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advisory M&A

Advisory M&A News: Adviser Moves and Acquisition Reported October 1, 2026

Five reported wealth-management moves include four adviser or firm affiliations and Waverly Advisors’ acquisition of Heartwood Wealth Advisors. Asset figures vary by measure and date.

By TheFinanceBase Team 4 min read
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PLANADVISER’s October 1, 2026 roundup reported four adviser or team affiliations and one wealth-management acquisition: Lakewood Wealth Management moved to LPL Financial, two teams joined OnePoint BFG Wealth Partners, Heritage Financial launched through Carson Group, Ecclesiastes Wealth Partners joined Kestra Financial, and Waverly Advisors acquired Heartwood Wealth Advisors. The moves differ in structure, and their asset figures are not directly comparable.

Moves at a glance

Firm or team Move type Reported assets and measurement date Team or leadership details
Lakewood Wealth Management Adviser affiliation with LPL Financial Approximately $170 million in advisory, brokerage, and retirement-plan assets as of year-end 2025 Harrison Kennard, Charles Dobben, and Justin Pandy moved from Cambridge.
Two teams joining OnePoint BFG Wealth Partners Team affiliations Approximately $235 million combined AUM. Theodore Kuczarski’s $85 million was as of December 31, 2025; Mark Hoffman’s $150 million was as of June 30, with year unspecified. Kuczarski is based in Tampa; Hoffman joined the Atlanta office from Lanier Asset Management.
Heritage Financial & Investment Services New firm launched through Carson Group’s independent adviser channel Approximately $120 million served; no measurement date stated Nikki Lude and Ciara Stewart joined from Commonwealth Financial Services.
Ecclesiastes Wealth Partners Firm affiliation with Kestra Financial Approximately $550 million in client assets; no measurement date stated The Texas-based firm’s professionals specialize in financial planning, investment management, and multigenerational wealth planning.
Heartwood Wealth Advisors Acquired by Waverly Advisors Approximately $1.7 billion AUM as of September 22 Heartwood’s leadership and nine-person team were to join Waverly. The acquisition closed September 25.

These figures are those reported by PLANADVISER in its October 1 roundup, not independently refreshed totals. AUM, client assets, assets served, and advisory, brokerage, and retirement-plan assets describe different measures; missing measurement dates or years are identified rather than inferred.

Adviser affiliations and team launches

Lakewood Wealth Management moves to LPL Financial

Harrison Kennard, Charles Dobben, and Justin Pandy left Cambridge for LPL Financial LLC’s broker/dealer and registered investment adviser platforms. Their Ann Arbor, Michigan-based Lakewood team offers comprehensive planning, including tax and estate planning and wealth-management strategies. The team served approximately $170 million in advisory, brokerage, and retirement-plan assets at year-end 2025, according to PLANADVISER.

The announcement cited LPL’s resources, technology, and “commitment to adviser independence” as reasons for the move. The roundup described LPL as supporting more than 32,000 financial advisers and servicing and custodying approximately $2.6 trillion in brokerage and advisory assets; those figures were reported in the October 1 article and are not presented as refreshed current totals.

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Two teams join OnePoint BFG Wealth Partners

The two teams brought approximately $235 million in combined AUM. Theodore Kuczarski, based in Tampa, was reported to have $85 million in AUM as of December 31, 2025. He has nearly 20 years of experience in financial planning and wealth management, including retirement, tax efficiency, insurance, and estate planning.

Mark Hoffman joined OnePoint BFG’s Atlanta office from Lanier Asset Management with $150 million in AUM as of June 30; the roundup does not state the year for that date. It likewise reports OnePoint BFG had more than $18 billion in AUM as of June 30, without specifying the year. Those dates should not be treated as a confirmed common measurement period.

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Heritage Financial launches through Carson Group

Nikki Lude and Ciara Stewart joined Carson Group’s independent adviser channel from Commonwealth Financial Services to launch Heritage Financial & Investment Services. The women-led team serves approximately $120 million, with no as-of date given in the roundup. Its clients include families in southeastern Ohio, retirees and pre-retirees, small-business owners, and women navigating major life transitions.

The advisers cited Carson’s “transparent approach,” investment flexibility, back-office support, tax-planning resources, and technology. PLANADVISER described Carson Group as having more than $65 billion in AUM, without providing an as-of date.

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Ecclesiastes Wealth Partners joins Kestra Financial

The Texas-based firm joined Kestra Financial’s network. Its professionals oversee approximately $550 million in client assets, with no measurement date specified in the roundup. The firm focuses on comprehensive financial planning, investment management, and multigenerational wealth planning. The stated benefits of the Kestra partnership include expanded wealth-management platform capabilities, integrated technology, business-consulting resources, and marketing support.

Waverly Advisors acquires Heartwood Wealth Advisors

Waverly Advisors completed its acquisition of Richmond-based Heartwood Wealth Advisors on September 25. Heartwood had approximately $1.7 billion in AUM as of September 22. Financial and legal terms were not disclosed, and Heartwood’s leadership and nine-person team were to join Waverly.

PLANADVISER reported Waverly managed approximately $36.5 billion in assets as of September 25. The firm serves high-net-worth individuals and families, corporate retirement plans, and institutional clients. Waverly’s reported asset figure and Heartwood’s AUM are different measures and are tied to distinct dates.

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How to read the reported asset figures

The roundup is a deal-by-deal account, not a measure of overall advisory M&A activity. Its figures describe the businesses or teams involved in these specific moves; they do not establish a market-wide trend. Some amounts are AUM, while others are described as assets served, client assets, or advisory, brokerage, and retirement-plan assets.

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  • Use the stated as-of date where one is provided: Lakewood’s figure is dated to year-end 2025, Kuczarski’s to December 31, 2025, and Heartwood’s to September 22.
  • Do not supply a missing year: the June 30 dates for Hoffman’s AUM and OnePoint BFG’s AUM have no year specified in the roundup.
  • Where no measurement date is given, as with Heritage’s and Ecclesiastes’ figures, the amount is a reported snapshot without a stated as-of date.
  • These are reported figures in PLANADVISER’s October 1, 2026 article, not independently verified or refreshed totals.

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