Mesirow to Acquire LeafHouse Financial Advisors, a Division of LeafHouse Financial Group, Expanding Mesirow's Fiduciary Solutions Platform

• Transaction expands Mesirow Fiduciary Solutions by deepening distribution reach and highly customized retirement plan capabilities within its established platform.
• Mesirow Fiduciary Solutions will oversee approximately $138 billion in assets under management and advisement following the transaction.
• LeafHouse Financial Services will continue to focus on developing and expanding technology solutions for advisors and institutional partners.

CHICAGO, May 4, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Mesirow, an independent, employee-owned financial services firm, today announced that it has entered into an agreement to acquire LeafHouse Financial Advisors, a division of LeafHouse Financial Group, a technology company that creates investment solutions for the retirement plan industry.

In conjunction with the transaction, Mesirow will also make a strategic investment in LeafHouse Financial Services to support its ongoing technology development. Following the transaction close, LeafHouse's advisory business will operate as part of Mesirow Fiduciary Solutions, which has powered many of the largest fiduciary programs in the marketplace for nearly 20 years.

The acquisition expands Mesirow's fiduciary solutions capabilities by complementing its established recordkeeper‑integrated model with LeafHouse's strong distribution and customizable approach to retirement plan services. Together, the combined platform will offer a differentiated hybrid model designed to serve advisors, plan sponsors and institutional partners with greater scale, flexibility and technology‑enabled insight.

"LeafHouse significantly enhances our fiduciary solutions platform by expanding our distribution reach while reinforcing our long‑standing commitment to fiduciary excellence," said Ketan Shah, Chief Strategy Officer and General Counsel at Mesirow. "This transaction reflects our strategy of investing in businesses that align culturally, strengthen our capabilities and position Mesirow for long‑term, sustainable growth in attractive markets."

A pioneer in outsourced fiduciary services, Mesirow Fiduciary Solutions is a trusted provider of outsourced ERISA fiduciary, investment due diligence, reporting and custom default solutions to the retirement plan, HSA and IRA marketplaces. The team's technology infrastructure merges proprietary investment due diligence, plan-level reporting and fiduciary compliance engines into dynamic, scalable data connections directly to many of the nation's largest recordkeepers. 

Today, Mesirow's outsourced fiduciary solutions service nearly 10,000 financial advisors and oversees $115.2 billion in assets under management and advisement as of March 31, 2026, a figure expected to grow to approximately $138 billion following the close of the LeafHouse transaction.

"By combining LeafHouse's advisor-centric approach with Mesirow's institutional scale and technology infrastructure, we're creating a stronger, more versatile platform for the retirement marketplace at meaningful and growing scale," said Michael Annin, CFA, President, Mesirow Fiduciary Solutions. "Advisors and plan sponsors will benefit from enhanced service flexibility, improved data integration over time, and the resources of a firm that has been committed to fiduciary responsibility for decades."

Following the transaction, LeafHouse Financial Services will continue to focus on developing and expanding its technology solutions for financial advisors, recordkeepers, trust companies, asset managers and institutional partners.

"This next chapter allows us to build on what we do best—serving advisors with thoughtful technology and practical solutions," said Todd Kading, President and CEO of LeafHouse. "We look forward to accelerating innovation and expanding our impact as we enable advisors and institutions to operate more effectively, communicate better, and make more informed decisions."

The transaction is expected to close in the third quarter of 2026, subject to customary closing conditions.

Going forward, Mesirow will continue to evaluate strategic acquisitions across its diverse, differentiated lines of business, including Mesirow Fiduciary Solutions, that are complementary to existing capabilities and enable the firm to serve a growing number of clients worldwide.

DLA Piper served as legal advisor to Mesirow. Dwyer Murphy Calvert LLP served as legal advisor to LeafHouse and Founders Advisors served as sell-side financial advisors to LeafHouse.

About Mesirow
Mesirow is an independent, employee-owned financial services firm founded in 1937. Headquartered in Chicago, with offices around the world, we serve clients through a personal, custom approach to reaching financial goals and acting as a force for social good. With capabilities spanning Private Capital & Currency, Capital Markets & Investment Banking, and Advisory Services, we invest in what matters: our clients, our communities and our culture.

Mesirow has been named one of the Best Places to Work in Chicago by Crain's Chicago Business multiple times and is one of Barron's Top 100 RIA firms. To learn more, visit mesirow.com, follow us on LinkedIn and subscribe to Spark, our quarterly newsletter.

About LeafHouse
LeafHouse Financial Advisors, LLC specializes in creating investment strategies for retirement plans through enterprise-grade technology, fiduciary services, co-manufactured investment vehicles, personalized managed accounts, and IRA and HSA solutions. The Company collaborates with advisors, recordkeepers, investment managers, and administrators to develop creative programs and build partnerships. The firm modernizes technologies, increases communication, and improves data insights for industry leaders.

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Mesirow refers to Mesirow Financial Holdings, Inc. and its divisions, subsidiaries and affiliates. The Mesirow name and logo are registered service marks of Mesirow Financial Holdings, Inc., © 2026, Mesirow Financial Holdings, Inc. All rights reserved. Investment management services provided through Mesirow Financial Investment Management, Inc., Mesirow Institutional Investment Management, Inc. and Mesirow Financial Private Equity Advisors, Inc., all SEC-registered investment advisors, a CFTC registered commodity trading advisors and member of the NFA, or Mesirow Financial International UK, Ltd. ("MFIUK"), authorized and regulated by the FCA, depending on the jurisdiction.

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