Family-Owned Freehold Wealth Management Joins Osaic, Adding $576 Million in Assets

In a significant move that underscores the ongoing shift toward independent wealth management, Freehold Wealth Management, a prominent South Carolina-based estate planning firm, has officially transitioned to Osaic’s national independent broker-dealer (IBD) network. The move brings approximately $576 million in client assets under the Osaic umbrella, further bolstering the platform’s footprint in the independent advisory space.

Freehold Wealth Management, headquartered in Landrum, South Carolina, was formerly affiliated with Stifel Independent Advisors. The transition follows a period of corporate restructuring for the firm’s previous partner, as Stifel Independent Advisors was acquired by Equitable Advisors earlier this year in a deal that concluded in February 2026. For Freehold, the migration to Osaic represents a strategic realignment aimed at securing the long-term future of a practice built on deep-seated family values and multigenerational planning.

A Firm Rooted in Multi-Generational Continuity

The story of Freehold Wealth Management is fundamentally one of family continuity. Founded originally as a husband-and-wife practice by Cynthia "Cindy" Boyle and John Boyle, the firm has successfully navigated the complexities of transition and expansion. Today, the firm’s leadership includes their daughter, Mary Steele, who currently serves as the firm’s managing partner. This generational handoff is not merely a component of their internal structure but a core philosophy that permeates their client service model.

The firm has evolved significantly from its original Carolinas-based roots. While maintaining its South Carolina foundation, Freehold has extended its geographic reach, with financial professionals now providing advisory services to clients across Wisconsin, Michigan, and North Carolina. This expansion reflects the firm’s ambition to provide high-touch, estate- and trust-oriented guidance to a geographically and demographically diverse client base.

For the leadership at Freehold, the decision to join Osaic was driven by a need for a partner that could provide the scale and resources necessary to sustain a multi-generational business. Key factors in their selection included Osaic’s platform scale, its sophisticated asset management capabilities—specifically those offered through Ladenburg Thalmann Asset Management, an Osaic affiliate—and the firm’s comprehensive suite of succession-planning resources.

"Freehold Wealth Management has always been built around family, trusted relationships, and helping clients plan thoughtfully for the future," said Cindy Boyle. "Osaic offers the scale and depth of resources we were seeking while preserving the close-knit, entrepreneurial environment that is central to our culture."

Mary Steele, who joined the practice to work alongside her parents, highlighted how the move to Osaic is essential for the firm’s long-term strategic goals. "I’m focused on building our family business into a firm that can serve clients and their families for decades to come," Steele said. "Osaic’s community, succession-planning capabilities, and broad wealth management resources give us a strong foundation for that next chapter. We’re excited to collaborate with and work in a community that understands both where we have come from and where we want to go."

Osaic’s Strategic Focus on Succession and Scale

The acquisition of Freehold Wealth Management aligns with a broader, sustained initiative by Osaic—formerly known as Advisor Group—to recruit and support firms that prioritize long-term continuity. Since its 2023 rebrand, the Scottsdale-based platform has aggressively positioned itself as a destination for advisors looking for stability and transition support. Backed by private equity firm Reverence Capital Partners, Osaic currently supports more than 11,000 financial professionals across the United States.

Succession planning has emerged as a cornerstone of Osaic’s recruitment and retention strategy. This focus is backed by compelling industry data; analysts project that more than $124 trillion in assets will transfer generationally by 2048, creating an urgent need for firms that can provide reliable, advisor-led transition services.

Earlier in 2025, Osaic signaled its commitment to this trend by taking a majority stake in the Nashville-based Innovative Wealth Team, which specializes in providing succession planning services for advisors approaching retirement. Additionally, the platform strengthened its technological capabilities last year by deepening its partnership with RISR, a provider of succession-planning software that offers advisors access to essential business valuation and transition tools.

Shannon Reid, the president of Osaic and head of advisor growth and engagement, noted that the Freehold team represents the ideal profile for the platform. Reid, who joined Osaic earlier this year following a successful tenure at Raymond James, brings a personal perspective to the relationship, having worked alongside Freehold’s leadership during their mutual involvement with the Financial Services Institute (FSI) Board.

"Freehold Wealth Management represents the type of entrepreneurial, client-focused firm that thrives at Osaic," Reid stated. "They built a meaningful multigenerational business grounded in personal service and long-term relationships, and we are proud to support their continued growth across the communities they serve."

A Changing Landscape for Independent Advisors

The addition of Freehold is part of a series of recent recruitment successes for Osaic. The firm has recently onboarded several other notable practices, including Pearce Financial, Signature Private Wealth Management, and Neville & Associates. These moves occur as Osaic shifts its corporate narrative away from the heavy consolidation that defined its previous years. Following a period of integrating multiple legacy broker-dealer brands into one unified entity, the company is now emphasizing sustainable, organic growth as its primary objective.

The transition also signals a shift in the internal composition of Freehold. In addition to the core family leadership, the team moving to Osaic includes a group of experienced financial professionals, among them Shelley Strobel-Erhardt, James Thornton, Mark Bloomer, Michael Wiseman, and Jerry Pyles. These advisors will contribute to the firm’s expanded reach and its ability to provide specialized trust and estate planning services.

As the industry faces the dual pressure of aging advisor demographics and the increasing demand for complex estate planning, firms like Freehold are increasingly seeking the stability of large-scale platforms. By partnering with Osaic, Freehold aims to leverage the platform’s infrastructure to solve the inherent challenges of the "wealth transfer" era.

For Osaic, the partnership is a validation of their pivot toward service-oriented growth. The platform’s ability to attract family-run, culture-heavy firms suggests that even as the wealth management industry consolidates, the demand for personalized, relationship-driven advisory models remains at the forefront of the business.

The integration of Freehold into Osaic’s network marks not just the movement of assets, but a deliberate decision by a family-led firm to ensure that its legacy—and the financial security of its clients—is preserved through the next generation of leadership and beyond. As Osaic continues to refine its offerings and expand its advisor community, the focus on succession planning and long-term continuity is likely to remain the defining characteristic of its competitive strategy.