Registered investment advisors are intensifying their focus on talent recruitment and retention, with three firms—Oxford Financial Group, SageSpring Wealth Partners, and NewEdge Wealth—announcing new hires and equity ownership changes this week.
Oxford Financial Group, a Carmel, Indiana-based RIA overseeing more than $38 billion in assets under advisement, has named Neal Davis and Ashlee Walton as managing directors at its Cincinnati office. These appointments represent the fifth and sixth additions to that office over the past year, underscoring the firm's push to deepen its presence in the Midwest. Davis, previously vice president and senior portfolio manager in the private client group at Fort Washington Investment Advisors, will serve as chief investment officer for the office, leading client relationships on the investment management side. Before Fort Washington, he spent nine years at Buckingham Advisors as a senior portfolio manager, bringing a research-driven discipline honed over more than a decade working with high-net-worth families and institutions. Walton comes from Goldstone Financial Group, where she served as senior advisor and tax strategist. Earlier, she built James Investment Research's financial planning framework and served as lead advisor on its most complex client relationships. Her work at Oxford will focus on multigenerational families, foundations, and endowments, covering estate planning, tax strategy, business succession, philanthropy, and trust administration. "Neal and Ashlee have both spent their careers in this region, so they already know this market and the people in it," said Jeffrey H. Thomasson, CEO and managing director of Oxford Financial Group. The firm operates seven offices across Atlanta, Chicago, Cincinnati, Grand Rapids, Indianapolis, Minneapolis, and Palm Beach, with 25 managing directors serving family and institutional clients nationwide.
SageSpring Wealth Partners, based in Franklin, Tennessee, has promoted five advisors to equity partner status, continuing a model it has pursued since becoming advisor-owned in 2021. The new partners include Chase Keen, Daniel Peterman, Jason Plunkett, Ryan Terry, and Jackson Wilcox—all senior vice presidents or higher within the firm. SageSpring, which joined the Dynasty Financial Partners network last year, selects new partners through an evaluation process that weighs leadership, business impact, and cultural alignment. Since transitioning to full independence in 2021, the firm has now welcomed nine new equity partners in total. "Equity partnership at SageSpring is earned through consistent performance and meaningful leadership. These individuals have each played an important role in the growth and strength of SageSpring through the impact they’ve made across the firm and for the clients they serve," said Jeff Dobyns, founder and president of SageSpring Wealth Partners. Each of the five new partners will continue advising clients while contributing to the firm's strategic direction and advisor development. SageSpring has described expanding ownership from within as central to its long-term growth model, designed to align the interests of the firm, its advisors, and its clients while remaining free from proprietary product obligations.
NewEdge Capital Group announced that a team led by James Nichols has joined NewEdge Wealth, adding a new downtown Nashville office for the ultra-high-net-worth-focused RIA. Nichols, who spent nearly two decades at wire houses including UBS and Morgan Stanley/Smith Barney, joins as principal and will advise entrepreneurs and business owners around liquidity events. Two additional team members—Erin Thomas as vice president of client service, and Lena Schelzig as analyst—round out the new office. NewEdge Wealth now has more than 60 ultra-high-net-worth advisors across 16 locations nationally, with offices spanning New York, Stamford, Connecticut, Atlanta, Chicago, Miami, and San Francisco. The firm is a division of NewEdge Capital Group, which reported over $80 billion in assets as of October 31, 2025. This move extends a deliberate regional strategy NewEdge Wealth kicked off in Nashville when Rich Ina joined the firm in 2023. The firm's sibling RIA, NewEdge Advisors, has also expanded in the area—adding the 24-member ClearTrust Wealth Advisors team in nearby Franklin, Tennessee, and welcoming Wealth Strategies Partners in late 2025. Rob Sechan, managing director and co-founder of NewEdge Wealth in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, pointed to Nashville's economic expansion as the driver behind the move, citing the relocation of iHeartMedia, Amazon, and Oracle to the city over the past five years as catalysts for significant new wealth creation in the region. "Central Tennessee has seen an explosion of growth for nearly a decade, with large tech firms, startups and established industries creating significant wealth in the region," said Sechan. "James’ extensive experience supporting local business owners as they navigate the changing landscape will enhance our ability to serve this important and growing market."
These moves reflect broader trends in the RIA industry, where firms are increasingly competing for top talent and using equity ownership as a retention tool. For more on similar personnel moves, see Cresset Hires Bessemer Trust Veteran Mark Tremblay to Lead Family Office Services Amid Talent Push and OpenArc Hires Former Bank of America Retirement Chief Kevin Crain as Strategic Consultant.
