Apella Wealth, a West Hartford, Conn.-based registered investment advisor, has reached $12 billion in assets under management following two acquisitions this week, according to announcements.
On Tuesday, Apella said it had acquired Morris Financial Concepts, an RIA in Mount Pleasant, S.C., founded in 1983 by Kyra Hollowell Morris and overseeing $544 million in client assets. She will be joined in the move by her son, Chief Compliance Officer James “Tucker” Morris, and a staff of 10.
“We spent more than a year thoughtfully searching for a firm that shared our fiduciary, planning-first approach and would allow us to continue serving clients the way we have for more than four decades,” Kyra Hollowell Morris said in a statement.
Kyra Hollowell Morris was the firm’s majority owner, with James Morris also holding shares, according to the firm’s most recent Form ADV.
A day later, Apella announced that $384 million Longview Financial Advisors, based in San Rafael, Calif., had joined the firm.
The firm, founded by Tim Harrington in 2018, serves professionals, families and retirees, and was also owned by Harrington, according to the most recent Form ADV.
“This partnership allows us to expand the resources and expertise available to our clients while preserving the personal relationships, independent advice and fiduciary approach that have always defined Longview,” Harrington said in a statement.
Longview was represented by Jessica Polito of Turkey Hill Management in the transaction.
Apella, led by CEO Jim Scanlan, has now made 29 acquisitions, including 18 since a 2021 minority investment by Wealth Partners Capital Group.
Savant Tax Unit Changes Name, Expands
Savant Tax & Consulting, a wholly owned subsidiary of Savant Wealth Management, has changed its name to Savant Accounting & Business Advisory, or SABA, to reflect the firm’s offerings in accounting, advisory, consulting and tax services, the $57 billion RIA announced.
The name change was made along with Savant’s acquisition of two tax firms in Illinois. The RIA said it added Professional Business Management of Barrington, Ill., and Summit CPA Group of Rockford, Ill. The deals closed Aug. 31 and expand Savant’s offerings in health care practice consulting, accounting, tax and business advisory services.
“Over the past two decades, we have intentionally built an organization that is designed to extend beyond traditional tax preparation,” CEO and founder Brent Brodeski said in a statement.
Today, SABA includes more than 140 accounting, tax and advisory professionals, the firm said.
In July, Savant took a $270 million minority stake from Hamilton Lane, while keeping former investors Cynosure Partners and Kelso & Company as shareholders.
Carson Hits 50 Integrated Office Milestone With Addition of Elios Financial Group
Carson Group, an Omaha, Neb.-based RIA with over $65 billion in assets under management, has acquired Elios Financial Group, the company’s 50th integrated office.
Led by Managing Partner and wealth advisor James Elios, the Ohio-based firm has about $367 million in AUM and will become a Carson Wealth office in Westlake. Elios and team had previously been with Private Client Services, according to BrokerCheck.
The team, which also includes partner and wealth advisor Brandon Steinhagen and three client support staff members, touts its education-driven model and approach for families preparing for and navigating retirement.
“Since founding Elios Financial Group, our mission has been to help families make wise financial decisions and feel confident about their future,” Elios said in a statement.
Carson Group now manages over $65 billion in assets and works with more than 60,000 client families among its advisory network of 165-plus partner offices and its Carson Wealth offices.
“Reaching our 50th integrated office is a tremendous milestone in our journey and reflects the caliber of people and firms that have chosen to build their future with Carson Wealth,” CEO Burt White said in a statement.
Alaris Acquisitions advised Elios on the move.
LPL Financial Adds $385M Team from Wells Fargo’s FiNet
LPL Financial, the San Diego-based independent broker/dealer with about $2.6 trillion in brokerage and advisory assets, announced that financial advisors Bill Wagner, Scott Sennett and Andrew Kocukov of Horizon Wealth Management Group have joined LPL’s broker/dealer and RIA platforms.
The team is leaving Wells Fargo Advisors Financial Network, where they managed about $385 million in advisory, brokerage and retirement plan assets, according to an announcement this week.
Based in Wichita, Kan., Horizon Wealth Management Group’s clients are primarily retirees and individuals approaching retirement, with a majority of the practice focused on helping clients manage the distribution phase of their financial lives.
The team selected LPL for its technology, financial planning capabilities and service model, according to the announcement.
“We spent significant time researching potential partners and ultimately felt LPL was best positioned to support both our team and our clients,” Wagner said in a statement.
LPL, which has a network for more than 32,000 financial advisors, noted in its most recent earnings call that recruited assets were $25 billion during the second quarter, up 35% from a year ago and about 47% sequentially, as the firm’s recruiters returned to organic efforts after a heavy focus on the firm’s Commonwealth Financial Network acquisition in 2025.