Cerity Partners has expanded its geographic reach in a big way, deepening its presence in the Bay Area while at the same time adding a new market to its national footprint.
The independent wealth firm, which currently reports over $206 billion in AUM, said Thursday that it is absorbing Palo Alto, California-based Cornerstone Capital and Minneapolis-area Echo Wealth Management.
The double-deal announcement brings roughly $1.7 billion in combined assets under management to the New York-based RIA, with Cornerstone contributing approximately $1.4 billion and deepens Cerity's presence in Silicon Valley. Echo, with about $337 million, gives the firm its first foothold in the Minneapolis market.
Both Cornerstone and Echo will operate under the Cerity Partners name.
Cornerstone was founded in 1978. It serves high-net-worth individuals and families as well as charitable foundations and endowments. Its work combines investment management, financial planning, and estate and tax coordination.
"Cornerstone Capital has spent nearly 50 years building the kind of deep, multigenerational client trust that can't be manufactured, only earned," said Claire O'Keefe, partner and head of partner development at Cerity Partners.
Brad Dinsmore, a partner at Cornerstone, said the firm wanted a buyer that would preserve its approach while broadening what it could offer clients.
"In Cerity Partners, we found a firm that shares our values and gives our clients access to resources – in tax planning, estate planning, and beyond – that we couldn't offer on our own," he said.
Echo is a much younger firm, having been founded in 2015 by experienced advisor and planner Echo Huang. From its tax planning roots, the roughly decade-old practice has grown to now focus on helping corporate executives handle equity compensation and other complex financial decisions.
"Our clients will continue working with the same team they know and trust while gaining access to Cerity Partners' broader resources and specialized capabilities," Huang said.
O'Keefe called the Twin Cities a priority market. "Minneapolis is an important growth market for our firm, and Echo's talented colleagues, strong reputation, and longstanding relationships within the community make them an ideal fit," she said.
Echo's specialty is a familiar one for Cerity. In July, the firm agreed to merge with Portland-based Cordant Wealth Partners, a roughly $371 million practice that has a focus on technology employees managing restricted stock units, employee stock purchase plans and deferred compensation.
Cerity opened the year with Austin Private Wealth in Texas and SOL Capital Management in Maryland. In February it moved into institutional consulting through a merger with Seattle-based Verus Investments, which oversees about $1.2 trillion in client assets. Echelon's first-quarter 2026 RIA M&A Deal Report counted five Cerity deals totaling about $22.7 billion in acquired assets, with three of those transactions involving billion dollar-plus sellers.
Read more: RIA M&A hits new quarterly record in Q1 2026, with $1.67 trillion in deals: Echelon report
In September, Cerity agreed to combine with West Des Moines-based Gilbert & Cook, its first move into Iowa. Days later it announced a deal for two Manhattan advisory teams from Shufro Rose.
The firm's growth has been driven and shaped to a large extent by private equity. In 2022, Lightyear Capital rolled part of its equity into Genstar's Cerity stake rather than exiting, which Echelon noted as one of the earliest high-profile examples of a sponsor staying invested through the next ownership cycle.
"In total, there have been seven recapitalization events so far this year that were direct transactions by a financial acquirer," Echelon said in its Q2 2026 RIA deal report, emphasizing "the faith these PE investors have in the future of the consolidation trend in this industry."
As of the halfway mark in 2026, Echelon expected about 500 transactions for the full year, which would top 2025's record of 466.
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