Corient has agreed to acquire Vivaldi Capital Management, a Chicago-based RIA with $5.6 billion in assets under management, continuing the mega-firm's steady deal flow as the wealth management M&A market keeps pace in 2026.
Vivaldi, founded by David Sternberg and Randal Golden, serves ultra-high- and high-net-worth individuals and families. The firm blends traditional investment management and wealth planning with a focus on alternative investments as part of its portfolio construction strategy.
CEO Kurt MacAlpine said in the Thursday announcement of the deal that Sternberg and Golden "have built an impressive business defined by strong growth and enduring client relationships." He added that the Vivaldi team shares Corient's view on "the important role alternatives should play in ultra-high-net-worth portfolios."
David Sternberg, Vivaldi's chief executive and co-founder, said that the move will let his team keep delivering personalized service while tapping into Corient's broader wealth management and family office capabilities. He also pointed to the "collaborative nature of the Corient Partnership" as a draw.
Vivaldi's principals will become Corient partners upon closing, which is expected in the second quarter of 2026.
The Vivaldi deal is Corient's second announced acquisition of 2026, following the January addition of Palo Alto Wealth Advisors, a Silicon Valley RIA with about $767 million in assets. Miami-based Corient says it currently manages approximately $227 billion and employs more than 1,400 people across more than 250 partners.
Corient operates as a fiduciary, fee-only firm under what it calls a private partnership model, structured similarly to large professional services firms. The idea is that clients work with teams of specialists rather than relying on a single advisor.
That model has fueled an aggressive M&A strategy since the firm's founding in 2020 as the US wealth management arm of Canadian asset manager CI Financial, which was taken private by Abu Dhabi-based Mubadala Capital last year.
In September last year, Corient made its biggest move yet, announcing the acquisitions of UK-based Stonehage Fleming and Stanhope Capital Group, which together will add roughly $220 billion in assets once those deals close. That transaction would push Corient's combined managed and administered assets to approximately $450 billion, making it one of the largest nonbank wealth managers globally.
The Vivaldi acquisition comes amid an M&A market that shows few signs of cooling. Wealth management deal volume hit a record 466 transactions in 2025, up 27% year over year, according to Echelon Partners' annual RIA M&A deal report. Corient was among the most active acquirers in the $1 billion-plus segment last year, closing seven such deals, the report found.
Industry observers broadly expect 2026 to rival or surpass last year's totals, with Echelon projecting deal volume will exceed 2025's figures but likely remain under 500 transactions.
Terms of the Vivaldi deal were not disclosed.
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