RIA moves: Carson Group gains strength in Utah, Apollon debuts in Ohio

RIA moves: Carson Group gains strength in Utah, Apollon debuts in Ohio
Duane Toney, managing director, partner, and wealth advisor at Carson Wealth in Salt Lake City, Utah.
Carson's latest addition in Salt Lake City continues its strategy of buying out successful and growing Carson Wealth locations.
JUN 23, 2025

Carson Group and Apollon Wealth Management continued to expand their footprints this week through separate late June deals, With Carson extending a key integration strategy and Apollon making inroads into a new market.

Carson Wealth secures foothold in Utah

Carson Group said Monday that it has fully acquired its Salt Lake City office, which had operated as a Carson Wealth location since 2022.

The Utah-based team, led by Duane Toney, has been affiliated with Carson as a partner firm since 2017. It oversees approximately $143 million in client assets.

The integration brings the location under full ownership by Carson Group, which manages more than $42 billion in assets across a national network of over 150 advisory firms.

CEO Burt White said the acquisition reflects Carson’s continued focus on building strategic scale and supporting succession planning through tighter alignment with its partners.

“Bringing on the Salt Lake City team as a wholly owned office will provide increased access to the support that really makes a difference to meeting their strategic business goals and planning for the future,” White said in the announcement on Monday.

Toney, who has more than three decades of experience in accounting and wealth management, said the move will enable the practice to grow new service offerings. His team is planning to expand into succession planning for business owners, supported by Carson’s Advanced Solutions Team.

“We are excited to strengthen our relationship by stepping further into the Carson ecosystem and having more interactions with specialists who can help us create more value for clients,” Toney said.

Apollon Wealth Management enters Ohio market

Meanwhile, Apollon Wealth Management announced that Columbus, Ohio-based Chornyak & Associates will join its network, marking Apollon’s first move into the state. Chornyak & Associates has provided financial and tax planning services for over 45 years and includes 14 professionals.

The firm will retain its brand and team while gaining access to Apollon’s national infrastructure. Assets will be custodied primarily with Goldman Sachs Custody Solutions.

Apollon and its advisory affiliate Apollon Financial oversee more than $9.5 billion in combined assets. The firm has been pursuing measured geographic expansion, with recent growth across the Midwest and Southeast.

“Chornyak & Associates has built its business on trust, relationships, and sound planning,” said Michael Dolberg, founding partner and CEO of Apollon Wealth Management, who also described the firms as having a “strong cultural fit.”

Apollon Wealth Management made another consequential move earlier this year, gaining its first New York location with the March addition of C.J. Lawrence, an investment firm with over 150 years of history.

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