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Industry Spotlight > RIAs

United Advisor Group Launches as RIA Aggregator

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What You Need to Know

  • New RIA aggregator United Advisor Group selected Goldman Sachs Advisor Solutions as its custody service provider.
  • The news came as Goldman said Joe Duran was stepping down as a Goldman Sachs partner and co-head of its Personal Financial Management Group to become a consultant to the firm as it continues its effort to become a top RIA custodian.
  • UAG wants to grow its AUM to more than $750 million within the next 12 months, it said.

As United Advisor Group officially launched its independent registered investment advisor on Monday, the new RIA aggregator said it selected Goldman Sachs Advisor Solutions as its custody service provider.

UAG “will bring together multiple founding advisors from a variety of independent broker-dealers and registered investment advisors in a unified, single-tier partnership model,” the company said in a news release.

In addition to the initial partners transitioning to UAG, it intends to add more advisors, growing its cumulative assets under management to more than $750 million within the next 12 months, according to the group.

UAG declined to identify any of the founding advisors from independent BDs and RIAs.

The firm was “designed with a unique structure to benefit its partners and advisors who are running their own businesses,” UAG said. “The founders have structured the organization to facilitate collaboration with like-minded advisors, avoiding the potential issues that can arise from traditional business models.”

“As an RIA, it is our responsibility to provide solutions in a fiduciary capacity. Goldman Sachs stands out among custodians in providing the highest quality and broadest range of resources, tools, and research that cannot be found elsewhere,” Ray Gettins, UAG director, said in the statement.

Explaining why the group selected Goldman as its custodian, he said the move “furthers our ability to carry out our mission to give mid-sized, well-run practices access to resources that would otherwise be out of reach.”

He further explained: “We can aggregate and consolidate services while still allowing these Advisors to remain independent and maintain their established brand.”

Noting that Goldman is a “new player in the custody space with a unique approach,” Gettins added: “Through our relationship, we will gain access to the tools, resources, and execution capabilities that will allow us to continue providing our clients with institutional-grade guidance and asset management services, as well as expand these services further.”

UAG will provide the resources, technology and services an advisor needs but advisors won’t be limited to UAG services, it noted. “They can use what works best for them and their clients, making the most of the choices available to them,” according to the group.

UAG’s “ambitious growth plans align nicely with our custody offering, and we are proud to be supporting their journey as our business continues to expand,” according to Bill Dalton, head of new business at Goldman Sachs Advisor Solutions.

The announcement came as Goldman said Joe Duran was stepping down as a partner and co-head of its Personal Financial Management Group to become a consultant to the firm as it continues its effort to become a top custodian for RIAs.

Consultant is a “new, integral role” at Goldman “as we augment our firmwide efforts to serve the fast-growing RIA channel,” a Goldman spokesperson told ThinkAdvisor.

(Image: Bloomberg)


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