Boston-based RIA platform CW Advisors has gained strength in its home area with two new additions to its nationwide network.
The firm has acquired two RIA firms, Aspire Wealth Management in Waltham and Fernwood Investment Management in Quincy.
CW Advisors' first deals for 2025, which closed in January, add more than $800 million in assets under management to the Boston-based firm.
The acquisitions announced Monday bring CW Advisors’ total assets under management to $11 billion. The firm now operates 14 offices nationwide with a staff of 119.
“We are excited to welcome the Aspire and Fernwood teams and their clients to CWA,” Scott Dell’Orfano, chief executive officer of CW Advisors, said in a statement. “Mark, Bill and Jenny, as well as Tom and his team are a great complement to the growing CWA team. Their exceptional services and high-touch approach with clients make Aspire and Fernwood ideal additions to our firm.”
Aspire and Fernwood both serve high-net-worth clients, focusing on financial planning and investment management. By integrating with CW Advisors, the firms expect to gain access to expanded resources and operational support.
“We look forward to leveraging the CWA platform to provide an expanded offering and continued premium service to our clients,” said Mark Khozozian, chief executive officer of Aspire.
Fernwood founder Thomas Reilly added, “By joining CWA, we are able to continue to work closely with our clients to help achieve their goals while benefitting from the larger organization and resources CWA provides.”
While 2024 was a breakout year for RIA M&A deals, CW Advisors – which is backed by private equity firm Audax – appeared to opt for a selective strategy of inorganic growth.
The firm's quiet calendar of transactions was broken by its July acquisition of Mercadien Asset Management in New Jersey, which it followed up with a deal to snap up fee-only RIA Agili in October, which is based in Virginia.
It's a showdown for the ages as wealth managers assess its impact on client portfolios.
CEO Ritik Malhotra is leveraging Savvy Wealth's Fidelity partnership in offers to Commonwealth advisors, alongside “Acquisition Relief Boxes” filled with cookies, brownies, and aspirin.
Fraud losses among Americans 60 and older surged 43 percent in 2024, led by investment schemes involving crypto and social manipulation.
The alternatives giant's new unit, led by a 17-year veteran, will tap into four areas worth an estimated $60 trillion.
"It's like a soap opera," says one senior industry executive.
RIAs face rising regulatory pressure in 2025. Forward-looking firms are responding with embedded technology, not more paperwork.
As inheritances are set to reshape client portfolios and next-gen heirs demand digital-first experiences, firms are retooling their wealth tech stacks and succession models in real time.
