Sellers that showed interest
Company Details
Founded by Ron Carson in 1983 in his University of Nebraska dorm room, Carson Group Holdings, LLC has grown into a national wealth management powerhouse with over $39.5 billion in assets under management (AUM). The firm includes Carson Coaching, Carson Partners, and Carson Wealth, offering end-to-end solutions for advisors across their lifecycle.
A 2021 investment from Bain Capital fueled its growth, technology innovation, and expansion through acquisitions. Today, Carson operates in 175 U.S. locations with 315 staff members, including owners, creating a fully integrated, tech-driven ecosystem for advisors and firms pursuing growth and succession strategies.
Carson Group prioritizes a client-first approach, serving high-net-worth individuals, retirees, business owners, physicians, and the mass affluent with tailored services like tax planning, estate planning, trust management, and advanced wealth strategies. By outsourcing operational tasks, the firm enables advisors to focus on their passions while benefiting from AI-driven efficiency, a collaborative community, and comprehensive support.
Known for its sophisticated, automated marketing strategies and client experience, Carson Group remains committed to delivering thoughtful, objective financial guidance with a team-driven approach.
Carson Wealth describes its approach to retail clients as highly personalized and centered on creating a clear, actionable financial roadmap tailored to individual goals. Their services are grounded in trust, transparency, and a commitment to helping clients achieve their unique vision of financial freedom.
Core Capabilities
- Personalized Financial Planning
- Carson Wealth focuses on understanding each client’s financial goals, whether it’s retirement planning, saving for education, or navigating life changes.
- Advisors design bespoke financial plans that incorporate every aspect of the client’s financial life, providing a clear path toward achieving personal milestones.
- Comprehensive Wealth Management Services
- Investment Management: Guided by a client-first approach, Carson advisors design investment strategies tailored to individual risk tolerance and financial objectives.
- Tax Strategies: Advisors optimize financial plans to reduce tax liabilities and maximize savings over the long term.
- Estate Planning: Focus on protecting generational wealth through carefully structured estate strategies.
- Retirement Planning: Help clients retire with confidence by ensuring their financial resources are aligned with their lifestyle goals.
- Client-Focused Technology
- Clients benefit from cutting-edge technology platforms that provide insights, progress tracking, and direct access to advisors.
- Carson’s advisor-matching technology ensures that clients are paired with pre-screened fiduciary advisors who align with their specific needs.
- Fiduciary Responsibility
- Carson Wealth emphasizes that its advisors act in the client’s best interests, ensuring unbiased advice.
- Educational and Advisory Resources
- Offers complimentary financial planning sessions to help prospective clients understand their current financial position and the steps needed to achieve their goals.
Unique Selling Points
- Proven Track Record: Carson Wealth manages over $39.5 billion in assets (as of October 2024), with a history of accolades, including recognition as a top RIA firm by Barron’s.
- Advisor-Matching System: A proprietary system connects clients with vetted advisors based on their specific needs, offering an obligation-free initial consultation.
- Ease of Access: Clients can choose between virtual, in-person, or hybrid meetings, allowing for flexible engagement with their advisors.
Client Experience
Carson Wealth positions its advisors as "money coaches," emphasizing collaboration and guidance throughout the financial planning process. Clients receive:
- A comprehensive, individualized financial plan.
- Regular updates and adjustments to align with changing life circumstances.
- Access to a network of experienced, SEC-registered fiduciaries dedicated to long-term client success.
Philosophy and Vision
Carson Wealth’s philosophy is rooted in empowering clients to define what financial freedom means to them. Their role is to design and implement a strategic plan that helps bridge the gap between clients’ current financial situations and their aspirations.
Conclusion
Carson Wealth offers a comprehensive, client-first approach to financial planning and wealth management. By combining personalized advice, fiduciary standards, and advanced technology, they cater to individuals and families seeking clarity and confidence in their financial futures.
Primary Investment Philosophy:
- Principle-Based Investing:
- Long-Term Growth: Emphasizes sustainable, steady growth over time by prioritizing disciplined strategies and diversified portfolios. The focus is on building wealth through patience and consistency rather than pursuing short-term gains.
