LOS ANGELES, Jan. 13, 2015 /PRNewswire-iReach/ — EP Wealth Advisors, an independent financial planning and investment management firm based in Southern California, today announced that Moore Financial Group, a family-owned boutique wealth management firm based in Littleton, Colorado, has been absorbed and will become a part of the business of EP Wealth. The strategic merger will bring total assets under management to $1.9 billion.

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Jon D. Moore, CFP, 44, and team will continue working in the Colorado office and serving Denver-area residents. Moore will also continue to serve Southern California, as he has done for many years, by working with and advising new and existing clients in the Los Angeles-area.

M&A veteran David Selig of Advice Dynamics Partners advised the parties in this transaction.

LOGIC FOR MERGER

As announced a year ago, EP Wealth Advisors (EPWA) had positioned itself to grow successfully through both acquisition and recruitment. Advice Dynamics was retained to help execute the acquisition strategy. Moore Financial Group joined EPWA under this acquisition initiative.

EP is continuing discussions with additional financial advisory firms. EP Wealth is particularly interested in speaking with RIAs and IARs who are exploring the benefits “tucking” into a larger firm.

“The professionals at Moore Financial Group have been collaborating to help clients achieve financial success for over twenty years,” explained EP’s president Patrick Goshtigian, CFA. “At the same time, Jon has been a personal friend of mine and I’m excited to extend that relationship professionally. Jon’s dad has retired and so Jon was looking for a larger firm like EP Wealth with whom to partner as he pursues new goals for expanding the service offerings and expertise to Moore Financial Group’s existing clients. We also have mutual growth aspirations and have positioned EP Wealth for growth, so this is a natural fit,” Goshtigian said.

“I am very pleased to announce our new combination,” Moore said. “EP’s service offering, business model, and client mix, are similar to Moore Financial Group’s. Both firms are growing so joining forces allows us to bring the resources and talents of the entire organization to better serve our clients. In addition, forty percent of our existing clients are located in Southern California and so I have already been spending a portion of my time in the Los Angeles area. It is also an easy fit since our client centric cultures are aligned. This is a win/win for Moore Financial Group and EP Wealth. This will also be good for existing and prospective clients, as I will be able to reallocate much of my time and energy to work personally with clients and broaden our presence in the Denver area. And, frankly, since I became a sole practitioner and was lacking a partner once my dad retired, my clients were asking what would happen should something happen to me. This is a tremendous solution all the way around,” Moore said.

STRUCTURE BENEFITS CLIENTELE

“It is increasingly difficult to thrive as a small firm in today’s world,” said David Selig, CEO and founder of Advice Dynamics Partners, a full-service mergers and acquisitions consultancy. “Financial advisory practices with less than $500M in managed assets tend to struggle with the same issues facing Jon Moore. In addition to relieving the business pressures related to lack of scale, this merger is a positive for Moore’s clients in that it comes with a built-in succession plan. The Financial Planning Association announced last year that 75% of financial planners lack even a basic succession plan – this is difficult to comprehend. EP Wealth has a well architected succession platform, so the firm will live well beyond the founding generation and its clients will continue to be served in the same quality way,” Selig said.

ABOUT JON D. MOORE, CFP

Jon D. Moore has been helping individuals and family-owned businesses realize their goals for over 22 years. His passion is developing creative solutions to meet the challenges that his clients face as they strive to grow and protect their wealth. His expertise also includes consulting on the formation and representation of tax-exempt charitable organizations and estate planning for charitably active clients through private foundations and related vehicles.

A CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ practitioner, Moore has been a financial advisor since 2002. He holds a B.S. in Business Administration from the University of Florida and completed the CFP Professional Education Program through the College for Financial Planning in 1998. Moore was selected by 5280 Magazine and ColoradoBiz Magazine as Five Star: Best in Client Satisfaction Wealth Manager in the Denver Area (2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013). He continues to be active in Denver area communities through volunteer efforts and board member roles for local non-profit organizations.

About EP Wealth Advisors

EP Wealth Advisors is an independent financial planning and Registered Investment Advisory firm headquartered in Torrance, California. With additional offices in Los Angeles, California and Denver, Colorado, the firm provides financial planning, wealth management and investment management services to a wide range of clients. EP Wealth was listed among the Top RIA Firms in 2014 by Financial Advisor magazine. As of December 31, 2014, EP Wealth managed over $1.8 billion for 1,700 client households. For more information, visit www.epwealth.com.

Media Contact: Leesy Palmer, Impact Communications, 913-649-5009, leesypalmer@impactcommunications.org

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SOURCE EP Wealth Advisors