Carson Group Kicks Off Flagship Excell Conference; Unveils New Partnership Model and Updated Technology Offering

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May 30, 2018, 09:30 ET

LAS VEGAS, May 30, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Carson Group, a family of companies committed to being the most trusted for financial advice and guidance while serving advisors and investors, today announced several enhancements to its advisor offering, including a new equity partnership model that allows advisors to adopt the Carson Wealth brand.

The announcement was made during the opening day of Excell 2018, the firm's annual industry-wide conference, which this year boasts record attendance of nearly 1,000 advisors, team members and industry executives. This high-energy setting also offered the ideal backdrop for the firm to unveil the next generation of its Digital Client Experience, which will serve as the single-entry portal for 80 percent of its advisors' daily activity.

Carson Wealth Equity Model Gaining Momentum

The newly introduced equity partner option represents an alternative to the fully independent partnership that underpins Carson Group's traditional partnership services. Advisors now have the option to arrange a 25 percent investment, whereby Carson Group acquires equity in their firm. This agreement enables participating advisors to adopt the trusted Carson Wealth name and enjoy the brand recognition of a Barron's Hall of Fame firm, all while maintaining majority stake in – and complete ownership of – their practice. Since introducing this partnership offering on a limited scale earlier this year, three firms – collectively managing $1.3 billion in assets -- have signed on, which will bring the total number of Carson Wealth offices to 11 locations nationally.

"Our growth in the first half of 2018 can be traced back to one thing: our AQ (Adaptability Quotient) as an organization," said Ron Carson, CEO and founder of Carson Group. "The Carson Wealth equity offering is just one of the solutions we've created to empower advisors' growth, while recognizing their need for autonomy. We pride ourselves on being nimble, as evidenced by the speed with which we're able to roll out fresh solutions, services and technology. Advisors see this, and it instils a sense of confidence and comfort they're not used to experiencing when engaging other institutions that claim to support their accelerated growth."

New Tech Improves Client Service; Boosts Advisor Productivity and Firm Growth

Carson Group attributes much of its recent momentum, which has the firm poised to surpass $6 billion in assets under management, to its continuously evolving technology stack. The Digital Client Experience, which was introduced last year to overwhelmingly positive feedback, has been updated to offer yet more functionality for advisors and clients alike, based on the feedback and suggestions the organization received from its partner firms and their clients.

In its newest iteration, the Digital Client Experience now includes an entire advisor dashboard. Through a comprehensive portal, advisors are afforded access to the systems, tools and processes that have proven to drive growth. This single integrated interface allows advisors to perform a broad range of functions: from showing the top five prospects a firm has in its pipeline, to providing a view on the status of current clients' annual reviews. The new toolset is also now able to generate a client-ready report ("Personalized Game Plan") in a matter of mere minutes. This Personalized Game Plan incorporates priority action items, legacy planning details and key considerations for each financial plan -- including a recap of the client's priorities, investment mapping, current risk tolerance score and real-time strategy allocation – as well as a summary of the Value of Relationship™ (VoR).

The new Carson Wealth equity offering and the enhanced tech platform are key drivers of what is already a record-setting growth year: both for Carson Group and its advisors. The firm's engaged partner advisors, on average, saw asset growth of 41.29 percent over the last year.¹ The growth hasn't come at a cost with regards to work/life balance, either: firms reported that their advisors, on average, are experiencing a 32.7 percent increase in love of their business as a result of joining Carson Group Partners.²

About Carson Group
Carson Group Holdings ("Carson Group") serves financial advisors and investors through its businesses including Carson Wealth, Carson Group Coaching, and Carson Group Partners. The conglomerate of companies offers coaching and partnership services to advisor firms – and straightforward financial advice to the investing public.

Founded in 1983, Carson Wealth has grown to become a Barron's Hall of Fame firm, serving clients through holistic financial planning, disciplined investment strategies, and proactive personal service.

Founded in 1993, Carson Group Coaching is a leading national financial advisor coaching and resource program designed to help growth-minded advisors build their businesses through coaching support, tested action plans, and accountability that drive proven results.

Founded in 2012, Carson Group Partners simplifies the complexity of running a wealth management firm by managing and executing marketing, compliance, technology, investment management, and operations for advisor firms.

All three organizations are headquartered in Omaha, Nebraska, and share a common mission to be the most trusted for financial advice. For more information, visit www.carsongroup.com.

Carson Wealth and Carson Group Partners are DBA as CWM, LLC. Securities offered through Cetera Advisor Network s LLC, Member FINRA/SIPC. Investment advisory services offered through CWM, LLC, an SEC Registered Investment Advisor. Cetera Advisor Networks LLC is under separate ownership from any other named entity.

The press release contains statements related to our future business and financial performance and future events or developments involving Carson Group that may constitute forward-looking statements. These statements may be identified by words such as "expect," "look forward to," "anticipate" "intend," "plan," "believe," "seek," "estimate," "will," "project" or words of similar meaning. Such statements are based on the current expectations and certain assumptions of Carson Group's management, of which many are beyond Carson Group's control. These are subject to a number of risks, uncertainties and factors which if one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or should underlying expectations not occur or assumptions prove incorrect, actual results, performance or achievements of Carson Group may (negatively or positively) vary materially from those described explicitly or implicitly in the relevant forward-looking statement. Carson Group or any affiliates of Carson Group neither intends, nor assumes any obligation, to update or revise these forward-looking statements in light of developments which differ from those anticipated.

¹Carson Group 2017 - The growth statistic is an AUM vs AUM YOY measurement from 2016 to 2017, and is an average of the growth rates for the Carson Group Partner firms being measured. It does capture market impact as well as contributions/distributions and other types of asset flows. It reflects the growth of only firms that were through their transformation period (at least six months from the start of their transition on September 30, 2016).

²Carson Group Partners Relationship Management Survey – December 2017

SOURCE Carson Group