Wealth Enhancement Group snaps up $219M East Coast RIA

Wealth Enhancement Group is expanding its East Coast profile as it snaps up an independent fee-only investment and planning firm.

On Tuesday, the national independent revealed it has acquired Atlas Fiduciary Financial.

With offices in Sarasota, Florida and Oakland, New Jersey, Wealth Enhancement Group’s latest acquisition effectively expands its Eastern US footprint to include 12 Florida locations and five locations in New Jersey.

With clients in Southern Florida, Norther New Jersey and beyond, Atlas Fiduciary Financial is led by founder and CEO Laura Mattia along with its chief investment officer, Stephen Craffen. The fee-only firm was established in 2020 and has since grown to manage over $219 million in assets for its clients.

The firm prepares tailored financial solutions, helping its clientele of widows, professionals, and business owners through major life changes including near-retirement and retirement itself.

Jeff Dekko, CEO of Wealth Enhancement Group, underscored the informed and client-first approach that the six-person team at the East Coast independent takes for its clients in Southern Florida, Northern New Jersey and beyond.

“They take a science-driven approach to planning and investment management while keeping their clients at the heart of everything they do,” Dekko said in a statement Tuesday.

“The team has decades of experience in addition to exceptional academic credentials, and we look forward to bringing them on board,” he added.

Since beginning in the financial industry 30 years ago, Mattia has taken on progressively senior leadership roles including a CFO position before pursuing financial planning, according to her biography on the Atlas Fiduciary Financial website.

A published author and champion for women’s financial empowerment, Mattia is also an educator and public speaker, whose conference experience includes taking the stage at TEDx.

“We are building the financial advisory team of the future where we view the client as our only boss and where advisors are educated in finance not sales,” she said.

“The recommendations we provide incorporate the science behind investment theory and household economics, and we strive to protect our clients and help them make optimal financial decisions," Mattia added.

Jim Cahn, chief strategy officer of Wealth Enhancement Group, highlighted Atlas Fiduciary Financial’s personalized portfolio management and client-first philosophy.

“Our central resources will free up more of their time and increase their capacity so they can focus even more on delivering excellent service and advice to their clients,” he said. The transaction with Atlas Fiduciary Financial builds on Wealth Enhancement Group’s deal streak so far in 2024, which included a $1.22 billion Texas RIA and an $809 million advisor team in California.