In a statement on 22 January, it said the consideration for the acquisition is £210,000 with a three year earnout, capped and paid for with funds from the group’s own resources.

The December 2023 chairman Jim Mellon’s statement stated that it would “look at accretive acquisitions to continue developing a robust and diversified financial services group to support the ongoing objective of continuously enhancing shareholder value”.

“Albeit currently small, this business with its accompanying UK FCA licences, will provide an excellent platform from which we can build upon to provide general insurance products, together with full financial planning and investment services, to both retail and SME customers based in the UK”, the statement said.

This will include the 100,000 plus customers of Payment Assist Limited. In addition, Cam Wealth would provide synergies in conjunction with the Group owned Isle of Man IFA, Edgewater Associates Limited.

Douglas Grant (pictured), the Group’s CEO said: “The acquisition of CAM Wealth is a significant building block for Manx Financial Group. By integrating CAM Wealth’s expertise into our operations, we unlock opportunities to provide our UK customers with a comprehensive suite of financial planning, investment services, and insurance solutions. This acquisition aligns perfectly with our objective of enhancing shareholder value while exploring new avenues for growth within the UK’s financial landscape.”

Lizz Ewart, director of CAM Wealth Group Holdings Limited said: “I, and my fellow Director, Derek Gawne, are absolutely delighted to become part of the MFG Group of companies and look forward to the enhanced growth prospects afforded with this new relationship.

“We believe this is a real opportunity for us to assist MFG and their customers by providing a broader range of services and skills. We look forward to a mutually successful future”.

It has now made a total of 107 acquisitions. The latest five transactions add approximately £375m assets under advice, 1,100 households as clients and three new offices in Derbyshire, Lincolnshire and Cheshire.

The five acquisitions are: Hallidays Wealth Management in Stockport, Foinaven Asset Management in Ashbourne, Tony Fenton & Sons in Caistor, PW Financial Management in Cheadle and the client book of a longstanding adviser based in Perspective (Home Counties) Ltd.

Karl Fenton, Financial Planner from Tony Fenton & Sons, which now forms the Group’s Lincoln hub office and is renamed as Perspective (Fenton & Danes) said: “We had discussed options for the next phase of our company for some time with Tony approaching his retirement, but with myself, Ben and Jonathan still looking to continue our careers as advisers.

“Perspective was the first company of many that we met with while looking into a sale, and from day one it always seemed like the right fit, not least because of the shared values when it comes to treatment of clients and processes. The journey to completion was tough, as you would expect, but made so much easier by the dedicated and supportive staff throughout the company, who are a pleasure to deal with.”

Financial Planner, Simon Roberts from Foinaven, which becomes Perspective (Foinaven) in Ashbourne said: “After many years of providing a high level of service to our clients, I wanted this to continue indefinitely in a more protected environment for all concerned. After careful consideration I was very pleasantly surprised to meet Perspective, who operate in the same way as we do, and I look forward to continuing the journey to serve our clients with the professionalism they deserve.”

Ian Wilkinson, chief executive officer of Perspective said: “We are delighted to have finished 2024 so strongly, and that these high quality, client-centric firms have chosen to become part of Perspective. We welcome a number of new colleagues to our expanding group, including three new offices to further develop our national footprint.

“We look forward to seeing what 2025 brings for Perspective, and hope that we can continue to capitalise on our strong M&A momentum and pipeline. We are meeting both large and small firms and plan to continue growing at pace with our highly selective acquisition strategy.”

Family First Financial Services specialises in helping clients ensure their financial security in the event of unexpected events, planning for retirement, saving and investing, buying or investing in property, as well guidance on a range of insurance needs. The company has earned a strong reputation across all aspects of financial planning, including wills, potential Inheritance Tax liabilities, and the benefits of trust funds.

Thomas Maddison, acquisitions director at Hoxton Capital Management, said: “This acquisition is a strategic fit for Hoxton Wealth, significantly enhancing our presence in the north of the UK and further advancing our goal of delivering lifestyle financial planning at scale throughout the country.

“I want to extend my gratitude to Mark Horner and Ian McFarlane at Family First for their collaboration throughout this process. Their dedication has been instrumental in ensuring a smooth transition.

“Mark will be personally overseeing the handover period, introducing clients to their new Hoxton advisers and ensuring that all necessary steps are taken for a successful integration. His commitment to providing a personal and warm handover will ensure continuity and trust during this transition.”

Hoxton Capital Management now has more than $2.2bn assets under management (AUM). The company, which was founded in the UAE in April 2018 by British expatriate, Chris Ball, formerly of deVere Group, now employs 300 staff worldwide.

The three firms are Francis Clark Financial Planning, Qi Financial Solutions Ltd and Radcliffe & Co Independent Financial Advisers.

Francis Clark Financial Planning is based across the South and South West of England with nine offices from Bristol to Truro.

Established in 2002, the firm advises on more than £900m of client assets and is ranked among FTAdviser’s top 100 financial advisers.

