Recent Wealth Management Acquisitions in Wisconsin
Acquisition Volume in Wealth Management in Wisconsin by Year
Last 5 years
Deal activity in Wisconsin’s wealth management industry shows a clear mix of aggregator platform adds, full-practice acquisitions, and targeted capability expansions. Across the 2020–2025 window, multiple acquirers built presence in the state by bringing in local RIAs and planning teams into broader networks.
A recurring theme is combining scale with continuity: acquisitions highlighted here often reference keeping the acquired team’s leadership/brand (or integrating partners as add-on units) while expanding access to centralized resources such as succession support, trust and tax capabilities, and ongoing client service. Digital and cross-border service capabilities also appear as differentiators in specific transactions.
The transactions below center on Wisconsin-based wealth management practices and related financial planning teams, including both traditional advisory firms and a fully virtual planning platform—reflecting how acquirers in this segment look to broaden channels and client service models within the state.
What Stands Out
- Wisconsin add-ons to larger platforms: Bluespring Wealth Partners, LLC added Green Bay-based New Wall Street to its Kestra-affiliated network.
- Practice acquisitions with client assets growth: Merit Financial Advisors acquired Safeguard Wealth Management, adding approximately $597 million of assets.
- Capability-led investments: Hightower made a strategic investment in Financial Planning and Information Services (FPIS) to add trust and tax resources while keeping FPIS leadership/brand.
- Midwest expansion via Wisconsin targets: WealthPlan Partners, LLC acquired Klauke Investments & Insurance Services in Onalaska, supporting its Midwest footprint.
- Cross-border expertise as a portfolio fit: Creative Planning, Inc. acquired Thun Financial Advisors to strengthen services for U.S. citizens living and working overseas.
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September 9, 2025
- Buyer
- Bluespring Wealth Partners, LLC
- Target
- New Wall Street
- Industry
- Wealth Management
- Location
- Wisconsin, United States
- Type
- Addon
Bluespring Wealth Partners has added Green Bay-based New Wall Street, an RIA led by Bernie Van Eperen and Chris Battle with $135 million AUM, to its aggregator platform. The move brings New Wall Street into Bluespring’s Kestra-affiliated network as an add-on partner to support succession, scale and ongoing client service.
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- Buyer
- Merit Financial Advisors
- Target
- Safeguard Wealth Management
- Industry
- Wealth Management
- Location
- Wisconsin, United States
- Type
- Addon
Merit Financial Advisors acquired Safeguard Wealth Management, a fully virtual financial planning firm, in a deal finalized April 25, 2025. The acquisition adds approximately $597 million of assets and enhances Merit's digital marketing and content capabilities through Safeguard's successful YouTube platform; Safeguard co-founders Eric Sajdak and Anthony Hellenbrand will join Merit.
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November 5, 2024
- Buyer
- Hightower
- Target
- Financial Planning and Information Services (FPIS)
- Industry
- Wealth Management
- Location
- Wisconsin, United States
- Type
- Growth capital
Hightower has made a strategic investment in Financial Planning and Information Services (FPIS), a 16-person wealth management and financial planning team based in De Pere, Wisconsin with over $1.1 billion in AUM. FPIS will retain its brand and leadership while gaining access to Hightower's national resources, including trust and tax capabilities, to support growth and succession planning.
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September 27, 2024
- Buyer
- WealthPlan Partners, LLC
- Target
- Klauke Investments & Insurance Services
- Industry
- Wealth Management
- Location
- Wisconsin, United States
- Type
- Buyout
WealthPlan Partners, a national Registered Investment Adviser based in Omaha, Nebraska, has acquired Klauke Investments & Insurance Services, a wealth management and insurance firm in Onalaska, Wisconsin. The deal brings approximately $275 million in assets under management and over 300 clients to WealthPlan, expanding its Midwest presence and advisor platform.
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June 23, 2021
- Buyer
- Mercer Global Advisors, Inc. (Mercer Advisors)
- Target
- A. Farah Investments, LLC dba AFI Wealth Strategies
- Industry
- Wealth Management
- Location
- Wisconsin, United States
- Type
- Buyout
Mercer Global Advisors, Inc. (Mercer Advisors) acquired A. Farah Investments, LLC dba AFI Wealth Strategies, a Green Bay, Wisconsin-based wealth management practice, in June 2021. AFI manages roughly 220 clients with about $240 million AUM and its team will join Mercer, strengthening Mercer's presence in the central United States and expanding its advisory footprint and client services.
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July 14, 2020
- Buyer
- Creative Planning, Inc.
- Target
- Thun Financial Advisors
- Industry
- Wealth Management
- Location
- Wisconsin, United States
- Type
- Buyout
Creative Planning, a large independent wealth management firm, has acquired Thun Financial Advisors, a Registered Investment Adviser that manages about $600 million in client assets. The deal strengthens Creative Planning’s ability to serve U.S. citizens living and working overseas by adding Thun’s cross-border advisory expertise to its offering.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Which buyers appear most often in Wisconsin wealth management acquisitions?
Common names in the Wisconsin deals include WealthPlan Partners, LLC, Bluespring Wealth Partners, LLC, Mercer Global Advisors, Inc. (Mercer Advisors), Creative Planning, Inc., Hightower, and Merit Financial Advisors.
What types of wealth management firms are being acquired in Wisconsin?
The deals feature Wisconsin-based wealth management and financial planning practices, including an RIA team added to an aggregator platform and a fully virtual financial planning firm.
Do these acquisitions focus on keeping the acquired team’s brand or leadership?
Several transactions describe continuity, such as keeping an acquired brand and leadership while gaining access to larger firm resources, or positioning the acquired entity as an add-on partner within a broader network.
What capability expansions show up in the Wisconsin deals?
Themes include succession support and ongoing client service, expanded trust and tax capabilities (via Hightower’s investment in FPIS), and enhanced digital marketing/content through Safeguard Wealth Management’s YouTube platform (in Merit Financial Advisors’ acquisition).