25th October 2019
Succession Wealth, the independent UK wealth management and financial planning firm, has today announced its acquisition of Investors Planning Associates Ltd (IPA), the national financial advisory firm with almost £500m funds under management (FUM). Dow Schofield Watts Transaction Services provided financial due diligence.
Underpinning Succession’s ongoing focus on profitable, nationwide expansion and integration of large-scale businesses, this latest acquisition pushes Succession Wealth’s total FUM to close to £8.5bn and increases its client base to nearly 22,000.
IPA was founded in 1970 by former Middlesex and Oxford University cricketer, Maurice Manasseh. Nearly 50 years on, 1,750 IPA clients are now joining Succession Wealth in addition to 18 high-calibre and experienced planners, and 26 administrators.
Like Succession Wealth, IPA has a national presence and staff will integrate with, and add capacity to, Succession’s 15 offices around the country. The team that joins the Amersham office and the client portfolios they bring with them means that Succession Wealth in Amersham becomes the group’s first regional office to manage more than £2bn FUM.
IPA is the 11th business to have been acquired by Succession Wealth since 2018. It marks the group’s commitment to purchasing and integrating substantial, value-driven financial services firms.
Said James Stevenson, Succession Wealth CEO: “IPA is a quality business, with an excellent reputation. It has a significant number of professionals working in sport and entertainment who require specialist financial advice. We are thrilled to welcome them on board.
“Both our firms share a similar ‘distributed model’ structure, with planners operating across multiple locations in England and Scotland. This means we can integrate and support IPA’s planners wherever they are based. I see a very positive future for IPA’s clients and staff within the group.
“Succession Wealth has a very strong transition and integration capability and is actively looking at large, quality financial advice firms for acquisition. We continue to build our regional presence and are in the fortunate position of being able to draw on both highly skilled people and a very client-centric operating structure to create maximum value for our clients right across the UK.”
Jo-Anne Smithson, IPA chief executive, commented: “Since the 1970s, IPA’s distinct culture has been all about looking after clients. We have always believed that by putting them first, everything else will follow. Over the past five decades, we have built up trusted, personal relationships with our advisers and clients. They have always been our best advocates.
“As we approached the milestone of our 50th year, we recognised that we needed to be part of a larger organisation so we could secure the next 50 years for our clients and staff. We have been looking to join a firm which met those objectives and are delighted to be joining such a dynamic group.
“Succession Wealth shares our ethos and our friendly, collaborative culture. It is a perfect fit. James and the team recognised at outset that the key to a successful integration was a combination of the people and the planning. All our staff are on side and the integration process is going very well.”
