AE Wealth Taps Osaic Vet Shannon Larson to Helm $250B Growth Plan

TOPEKA, Kan. – February 18, 2026 – AE Wealth Management, a rapidly growing turnkey asset management platform (TAMP), has appointed veteran wealth leader Shannon Larson as its new president. The move signals a clear intent to accelerate its aggressive growth trajectory and achieve its stated goal of reaching $250 billion in assets under management (AUM) by 2035.

Larson’s appointment comes as the firm continues its remarkable expansion, having added over $21 billion in AUM in the last two years alone. Currently overseeing $48.4 billion in assets, AE Wealth Management is positioning itself for a new phase of exponential growth, and Larson, a former executive at industry giant Osaic, is being brought in to orchestrate the charge. She succeeds Chris Radford, who stepped down in the summer of 2025 for family reasons.

“Shannon brings a strong mix of strategic vision and practical execution, with a clear focus on helping advisors grow, adapt, and serve clients more effectively,” said David Callanan, founder and Chief Executive Officer of AE Wealth Management, in a statement. “She’s a thoughtful listener who asks the right questions and understands how corporate decisions impact advisors’ day-to-day business.”

A Strategic Hire in a Competitive Arena

The wealth management landscape is fiercely competitive, and the TAMP sector is a hotbed of activity. Characterized by major consolidation and a race for scale, the industry has seen giants like Envestnet and AssetMark dominate the market. AE Wealth Management has carved out a significant niche, earning the 19th spot in Financial Advisor magazine's RIA rankings for both 2024 and 2025, but its ambition to quintuple its AUM and join the "mega-RIA league" requires more than just momentum—it requires a proven leader with a playbook for massive scale.

Larson appears to be that leader. With over 25 years of experience, her resume reads like a who's who of the independent advisor support world, with leadership roles at Osaic, Eaton Vance, Cetera Financial Group, LPL Financial, and Fisher Investments. Her most recent tenure at Osaic is particularly relevant, where she held executive roles in platform management and product development. There, she was instrumental in scaling the firm’s advisory platform and, crucially, guiding advisors through the pivotal transition from product-centric sales models to comprehensive, full-service wealth management practices.

This experience is precisely what independent advisors are seeking today. As client demands grow more complex and fee pressures mount, advisors are increasingly outsourcing investment management to TAMPs to free up time for client-facing activities and holistic financial planning. The adoption rate of TAMPs has surged from just 10% a decade ago to 45% in 2025, underscoring a fundamental shift in how advisors run their businesses. Larson’s expertise is in building the very systems that enable this shift.

The Playbook for Advisor Empowerment

Larson’s career has been dedicated to a singular mission: helping independent advisors grow and scale their businesses. At LPL Financial, she helped lead the development of advisory platforms like the Model Wealth Portfolios program. At Osaic, she was tasked with aligning wealth management product solutions across the organization to better support advisors. Her entire professional history is rooted in understanding and solving the core challenges that prevent independent practices from reaching their full potential.

These challenges are significant. Advisors consistently report that their biggest hurdles are AUM growth, operational scaling, and the immense time sink of compliance and administrative tasks. Furthermore, the technology landscape, while full of promise, often presents a frustrating puzzle of disparate, poorly integrated systems. Advisors are demanding a consolidated, efficient technology stack that enhances their workflow rather than complicating it.

AE Wealth has been actively working to address these needs. The recent launch of its AE Private Exchange, a platform designed to streamline investment workflows for private markets, is a testament to its focus on technological innovation. Larson’s appointment is expected to supercharge these efforts. Her deep background in platform management and product development makes her uniquely qualified to refine and expand AE Wealth’s ecosystem of technology, practice management resources, and investment solutions.

“The core of my leadership philosophy is empowering independent advisors to better serve their clients and achieve meaningful outcomes,” Larson stated. “I’m excited to join the AE Wealth Management team and advisor community to support our mission of guiding families toward a successful retirement while helping advisors build lasting legacies.”

Navigating the Future of Wealth Tech

The road from nearly $50 billion to $250 billion in AUM is paved with technology. The future of the TAMP industry will be defined by which firms can best leverage artificial intelligence, data analytics, and seamless integration to create efficiencies for their advisor clients. Over a third of advisors are already using AI tools to improve practice efficiency, and the demand for smarter, more predictive platforms is growing daily.

Larson’s challenge will be to ensure AE Wealth’s platform not only keeps pace but leads the charge. This involves more than just offering a collection of tools; it means creating a connected ecosystem where technology, investment solutions, and marketing support work in harmony to foster growth. Her experience in guiding advisors toward more sophisticated service models will be critical as the firm seeks to attract and retain top-tier professionals who are expanding into areas like tax optimization, advanced estate planning, and ESG-focused investing.

By bringing Shannon Larson to the helm, AE Wealth Management is making a bold statement. The firm is betting that her specific expertise in scaling platforms and empowering advisors is the catalyst needed to transform its ambitious vision into a market reality. For an industry grappling with rapid change, the appointment signals that the battle for the future of advisor support is just heating up, and AE Wealth is arming itself for the fight.