Hightower's Signature Wealth platform adds $275 million Pennsylvania firm

Hightower Advisors has added another advisory practice to its Signature Wealth platform, announcing Valley Financial Group as the latest to join in the East Coast.

The Ambler, Pennsylvania-based firm managing roughly $275 million in client assets is the second external acquisition HTSW has completed this year and the latest signal that Hightower's strategy of absorbing independent advisory practices into a centralized, W-2 based model is accelerating.

Valley provides financial planning and investment management to individuals, families and business owners across the Greater Philadelphia region, including corporate employees and first responders, and has also maintained ties to nonprofit and civic organizations in the area.

Larry Restieri, Hightower's chief executive, framed the addition as evidence that the integrated model is drawing interest from firms that might once have stayed independent. He said Valley's advisory practice was built on close client relationships and a strong community presence.

“Welcoming Valley to HTSW further demonstrates the appeal of our integrated practice to established firms looking to accelerate growth, enhance the client experience and create longevity for their teams,” Restieri said.

Kevin McGarry, managing partner at Valley Financial Group, said the firm wanted a partner that matched its client-first approach while offering the infrastructure to expand what it can deliver.

Learn more: Seeking to scale your practice? Hightower CEO offers advisors tips on how

Ed Woehlcke, a certified financial planner and fellow managing partner at Valley, added that the move would give the team access to a broader set of tools without disrupting the personal relationships that have defined the practice.

A year of rapid platform growth

Valley's arrival brings HTSW's total assets under management to approximately $40 billion, spread across more than 160 advisors and 35-plus locations nationwide, according to Hightower.

That figure just goes to show how quickly the platform has grown since it was introduced in October last year as Hightower's answer to advisors who wanted the benefits of a large RIA's infrastructure without running a fully independent practice.

Much of that growth has come from acquisitions layered on top of internal conversions of existing Hightower-affiliated advisors. Last week, HTSW added Stearns Financial Group, a North Carolina practice managing roughly $2.5 billion in assets that brought 30 advisors into the platform and had partnered with Hightower since 2020 before fully converting to the Signature Wealth model.

Read more: Hightower Signature Wealth eyes $50 billion as more RIAs ditch independence

Hightower has also been building out capabilities beyond its acquisition strategy. Earlier this summer, the firm expanded its Hightower Family Office offering, combining institutional investment consulting, estate and tax planning, family governance and business advisory services into a single framework for advisors serving ultra-high-net-worth clients. That expansion drew on Hightower's relationship with NEPC, a Boston-based investment consultant, after Hightower took a majority stake in the firm in 2024, giving advisors access to institutional-grade resources historically reserved for pensions and endowments.

"As client needs continue to evolve, advisors increasingly need access to deeper insights and broader resources," Restieri said in a June statement. "The expansion of the Hightower Family Office reflects our commitment to helping advisors serve clients across the full wealth spectrum while remaining at the center of the relationship."

Hightower has said it expects to announce additional HTSW deals before the end of the year, part of a broader push by the mega-RIA operating under majority ownership by private equity firm Thomas H. Lee Partners.