Criterion Capital Advisors

Criterion Capital Advisors is a Nashville-based wealth management firm, founded in 2005, that was acquired by EP Wealth Advisors in 2024. It delivers fee-based financial planning, investment management, retirement, estate, tax, and risk management services to high-net-worth individuals and families.

Company typePrivate
Founded2005
HeadquartersNashville, United States
Headcount1–10
GTM typeB2C
OfferingServices

What Criterion Capital Advisors does

Criterion Capital Advisors is a Nashville, Tennessee-based wealth management firm founded in 2005 that specializes in investment management, financial planning, tax planning, retirement planning, and risk management for high-net-worth individuals and families. The firm operates with a small team of 1-10 employees and runs a fee-based, recurring advisory model where clients are served by dedicated advisors delivering personalized financial planning across multiple integrated areas including investments, retirement, estate, tax, and business planning. Segment focus spans HNW individuals, federal employees, professional athletes, and women investors, with pricing structured around advisor-negotiated fees rather than publicly disclosed rates.

In 2024, Criterion Capital Advisors was acquired by EP Wealth Advisors, a much larger San Diego-headquartered RIA founded in 1999 that has grown to over 500 employees serving 15,000+ households across 40+ US office locations. Under the acquisition, existing Criterion clients continue to be served by the same advisory team while gaining access to EP Wealth's broader suite of services, including family office services, high net worth advisory, financial planning, investment management, estate planning, tax planning, and business planning. The underlying technology stack is described as a financial planning and portfolio management platform; no proprietary AI/ML features, patents, or SDK/API offerings are disclosed. Inbound marketing combines educational webinars, newsletters, blog content, and client events, with sales delivered through local advisor offices across the United States.

Criterion Capital Advisors firmographics

Firmographics

Name: Criterion Capital Advisors
Legal name: Criterion Capital Advisors
Website: https://criterionadv.com
Company type: Private
Founded year: 2005
Operating status: Acquired
Headcount range: 1–10 employees
Short description: Criterion Capital Advisors is a Nashville-based wealth management firm, founded in 2005, that was acquired by EP Wealth Advisors in 2024. It delivers fee-based financial planning, investment management, retirement, estate, tax, and risk management services to high-net-worth individuals and families.
Ownership category
akta.pro rank

Criterion Capital Advisors industry classification

Industry

Product category: Wealth Management
NAICS: Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (523940), Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (52394)
SIC: Investment Advice (6282)
akta.pro primary industry: Fee-Only Advisory (FSAEAAAL)

Keywords

Financial planning services
Wealth management advisory
Investment management
Retirement planning
Estate planning services

Where Criterion Capital Advisors is headquartered

Location

Headquarters

HQ city: Nashville
HQ country: United States
HQ region: North America

Offices42 records

Markets served

Criterion Capital Advisors business model

Business model

GTM type: B2C
Offering type: Services
Cost components: Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

Financial Advisory Services: Fee-based financial advisory and wealth management services for high net worth individuals and families. Services include financial planning, investment management, retirement planning, estate planning, tax planning, and business planning.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Criterion Capital Advisors product offering

Product offering

Core offering

Criterion Capital Advisors specializes in personalized financial planning, investment management, retirement planning, estate planning, tax planning, and risk management for high net worth individuals and families. Following its acquisition by EP Wealth Advisors, clients gain access to additional services including family office services, high net worth advisory, and business planning.

Product overview

EP Wealth Advisors (parent of Criterion Capital Advisors) offers a unified platform of financial advisory services through multiple integrated modules. The core offering includes Financial Planning as the primary service, supplemented by specialized services for Divorce Financial Planning, Retirement Planning, Investment Management, Estate Planning, Tax Planning, and Business Planning. Family Office Services and High Net Worth Advisors serve as umbrella offerings that integrate these various modules to provide comprehensive wealth management. Criterion Capital Advisors clients gain access to this full suite of services following their partnership with EP Wealth.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

Financial Planning Comprehensive financial planning services including Financial Health Assessment, Life Transition Planning, Fiduciary Services, Asset Allocation, Equity Investments, Executive Compensation, and Special Needs Financial Planning for high net worth individuals and families.
Investment Management Portfolio management services including Portfolio Review, Capital Gains Tax Management, and Withdrawal Advice for clients seeking professional investment oversight.
Retirement Planning Retirement planning services including Defined Contribution Plans, 403(b) Plans, IRAs, Retirement Income Planning, Retirement Accounts, 401(k) Plans, and Pre-retirement Checklist Planning.
Estate Planning Estate planning services covering Charitable Giving, Real Estate Transfer, Living Will, Revocable Living Trust, Power of Attorney, Certificate of Trust, Pour-Over Wills, and Charitable Remainder Trusts.
Tax Planning Tax optimization services including Tax Loss Harvesting to minimize tax liability and maximize investment returns.
Divorce Financial Planning Specialized planning for divorce scenarios covering Pre-Divorce Budgeting, Post-Divorce Budgeting, Spousal Maintenance Payments, Tax Implications, Spousal Benefits, Primary Residence, Inheritance and Beneficiaries, Child Support, and asset division.
Business Planning Business advisory services including Debt Analysis, Risk Management, Buy-Sell Agreements, Real Estate Analysis, Business Transition and Succession, and Real Estate Investing.
Family Office Services Comprehensive wealth management services for high-net-worth individuals and families, providing integrated financial planning, investment management, and estate planning coordination.
High Net Worth Advisory Specialized advisory services tailored for affluent clients, offering personalized financial strategies and investment management solutions.

