{"id":905232,"date":"2026-09-25T17:50:10","date_gmt":"2026-09-25T17:50:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/905232\/"},"modified":"2026-09-25T17:50:10","modified_gmt":"2026-09-25T17:50:10","slug":"deals-moves-lpl-adds-two-utah-advisory-teams-with-1b","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/905232\/","title":{"rendered":"Deals & Moves: LPL Adds Two Utah Advisory Teams With $1B"},"content":{"rendered":"

A new report out this week indicated that third-quarter M&A deals<\/a> in the wealth management space slipped 19%, threatening the potential for another record year for RIA transactions, according to DeVoe & Company.<\/p>\n

Despite that, it\u2019s been an active week for RIA deals and advisor movement, including some large moves.<\/p>\n

Captrust Financial Advisors, a Raleigh, N.C.-based registered investment<\/a> advisor with $1.3 trillion in assets under advisement, acquired two long-time affiliated RIAs in Melville, N.Y.<\/a>, Compass Advisors and Long Island Wealth Management, with a combined seven professionals and $1.2 billion in client assets.<\/p>\n

Corient planted a flag in the Cayman Islands<\/a> with the acquisition of a $2.6 billion multi-family office, FortCay Family Advisory.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, Cerity Partners brought a duo of advisory teams<\/a> from a storied New York-based firm (collectively managing $1.4 billion) into its fold. According to Cerity, the Contant-Leit and Wacht Groups of Shufo Rose & Co. will join forces under its brand.<\/p>\n

Related:Raymond James Attracts Two Teams Totaling $1.75B<\/a><\/p>\n

LPL Financial Adds Two Utah Advisory Teams With $1B<\/p>\n

LPL Financial added two Salt Lake City-area advisory teams managing approximately $1 billion in combined assets from Northwestern Mutual.<\/p>\n

Cornerstone Advisors, led by financial advisors Gardner Brown and Brian Lifferth, and Clear Pointe Wealth Management, led by advisors Ron Hunt and Jonathan Groberg, joined LPL\u2019s broker\/dealer, registered investment advisor and custodial platforms.<\/p>\n

The two practices share a decades-long relationship, and they\u2019ll operate from a shared office while maintaining distinct business identities, according to LPL.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe were looking for a partner that would give us the tools, resources and flexibility needed to serve clients at the highest level,\u201d Hunt said in a statement. “LPL’s technology, product breadth and service model will allow us to operate more efficiently and spend even more time focused on helping clients pursue their goals.\u201d<\/p>\n

Verdence Capital Advisors Acquires Harvest Investment Consultants<\/p>\n

Verdence Capital Advisors, a Hunt Valley, Md.-based private wealth advisory and multi-family office with approximately $5 billion in AUM, acquired Harvest Investment Consultants, an RIA with $564 million in AUM as of June 30, 2026.<\/p>\n

The transaction closed on Sept. 18, 2026, and adds to Verdence\u2019s presence in its home market. Harvest managing member Michael Meily will join Verdence as managing director, private wealth advisor, along with all members of the Harvest team.<\/p>\n

\u201cMike and I have known each other for years, and it was clear from the beginning that Harvest looked much like Verdence with deep client relationships and a collaborative culture,\u201d said Leo Kelly, CEO at Verdence, in a statement.<\/p>\n

Related:Osaic Faces Additional Cash Sweep Class Action Suit<\/a><\/p>\n

Founded in 1987, Harvest provides portfolio management and financial planning services to individuals and families. Harvest clients will gain access to Verdence\u2019s resources, including multi-family office services, private investment opportunities and dedicated investment and planning teams, the company said.<\/p>\n

This is Verdence\u2019s second acquisition since selling a majority stake to Wealth Partners Capital Group and HGGC<\/a> in April.<\/p>\n

Baird Lures Washington Advisor From D.A. Davidson<\/p>\n

Christy Gatien, a financial advisor with close to three decades of industry experience and more than $300 million in client assets, has joined Baird\u2019s wealth management office in Bellevue, Wash.<\/p>\n

Gatien will serve as director and financial advisor, focusing on financial planning for clients. She is joined by Senior Client Specialist Sean Ladd and Client Specialist Doug Wiedemeier.<\/p>\n

