Hightower Advisors, the Chicago-based mega-RIA, announced Tuesday that three advisory practices have joined its Hightower Signature Wealth platform, adding roughly $5 billion in combined assets under management. The additions bring the platform's total assets to approximately $35 billion, with more than 140 advisors across upward of 40 locations nationwide.
The three firms—Private Vista, Hightower Great Lakes, and The McGuirk & De Nevi Group—contribute six office locations and over 40 team members. The moves underscore Hightower's strategy of attracting established wealth managers seeking institutional infrastructure while maintaining local autonomy.
"These advisors share our commitment to delivering an exceptional client experience and recognize the value of giving advisors back more time in their days," said Larry Restieri, chief executive officer of Hightower Advisors. "The continued growth of Hightower Signature Wealth reflects the demand for a wealth management model that combines local relationships with institutional-quality capabilities."
Jim Weil, managing partner of Private Vista, described the move as a natural evolution of an existing relationship. "Joining Hightower Signature Wealth is a natural evolution of our longstanding partnership with Hightower," Weil said. "It provides a strong long-term home for our clients and team while giving us access to additional resources to support future growth."
Tim Scannell, managing partner of Hightower Great Lakes, cited the firm's back-office infrastructure—known internally as Hightower One, overseen by President and COO Roberto Stewart—as the deciding factor. "The integrated platform will allow us to spend less time on administration and more time focused on delivering value to clients," Scannell said.
Michael De Nevi, managing partner of McGuirk & De Nevi, framed the decision around scale without sacrificing personalized service. "Hightower Signature Wealth gives us access to the resources and infrastructure needed to continue growing while maintaining the personalized experience our clients expect," he said.
Hightower said the three practices bring its year-to-date total of new assets added to the Signature Wealth brand—through both internal conversions and outside acquisitions—to more than $25 billion. The platform launched in October 2024 and has since executed a series of deals, including folding in five existing practices in January that pushed assets past $20 billion. In March, Journey Strategic Wealth in New Jersey became the platform's first outside acquisition, adding roughly $5 billion in assets and installing co-founder Penny Phillips in a leadership role. In April, a Massachusetts-based super-ensemble firm brought $3.2 billion into the fold.
The latest additions come amid a broader wave of consolidation in the RIA space. Similar moves include Coastal Bridge Advisors' three-way merger creating a $10 billion RIA and LPL Financial and UBS Wealth Management adding advisors with $2.7 billion in combined client assets. Hightower's platform now competes with other large aggregators like Steward Partners, which recently hired Joseph Glick as COO and saw assets reach $53 billion.
