Carson Group Founder and CEO Steps Down

Carson Group founder and CEO Ron Carson is stepping down to become chairman of the board to be replaced by managing partner and chief strategy officer Bart White, the firm announced Tuesday.

Ron Carson

Carson founded the Omaha, Nebraska-based registered investment advisory in 1983 and built it to a $35.5 billion shop working with 50,000 families via a network of 150 adviser partners and divisions Carson Wealth, Carson Coaching and Carson Partners.

Carson will retain majority ownership of the firm and, as chairman, will focus on the “longer-term future of the company,” according to the announcement. He will also spend more time to “further his family’s humanitarian impact and champion initiatives such as feeding the hungry, providing clean water and supporting mental health.”

White, who joined the firm two years ago, is now leading the firm’s “advisor-centric growth strategy.” A replacement has not been named for his chief strategy role.

“I am proud of the legacy we’re building, the growth of our advisor community and the impact we’ve had on thousands of lives,” Carson said in a statement. “As we have advanced our mission, I realize that to continue to be a growth leader in the RIA space, we must adopt a bifocal ability to execute on what’s right in front of us while also innovating and anticipating the needs of our advisors – and clients – years and even decades from now.”

In July 2021, Bain Capital took a minority investment in the firm to assist in fueling the firm’s acquisition strategy, with a release at the time marking assets at more than $17 billion. The capital infusion was followed by a number of acquisitions, helping to more than doubling Carson’s client assets in that time period.

Burt White

Some of those transactions included qualified retirement plan advisement, such as a December 2023 acquisition of Oakeson Steiner Wealth & Retirement. At the start of 2023, Carson announced it would be offering business-owning clients its own Carson Complete 401(k) offering through a partnership with digital recordkeeper Vestwell.

Before joining Carson, White was managing director and chief investment officer at LPL Financial for 14 years, during which he led development and implementation of its digital and wealth management product organization, according to the announcement.

Teri Shepherd and Aaron Schaben will remain co-presidents of the firm, roles they have held since July 2019. Jamie Hopkins, a prominent former managing partner of wealth solutions at the firm, left in September 2023 to join Bryn Mawr Trust as senior vice president, director of private wealth management.

Carson’s wealth unit had previously used LPL for brokerage services, but moved to Cetera in 2017, according to a release at the time.