Steward Partners expands in California with $1.1 billion RIA acquisition

Steward Partners expands in California with $1.1 billion RIA acquisition
The $40 billion RIA firm's latest West Coast deal brings a veteran with over 25 years of experience to its legacy division for succession-focused advisors.
JUL 02, 2025

Steward Partners is extending its West Coast footprint with the acquisition of Consilium Wealth Management, a Danville, California-based RIA overseeing $1.1 billion in client assets.

The move marks another addition to the firm's Legacy Division, which supports advisory teams seeking succession and long-term continuity without forgoing their brand identity or client relationships.

The Consilium team, led by founding partner John H. Seo, joins Steward with nearly ten professionals and a clientele composed primarily of high-net-worth households.

The firm, launched in 2010, has built its business around comprehensive financial planning that integrates tax, estate, and investment strategies. Consilium also operates an affiliate, Simplex Wealth Management, which works with clients holding more than $1 million in investable assets.

“John and his team at Consilium represent exactly the kind of exceptional talent we're attracting as we build something truly special within Steward Partners’ Legacy division,” said Scott Danner, executive vice president and head of the Legacy Division at Steward Partners.

Danner highlighted the relationships-based philosophy behind the his division's growth strategy, emphasizing its culture and "infrastructure, support, and future-forward vision" for top-tier advisors.

Seo brings with him more than 25 years of experience in the financial planning business. Prior to launching Consilium, he held leadership roles at a Walnut Creek-based advisory firm and began his career at Merrill Lynch and Prudential Financial.

Based in New York, Steward Partners is a full-service, employee-owned wealth management firm overseeing more than $40 billion in client assets as of January. Since launching in 2013, the firm has expanded rapidly across the US, drawing in multi-generational advisory teams seeking scale and back-office support while maintaining operational independence.

Its Legacy Division has emerged as a key growth driver in recent months, with recent transactions emphasizing its appeal among established RIAs navigating succession planning or team transitions. The division allows firms to retain their branding and client-facing structure while leveraging Steward’s national platform.

“Adding this incredible team accelerates that trajectory even further,” Danner said of the Consilium deal.

This latest deal in Danville follows Steward Partners' May acquisition of Moore’s Wealth Management in Georgia, which also integrated with the firm's legacy division. More recently in June, the New York-based RIA marked its entry into the Arizona market through a partnership with Desert Sky Advisors.

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