Curated News
By: NewsRamp Editorial Staff
August 26, 2025
Elite Morgan Stanley & Merrill Lynch Teams Unite to Form $2B Wealth Firm
TLDR
- Longleaf Capital Group combines elite Morgan Stanley and Merrill Lynch expertise to offer clients superior wealth management with $2 billion in assets under advisement.
- Six founding directors with 175+ years experience provide comprehensive services including financial planning, tax strategies, and institutional retirement consulting through Arkadios Capital's platform.
- This independent firm enhances client relationships and financial security by delivering personalized, high-quality wealth management services to individuals and institutions.
- Veteran advisors from competing firms unite to create a $2 billion independent wealth management powerhouse with diverse expertise and institutional support.
Impact - Why it Matters
This development matters because it represents a significant shift in the wealth management industry where top advisors are increasingly choosing independence over traditional wirehouse models. For clients, this means access to more personalized service, broader investment options, and potentially better alignment of interests as advisors operate with greater autonomy. The combination of expertise from both Morgan Stanley and Merrill Lynch creates a powerhouse firm capable of handling complex financial needs while the hybrid RIA model through Arkadios Capital provides institutional resources without the constraints of large bank bureaucracy. This trend could signal more movement toward independent advisory models, potentially raising service standards across the industry.
Summary
In a significant industry development, two elite wealth management teams from Morgan Stanley and Merrill Lynch have joined forces to establish Longleaf Capital Group, an independent firm managing over $2 billion in assets on the Arkadios Capital platform. The six founding directors bring more than 175 years of combined expertise across wealth management, institutional investing, accounting, banking, and insurance, representing a growing trend of top advisors leaving major wirehouses for the independence and flexibility of the hybrid RIA model.
The team includes highly credentialed professionals such as Todd P. Thornell, Sr. and Cory A. Singletary from Merrill Lynch, along with C. Thomas Lee, George M. Liddon, Jonathan D. Lee, and Lee E. Forehand from Morgan Stanley. These veterans have guided clients through multiple market cycles while advising on complex estate, tax, and retirement planning matters for high-net-worth individuals, families, and institutions. Their combined capabilities now offer comprehensive services including financial planning, institutional retirement consulting, alternative investments, and philanthropic advisory under one roof.
Arkadios Capital, recognized as one of the fastest-growing companies in Georgia and a top independent broker-dealer, provides the institutional-quality platform and resources that enable Longleaf Capital Group to operate entrepreneurially while maintaining high service standards. CEO David Millican emphasized the rarity of such a high-caliber team uniting, positioning the new firm to deliver exceptional comprehensive services to clients at the highest level from their Dothan, Alabama base.
Source Statement
This curated news summary relied on content disributed by citybiz. Read the original source here, Elite Morgan Stanley & Merrill Lynch Teams Unite to Form $2B Wealth Firm
