IFA and investment management firm One Four Nine Group has acquired financial planning and wealth management services provider 1st Chartered Financial Planning for an undisclosed sum.
1st Chartered Financial Planning was established in 1991 by Sylvia Bentham. The business, which was originally named Sylvia Joyce & Associates until 2008, was one of the very first firms in the UK – and currently the only one in Lancashire – to achieve accredited financial planning firm status from the Chartered Institute for Securities & Investment (CISI).
The transaction marks One Four Nine Group’s ninth acquisition since launching in October 2021 and expands its nationwide footprint further into the northwest region. The addition of 1st Chartered Financial Planning to One Four Nine Group will increase the number of advisers in the group to 36 and the client numbers to nearly 4,500.
Following the acquisition, 1st Chartered Financial Planning has been rebranded to One Four Nine Wealth. The launch of One Four Nine Wealth, the financial advice arm of One Four Nine Group. 1st Chartered Financial Planning has been rebranded to One Four Nine Wealth immediately on completion of the transaction, with other group locations to follow.
One Four Nine Wealth will operate alongside discretionary investment management business One Four Nine Portfolio Management. One Four Nine Group said it will continue to acquire “carefully selected advice firms alongside dedicating significant resource for the rest of 2023 to its integration strategy”, the firm said.
Gabrielle Beaumont, chief executive for One Four Nine Group, said: “Sylvia and her team have built an excellent client offering which was a natural fit for the collaborative and collegiate culture here at One Four Nine – I am thrilled to welcome them aboard. It is particularly exciting to have 1st Chartered Financial Planning turbo-charge our integration and rebranding programme as we officially launch One Four Nine Wealth.
“Sylvia understood and shared our vision to create a unified brand identity across our locations as we build a first-class national wealth advisory and discretionary investment management business which is ready to meet the current challenges facing today’s clients. We are in a strong position following a robust period of expansion and I am looking forward to leading the business through this next stage in our evolution.”
This deal comes several months after One Four Nine Group acquired Plymouth-based IFA business Rainbird & Co for an undisclosed sum.