NewEdge’s Pillar Channel Lands $6 Billion Stonegate in Landmark Deal

PITTSBURGH, PA – March 10, 2026 – NewEdge Capital Group has announced a significant partnership with Stonegate Investment Group, a Birmingham, Alabama-based advisory firm overseeing approximately $6 billion in client assets. The affiliation, which brings Stonegate’s 13-person team into the NewEdge Advisors fold, marks the largest transaction for NewEdge's innovative 'Pillar Channel' and pushes the fast-growing program's total client assets beyond the $14 billion mark.

The move represents a major validation for the Pillar Channel, an affiliation model launched in early 2023 to attract elite, growth-oriented advisor practices. It also underscores a powerful trend in the wealth management industry: the search for partnership structures that offer advisors a way to monetize their life's work without sacrificing the culture and client-centric focus that made them successful.

A New Model for Advisor Monetization

In an industry where soaring valuations have dominated the M&A landscape, NewEdge Advisors has carved out a distinct path with its Pillar Channel. The model is designed specifically for successful independent firms and wirehouse breakaways who are not ready to exit the business but want to unlock the value they have built. Unlike a traditional acquisition, Pillar Channel advisors receive a combination of upfront cash and equity in the parent company, NewEdge, while continuing to lead their practices.

This structure establishes a new branch under the NewEdge Advisors brand, providing the incoming team with enhanced operational support, technology, and compliance infrastructure. The goal is to free advisors from back-office burdens, allowing them to focus on client service and strategic growth.

“The core of our industry is the advisor-client relationship,” said Alex Goss, CEO and Co-Founder of NewEdge Advisors, in a statement accompanying the announcement. “This platform allows professionals to maintain that core tenet when entering a transaction with NewEdge Advisors.”

Goss emphasized that the model is a direct response to the shortcomings of other industry transactions. “Too many competitor transactions fundamentally change or throw away what made advisors and their clients successful in the first place,” he noted. “Through a meticulous process, we provide monetization for advisors while preserving cultural and philosophical alignment.” The Pillar Channel now includes 14 advisory teams across the country, indicating strong appeal for its unique value proposition.

Stonegate's Strategic Leap Forward

For Stonegate Investment Group, the decision to affiliate with NewEdge marks the next chapter in an already impressive growth story. The firm was established as an independent Registered Investment Advisor (RIA) in 2021 by a team of veteran advisors, including Tony Smith, Christopher Compton, Matthew Brown, and James Allen, after a 13-year tenure at global wirehouse UBS. In just a few years, they built a powerhouse firm in Alabama, managing over $5.6 billion in assets for a client base that includes high-net-worth individuals, pension plans, and corporations.

Their move to NewEdge is not an exit, but a strategic enhancement. By joining the Pillar Channel, Stonegate gains access to the resources of a national, top-ranked wealth management platform while retaining the autonomy to serve their clients as they see fit.

“Our decision to join NewEdge Advisors was made with one goal in mind: to better serve our clients for the long term,” stated Tony Smith, Chief Executive Officer of Stonegate Investment Group. “This partnership strengthens the infrastructure, resources, and continuity supporting our client relationships, allowing us to focus even more on delivering thoughtful, personalized advice without compromise.”

This sentiment reflects a growing desire among top-tier advisors to find partners who can help them scale and secure their legacy without forcing them into a rigid, one-size-fits-all corporate structure. The ability to offload operational complexities while gaining sophisticated resources is a compelling proposition for a firm looking to accelerate its growth trajectory.

Fueling a Wealth Management Juggernaut

The Stonegate deal is a significant milestone for NewEdge Capital Group, which has been on an aggressive expansion path since its founding in 2020. The firm, which services over $88 billion in client assets, has rapidly climbed industry leaderboards, earning the No. 3 spot on Barron’s 2025 Top 100 RIAs list and No. 8 on Forbes’ 2025 Top RIAs list.

NewEdge operates a dual-RIA structure: NewEdge Wealth caters to ultra-high-net-worth clients, while NewEdge Advisors provides a suite of affiliation options for independent advisors, with the Pillar Channel serving as its flagship W2 partnership model. This multi-pronged strategy has allowed the firm to attract a wide spectrum of top talent.

Neil Turner, Chief Revenue Officer at NewEdge Capital Group, framed the Pillar Channel as a de-risking strategy for successful advisors. “By working with established firms with strong cultures and the skills and capacity to handle growth, this platform enables advisors to limit exposure to market risk and focus on what they do best – serving their clients and expanding their business,” he said.

The partnership with Stonegate, the largest team to join the program to date, solidifies the Pillar Channel as a powerful engine for NewEdge’s asset-gathering ambitions. It demonstrates that the model can attract not just smaller breakaways but also large, established RIAs with substantial assets and sophisticated client needs. As the wealth management industry continues to consolidate, this ability to offer a compelling "third option" between full independence and being acquired positions NewEdge as a formidable force in the ongoing race for market share.