Focus Partner firm, GW & Wade, a Wellesley, MA-based independent registered investment advisor, has added industry veteran Paul St Onge to its team.

Focus Financial Partners firm, GW & Wade, a Wellesley, MA-based independent registered investment advisor, has added Paul St Onge to its team.

St Onge is an East Greenwich, RI-based registered investment advisor with $150 million in client assets.

“We were first introduced to Paul by Focus as part of its Successions Program, which is designed to help RIAs identify suitable partners to ensure the stability and longevity of their practices,” said Eric Rosenberg, the partner at GW & Wade who led the integration.

St Onge has run an RIA firm since 1983, acting as a sole practitioner serving clients in New England and Florida. He signed a succession agreement with GW & Wade in 2013 and six months later the parties decided that he would formally merge with GW & Wade as part of his retirement and client transition plan (he will continue managing his clients’ assets).

Focus’ Successions Program matches advisors with an existing Focus partner firm offering the most similar business model, considering factors like client service, investment philosophy and culture. Advisors participating in the program choose if and/or when to activate the succession plan and agree in advance to the terms under which a transition would occur.