{"id":618440,"date":"2026-10-02T12:44:10","date_gmt":"2026-10-02T12:44:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/618440\/"},"modified":"2026-10-02T12:44:10","modified_gmt":"2026-10-02T12:44:10","slug":"hb-wealth-enters-texas-with-physician-focused-advisory-team","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/618440\/","title":{"rendered":"HB Wealth enters Texas with physician-focused advisory team"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>\n                A father-daughter trio managing approximately $700 million joins the Atlanta-based fee-only RIA, establishing its Austin foothold.\n            <\/p>\n<p style=\"margin-bottom:11px\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.investmentnews.com\/companies\/hb-wealth\/266093\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">HB Wealth<\/a>, one of the country&#8217;s largest fee-only registered investment advisers, has moved into Texas by adding a three-person advisory team that built its practice around serving physicians and other healthcare professionals.<\/p>\n<p>The Atlanta-based firm announced Thursday that Steven D. Podnos, MD, MBA, CFP, Rachel Podnos O&#8217;Leary, JD, CFP, and Lauren Podnos-Garner, CFP, have joined HB Wealth, establishing the firm&#8217;s presence in Austin. Rachel and Lauren will be based there full-time, while Steven will split his time between Austin and Cocoa Beach, Florida.<\/p>\n<p>The trio previously ran Wealth Care LLC, an independent, fee-only RIA that Steven Podnos founded in 2002. Before entering <a href=\"https:\/\/www.investmentnews.com\/glossary\/wealth-management\/265660\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">wealth management<\/a>, he spent years as a pulmonary and critical care physician, a background he carried directly into his advisory practice. He continued practicing critical care medicine in the Air Force Reserve until 2023.<\/p>\n<p>Dual identity<\/p>\n<p>That dual identity of clinician and certified financial planner, shaped a practice built around understanding the financial pressures physicians face, from liability exposure and asset protection to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.investmentnews.com\/glossary\/estate-planning\/262739\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">estate planning<\/a> and the administrative demands of running or exiting a medical practice.<\/p>\n<p>Together, the father-daughter team offers comprehensive <a href=\"https:\/\/www.investmentnews.com\/glossary\/financial-planning\/263329\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">financial planning<\/a> and investment management alongside guidance on tax strategy, asset protection, and estate planning. Beyond their healthcare niche, the team also works with high- and ultra-high-net-worth individuals and families across the country.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Joining HB Wealth represents an important next chapter for our clients and our team,&#8221; Steven Podnos said. &#8220;It allows us to preserve the independent, fiduciary approach that has always defined our work while expanding the depth of advice and resources we can bring to each relationship.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>He added that the team has built its practice around understanding the full picture of clients&#8217; lives, including the distinct challenges physicians and other healthcare professionals face. &#8220;HB Wealth strengthens our ability to address every aspect of our clients&#8217; financial lives with the same personal attention and unwavering focus on their best interests.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Thomas Carroll, CEO of HB Wealth, said the addition marks a meaningful moment for the firm&#8217;s national growth strategy. &#8220;Their addition establishes a strong foundation for us in Austin,&#8221; Carroll said. &#8220;This team will be pivotal in how we bring a valuable new dimension to the way we serve medical professionals nationwide.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Growing market<\/p>\n<p>Texas is now HB Wealth&#8217;s seventh market, joining Georgia, Florida, Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee. The firm, which <a href=\"https:\/\/www.investmentnews.com\/companies\/hb-wealth\/266093\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">traces its origins to 1989<\/a> when it was founded as Homrich Berg, now oversees more than $33 billion in assets across 13 offices with more than 360 employees.<\/p>\n<p>The firm rebranded to HB Wealth in August 2025 as its geographic footprint expanded well beyond its Atlanta base. Last year it was <a href=\"https:\/\/hbwealth.com\/insights\/investmentnews-recognizes-hb-wealth-as-the-only-5-star-ria-firm-in-georgia\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">recognized by InvestmentNews as the only 5 Star RIA firm in Georgia.<\/a><\/p>\n<p>The move follows a period of significant activity for HB Wealth. In July 2026, the firm <a href=\"https:\/\/www.investmentnews.com\/ria-news\/hb-wealth-builds-out-institutional-arm-adds-two-senior-advisors\/267419\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">launched a dedicated institutional advisory and OCIO practice<\/a>, formalizing longstanding relationships with nonprofits, foundations, endowments, and corporate clients into a standalone business line. And earlier in 2026, it added a five-person team in Charlotte, further building out its Southeast presence.<\/p>\n<p>Texas has become one of the most competitive markets for RIA expansion nationally, with large fee-only and independent firms alike planting flags in Austin, Dallas, and Houston. HB Wealth&#8217;s entry via a specialty-focused team rather than a generalist hire reflects a broader industry trend toward advisor growth strategies anchored in niche expertise, particularly in markets where competition for high-net-worth clients is intensifying.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A father-daughter trio managing approximately $700 million joins the Atlanta-based fee-only RIA, establishing its Austin foothold. HB Wealth,&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":618441,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[14],"tags":[304574,138,304573,246,304572,111,139,69,244,245],"class_list":["post-618440","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-personal-finance","tag-advisory-team","tag-business","tag-fee-only-ria","tag-finance","tag-hb-wealth","tag-new-zealand","tag-newzealand","tag-nz","tag-personal-finance","tag-personalfinance"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/618440","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=618440"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/618440\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/618441"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=618440"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=618440"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=618440"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}