Carson Group

What Carson Group does

Carson Group is an Omaha-based private RIA platform serving independent financial advisors across the United States. Founded in 1993 as Carson Coaching, the firm has grown into a comprehensive wealth management platform operating through CWM, LLC (an SEC Registered Investment Advisor) with over $58 billion in assets under management as of 2026 — up from $38 billion in 2024 — and serving 60,000+ client families through 600+ advisors across 47+ wholly owned Carson Wealth offices and 165+ partner offices in 21+ states.

The firm's core technology stack is built on AWS infrastructure and features a proprietary AI assistant named Steve alongside a Client Intelligence capability that enables natural-language queries across multiple proprietary and third-party advisor platforms. Carson offers advisors five affiliation paths — coaching, partnership, join-a-partner, minority investment, and full acquisition — supported by integrated compliance, operations, investments, marketing (including a multi-million dollar Client Acquisition Program with in-house contact center), and M&A advisory services. Revenue is generated through asset-based advisory fees on managed assets (via CWM), coaching subscriptions ($149–$695/month tiers), M&A advisory work, and adjacent services such as Flourish-powered mortgage lending and a new estate planning capability (launched May 2026 with Vanilla, Luminary, Trust & Will, Encore Estates, and NetLaw). Carson Coaching alumni exceed 12,000 advisors, and Carson Partners are reported to grow 2.1x faster than the industry average per the Fidelity Investments RIA Benchmarking Study (2023).

Ownership is anchored by founder/Chairman Ron Carson and a Bain Capital investment made in July 2021 at a $1B+ valuation. The firm has been highly acquisitive, executing 15+ disclosed acquisitions between 2024 and mid-2026 to consolidate independent advisors into the Carson Wealth brand.

Name

Carson Group

Legal name

Carson Group Holdings, LLC

Website

https://carsongroup.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1993

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Carson Group is a private Omaha-based RIA platform serving independent financial advisors and their 60,000+ client families through 600+ advisors across 165+ partner offices and 47+ wholly owned Carson Wealth offices, offering coaching, technology, compliance, M&A support, and a proprietary Steve AI assistant.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Wealth Management

NAICS

Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (523940)

SIC

Investment Advice (6282)

akta.pro primary industry

Digital Wealth Platforms for Advisors (TAMP/Advisor Tech) (FSAGAEAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Registered Investment Advisor (RIA) Wealth Management (FSAEABAA), Managed Accounts & Model Portfolios (SMA/UMA) (FSAAAAAG)

Keywords

• Wealth management platform
• Financial advisor services
• Investment advisory services
• Advisor business coaching
• Estate planning technology

Headquarters

HQ city

Omaha

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices11 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Operations

