The move is an example of Dynasty seeking to make itself a central player in how RIAs expand, both via acquisitions and organically.

Dynasty Financial Partners said yesterday that it has formalized the Dynasty Consulting Group, a management consulting division that works with RIAs. The move comes as Dynasty is buying Optima Group, a strategic advisory and brand-building firm, Dynasty said in a statement.

“The result will be a consulting offering unlike anything else available to the RIA community,” Dynasty said.

As part of the process, Kenneth R Hoffman, Optima’s president will be head of the new group. The Optima team will join Dynasty, including managing director Ellen H McKay and director of client strategy Peter K Ward. This transaction – for an undisclosed sum – will close in the coming weeks. 

St Petersburg, Florida-headquartered Dynasty said its new group benefits from Dynasty supporting more than 725 advisors and over $125 billion in assets under administration. 

Optima Group, founded in 1979, operates from headquarters in Fairfield, Connecticut.

"Our advisors bring their best thinking to their clients' business and financial needs, so we owe them the same in return structured assessments, clear advice, and a roadmap to sharpen their positioning and accelerate their growth," Justin Weinkle, chief financial officer of Dynasty Financial Partners. "The Dynasty Consulting Group makes these services available on the very same platform where we already meet our firms' technology, operations, investment, and capital needs. It's all in one place, and it's all designed to create lasting enterprise value."

The move is an example of Dynasty seeking to make itself a central player in how RIAs expand, both via acquisitions and organically. The sector is riding a multi-trillion-dollar wave of intergenerational wealth transfer, as well as older advisors selling up to retire, and others looking to build scale to cope with rising client expectations and tech spending. Dynasty also has its own investment banking business, launched in 2023. (See an article from 2025 about developments.)

"We are building the consulting business of the future," Shirl Penney (pictured below), founder and CEO of Dynasty Financial Partners, said. "For years, Dynasty has been a growth partner and value creation partner to some of the top RIAs in the country delivering high-end intellectual property, leading-edge technology, and the support of experienced operators.

“Now, by combining that with Optima Group's decades of expertise in strategy, branding, and marketing, we can offer something no one else can: a single, integrated partner that brings together an all-inclusive technology platform, one of the largest investment platforms in the industry, a dedicated investment bank, access to capital, leads via Dynasty Connect, and now truly sophisticated consulting,” he said. 

Shirl Penney

"We've always believed that clarity is the foundation of sustained growth. Joining Dynasty with its extraordinary platform, capital, and operating expertise gives us the ability to bring that approach to more firms, and to back it with resources no independent advisory firm has ever had access to before,” Hoffman said.

Dynasty Investment Bank is serving as financial advisor to Dynasty Financial Partners on the transaction.