At the end of a busy first week of March for RIA M&A, &Partners extended its growth in Virginia with a breakaway team from Wells Fargo, while Carson Group announces a landmark acquisition and Savant Wealth deepens its reach in Michigan.
Charlottesville, Virginia-based Bay Ridge Private Wealth has joined &Partners with about $950 million in prehire assets under management, becoming the firm’s latest addition in a busy start to the year.
Bay Ridge is led by partner and managing director Jon Chasen, along with partners and directors Patrick Carroll and John Smith and partner and director of practice management Crystal Martin. The team emphasizes planning-led, relationship-based advice across retirement planning, investment management, estate and legacy strategies, risk management and wealth preservation.
&Partners has achieved remarkable growth since launching in 2023, having crossed the 100-partner milestone last year based on its appeal as a destination for advisors breaking away from Wells Fargo. Chasen, Carroll, and Smith were previously affiliated with the wirehouse, according to their BrokerCheck records.
They are supported by private wealth advisor Noah Ellis, private wealth consultant Shelley Bishop, client experience manager Heather Nadeau and marketing manager Miyanna Bell. The move brings &Partners to 111 advisor practices overseeing approximately $52 billion in prehire assets, according to the firm.
Bay Ridge is the sixth practice to come aboard since the beginning of the year, following recent additions including Sumter, Entrust Wealth Management and Four Lights Advisors.
Carson Group has acquired New London, New Hampshire-based ZeroCelsius Wealth Studio, converting the longtime partner firm into its 40th wholly owned office and adding roughly $134 million in client assets.
Carson, which reports more than $57 billion in assets under management, said the transaction marks a notable waypoint in its build-out of a practitioner-led national network.
“Reaching 40 wholly owned offices reflects the strength of our practitioner-led model, but more importantly, it reflects the trust advisors place in Carson to help them build enduring businesses,” said chief executive Burt White in a statement.
ZeroCelsius is led by managing partner and wealth advisor Ross Gott and operations manager Robin Laughinghouse. Founded in 1998 as Kearsarge Capital Advisors and rebranded in 2009, the firm has stayed independent while focusing on comprehensive, relationship-driven planning that leans on Gott’s background in tax and accounting.
ZeroCelsius became a direct partner of Carson in October 2023, gaining access to the larger firm’s investment platform, advanced planning capabilities and technology stack. The shift from partner to wholly owned office brings the practice fully inside Carson’s corporate structure while keeping its New Hampshire presence and client relationships intact.
“Expanding our partnership with Carson Group allows us to stay true to who we are while ensuring the firm is built to last,” Gott said.
Savant Wealth Management is extending its Midwestern footprint with a partnership deal for Grand Capital Advisors, a Grand Blanc, Michigan RIA with about $127 million in assets under management. The transaction, which closed Feb. 28, adds a second Michigan office in Grand Blanc and follows other activity in the state, bringing Savant’s total to three Michigan locations.
Grand Capital, founded in 2019 by president Ken Duetsch and chief investment officer Steve Schiestel, works largely with clients age 50 and older or within roughly one decade of retirement. Duetsch and Schiestel will become member-owners of Savant, alongside advisor Andreas Shick, while director of operations Lori Amos will join Savant as an employee.
Duetsch framed the move as a way to bolt on capabilities such as trust services and tax planning for existing clients, while aligning with a larger firm that shares a planning-led philosophy. “We place a great deal of importance on being fiduciary advisors and are committed to providing a high level of personal service to our clients,” he said, noting that Grand Capital viewed Savant’s investment approach and Midwest culture as a strong fit.
Savant founder and chief executive Brent Brodeski said the firm is looking not only to expand nationally but also to build greater density in markets where it already operates. “With a limited number of fee-only RIAs in the area near Grand Blanc, we are excited to partner with Grand Capital and provide comprehensive wealth management services to the Genessee County area and beyond,” Brodeski said.
With Grand Capital and Massachusetts-based Heritage Financial both coming on board this week, Savant now counts 51 offices across 21 states.
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