- Risk-Adjusted Returns: Investments are managed to balance risk and reward, ensuring that clients achieve optimal returns for their individual risk tolerance. This method protects against unnecessary exposure while maximizing growth potential.
- Client-Centric Investing:
- Goal-Oriented: Tailors investment strategies to meet specific financial objectives, such as retirement, education, or legacy planning.
- Holistic Approach: Integrates all aspects of a client’s financial picture, ensuring investments complement broader wealth management strategies.
2. Portfolio Construction
Models or Custom Bespoke Portfolios:
- Models:
- Carson provides investment management services with personalized strategy recommendations based on unique needs and objectives. They sponsor managed asset programs offered on a wrap fee or non-wrap fee basis through their Carson Managed Account Program using accounts established with Fidelity Institutional Wealth Services, Charles Schwab and Co, Inc., and other qualified custodians as approved by CWM, LLC as the account custodian.
- Custom/Bespoke:
- Advisors design bespoke financial plans that incorporate every aspect of the client's financial life, providing a clear path toward achieving personal milestones.
- Combination of Modeled and Custom/Bespoke:
- Carson offers over 75 investment strategies on their platform to accommodate a variety of investment philosophies. These strategies include Tax Deferred - Factor Tilting, ESG, Broad Market, Tactical Models, Asset Class Strategies, Equity Strategies, and Income. For custom-built portfolios, Carson provides options such as equities, fixed income, option-based, variable annuities, and alternative securities. They also have a curated list of 400 ETFs, giving advisors the flexibility to customize portfolios as needed.
- Carson's platform empowers advisors to choose the level of investment management that suits their practice:
- Advisor-Managed Portfolios: Advisors retain full control over portfolio construction and management.
- Co-Sourced Allocation Models: Advisors collaborate with Carson's investment team, gaining insights and support while maintaining involvement in decision-making.
- Pro-Sourced Portfolios: Complete outsourcing of portfolio management to Carson's team, allowing advisors to focus on client relationships and business growth.
3. Securities Used
Security Types Used:
- Individual stocks
- Individual bonds
- ETFs
- Mutual Funds
- Alternative Investments
- Annuities
Use of Alternative Investments:
- Carson offers alternative investments including, hedge funds, private equity, real estate, and interval funds. They provide exclusive access to certain alternative investment vehicles or strategies through partnerships with leading firms like Apollo, PIMCO, AQR, First Trust, and Stone Ridge.
4. Investment Team and Process
CIO (or who acts as CIO) and Key Personnel Bios:
- Burt White: Chief Executive Officer & Chief Strategy Officer. A prominent voice and advocate for the independent advisor, Burt White is Managing Partner and Chief Strategy Officer at Carson Group. He helps steer the company's strategic focus as a member of Carson's executive board.
- Ryan Detrick: Chief Market Strategist. Offers timely insights into market trends and investment opportunities.
- Sonu Varghese: VP, Global Macro Strategist. Specializes in macroeconomic analysis to guide investment strategy.
- Jessica Golson: SVP, Investments & Trading. Oversees trading operations and ensures seamless portfolio execution.
- Erin Wood: Senior Vice President of Financial Planning and Advanced Solutions at Carson Group.
Investment Team Size and Structure:
- The investment team consists of 19 experts, including seven CFA charter holders, one CFA level II candidate, and two PhDs.
- Centralized in Omaha with specialized experts in investments, planning, tax, AI, etc.
Locations
Company Videos
Acquisition Model
Full acquisition and partial acquisition.
Yes. For further information, please contact Alaris.
Yes.
For further information, please contact Alaris.
For further information, please contact Alaris.
Mandatory Points of Alignment
Carson will co-brand with its partners but encourage brand adoption to fully participate in the Carson marketing initiatives.
Carson Group significantly reduces operational responsibilities, allowing advisors to focus on client relationships and business growth. They provide:
- Dedicated Back-Office Team: Administrative tasks, compliance, HR, billing, and client service support.
