Benjamin F. Edwards, a national wealth management firm based in St. Louis, has launched Edwards Wealth Management (EWM), a privately owned, stand-alone, new corporate registered investment advisor.
EWM is affiliating for the first time with Dunlop Investment Group, a father-son practice also headquartered in St. Louis, that is bringing $230 million in client assets under management (AUM) to the start-up platform.
Father Blake and son Connor, co-owners of Dunlop, are former professional hockey players who both also became financial advisors, opening their own solo practices. In 2010, the two merged their separate businesses as Dunlop Investment Group. Before affiliating with the EWM platform, the Dunlops were with the Benjamin F. Edwards broker-dealer.
EWM is custody-agnostic and offers independent advisory firms, starting with the Dunlop Investment Group, a turnkey suite of business services and technology necessary to build and grow a business, including business and technology infrastructure, operational support, risk management, compliance oversight and investment management services. Advisors whose clients hold brokerage accounts will also have access to the firm’s broker-dealer.
“EWM enables advisory business owners to maintain their full independence and focus on working with their clients and growing their practice while outsourcing their middle and back office to us,” said Chris Keller, managing director of EWM.
Founded in 1887 as A.G. Edwards & Sons, Benjamin F. Edwards started its full-service broker-dealer in 2008 and now has more than $25 billion in AUM. The company currently has 72 branch offices in 27 states.