to help ultra-high-net-worth individuals to simplify their finances, and investment advisory services for retirement plan sponsors, endowments, foundations, and religious entities.
Smashing through the trillion dollar mark and the firm’s overall growth is beyond the wildest dreams of Fielding Miller, co-founder, CEO, and chairman of the board.
“This milestone is a surreal achievement,” he said. “When we launched in 1997, we had 12 colleagues working out of a single location in Raleigh. Since then, we have grown to 1,600 colleagues with over 90 locations across the U.S. While we had lofty ambitions, we could have never imagined our current standing.”
The firm has added some substantial weight to its growing footprint in recent months including a $770 million AUM firm in Texas in January and a $1.1 billion AUM firm in Washington in December which completed 2023’s eight acquisitions with a total $14 billion AUM.
However, it was dealt a blow in April this year when a key driver of the firm’s M&A activity for the last decade, senior director of strategic growth Rush Benton, announced plans to move on to start his own business. Benton was involved in adding 40 firms to Captrust.
Fielding Miller is confident in the outlook for further expansion though.
“As we look forward, our opportunities are accelerating,” he said. “The RIA industry is in a great period of consolidation, and we are well positioned to continue our trajectory in the years to come, due to the tremendous work of our colleagues and the support of our vendor partners and our investment partners, GTCR and Carlyle.”
Rajesh Markan earlier this year pleaded guilty to one count of criminal fraud related to his sale of fake investments to 10 clients totaling $2.9 million.
From building trust to steering through emotions and responding to client challenges, new advisors need human skills to shape the future of the advice industry.
"The outcome is correct, but it's disappointing that FINRA had ample opportunity to investigate the merits of clients' allegations in these claims, including the testimony in the three investor arbitrations with hearings," Jeff Erez, a plaintiff's attorney representing a large portion of the Stifel clients, said.
Chair also praised the passage of stablecoin legislation this week.
Maridea Wealth Management's deal in Chicago, Illinois is its first after securing a strategic investment in April.
Orion's Tom Wilson on delivering coordinated, high-touch service in a world where returns alone no longer set you apart.
Barely a decade old, registered index-linked annuities have quickly surged in popularity, thanks to their unique blend of protection and growth potential—an appealing option for investors looking to chart a steadier course through today's choppy market waters, says Myles Lambert, Brighthouse Financial.