RFG Pens Deal For $200M Georgia-based RIA
RFG Advisory, a Birmingham, Ala.-based hybrid RIA platform with $6.1 billion in assets under management, announced the addition of Black Oak Asset Management, an independent advisory firm based in Alpharetta, Ga., managing more than $200 million in client assets. The firm, led by founder, President and financial advisor Ryan Ledden, serves clients across the Southeast.
Black Oak made the move to improve “scale and execution while preserving its independence and client relationships,” according to the announcement.
Shannon Spotswood, CEO of RFG Advisory, said in a statement that “firms like Black Oak are why RFG exists—for advisors who refuse to compromise on ownership, growth or the future they’re building.”
Black Oak joins RFG with a five-advisor team including Ledden, Nick Morgan, Autumn Mower, Damon Gibbs and Rick Howard.
RFG Advisory is majority-owned by Long Ridge Equity Partners.
Wealthspire Launches Family Office for UHNW Families
Wealthspire, a New York-based RIA managing almost $600 billion in assets, announced the launch of a dedicated family office to serve ultra-high-net-worth families.
Wealthspire Family Office emerges already serving over 300 families representing nearly $50 billion in AUM, with the average family having more than $130 million.
The new division comes as Wealthspire continues to take shape following its acquisition by Madison Dearborn Partners from insurance and risk firm Aon in the fall of 2025. That deal brought together a number of firms under the Wealthspire name, and the family office will integrate the services of Wealthspire, Fiducient Private Client and Ground Control.
“Families with significant wealth are making more consequential decisions more often,” Chad Tischer, managing director and chair of the Wealthspire Family Office Council, said in a statement. “What they value is a coordinated approach that brings discipline to the process and continuity to the relationship.”
Through the family office, clients will work with a lead advisor who coordinates across wealth, accounting, investments and financial operations, according to the RIA.
Accelerated Wealth RIA Investor Lands $200M From J.C. Flowers
Accelerated Wealth Partners, an RIA investor based in New York, has gotten a commitment from private investment J.C. Flowers & Co for $200 million.
AWP was founded in 2004 by Eric Amar, the former chief growth officer at Focus Financial Partners. Amar and team plan to acquire and scale a select group of RIAs through a partnership-led model. The platform will emphasize “tech-enabled organic growth” and institutional-grade M&A while maintaining boutique client experiences, according to the announcement.
The funding will go toward AWP’s acquisition strategy, which focuses on firms with strong leadership, a clear value proposition, and a desire to leverage institutional resources to accelerate their growth.
“We are not looking to build the largest platform, but rather the most distinctive,” Amar said. “By partnering with a select number of firms, we believe we can help them become true ‘category killers’ in their specific markets or client segments.”
Eric Rahe, managing director and co-president of J.C. Flowers, said in a statement that “Eric and his team have developed a strategy that prioritizes quality and strategic depth over sheer headcount.”
Citywire first reported on the investment.
Wealth Enhancement Launches New RIA Platform With $6.7B Deal
Wealth Enhancement, the acquisitive Minneapolis-based RIA, has made its first deal of the year for The H Group and FocusPoint Solutions, which collectively oversee more than $6.7 billion in client assets. The businesses are led by founder and owner Chris Hicks and are headquartered in Portland, Ore., with additional offices across the Pacific Northwest and Southwest.
FocusPoint Solutions will be incorporated into Advisory Solutions Group, a newly formed RIA affiliated with Wealth Enhancement that supports advisors and RIAs not operating under Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services.
“As we began exploring our next chapter, we grew increasingly excited about what Wealth Enhancement is building,” Hicks said in a statement. “We feel confident they are the right forward-thinking partner and platform for us to grow and best serve our clients—both now and in the future.”
After the H Group and affiliates transaction, Wealth Enhancement will oversee about $142.6 billion in client advisory, trust, and brokerage assets, including $5.4 billion in assets with its new RIA platform, Advisory Solutions Group.
Houlihan Lokey advised on the deal; Citywire first reported the news.
First Manhattan Adds Wyoming-Based Advisor Overseeing $300M
First Manhattan, a New York City-based RIA with over $36 billion in AUM, has acquired Beddow Capital Management, an RIA based in Jackson, Wyo., with over $300 million in AUM.
Beddow Capital founder Edward Beddow will serve as senior managing director and portfolio manager at First Manhattan; he has been in financial services for nearly 40 years, having started his career in investment banking at Dean Witter & Co.
“Ed has built a thoughtful, client-centered practice that has been driven by successful fundamental investing over many decades,” First Manhattan CEO Zachary Wydra said in a statement. “Just as importantly, he recognises the benefit of joining a firm with the scale, infrastructure, and institutional stability that reinforces and enhances what he already does well.”
Since its founding in 1964, First Manhattan has been independently owned and operated.
MCF Advisors Makes 2nd Acquisition Since WPCG Investment
MCF Advisors, a Kentucky-based RIA, has made its second acquisition since selling a minority stake to Wealth Partners Capital Group and the Aspire Holdings platform of HGCC about one year ago.
MCF announced Tuesday that it had acquired the Wealth Planning Corporation, a Cincinnati-based wealth management firm overseeing approximately $617 million in AUM. The transaction closed on Feb. 27.
WPC joins MCF with nine professionals, including president Todd Steinbrink, who becomes regional director and partner, and vice president of operations Angela Dietrich, who becomes director of client service and partner. Steinbrink had owned between 25% and 50% of the firm, and Dietrich had owned from 10% to 25% of the RIA, according to its most recent Form ADV.
“MCF is a large firm with a deep bench of talent and resources; however, it still provides the personalized care and attention one would expect from a boutique firm,” Steinbrink said in a statement.