Francis Clark’s 65-strong chartered financial planning team focuses on building long-term plans with its clients, advising on all areas of financial planning to help them achieve their objectives, and keeping these regularly reviewed to adapt when life changes. The firm advises individuals as well as corporate clients and trusts.

Qi Financial Solutions Ltd is an independent, chartered financial planning firm based in Croydon. The business has a long history of serving individuals and families based primarily in London and the South of England.

Qi Financial Solutions prides itself on building trusted, long-term relationships with clients. The firm advises on over £165m of client assets and employs seven staff, including three chartered financial planners.

Radcliffe & Co Independent Financial Adviser is  based in Southampton and has served clients since 1959. Radcliffe & Co manages £1.5bn in assets and serves more than 3,500 personal clients and 150 corporate employer schemes.

The firm focuses on delivering tailored solutions, with clients’ objectives at the heart of everything. Over the years, Radcliffe & Co has built expertise in working with high-net-worth individuals, business owners, the aviation sector, and independent schools.

Gustaf Rentzhog, chief executive officer at Söderberg & Partners, said: “We are thrilled to announce our investment in three more successful financial advice firms. The UK market is home to many entrepreneurial financial advice businesses which demonstrate strong customer service and an innovative approach to financial planning. We are pleased to be able to support these businesses as they grow.”

Chris Reah, managing director of Francis Clark Financial Planning, said: “We’re really excited to embark on this partnership with Söderberg & Partners. We look forward to working together to develop a market-leading technology platform tailored to the needs of our clients and our people. This will put us at the cutting edge of how financial planning is delivered in the future, enhancing our ability to provide clients with insightful, personalised advice.”

Paul Annys, managing director of Qi Financial Solutions, said: “We are delighted to have the opportunity to partner with Söderberg & Partners and are particularly excited to work with them on integrating new technologies to help support our client proposition. We are constantly striving to improve the services we offer to clients and believe this strategic step will help us enhance what we can offer, both now and in the future, ensuring the best outcomes for our clients.”

Neil Igglesden, managing director of Radcliffe & Co, added: “We have had our share of approaches from industry consolidators and other interested parties, eager to acquire our business. However, it became clear that most of these offers prioritised our revenues from assets under management rather than preserving our unique character and commitment to dedicated client relationships.

“Söderberg & Partners, however, offers a refreshing approach that allows us to maintain our unique identity and business model. We believe this will help address our concerns around ensuring continuity for both clients and staff in an ever-evolving financial landscape.”

These investments form part of Söderberg’s long-term strategy to invest in UK advice firms and support their growth.

In a statement on 14 January, it said the team ended 2024 with the signing of its 87th partner firm through its market leading Downstream Buy Out (DBO) programme, cementing its position as the most proven acquirer in the wealth management sector.

Fairstone said the DBO programme provides ambitious IFA firms who have no desire to sell in the immediate future, the ability to release capital on day one of partnership and then work towards a full sale at a future date of their choosing. Fairstone provides access to investment, resource, and new clients during the partnership period to ensure that each business reaches its optimal value at the date of full acquisition.

Speaking on the firm’s growth in 2024, and the success of the DBO model, Lee Hartley (pictured), CEO of Fairstone said: “Throughout 2024 we have welcomed some fantastic, growth-orientated firms into Fairstone through the DBO programme. Our mission is to become the most trusted wealth advisory firm in the UK and Ireland, with that in mind, the mutual alignment of company values has been fundamental to each acquisition, and to the success of the DBO programme to date.”

He added: “Over the last decade, every firm that has joined Fairstone through the Downstream Buy Out model has received no less than 100% of their initial sale value, with many having achieved a great deal more. Over the last 2 years the average value received after earn-out has been 120%, with the most successful firm hitting an incredible 180%.”

Due to the success of the model, Fairstone’s M&A team have extended the reach of the programme even further. 2024 saw the launch of the firm’s new Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) and Start-up Joint Venture (SJV) models.

The former proposition enables entrepreneurial principals who have already taken their businesses through to full acquisition with Fairstone, to start, build and ultimately sell a new business of scale with infrastructure and capital support. At the other end of the spectrum, the SJV proposition enables clusters of independent, self-employed or employed advisers to become business owners in partnership with Fairstone and work together to create a capital event of their own.

Hartley said: “There are so many fantastic, employed advisers out there whose hard work is creating capital value for others. They are rightly nervous about the risk associated with setting out on their own. We take away that risk, allow them to continue to do what they do best, and ultimately benefit from the significant capital value that they create”.

Fairstone’s deal-making pipeline remains strong, with firms managing over £6bn of AUM engaged in advanced discussions.

Speaking on the year ahead, Hartley added: “Our DBO programme will continue to develop as the market leading offering and be at the heart of our acquisitive activity. The success of our business to date, is largely attributable to how attractive the offering is to ambitious IFA and wealth advisory firm owners. I am really looking forward to seeing what we achieve in the year ahead.”