Revenue model

1. Registered Investment Advisor Services: Carson Group operates as an SEC Registered Investment Advisor offering advisory services through CWM, LLC. Revenue is generated through asset-based fees from managing client wealth across partner offices.
2. Carson Coaching: Business coaching and training services for financial advisors, including Executive Business Coaching at $695/month (with $1,000 registration fee), six-month coaching at $995/month, Carson Coaching Online at $149/month, and Carson Coaching Online Pro at $295/month.
3. M&A Advisory Services: Carson Group provides merger and acquisition support to advisors for inorganic growth, helping find partners and get deals drafted, negotiated and closed. This supports the firm's strategy of acquiring advisory practices.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Carson Group operates as an SEC Registered Investment Advisor through subsidiary CWM, LLC, delivering wealth management services through 47+ wholly owned Carson Wealth offices and a network of 165+ partner firms serving over 60,000 client families with $58B+ in AUM. The firm also sells subscription-based business coaching programs (Executive Business Coaching, Carson Coaching Online, Six-Month Coaching, and Online Pro) to independent financial advisors, provides M&A advisory services for advisor succession and inorganic growth, and licenses a proprietary AWS-hosted technology stack including the Steve AI assistant, Client Intelligence natural-language platform, and estate planning integrations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Executive Business Coaching Personalized one-on-one executive coaching subscription for financial advisors at $695/month with a $1,000 one-time registration fee. Includes monthly calls, ongoing email support, and access to Carson Coaching Online. For advisors seeking dedicated coach engagement to grow their practice.
• Six-Month Coaching Program Short-term coaching program priced at $995/month with a $1,500 one-time registration fee. Designed for advisors seeking a defined six-month coaching engagement.
• Carson Coaching Online Self-serve on-demand practice management education subscription priced at $149/month with a 12-month commitment required. Accessible to individual financial advisors via the Carson Coaching Online platform.
• Carson Coaching Online Pro Premium subscription tier at $295/month including all standard Carson Coaching Online resources plus one 55-minute coaching call per calendar year, quarterly check-in emails, and exclusive live events.
• Carson Wealth Management Comprehensive wealth management service delivered through 47+ wholly owned Carson Wealth offices for end clients, including investment management, financial planning, tax, estate, and trust services. Investment advisory services are offered through CWM, LLC, an SEC Registered Investment Advisor.
• Carson Partnership (Partner Network Affiliation) Affiliation model allowing independent advisors to keep their own brand while accessing Carson's enterprise support in technology, compliance, operations, marketing, M&A, and financial planning. For advisors who want to delegate and elevate to CEO without giving up ownership.
• Join a Partner (Tuck-in Affiliation) Tuck-in affiliation model that lets advisors join an existing Carson Partner firm to focus on the work they love without the burden of ownership. Targets advisors seeking partnership without founding or buying a firm.
• Minority Investment Minority equity investment model with Carson taking a minority stake in the advisor's firm while the advisor retains a majority stake and adopts the Carson Wealth brand. Provides national brand recognition and an infusion of capital for the partner firm.
• Full Acquisition (Succession Solution) Full acquisition model under which advisors sell their firm to Carson and transition into the Carson Wealth network. Positioned as a succession/exit solution for advisors seeking a buyer for their practice.
• Estate Planning Capability New estate planning capability for Carson's 600+ advisors providing education, software, and colleague assistance to help advisors offer and execute estate plans with clients. Integrated with Vanilla, Luminary, Trust & Will, Encore Estates, and NetLaw technology partners and supports document creation through advanced scenario modeling for high-net-worth clients.
• M&A Advisory Services Merger and acquisition advisory support for advisors pursuing inorganic growth or succession. Helps advisors find partners, draft and negotiate transactions, and close deals. Supports Carson's broader strategy of acquiring advisory practices.
• Client Acquisition Program Multi-million dollar lead generation engine operated through an in-house contact center that qualifies leads and schedules appointments, delivering warm, qualified prospects directly to advisor calendars as part of the Client Acquisition Program.
• Steve AI Assistant & Client Intelligence Platform Proprietary AWS-hosted AI platform combining the Steve AI assistant and Client Intelligence natural-language querying capability. Allows advisors to retrieve client household information from multiple proprietary and vendor platforms through a single conversational prompt, with an internal-survey-reported 18% increase in advisor work capacity. Sold/embedded as part of the Carson RIA platform.
• Flourish Mortgage Lending Platform Residential mortgage lending capability operated on Carson Group's RIA platform through Flourish. Enables advisors to offer mortgage services to clients; functions as a mortgage broker sourcing rates directly from capital markets, currently licensed in over 20 states with nationwide expansion planned.
• Holistiplan Tax Planning Platform Integration Tax planning technology integration offered through Carson Group's network to advisors, automating analysis of tax returns, insurance policies, and estate documents to generate planning recommendations. Powered by Holistiplan (used by more than 10,000 firms).

Quantifiable outcome

• Carson Partners grow 2.1x faster than industry average (based on Fidelity Investments RIA Benchmarking Study 2023, measuring organic AUM growth 2020-2022)
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers12 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

