Focus Financial Partners Announces Agreements for Two Partner Firm Acquisitions


NEW YORK, Dec. 31, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Focus Financial Partners Inc. (NASDAQ: FOCS) (“Focus”), a leading partnership of independent, fiduciary wealth management firms, today announced that definitive agreements have been entered into under which Aurora Financial Advisors, LLC (“Aurora”) will join The Colony Group, LLC, and WG&S, LLP (“WG&S”) will join Gelfand, Rennert & Feldman, LLC. Each of these transactions is expected to close in the first quarter of 2019, subject to customary closing conditions.

  • The Colony Group, LLC (“Colony”), Boston, Massachusetts: Aurora, an independent wealth management firm based in Wellesley, Massachusetts, will join Colony. Founded in 2002 by Susan Miller, CPA, CFP®, CDFA®, Aurora is known for its extensive experience and expertise in dispute resolution arising from divorce, estate administration, and intra-family disagreements regarding closely-held businesses and jointly-held assets. Like Colony, Aurora also offers an array of high-touch wealth management services along with tax planning and preparation for families and businesses. This transaction will provide Aurora with dedicated management, compliance, marketing and operations teams enabling their advisors to focus more of their time and attention on their clients.
  • Gelfand, Rennert & Feldman, LLC (“GR&F”), Los Angeles, California: WG&S, a leading multi-family office and business management firm, will join GR&F, a full-service multi-family office and business management firm headquartered in Los Angeles. Founded by Eric Wasserman, Howard Grossman and Michael Sloan, WG&S has offices in Northern and Southern California, Delaware, and Texas. Like GR&F, WG&S works with clients in the entertainment industry and has strong expertise in servicing ultra-high net worth individuals and families. This transaction will provide WG&S with additional resources and infrastructure for future growth. GR&F will benefit from WG&S’s expertise in the ultra-high net worth family office space and access to the Northern California market.

“Supporting our partner firms’ entrepreneurial visions and devotion to their clients is our mission at Focus. Providing access to capital and operational expertise is key in facilitating mergers and acquisitions,” said Rudy Adolf, Founder, CEO and Chairman at Focus. “Through M&A, clients always benefit from a broader range of services and deeper bench strength.”

About Focus Financial Partners Inc.
Focus Financial Partners Inc. (NASDAQ: FOCS) (“Focus”) is a leading partnership of independent, fiduciary wealth management firms. Focus provides access to best practices, resources, and continuity planning for its partner firms who serve individuals, families, employers and institutions with comprehensive wealth management services. Focus partner firms maintain their operational independence, while they benefit from the synergies, scale, economics and best practices offered by Focus to achieve their business objectives. For more information about Focus Financial Partners, please visit www.focusfinancialpartners.com.

About The Colony Group, LLC
The Colony Group is an independent, fee-only financial advisory firm with locations in Massachusetts, New York, Virginia, Florida, Colorado, and Maryland. Colony provides high-net-worth individuals and families, corporate executives and entrepreneurs, professionals, athletes, institutions, businesses and non-profit organizations with deep expertise that goes beyond investment management and can encompass tax, estate, retirement, and philanthropic planning, asset allocation, and cash and risk management. For more information about Colony, please visit https://www.thecolonygroup.com/.

About Gelfand, Rennert & Feldman, LLC
Gelfand, Rennert & Feldman is a leading business and financial management firm that provides exceptional service to entertainers, athletes, executives and high net worth individuals. GR&F offers a comprehensive range of business management services and tax services customized to suit clients’ unique financial needs. For more information about GR&F, please visit http://www.grfllp.com.

Cautionary Statement Concerning Forward-Looking Statements
This release contains certain forward-looking statements that reflect Focus' current views with respect to certain current and future events. These forward-looking statements are and will be, subject to many risks, uncertainties and factors relating to Focus' operations and business environment which may cause future events to be materially different from these forward-looking statements or anything implied therein. Any forward-looking statements in this release are based upon information available to Focus on the date of this release. Focus does not undertake to publicly update or revise its forward-looking statements even if experience or future changes make it clear that any statements expressed or implied therein will not be realized. Additional information on risk factors that could affect Focus may be found in Focus' filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Investor and Media Contact Information

Steve Calk or Sam Gibbons
Tel: (646) 561-3226
FOCS@alpha-ir.com