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Deals Of The Day: The Latest In Wealth Management M&A – NorthRock Partners, Martin & Associates, Elevation Point, Others
Editorial Staff
28 January 2026
NorthRock Partners, Martin & Associates The Forta business is led by Will Turner, principal and wealth advisor; Jon Shurtz, principal and wealth advisor; and Harrison "Taylor" McDougal, principal and wealth advisor. The team also includes Brandon Marvel, associate, client services; Holly Hynes, manager of team and client services; and Madeline Armstrong, financial advisor. The practice works with clients including C-suite executives, business owners, wealthy multi-generational families, physicians, endowments and non-profit organizations, and professional athletes. Bluespring has more than $6 billion in assets under management.
NorthRock Partners, a financial advice firm, said this week that Martin & Associates, an Illinois–based advisory firm previously affiliated with Ameriprise Financial, has joined NorthRock.
The addition, which is expected to bring about $500 million in assets under management, marks NorthRock's first transaction of 2026, as the firm surpasses $11 billion in total AuM.
“This partnership reinforces our Personal Office® model, and we believe that the next era of wealth management will be built by firms willing to rethink how advice is delivered,” Rob Nelson, CEO and founder of NorthRock Partners, said.
Five employees of Martin & Associates will join as part of the move, bringing their clients to NorthRock's platform as part of the integration.
Elevation Point
Elevation Point, which takes minority stakes in independent advisors and breakaway firms, said this week that it has invested in Forta Wealth Partners, based in Indianapolis, Indiana.
Forta Wealth Partners is a trade name of Elevation Point Wealth Partners, an SEC-registered investment advisor. The Forta team, which oversees over $900 million in assets under supervision from its prior firm, previously operated as The Turner Group within Merrill Lynch Wealth Management.
Forta Wealth Partners operates across the US in Indiana, California, Tennessee, South Carolina, North Carolina, and Texas.
Elevation Point collaborates with Goldman Sachs, giving access to Goldman Sachs Custody Solutions.
Bluespring, Coghill
Bluespring Wealth Partners, which buys RIAs and other wealth managers, said this week that it has partnered with Coghill Investment Strategies, which operates from Pittsburgh.
Coghill’s team looks after about $600 million in assets under management. It is led and owned by Carrie Coghill, who founded the business in 2011.
Besides winning industry accolades, Coghill frequently contributes views in local and national media, including CNBC. Coghill has also written personal finance books such as What’s Your Investing IQ? and The Newlyweds’ Guide to Investing & Personal Finance. She also serves on the board of the Magee Women’s Research Institute & Foundation, which focuses on advancing women’s health research and fundraising efforts, and brought the national “Women on Boards” initiative to Pittsburgh – a campaign aiming to increase female representation on corporate boards to 20 per cent by 2020 and beyond.