Wealth management firm moves forward with advisor leadership and ownership
FRANKLIN, Tenn.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Southwestern Investment Group (SWIG), an independent wealth management company and one of the nation’s fastest-growing Registered Investment Advisors, sets the stage for continued success and sustainability with a minority investment from Merchant.
With more than 60 advisors serving more than 13,000 clients nationwide from its offices in Tennessee, Alabama, Texas, Iowa, and Nebraska, SWIG and its clients will benefit from an enduring investment of growth capital and strategic expertise that preserves the independence and entrepreneurial spirit of SWIG’s team. Both management and advisors will participate in the ownership of SWIG.
“In our search for growth partners, Merchant stood out with its deep, practical understanding of capital structure and a team of experts that truly understands how financial advisors serve their clients and thrive as businesses,” said Jeff Dobyns, CEO of SWIG. “Merchant’s flexibility in approach to equity and debt capital and willingness to go the distance with us has been one-of-a-kind.”
“We jumped into this partnership with Jeff and the team because they are building an advisory firm they can sustain for decades to come,” said Matt Brinker, managing partner at Merchant. “Their approach to partnering young talent with experienced advisors, paired with firm ownership, allows SWIG to deliver high-quality financial planning and investment management services. Everything we do at Merchant will be to preserve what makes SWIG great and help them lean even further into their strengths.”
SWIG embraces a fee-based, planning-focused model to help clients articulate their goals and improve their financial lives by building investment portfolios tailored to their needs. The approximately $5.8 billion AUM (as of 12/31/2021) firm’s partnership with Merchant, which closed in November, builds on the strong leadership, dedicated advisors, and foundation of support delivered through Raymond James Financial Services, Inc., SWIG’s securities platform.
SWIG sits in the top 25% in Raymond James branch firm peer rankings (1,871 firms) in terms of Total Assets (#2) and Annual Revenue (#2). Individual advisors have consistently been recognized by Raymond James as members of the Chairman’s Council (every year since 2008), the Leaders Council, and the Executive Council. In addition, advisors have been designated top Best-In-State Wealth Advisors by Forbes. SWIG was also recognized as one of the Tennessean Top Workplaces (2020, 2021). The firm experienced strong growth in AUM of approximately 34% year over year from end of 2020 to end of 2021.
SWIG is expected to launch a new name and brand later in the year and has been advised by Optima Group, Inc. throughout the process.
About Southwestern Investment Group
Southwestern Investment Group was established in 2002 and oversees approximately $5.8 billion in client assets as of the end of December 2021. Southwestern Investment Group uses sensible, sound, and conservative investment strategies and holistic service to help enhance and help protect your wealth. For more information, visit swinvestmentgroup.com.
Investment advisory services offered through Southwestern Investment Advisory Services, Inc., an independent registered investment adviser. Southwestern Investment Group is not a registered broker-dealer and is independent of Raymond James Financial Services. Securities offered through Raymond James Financial Services, Inc., member FINRA/SIPC. Representatives may not be registered to offer securities and advisory services in all states. Any opinions are those of Southwestern Investment Group and not necessarily those of Raymond James.
Southwestern Investment Group’s main offices are located at 801 Crescent Centre Drive, Suite 600, Franklin, TN, 37067, and can be reached at (615) 861-6100.
Raymond James is not affiliated with Merchant Investment Management or Optima Group Inc.
About Merchant Investment Management
Merchant is a private partnership providing growth capital, management resources, strategic opportunities and direction to independent financial services companies, particularly those focused on wealth and asset management. For additional information, please visit www.merchantim.com.
Forbes Best-In-State Wealth Advisors (2021)
The Forbes ranking of Best-In-State Wealth Advisors, developed by SHOOK Research, is based on an algorithm of qualitative criteria, mostly gained through telephone and in-person due diligence interviews, and quantitative data. Those advisors that are considered have a minimum of seven years of experience, and the algorithm weights factors like revenue trends, assets under management, compliance records, industry experience and those that encompass best practices in their practices and approach to working with clients. Portfolio performance is not a criteria due to varying client objectives and lack of audited data. Out of approximately 32,725 nominations, more than 5,000 advisors received the award. This ranking is not indicative of an advisor’s future performance, is not an endorsement, and may not be representative of individual clients’ experience. Neither Raymond James nor any of its Financial Advisors or RIA firms pay a fee in exchange for this award/rating. Raymond James is not affiliated with Forbes or Shook Research, LLC. Please visit https://www.forbes.com/best-in-state-wealth-advisors for more info.
Tennessean Top Workplaces (2020, 2021)
More than 1,000 companies were invited to participate, 90 were recognized as one of the Tennessean Top Places to work. The Tennessean welcomed anyone to nominate an organization and partnered with Energage, who also reached out to companies. Any employer was eligible, as long as it had at least 5 employees in Middle Tennessee. Employees could be public, private, nonprofit or governmental. Once employers were nominated, employees were asked to fill out an online questionnaire that gave more information about the companies they worked for. Information gathered included issues relating to workplace culture, including Alignment, Connection, Effectiveness, Engagement, Leadership, and the Basics, including pay, benefits, flexibility, training, and expectations. Employers were then ranked among groups of similar size to most accurately compare results, with those that scored high being recognized. The ranking may not be representative of any one client’s experience, is not an endorsement, and is not indicative of an advisor’s future performance. Neither Raymond James nor any of its Financial Advisors or RIA firms pay a fee in exchange for this award/rating. Neither Energage nor the Tennessean is affiliated with Raymond James.
Contacts
Media Contact:
Ann Marie Gorden
Gregory FCA for Merchant
annmarie@gregoryfca.com
267.249.7765
