Carson Group President, Financial Planning Head Move On

Carson Group is seeing more executives exit after its founder and CEO departed earlier this year.

On Friday, the wealth, retirement plan and adviser coaching firm confirmed that President Teri Shepherd is stepping down after being in the role more than 12 years. Rather than immediately naming a replacement, the firm will be considering its “leadership needs” and sharing plans at a later time, according to a spokesperson.

Teri Shepherd

Carson Group, which is based in Omaha, Nebraska, and manages $38 billion in client assets, saw its founder Ron Carson step down from the CEO position earlier this year, while remaining chairman, with former LPL Financial Chief Investment Officer Burt White taking the CEO role. Carson recently announced he would be going by the name Omani and started a life transformation business called Omya.

Shepherd took the role of president after joining from QA3 Financial, where she was executive vice president, chief operations officer and chief financial officer.

“We are grateful for Teri’s many years of leadership,” CEO White said in a statement. “Teri has been a mainstay of our organization, providing a steady hand and an empathetic presence through times of transformation.”

Thinkadviser first reported of her departure.

Separately, Erin Wood, formerly Carson’s senior vice president for financial planning and advanced solutions, left the firm in November for a role with asset management platform AssetMark.

Wood had been in the role for more than six years, and shortly before leaving discussed with PLANADVISER her work bridging 401(k) plan and participant advisement with wealth management. Carson Group’s advisers can offer 401(k) plans to clients through Carson Complete 401(k), which is a partnership with Vestwell started in 2023.

Erin Wood

“I want to extend my sincerest thanks to everyone at the Carson family for all that I have learned and experienced during my time here,” Wood wrote in a post on LinkedIn. “I would not be prepared for this new adventure without the knowledge and skills I have gained along the way.”

She is now senior vice president of advanced planning at Assetmark.

Correction: Fixes Carson Group headquarter location.