RLR Strategic Partners Rebrands As Ascentix Partners, Launches Network of Elite Consultancies Focused on Accelerating Growth for Wealth Management Enterprises

Network of Independent Strategic Partners to Drive End-to-End Solutions Across Growth Planning, M&A, Technology, Finance, Compliance & Supervision, Brand Elevation & Communications

Expansion Follows Recent Additions to Senior Team of Industry Leaders Jim Nagengast, Jim Roth and Todd Glassman

NEW YORK, Aug. 7, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- RLR Strategic Partners ("RLR"), a leading strategy and M&A advisory firm serving the wealth management space founded by industry leader Larry Roth ten years ago, today announced it has rebranded to Ascentix Partners ("Ascentix").

Alongside the rebrand, the firm has launched the Ascentix Partners Network ("the Network"), a high-impact alliance of independent consulting firms that serve as Strategic Partners, to deliver coordinated, multi-disciplinary expertise to wealth management enterprises in both the RIA and dual registrant segments.  The Network will also collaborate in serving enterprises in adjacent sectors, such as wealthtech, regtech and investment management.

Ascentix Strategic Partners are top-tier, independent firms with highly complementary capabilities spanning growth strategy, M&A advisory, technology strategy and implementation, strategic finance & value creation, benefits consulting, compliance & supervision, brand strategy, marketing, and public relations.

The Strategic Partner firms (and the capabilities they bring to the Network) include:

• BridgeMark Strategies, led by Jeff Nash (financial advisor M&A)
  
  
• GreenLine Consultants, represented within the Network by Hilda Wong-Doo (technology strategy & execution)
  
  
• Essential Edge Compliance Outsourcing Services, led by Sander Ressler (compliance & supervision as well as regulatory affairs consulting)
  
  
• Advisor Group Benefits, represented by Chris Paulitz (financial advisor and enterprise benefits strategy)
  
  
• Haven Tower Group, led by Joe Kuo (brand strategy, marketing and PR)

Addressing Fragmentation in the Expert Services Landscape

"Shifting demographics, transformative technologies and ongoing consolidation have created extraordinary opportunities for growth across the wealth management industry," said Larry Roth, Founder & Managing Partner of Ascentix Partners. "To seize these opportunities, firms need to work with proven third-party experts and consultants across disciplines—and do so within a structure that empowers collaboration, alignment and execution. That's what Ascentix delivers."

Roth added, "The consultant landscape in our industry is highly fragmented, which makes it difficult for firms to find the right partners, let alone coordinate among them. With Ascentix and our network of strategic partner firms, we offer clients a seamless solution, backed by unmatched experience and deep-rooted, value-add relationships across the wealth management ecosystem."

Building on Recent Addition of Industry Leaders to Ascentix

The Ascentix rebrand and the launch of its Network follows the firm's recent expansion of its team of senior professionals, including:

• Jim Roth, Partner, former SVP of Enterprise Sales & Solutions at BetaNXT
  
  
• Jim Nagengast, Partner, former CEO of Securities America
  
  
• Todd Glassman, Partner, strategic finance and value creation executive for wealth management enterprises

Joe Kuo joins Larry Roth as Co-Founder & Managing Partner of Ascentix, while continuing to serve as CEO & Founder of Haven Tower Group. Katherine Paulson, Partner & CMO at Haven Tower Group, will be Chief Marketing Officer of Ascentix. Drew Brophy remains the firm's Chief of Staff.

Formalizing a Longstanding Strategic Alliance

"The Ascentix Network is the natural next step for a community of close-knit firms that have long worked with one another and grown stronger together over many years," said Kuo.

"What binds our Strategic Partner firms is a shared passion for exceptional service, deep trust in each other's expertise and an unwavering belief in the future of our industry. Together, we have the capabilities, relationships and knowledge to move the needle across every major function of enterprise growth in the wealth management space."

About Ascentix Partners

Ascentix Partners serves a wide range of industry participants, including RIA aggregators and consolidators, hybrid and standalone RIA firms, independent broker-dealer and corporate RIA enterprises, wealthtech providers, and third-party platforms such as asset managers, insurers, and industry associations. The firm also partners with private capital sources entering or expanding into the wealth management space. With unmatched strategic relationships, the Ascentix Partners Network encompasses nearly 100 professionals across the nation. For more information, visit www.ascentix.com

Media Contacts
Mitch Manning or Donald Cutler
Haven Tower Group
424 317 4858 or 414 317 4864
[email protected] or [email protected]

SOURCE Ascentix Partners