Carson Group says it has received a strategic investment from Bain Capital, which values its business at roughly $1 billion. Bain — which is acquiring a 29% stake of the RIA — also has promised Carson Group that it will provide additional capital to help the firm invest in "growth, technology development, and expansion by acquisition."
Carson Group CEO Ron Carson will remain the majority owner of the firm and maintain his role as leader. (The firm, based in Omaha, Nebraska, includes three businesses, which are Carson Wealth, Carson Coaching and Carson Partners.)
It operations include an RIA with some $17 billion in assets, as well as an advisor network with 110 partner offices, including 30 Carson Wealth locations.
"Our extensive search for a strategic partner over the last few months gave us an incredible opportunity to explore the value an investor could bring to our mission to be the most trusted for financial advice," said Carson in a statement.
Bain "is the ideal fit for us — culturally and strategically," he added. "We wanted an investing partner who brings deep operational knowledge and resources to help further our efforts and ensure we continue to deliver a compelling value proposition to our advisors and their clients. I can't think of anything more exciting than finding a partner like Bain Capital who shares our enthusiasm and drive for building a 100-year company."
In late April, when Carson Group first disclosed its plans to find a new investor, its CEO told ThinkAdvisor that the firm didn't "want to end up being sold to Goldman Sachs," alluding to RIA United Capital's sale to the investment bank in 2019 for $750 million. (The acquired entity was renamed Goldman Sachs Personal Financial Management in early 2020.)
