Waverly, Apella buy $412M in RIA assets across Oregon, Northeast

Two serial acquirers backed by Wealth Partners Capital Group have added roughly $412 million in client assets between them, as Waverly Advisors expands its Oregon footprint and Apella Wealth brings on a Northeast practice built around advising women through major life changes.

Waverly’s Oregon expansion continues

Waverly, a fee-only RIA based in Birmingham, Alabama, has acquired MCS Family Wealth Advisors, which manages approximately $151 million from offices in Bend and Eugene, Oregon.

Michael Stalker started MCS in 1991 and built it around financial planning, retirement planning and investment management for high-net-worth individuals and families. Jeff Yamada, who has worked alongside Stalker since 2004, is the firm’s other senior advisor. Both join Waverly as partners and wealth advisors.

“I founded MCS as a fiduciary with the mission to ‘transform money from a source of worry to a resource for fulfillment’,” Stalker said. “Waverly shares that philosophy and brings broader planning, investment, tax and estate resources to support current and future clients.”

Justin Russell, Waverly’s president and CEO, called MCS “an excellent addition to our growing presence in the Pacific Northwest.”

The deal is Waverly’s 37th since WPCG and HGGC’s Aspire Holdings platform took an equity stake in the firm in December 2021. Waverly now oversees approximately $38.4 billion.

Oregon has been a repeat target for Waverly's expansion strategy. The firm began its 2026 deal calendar with Pure Portfolios, a $437 million Lake Oswego wealth manager.

Weeks before the MCS deal, it acquired Heartwood Wealth Advisors, a $1.7 billion Richmond, Virginia firm.

Over the summer, it added InVista Advisors, a $332 million practice in Montgomery, Alabama, as well as Pittsburgh-based Smithfield Trust, a trust company with roughly $3 billion.

Apella adds a planning niche for women

Apella, headquartered in West Hartford, Connecticut, has added Blue Spark Capital Advisors, a firm with roughly $261 million in assets and offices in New York City and Great Barrington, Massachusetts.

Blue Spark is led by founder and CEO Maura Griffin, a certified financial planner with an MBA and more than 25 years in the financial industry. Her practice concentrates on women working through divorce, the loss of a spouse or partner, career changes and retirement, with a heavy emphasis on client education. Griffin joins Apella as a partner and senior wealth advisor, bringing her team with her.

“Maura has built a highly respected firm grounded in thoughtful advice, strong client relationships, and a commitment to helping women make confident financial decisions, especially through life’s biggest transitions,” said Jim Scanlan, Apella’s CEO.

“Apella shares our belief that financial advice should be deeply personal and grounded in each client’s goals and circumstances,” Griffin said.

Blue Spark is Apella’s 30th acquisition overall and its 19th since WPCG invested in September 2021. The firm now manages approximately $12.5 billion.

The deal follows Apella’s back-to-back acquisitions on opposite coasts: Morris Financial Concepts, a Mount Pleasant, South Carolina, firm with about $544 million, and Longview Financial Advisors, a San Rafael, California, practice with roughly $384 million.