She joins from D.A. Davidson, where she spent more than 20 years and most recently served as senior vice president, financial advisor and portfolio manager, the firm said.<\/p>\n

Baird has five private wealth management offices in Washington state, including locations in Mount Vernon, Seattle, Spokane, Yakima and Bellevue.<\/p>\n

Related:Raymond James Adds Retirement Plan Option for Small Business Owners<\/a><\/p>\n

The firm\u2019s private wealth management business has more than $395 billion in client assets as of June 30, 2026, and more than 1,400 financial advisors.<\/p>\n

Modern Wealth Buys $290M California Firm in Sixth Deal of 2026<\/p>\n

Modern Wealth Management, a Monterey, Calif.-based RIA with nearly $16 billion in assets under management, acquired AWA Wealth Management, an Auburn, Calif.-based firm overseeing approximately $290 million in client assets.<\/p>\n

The acquisition brings founder Derrick Andrews and his entire team to Modern Wealth, including Grant Andrews, lead advisor; Toni Farkas, director of operations; T.J. Peterson, client services manager; and Chelsea Bailey, relationship manager.<\/p>\n

AWA Wealth Management, founded in 1994, provides wealth management services to multi-generational families and business owners, primarily in Auburn and Redding, Calif., the company said.<\/p>\n

This follows Modern Wealth\u2019s acquisition of Sanchez Wealth Management<\/a> earlier this month and marks its sixth deal this year.<\/p>\n

\u201cAWA strengthens our presence in California, but just as importantly, this partnership gives the team a framework for long-term succession while allowing Derrick to remain closely connected to the clients and advisors he has developed deep relationships with over his career,\u201d said Jason Gordo, president and co-founder of Modern Wealth.<\/p>\n

Since its founding in 2023, Modern Wealth has completed 24 acquisitions.<\/p>\n

Wisconsin-Based Intrinsic Investors Joins Carson Group<\/p>\n

Carson Group, an Omaha, Neb.-based wealth advisory firm with over $65 billion in AUM, announced that Intrinsic Investors, a Wisconsin-based wealth management team with approximately $145 million in AUM, has joined Carson Wealth in the Great Lakes.<\/p>\n

The Intrinsic team includes Wealth Advisors William \u201cBill\u201d Fons and Chad Melcher, and Operations Manager Dawn Williams.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur clients have always felt like family, so finding the right home for them was incredibly important to me,\u201d Fons said. \u201cI spoke with eight different firms, but I kept coming back to Carson for its long-term strategy, innovative resources and commitment to putting people first.\u201d<\/p>\n

Founded in 1999, Intrinsic Investors provides financial planning and investment management services to individuals, families, trusts, retirement plans and philanthropic organizations.<\/p>\n

The move to Carson provides a succession path, as Fons and Williams will gradually transition into consultative roles, while Melcher, who has been with the team since 2005, will continue to serve clients and lead the practice.<\/p>\n

Cetera Recruits $305M Team From LPL<\/p>\n

Cetera Financial Group, a San Diego-based independent broker\/dealer network overseeing approximately $688 billion in assets under administration, has recruited advisors John Sloop and John Black, III, along with their Palmetto Investment Consultants team, which oversees approximately $305 million in AUA.<\/p>\n

The Rock Hill, S.C.-based team moved from LPL Financial to join Cetera\u2019s Summit Financial Networks community, the company said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is a return for me more than a first step with Cetera,\u201d said Sloop, who previously spent 13 years affiliated with Cetera. \u201cSummit gives us the advocate-driven feel we wanted, and Summit is a smaller group we know can turn things around quickly. Being back with Cetera means having someone in our corner who can take our feedback straight to the people who can act on it.\u201d<\/p>\n

The team serves clients with ties to one of the nation\u2019s largest energy companies, a regional telecommunications company and a local paper mill in the Charlotte, N.C., area.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A new report out this week indicated that third-quarter M&A deals in the wealth management space slipped 19%,…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":905233,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[14],"tags":[64,63,99,186,184,185],"class_list":["post-905232","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-personal-finance","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-business","tag-finance","tag-personal-finance","tag-personalfinance"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/905232","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=905232"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/905232\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/905233"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=905232"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=905232"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=905232"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}