Savant Wealth Hits $50B AUM with Landmark Acquisition Spree

ROCKFORD, IL – March 31, 2026 – Savant Wealth Management has executed its most significant strategic move to date, announcing partnerships with Oklahoma-based Exencial Wealth Advisors and New York’s Heller Wealth Management. The dual acquisitions catapult Savant’s assets under management (AUM) to approximately $50 billion and cement its position as a dominant force in the rapidly consolidating Registered Investment Adviser (RIA) industry.

The partnership with Exencial, an RIA with $6 billion in AUM, represents the largest single transaction in Savant’s 40-year history, surpassing a major deal with Heritage Financial earlier in the year. Combined with the addition of Heller Wealth Management’s $550 million in AUM, the move expands Savant’s national footprint to 66 offices across 26 states, significantly accelerating its ambitious growth strategy. Financial terms of the deals, which were facilitated by Advisor Growth Strategies, LLC, were not disclosed.

“These partnerships reflect our continued focus on aligning with firms that share our fiduciary mindset, culture, and long-term vision,” said Brent Brodeski, CFP®, CPA, CFA®, MBA, founder and CEO of Savant Wealth Management. “Exencial represents a milestone partnership for Savant, while Heller Wealth Management adds depth in an important market. Together, these firms strengthen our ability to deliver integrated wealth, tax, and planning services to clients nationwide.”

A New Force in a Consolidating Market

Savant's announcement lands amidst a historic wave of mergers and acquisitions transforming the wealth management sector. The industry witnessed a record 366 deals in 2024, driven by private equity investment and a relentless pursuit of scale. In this competitive environment, Savant has emerged as a top-tier acquirer, leveraging a minority investment from private equity firm Kelso & Company to fuel a fivefold expansion goal over the next five years.

Unlike many private equity-backed roll-ups focused on short-term financial engineering, Savant emphasizes its “patient capital” structure and employee-ownership model as key differentiators. This approach, the firm argues, enables it to forge long-term, culturally aligned partnerships. The integration of the Exencial and Heller teams, which will see select partners become member-owners in Savant, underscores this strategy.

The sheer scale of the Exencial deal repositions Savant in the upper echelon of national RIAs, placing it in direct competition with other major consolidators like Mercer Advisors and Wealth Enhancement Group. As the RIA market continues its shift from a fragmented landscape of small practices to one dominated by a few dozen “mega-RIAs,” Savant’s aggressive but strategic M&A activity signals its intent to be one of the definitive national brands.

The Strategic Blueprint for a National Powerhouse

Beyond the headline numbers, the acquisitions of Exencial and Heller reveal a meticulous strategic plan. The two firms are not interchangeable; each fills a specific and crucial role in Savant’s national blueprint.

Exencial Wealth Advisors, with its 110 employees and multi-state presence in markets including California, Connecticut, North Carolina, and Texas, provides immediate and substantial scale. Founded in 2003, the firm brings a large, established client base and a deep bench of talent that dramatically expands Savant’s geographic reach and operational capacity. This move is less of an incremental step and more of a quantum leap in market presence.

In contrast, the partnership with Heller Wealth Management is a targeted strike to deepen Savant’s foothold in the lucrative and highly competitive New York metropolitan area. Led by President Larry Heller, the six-person, fee-only firm has built a strong reputation since 2003 for providing customized financial planning to high-net-worth individuals, business owners, and retirees. This acquisition complements Savant’s existing presence and aligns with its strategy of building specialized expertise for specific client demographics, such as its established niches for university professionals and women navigating divorce.

Beyond Scale: A Focus on Integration and Client Value

For clients of all three firms, the mergers promise an expanded suite of capabilities. Savant has long championed an integrated service model that combines wealth management with in-house tax, accounting, and estate planning services. The increased scale and geographic distribution are designed to make this comprehensive, fiduciary-first advice more accessible to a wider audience.

However, the success of any large-scale merger hinges on effective integration, an area where many M&A deals falter. Industry data reveals that technology integration is a primary pain point, and cultural clashes can quickly erode a deal’s intended value. Savant appears to be addressing these challenges proactively. The firm’s public emphasis on partnering with firms that share its “fiduciary mindset” is a direct attempt to mitigate cultural friction from the outset.

Operationally, Savant is making significant investments to create a unified platform, including a reported $50 million commitment to building its proprietary operations and AI platform, WiseOS. This technological backbone is intended to streamline processes, from client onboarding to portfolio management, and ensure a consistent, high-quality client experience across its now-sprawling network of offices. By bringing key personnel from Exencial and Heller into its ownership structure, Savant also creates powerful incentives for retaining talent and ensuring a smooth transition for clients who have trusted these advisors for years.

As the wealth management industry continues its rapid transformation, Savant's calculated expansion serves as a defining blueprint for building a national RIA powerhouse in the modern era.