Hightower, a leading buyer and aggregator of registered investment advisers, on Tuesday morning said it had acquired a piece of Alexandria Capital, a registered investment adviser with $1.5 billion in client assets. So far, Hightower has announced a half dozen deals for RIAs in 2021, which continues to see a surge of buying of RIAs from various kinds of acquirers.
Hightower did not say what percentage of Alexandria Capital it was acquiring, calling the deal a "strategic investment" in a press release.
RIA aggregators like Hightower have a variety of ways to buy or invest in another firm, from an outright purchase and takeover to a minority investment closer to a partnership.
Founded in 1987, Alexandria Capital is led by CEO Augustine Hong and chief investment officer Jonathan Ferguson.
"The transaction involved cash and equity," wrote CEO Bob Oros in an email. "Hightower prides itself in flexibly partnering with our wealth adviser principals to reward industry-leading growth."
At the end of June, Hightower's assets under administration were approximately $125.2 billion, and its assets under management were $101 billion, according to the company.
Elsewhere, Wells Fargo Advisors adds a $400 million Morgan Stanley veteran in Naples as an ex-Cetera advisor goes independent with LPL
According to a federal charges Bradley Heppner, 60, received more than $150 million in payments through funneling money from GWG Holdings to a shell company.
A $1B fund allegedly skimmed 30% off the top, then swapped cash for locked-up stock.
Insiders allegedly rewrote projections three times in four days.
TCI Wealth Advisors also has also tapped JIFFYAI to unify onboarding and servicing, while TradePMR adds ICE market data to its Fusion advisor platform
Knighthead Life entered the market with a competitive MYGA. A strong launch earned advisor confidence and paved the way for FIAs.
As AI makes financial information more accessible than ever, Lana Hock explains why human judgment, trust, and empathy remain the qualities clients value most in a financial advisor