Companies that use Criterion Capital Advisors

Customer profile

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Criterion Capital Advisors technology and API

Technology

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API: No
API docs
API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Criterion Capital Advisors partnerships and signals

Strategic signal

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

EP Wealth AdvisorscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Criterion Capital Advisors has been acquired/merged with EP Wealth Advisors. Existing Criterion clients will continue to be served by the same advisory team while gaining access to EP Wealth's full suite of services including family office services, high net worth advisory, financial planning, investment management, estate planning, tax planning, and business planning.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Criterion Capital Advisors competitors and assessment

Company assessment

Direct peers

Hightower Advisors: National RIA platform built on advisor partnership and tuck-in acquisitions of independent wealth management firms; offers wealth planning, investment management, and serves HNW households comparable to Criterion's client base.
Focus Financial Partners: Partnership-focused RIA platform providing wealth management, financial planning, and investment advisory services through a network of independent firms; same acquisition-led growth playbook as EP Wealth.
EP Wealth Advisors: Parent platform of Criterion Capital Advisors; same fee-based fiduciary RIA model serving HNW households across 40+ US offices with identical financial planning, investment management, estate, and tax service suite.
Mariner Wealth Advisors: Large national RIA serving HNW and ultra-HNW clients with comprehensive financial planning, investment management, estate, and tax services; follows a similar advisor-recruiting and roll-up acquisition strategy as EP Wealth.
Creative Planning: National fee-only RIA providing comprehensive financial planning, investment management, estate, and tax planning to HNW clients; aggressive acquirer of smaller advisory firms with similar fiduciary-first positioning.

Broad incumbents

Cetera Financial Group: Large network of independent financial advisors offering financial planning, investment, and wealth management services; broader financial services parent with overlapping HNW offerings.
Fisher Investments: Large independent investment management firm serving HNW and institutional clients with portfolio management and personalized advisory services; overlaps with Criterion's investment management offering at greater scale.
Edelman Financial Engines: One of the largest independent RIAs offering financial planning, investment management, and retirement advice to mass-affluent and HNW households; operates nationally with significantly greater scale than Criterion.
Northwest Mutual Wealth Management: Established financial services firm offering comprehensive financial planning, investment management, and estate planning to HNW households through advisor-led relationships; broader insurance and wealth footprint.

Emerging players

Facet Wealth: Digital-first fee-only RIA providing flat-fee financial planning and investment management to HNW clients; targets the same fiduciary, planning-first positioning but via a technology-led delivery model.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Criterion Capital Advisors financial estimates

Financial estimate

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Criterion Capital Advisors leadership team

Management profile

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Criterion Capital Advisors funding detail

Funding detail

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

Criterion Capital Advisors M&A and investment

M&A and investment

M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Criterion Capital Advisors

What does Criterion Capital Advisors do?

Is Criterion Capital Advisors a public or private company?

Criterion Capital Advisors is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently acquired.

When was Criterion Capital Advisors founded?

Criterion Capital Advisors was founded in 2005. It employs 1 to 10 people.

Where is Criterion Capital Advisors based?

Criterion Capital Advisors is headquartered in Nashville, United States, in the North America region.

How does Criterion Capital Advisors make money?

One revenue line is on record: financial Advisory Services.

Who are Criterion Capital Advisors's main competitors?

Direct peers on record are Hightower Advisors, Focus Financial Partners, EP Wealth Advisors, Mariner Wealth Advisors and Creative Planning. Broad incumbents are Cetera Financial Group, Fisher Investments, Edelman Financial Engines and Northwest Mutual Wealth Management. Facet Wealth is listed as an emerging player.

Does Criterion Capital Advisors have an API?

No public API is recorded for Criterion Capital Advisors.

What industry is Criterion Capital Advisors in?

Criterion Capital Advisors's product category is Wealth Management. Its primary akta.pro industry code is FSAEAAAL, Fee-Only Advisory. Its NAICS code is 523940 and its SIC code is 6282.