RIA moves: Carson deepens Florida reach as $1.1B Osaic team defects

Amid a frantic first week of RIA moves in June, Carson and Cresset have logged significant billon-dollar additions in Florida and Colorado, while Sanctuary supports a wirehouse breakaway's leap to independence.

Florida firm joins Carson's integrated network from Osaic

Omaha, Nebraska-based Carson Group, which oversees more than $58 billion in assets under management, has added Jackson Wealth Management as its 46th integrated office.

The Lake Mary, Florida-based advisory practice with over $1.1 billion in client assets transitioned from Osaic.

Founded more than three decades ago by veteran advisor George P. Jackson, Jackson Wealth Management has built its practice around a family office model serving high-net-worth individuals and families. The firm also employs wealth advisors Michael McGahan and Yulia Dance, along with supporting staff.

Jackson was affiliated with Osaic from 2024 to 2026, according to his BrokerCheck record with FINRA. Earlier in his career, he spent more than 15 years with Raymond James.

"George has built a highly respected independent advisory firm and earned the trust of his clients through a disciplined, relationship-driven approach to planning, which makes this team an ideal fit for the Carson Wealth community," said Burt White, CEO of Carson Group.

Michael Belluomini, Carson Group's senior vice president of mergers and acquisitions, described Jackson Wealth as precisely the type of firm the platform targets: "established, high-integrity and deeply committed to client outcomes."

The deal extends Carson's footprint across the Southeast and follows its recent integrations of Tungsten Wealth Management from LPL and Meikle Financial Group in Phoenix, Arizona. It also follows Carson's rollout of a dedicated estate planning capability to support its advisor network.

J.P. Morgan veteran expands Cresset's Denver presence

Cresset, the Chicago-based multi-family office and registered investment advisor, has hired Ali Bathgate Hild as a managing director in its Denver office.

Hild arrives from J.P. Morgan Private Bank, where she spent 14 years advising clients across the firm's Denver, New York, and Greenwich offices. She oversaw approximately $1 billion in assets under advisement and was recognized as a member of the Morgan Circle, an internal designation identifying the top 52 advisors in the U.S. Private Bank.

Hild's focus centers on entrepreneurs and business owners navigating liquidity events, complex wealth transitions, and multi-generational planning – a specialty well-suited to Cresset's client base of ultra-high-net-worth families. The firm's independent, multi-family office model has increasingly attracted seasoned practitioners exiting major institutions in search of greater alignment and flexibility. 

"Cresset was built by clients, for clients, with alignment at the center of everything we do," said Susie Cranston, CEO of Cresset. "Ali's experience advising entrepreneurs through complex transitions reflects the kind of leadership we value."

A Colorado native, Hild holds extensive experience in wealth planning, lending, and trust services for clients approaching business sales. She arrives at Cresset on the heels of Managing Director and Wealth Advisor Mark Ostroff, who came from Evoke Advisors to lead Cresset's regional buildout in New York.

Merrill Lynch alum launches Valen Private Capital with Sanctuary

Indianapolis-based hybrid RIA Sanctuary Wealth has welcomed Valen Private Capital as a new partner firm.

The practice was founded by John Durham, a former Merrill Lynch advisor in Philadelphia with more than 25 years of wealth management experience. Durham managed $477 million in total assets at Merrill, where he built a specialized practice serving a concentrated group of ultra-high-net-worth families.

Durham holds a Juris Doctor from Delaware Law School and a Master of Laws in Taxation from Villanova University School of Law, along with an estate planning certificate from the same institution.

Valen Private Capital is structured around investment management, planning coordination, and what the firm describes as a high-touch, multi-generational advisory approach. It is headquartered to serve families with complex balance sheets and substantial wealth.

Joining Durham at Valen Private Capital are Benjamin Durham, formerly a wealth management specialist at Merrill Lynch in New York, who joins as partner and director of financial planning, and Lisa Downey, Durham's longtime assistant.

"As I evaluated independence, I wanted a partner that would allow me to build Valen Private Capital around my clients – not force my clients into someone else's model," Durham said, citing "the combination of flexibility, experienced support and UHNW resources" at Sanctuary.

Vince Fertitta, president of wealth management at Sanctuary Wealth, said Durham's decision reflects a broader adviser demand for platforms with ultra-high-net-worth capabilities and the latitude to define their own service models.

In the past two months, Sanctuary has also welcomed Iron North Private Wealth, a former UBS team that launched their own RIA firm in Idaho and Soteris Private Wealth, who broke away from Merrill in Walnut Creek, California.