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Latest› RIAs› Story
RIAs · May 5, 2026

Wealth Enhancement and Steward Partners stake new ground in California, Florida

A pair of acquisitions adds nearly $2.6 billion in client assets and signals a shift toward smaller, founder-led targets.

Wealth Enhancement and Steward Partners stake new ground in California, Florida Photo · Margaret Holloway for InvestLin
The brief — what to know
Driving the news The transaction was disclosed in a Form ADV amendment filed yesterday afternoon.
Why it matters It tells you where the SEC is going to be looking next quarter — and where exam letters will land.
Between the lines Watch the next two weeks for follow-on departures from the same office.
What's next The board is expected to ratify the new comp grid at the next meeting.

Regulatory filings are not expected to slow the timeline; the deal is expected to close in the third quarter. Insiders say the firm has been quietly building out its alternatives platform since last summer. Talent retention will be the principal concern, executives said in an internal memo reviewed by InvestLin. The transition team has been on site since Tuesday, walking through technology integration with the home-office staff. Compensation for the senior partners is rumored to be tied to a five-year retention schedule.

Compensation for the senior partners is rumored to be tied to a five-year retention schedule. Compliance staff inside the acquirer have been preparing for the integration since early March. Regulatory filings are not expected to slow the timeline; the deal is expected to close in the third quarter. The transition team has been on site since Tuesday, walking through technology integration with the home-office staff.

Why it matters
It tells you where the SEC is going to be looking next quarter — and where exam letters will land.

The detail

Clients have been notified by letter and an email follow-up; the firm expects minimal attrition. Insiders say the firm has been quietly building out its alternatives platform since last summer. The combined entity is expected to manage just over four billion dollars when the transaction closes. The transition team has been on site since Tuesday, walking through technology integration with the home-office staff. Both sides described the transaction as transformational, but neither would discuss financial terms on the record.

“We aren’t chasing the marquee deals. We are buying density in markets where we already have a foothold.” Wealth Enhancement executive

Compensation for the senior partners is rumored to be tied to a five-year retention schedule. The transition team has been on site since Tuesday, walking through technology integration with the home-office staff. Clients have been notified by letter and an email follow-up; the firm expects minimal attrition. It is the kind of deal that says less about price than about positioning for the next cycle.

By the numbers
$2.6B
AUM combined across the two deals
7
states represented
38
partners across both books
12x
EBITDA multiple

What it means for advisors

Compensation for the senior partners is rumored to be tied to a five-year retention schedule. Industry observers expect a small wave of follow-on deals from competitors. The transaction values the firm at roughly twelve times trailing EBITDA, according to people familiar with the matter. Insiders say the firm has been quietly building out its alternatives platform since last summer.

  • The combined entity is expected to manage just over four billion dollars when the transaction closes. Talent retention will be the principal concern, executives said in an internal memo reviewed by InvestLin.
  • It is the kind of deal that says less about price than about positioning for the next cycle. Regulatory filings are not expected to slow the timeline; the deal is expected to close in the third quarter.
  • The combined entity is expected to manage just over four billion dollars when the transaction closes. Regulatory filings are not expected to slow the timeline; the deal is expected to close in the third quarter.

It is the kind of deal that says less about price than about positioning for the next cycle. Clients have been notified by letter and an email follow-up; the firm expects minimal attrition. Talent retention will be the principal concern, executives said in an internal memo reviewed by InvestLin. The transition team has been on site since Tuesday, walking through technology integration with the home-office staff.

What's next
The board is expected to ratify the new comp grid at the next meeting.
MH
About the author

Margaret Holloway

Senior Editor, Wealth Management · New York

Twenty years covering the wealth industry from New York. Former managing editor at a national wealth trade weekly.

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