Perspective Financial Group has bought a further four firms ranging in size from £10mn to £175mn assets under management, taking its total number of acquisitions to 50.
The purchases include Searchlight Investments, based in Rickmansworth, Stafford Wealth Management in Hertford, TCS Life and Pensions & The MGroup Financial Services in Oxford and a financial adviser in Maidstone.
The four purchases add a total of 915 clients, £335mn Aum, 11 staff and two new offices in Hertford and Rickmansworth.
Richard Pipe and Simon Alway, directors of Searchlight Investments, with 430 clients and £175mn Aum, said: “It was of paramount importance to us that any purchaser shared our core values and genuinely put clients at the heart of their proposition. In Perspective, we have found the firm we are confident will deliver financial planning and wealth management services to our valued clients in the years ahead.
“We look forward to working alongside Perspective to complete a successful integration and feel confident that, in time, we are leaving the business and our team with a highly professional company. They bring a great deal of experience to the acquisition process which has proved invaluable.”
Likewise, Mike and Phil Stafford, directors of Stafford Wealth Management with 275 clients, said: “Exit planning is not something that can be done overnight and we spent several years plotting our exit route as we approached retirement.
“Part of the planning meant researching the succession marketplace to find a like-minded firm with similar values that would cherish our clients and staff as we do. We are delighted we have found that in Perspective and are confident our clients and staff are in safe hands for the future.”
Perspective Group, which was founded in 2008, received a major capital injection by CBPE Capital LLP in December 2019.
Over this time, it has made 18 acquisitions, doubled headcount to 280 staff, added £1.2bn Aum and opened seven new local offices, making a total of 21.
Last month, it bought Warwickshire-based adviser Beanland Financial Services in its first deal of the year, taking its assets under management to £4bn.
Ian Wilkinson, chief executive officer of Perspective, said: “It has been an exceptionally busy time for us and I am delighted by the progress we have made. We have a very clear sense of direction, are delivering at pace and constantly innovating. We have recently articulated our purpose and the values which we have lived by for over three decades, and these very much drive everything about the firm.
“We are regarded as the acquirer of choice for firms who are truly client-centric and we continue to seek more good opportunities. We have proactive approaches from high quality firms looking to find a secure succession route as the founders themselves near retirement.”
He added: “The feedback from them is that our combination of retaining their local office and staff where appropriate, lifting some of the compliance burden from their shoulders, and having access to the resources and security of a larger organisation is highly attractive."
