Cerity Partners provides Bay Area, Minneapolis, Atlanta companies in deal hat trick
Cornerstone Capital, Echo Wealth Management, and Compass Wealth Management add about $2 billion as RIA M&A heads for a report 12 months.
Cerity Partners has expanded its geographic attain in an enormous means, deepening its presence within the Bay Area and the higher Atlanta market, whereas on the identical time including a brand new market to its nationwide footprint.
The impartial wealth agency, which presently studies over $206 billion in AUM, stated Thursday that it’s absorbing Palo Alto, California-based Cornerstone Capital and Minneapolis-area Echo Wealth Management, in addition to Compass Wealth Management within the higher Atlanta market.
The triple-deal announcement brings roughly $2 billion in mixed property below administration to the New York-based RIA, with Cornerstone contributing roughly $1.4 billion and deepens Cerity’s presence in Silicon Valley. Echo, with about $337 million, provides the agency its first foothold within the Minneapolis market, whereas Compass brings $340 million.
Cornerstone, Echo, and Compass will all function below the Cerity Partners identify.
A five-decade observe and an fairness compensation boutique
Cornerstone was based in 1978. It serves high-net-worth people and households in addition to charitable foundations and endowments. Its work combines funding administration, monetary planning, and property and tax coordination.
“Cornerstone Capital has spent practically 50 years constructing the form of deep, multigenerational consumer belief that may’t be manufactured, solely earned,” stated Claire O’Keefe, associate and head of associate growth at Cerity Partners.
Brad Dinsmore, a associate at Cornerstone, stated the agency wished a purchaser that might protect its method whereas broadening what it may supply purchasers.
“In Cerity Partners, we discovered a agency that shares our values and provides our purchasers entry to assets – in tax planning, property planning, and past – that we could not supply on our personal,” he stated.
Echo is a a lot youthful agency, having been based in 2015 by skilled advisor and planner Echo Huang. From its tax planning roots, the roughly decade-old observe has grown to now concentrate on serving to company executives deal with fairness compensation and different advanced monetary selections.
“Our purchasers will proceed working with the identical crew they know and belief whereas getting access to Cerity Partners’ broader assets and specialised capabilities,” Huang stated.
O’Keefe referred to as the Twin Cities a precedence market. “Minneapolis is a vital development marketplace for our agency, and Echo’s proficient colleagues, sturdy status, and longstanding relationships throughout the group make them a super match,” she stated.
Echo’s specialty is a well-recognized one for Cerity. In July, the agency agreed to merge with Portland-based Cordant Wealth Partners, a roughly $371 million observe that has a concentrate on expertise workers managing restricted inventory items, worker inventory buy plans and deferred compensation.
Meanwhile, Compass Wealth Management was established in 2011 by Robert Amato. The fee-only wealth serves a various clientele – together with company executives, industry, homeowners, and retirees all through the Atlanta Area – with holistic wealth administration that features funding administration, monetary planning, tax and property planning, and charitable giving methods.
.“Compass has at all times mixed the private consideration of a boutique agency with the assets and capabilities our purchasers anticipate from a bigger group,” Amato stated.
“Cerity Partners permits us to protect the customized planning, extremely personalized funding administration, and shut consumer relationships that outline our agency,” he added.
Cerity’s 2026 acquisition streak
Cerity opened the 12 months with Austin Private Wealth in Texas and SOL Capital Management in Maryland. In February it moved into institutional consulting by way of a merger with Seattle-based Verus Investments, which oversees about $1.2 trillion in consumer property. Echelon’s first-quarter 2026 RIA M&A Deal Report counted 5 Cerity offers totaling about $22.7 billion in acquired property, with three of these transactions involving billion dollar-plus sellers.
Read extra: RIA M&A hits new quarterly record in Q1 2026, with $1.67 trillion in deals: Echelon report
In September, Cerity agreed to combine with West Des Moines-based Gilbert & Cook, its first transfer into Iowa. Days later it introduced a deal for 2 Manhattan advisory groups from Shufro Rose.
The agency’s development has been pushed and formed to a big extent by non-public fairness. In 2022, Lightyear Capital rolled a part of its fairness into Genstar’s Cerity stake relatively than exiting, which Echelon famous as one of many earliest high-profile examples of a sponsor staying invested by way of the following possession cycle.
“In whole, there have been seven recapitalization occasions up to now this 12 months that had been direct transactions by a monetary acquirer,” Echelon stated in its Q2 2026 RIA deal report, emphasizing “the religion these PE traders have in the way forward for the consolidation development on this business.”
As of the midway mark in 2026, Echelon anticipated about 500 transactions for the total 12 months, which might prime 2025’s report of 466.
(Author’s be aware: This story has been up to date to incorporate the Compass Wealth Management deal.)