AI capability5 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Asset Managers (Apollo, iShares, JP Morgan, Pimco, StepStone, AQR, DFA, AllianceBernstein, RCX, Stone Ridge, Equity Risk Partners, Pantheon, Simon)coreTechnology or IntegrationCarson Group partners with major asset managers to provide advisors access to a curated investment platform. Partners include Apollo, iShares, JP Morgan, Pimco, StepStone, AQR, DFA, AllianceBernstein, RCX, Stone Ridge, Equity Risk Partners, Pantheon, and Simon, providing advisors with a wide range of investment options for client portfolios.
• FlourishcoreTechnology or IntegrationFlourish, a wealthtech firm, launched residential mortgage lending capabilities on Carson Group's RIA platform, enabling advisors to offer mortgage services to clients. The platform operates as a mortgage broker sourcing rates directly from capital markets and is currently licensed in over 20 states with nationwide expansion planned.
• HolistiplancoreTechnology or IntegrationHolistiplan provides tax planning technology to Carson Group's network. The platform automates analysis of tax returns, insurance policies, and estate documents to generate planning recommendations. More than 10,000 firms currently use the Holistiplan platform.
• VanillacoreTechnology or IntegrationVanilla partnered with Carson Group to expand its estate planning platform to over 600 advisors across 165+ partner offices. The platform supports a range of use cases from simple document creation to advanced scenario modeling for high-net-worth clients.
• LuminarycoreTechnology or IntegrationLuminary provides estate planning tools as part of Carson Group's new estate planning capability launched in May 2026, serving both upper-high-net-worth clients and mass-affluent clients.
• Trust & WillcoreTechnology or IntegrationTrust & Will provides estate planning tools as part of Carson Group's estate planning capability, integrated with the broader financial planning strategy.
• ZockscoreTechnology or IntegrationZocks, a privacy-first AI platform for financial services, is used by Carson Group among its 5,000+ firm users. The platform enables financial advisors to identify organic growth opportunities using natural language queries across client data.
• Wise RhinominorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerWise Rhino served as exclusive M&A advisor to Furstenau Financial in its transaction with Carson Group. The firm also facilitated the Sweet Financial Partners acquisition.

Scale indicators15 records

Recent moves11 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• LPL Financial: LPL Financial is the largest independent broker-dealer and RIA platform in the US, serving over 22,000 advisors. It is the most direct competitor to Carson's model of providing technology, compliance, and operations support to independent wealth advisors, and competes head-to-head for advisor recruits and partner firms.
• Cetera Financial Group: Cetera is a leading independent advisor wealth platform supporting thousands of financial professionals through affiliated RIAs and broker-dealers. It competes directly with Carson for independent advisors via affiliation, technology, and succession/M&A support models.
• Cambridge Investment Research: Cambridge is a large independent broker-dealer/RIA platform serving over 4,000 advisors. It is comparable to Carson in offering advisor affiliation paths, practice management support, and a coaching/consulting infrastructure.
• Osaic (formerly Advisor Group): Osaic is one of the largest US independent wealth management firms, formed from the combination of Advisor Group and Ladenburg Thalmann. It competes with Carson across IBD affiliation, RIA custody, and advisor recruitment.
• Focus Financial Partners: Focus is a partnership of leading independent RIAs, backed by Stone Point Capital and Clayton, Dubilier & Rice. It is a direct comparable in the RIA roll-up model, aggregating high-net-worth advisory firms through minority and full acquisitions.
• Wealth Enhancement Group: Wealth Enhancement Group is a private-equity-backed RIA roll-up that acquires and partners with independent advisory firms. It is closely comparable to Carson's M&A-driven growth playbook and serves a similar mass-affluent to HNW client base.
• Kestra Financial: Kestra Financial is an independent wealth management platform owned by Stone Point Capital, serving independent advisors through its IBD and RIA channels. It directly competes with Carson for advisors seeking a comprehensive affiliation platform.
• Sanctuary Wealth: Sanctuary Wealth is an independent advisor platform offering partnership, minority investment, and full acquisition paths similar to Carson's. It competes for high-end breakaway brokers and advisors seeking enterprise-level support while retaining equity.
• Mariner Wealth Advisors: Mariner is a large national RIA platform serving HNW and ultra-HNW clients, formed via aggressive M&A. It is comparable to Carson in its RIA-led, roll-up-driven growth strategy and integrated technology stack.
• HighTower Advisors: HighTower is an RIA platform serving breakaway advisors and independent advisory firms through partnerships and acquisitions. It is comparable to Carson in providing enterprise-level support while allowing advisor brand independence.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/carsongroupllc
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCF03D8V34q2_Otj1OefLrUA/featured
• Facebookfacebook.com/CarsonGroup
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/carsongroupllc
• Instagraminstagram.com/carson_group

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles16 records

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A19 records

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Carson Group