Dynasty Financial Partners is formalizing a new management consulting division for independent registered investment advisors, anchored by the pending acquisition of a storied strategic advisory and brand-building firm.
Fairfield, Connecticut-based Optima Group has operated with a focus on the financial services sector for more than four decades, according to a statement announcing the move.
The St. Petersburg, Florida-based RIA platform announced the Dynasty Consulting Group on Thursday, positioning the new division as an integrated service that pairs its existing technology, investment, and capital infrastructure with Optima Group's expertise in growth strategy, brand development, and marketing execution.
The transaction – announced on the heels of Dynasty's expanded partnership with privateinvestment platform Allocate – represents Dynasty's most significant push yet into management consulting, a service capability the firm has been building and enhancing over the years.
Dynasty now supports more than 725 advisors and over $125 billion in assets under administration, according to the company.
Dynasty launched its investment banking arm in May 2023, formally creating Dynasty Investment Bank to capture RIA merger and acquisition activity with services across sell-side and buy-side advisory, capital raising, valuations, and succession planning. By 2025, Dynasty said the bank has established itself as a top investment bank serving the independent RIA industry, completing more than a dozen transactions across M&A, recruitment, strategic advisory, and capital deals representing targets with significant assets under management.
Along the way, Dynasty extended its investment banking reach last October through a partnership with Diamond Consultants focused on supporting billion-dollar breakaway advisor teams weighing independence. That partnership offers tailored transition, M&A, and consulting support for complex moves away from wirehouses and broker-dealers.
"For years, Dynasty has been a growth partner and value creation partner to some of the top RIAs in the country delivering high-end intellectual property, leading-edge technology, and the support of experienced operators," said Shirl Penney, founder and chief executive officer of Dynasty Financial Partners.
He pointed to "Optima Group's decades of expertise in strategy, branding, and marketing" as another piece to create a partnership powerhouse that includes technology, dedicated investment banking, access to leads through Dynasty Connect, an industry-leading investment platform, and capital support.
Read more: Dynasty Financial Partners scores Fortress Investment Group backing in latest funding round
Founded in 1979, Optima Group has built a four-decade track record helping wealth managers, family offices, fintech providers, and institutional asset managers define and communicate their identities. The Fairfield, Connecticut firm will continue to operate from its existing headquarters following the close of the acquisition.
Kenneth R. Hoffman, president of Optima Group, will lead the Dynasty Consulting Group as its head. The full Optima team joins Dynasty in the transaction, including Managing Director Ellen H. McKay and Director of Client Strategy Peter K. Ward.
"We've always believed that clarity is the foundation of sustained growth," Hoffman said in the statement. "Joining Dynasty with its extraordinary platform, capital, and operating expertise gives us the ability to bring that approach to more firms, and to back it with resources no independent advisory firm has ever had access to before."
The consulting services will be available either as a standalone offering or as an extension of Dynasty's broader RIA platform.
Justin Weinkle, chief financial officer of Dynasty Financial Partners, said the new group is designed to give advisory firms access to strategic advice on the same platform where they already rely on Dynasty for technology, operations, and capital.
"Our advisors bring their best thinking to their clients' business and financial needs, so we owe them the same in return – structured assessments, clear advice, and a roadmap to sharpen their positioning and accelerate their growth," he said.
The consulting services are expected to span leadership development, marketing and communications, AI-powered tools, data and cybersecurity, and tax and equity planning, according to the company.
The transaction is expected to close in the coming weeks.
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