Cerity Partners, Carson Group Announce First Deals of 2026

Core Insights - Cerity Partners and Carson Group have initiated their first deals of the year, indicating a strong start for wealth managers in 2026 [1] - Cerity Partners has acquired Austin Private Wealth, adding $1.4 billion in assets under management [1][2] - Carson Group has fully acquired a partner firm in Minneapolis, which manages approximately $395 million in advisory and brokerage assets [5] Group 1: Cerity Partners - The acquisition of Austin Private Wealth will allow Cerity to expand its presence in Austin, a key growth market for the firm [3] - Following a busy 2025, Cerity added two RIAs, one based in Albany with $4.5 billion and another in Boston with $4.1 billion in client assets [4] - Cerity now manages over $140 billion in client assets across various wealth and retirement plan assets [3] Group 2: Carson Group - Carson Group's acquisition of the Minneapolis firm follows a record 19 transactions in 2025 [5] - The firm has integrated the acquired practice into a full W-2 employee model, a trend among its partner firms [6] - Burt White, CEO of Carson Group, highlighted the entrepreneurial spirit of the acquired firm's leader, Jeremy Willner, who has been part of the Carson community for over two decades [7]