The Colony Group Adds 5 Connectus Wealth Units

Gregory Britton, managing director, wealth management, announced on LinkedIn that he will become principal/managing director of Wealth Management at The Colony Group. ”I’m very excited to begin the next step of my journey with Focus Financial Partners,” Britton said.

The NorthCoast Asset Management business line of Connectus Wealth Advisers, headquartered in Greenwich, Connecticut, also formally joined Focus firm Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC on Monday. NorthCoast Asset Management brings $3.4 billion in AUM to Kovitz.

NorthCoast joined Connectus in 2021 and specializes in quantitative research, a systematic investment process and a rigorous approach to the construction of risk-managed portfolios, Focus said Monday.

“NorthCoast works with both private and institutional clients and complements its financial planning services with an extensive range of proprietary investment solutions, including investment strategies that focus on capital appreciation with downside risk management, and alternative strategies to hedge downside risk when diversifying concentrated stock positions,” Focus said.

Through the transaction, NorthCoast will gain access to an expanded suite of wealth management services for its clients, including private investments and family office offerings.

On May 6, Focus said two of its flagship advisory firm partners — Buckingham Strategic Wealth and The Colony Group — were in advanced discussions to merge in order to unify their resources and talent and further expand their respective capabilities.

Buckingham’s chairman and CEO, Adam Birenbaum, will be the combined company’s CEO, according to the announcement. Colony Group CEO Michael Nathanson, who on April 30 was named CEO of Focus, will shift to serving solely as CEO of Focus.