Bahnsen Group Adds Hightower Naples In First Deal

Tom Burroughes

7 October 2026

The Bahnsen Group is bringing Hightower Naples into its business in its first transaction since becoming a wholly owned independent subsidiary of Hightower Advisors.

Hightower Naples founders David Emma and Mark Masterson will join The Bahnsen Group as managing directors and private wealth advisors when the transaction, agreed for an undisclosed amount, closes on December 31, 2026, the firm said in a statement yesterday. All nine Hightower Naples employees and principals will become TBG employees.

Hightower Naples will add $1.1 billion to TBG’s $10.5 billion, resulting in an $11.6 billion combined business. The enlarged firm will have 115 employees nationwide and 14 offices.

Emma and Masterson founded Hightower Naples after leaving Merrill Lynch in 2011 and were early participants in the Hightower platform. Masterson will join TBG’s investment committee, while Emma will join its leadership advisory council.

The transaction will also expand TBG’s presence in Florida. The firm opened an office in Palm Beach in 2024, while Hightower Naples’ existing office will become TBG’s second location in the state.

“Mark and David see the business the way we do and their team complements ours in every way,” David Bahnsen, managing partner of The Bahnsen Group, said.

TBG became an independent subsidiary of Hightower Advisors on 30 September 2026. The structure is intended to provide a platform for the firm to add other advisory businesses and advisors.

The Naples transaction marks the first step in that expansion, adding an established Florida advisory team and increasing TBG’s national footprint to 14 locations.

Read this article about the Hightower Signature Wealth business, which Chicago-headquartered Hightower Advisors brought out in October last year. HSW is a centralized brand, investment platform and middle- and back-office services for advisors who sign on.