- Advanced Solutions Team: Financial planning, insurance, trust, tax, and retirement plans are all integrated into one group.
- Data Warehouse: Centralized data management to reduce data entry and streamline processes.
- Marketing Support: Dedicated marketing team including web developers, social media specialists, writers, designers, and videographers. They offer a full communications plan during transitions, including events, written and mailed communications, and call scripts.
Carson Group uses a centralized P&L model to manage the organization's financial performance. While it offers a comprehensive view, it may limit visibility into individual practices. However, they provide support for advisors to manage their businesses effectively within this model.
Carson has a branded client experience called The Proven Process. All partners are strongly encouraged to use this process; however, advisors are fully capable of continuing with their legacy client experience.
Carson excels at practice management and stands ready to assist local partners in implementing processes and systems to improve practice management.
Over time, sellers are encouraged to divest portfolio management to Carson Group's central platform. However, there is significant flexibility, allowing for a mix of Carson's strategies and the seller's existing strategies.
Advisor Value Proposition
Carson recognizes the importance of having strong G2 advisors and has taken steps to enhance the experience of current advisors while also recruiting new ones. Their program offers two paths based on an advisor's experience. For existing G2 advisors, Carson hosts training sessions at headquarters to familiarize them with their systems and processes. This training also includes coaching on leadership skills, enabling them to be effective advisors and leaders within their local offices. Additionally, Carson offers training courses throughout the year, covering topics ranging from specific tech tools to broader industry knowledge. The second path is designed for upcoming advisors. Carson invites recent college graduates to join their program for two years, where they will take courses on Carson, gain necessary certifications, and be prepared to step into advisory roles when local offices need additional support.
Carson has an internal paraplanning team, an advanced estate planning team, and a tax (preparation) team that advisors can leverage. The investment team is also available to assist during client calls as an additional resource.
Reduction of Operational Burdens: Carson Group significantly reduces operational responsibilities for advisors, enabling them to focus on client relationships and business growth. They provide a seamless process for client onboarding and data management through their data warehouse, which integrates information across multiple systems. This reduces data entry by pushing information to multiple systems, minimizing non-revenue-generating activities for advisors. Additionally, Carson Group offers a dedicated back-office team to support administrative tasks, compliance, HR, billing, and client service needs. Their advanced solutions team includes financial planning, insurance, trust, tax, and retirement plans, assisting with case design and financial plan onboarding.
Carson provides several expanded services, including Corporate trust solutions, Estate planning, Qualified plans, Tax preparation (350 returns), and Risk management. While these services are readily available to advisors, their utilization is not mandatory. To further support advisors, Carson has established the Advanced Solutions Team. Serving as an extension to the local office, this team supports partners in navigating complex planning topics that arise in client situations.
Carson focuses on supporting advisors in driving organic growth. This support comes in measurable tools of a complete marketing plan as well as strategy-driven build-out of your firm's website. Other initiatives around driving growth include providing social media campaigns, event support, and their Client Acquisition Program. Carson Group, with the support of Boston Consulting Group, has built out the Client Acquisition Program, a lead generation system. This program helps source clients for Carson's advisors. They believe driving organic growth from within rather than relying on custodial referral programs is critical. This program is currently in Beta 1 testing and has driven impressive results:15,750+ leads sourced, 1,350+ appointments set, 3,569 open leads, 63 new clients closed, $230M+ of AUM set in appointments, $35M+ total AUM, onboarded $1.8B+ of AUM, currently in the funnel 100% of 25 pilot partner offices received an appointment, $898,000 average assets of appointments, 32% higher projected AUM per $ of marketing spend vs. targets, 78% Average share of the wallet.
Carson Group has a strong focus on talent and culture, with a dedicated team for training and career development, including a G2 university for next-generation advisors. They help develop and mentor next-generation advisors through structured training programs and mentorship initiatives. Carson Group offers G2 programs and brings advisors to their home office for advanced training in planning and investments. They provide skills training in areas such as business development, client relationship management, and portfolio construction. Carson Group connects Gen 2 advisors with senior advisors, executives, or partners for mentorship through their structured programs.
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