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Sowell Management’s Insights & Impact

Sowell Management is proud to be featured in respected industry publications, sharing insights that support advisor independence and client-focused growth. Explore our latest media coverage, expert commentary, and thought leadership—demonstrating our commitment to helping independent financial advisors navigate complexity, deliver value, and strengthen their businesses.

Finalists of the 2026 Wealth Management Industry Awards

June 12, 2026

The 2026 Wealth Management Industry Awards, or #Wealthies, celebrate outstanding achievement in support of financial advisor success. Now in its 12th year, the “Wealthies” is the only awards program of its kind celebrating the organizations and individuals who bring new innovations to market and make a real difference to the daily activities of financial advisors. Congratulations to SVP Marketing ...

CIO perspectives on H2 2026: Sowell’s Dooley

June 2, 2026

Alternatives Watch continues its CIO survey with Scott Dooley, CIO for Sowell Management, a wealth management firm based in North Little Rock, Ark. Dooley has more than two decades of executive experience across institutional investment and wealth management firms. At Sowell, he customizes investment solutions that align with the goals of advisors and their clients. Sowell recently announced it se ...

Wealth Management Marketing Is in its AI Era. Will Authenticity Be the Trade-Off?

May 19, 2026

Personalized service remains at the heart of the financial advisor/client relationship and will remain so: It is what clients consistently demand and what advisors consistently want to provide. Intent is not the issue. Scalability is. The Great Wealth Transfer is creating a new breed of client – heirs and beneficiaries who are more tech savvy than earlier generations, are not just digital native ...

Sowell Launches Advisors Partnership Program With Backing From Merchant

May 6, 2026

Sowell Management, a registered investment advisor in North Little Rock, Ark., managing $6.5 billion in client assets, said private equity firm Merchant has taken a minority equity stake in the firm to help it launch its Advisor Partnership Program (APP) and grow through acquisitions. Sowell didn’t disclose details of Merchant’s capital infusion. Merchant, based in New York City, describes ...

Merchant invests in $6.5bn Sowell Management

May 4, 2026

RIA investor Merchant Investment Management has taken a stake in Sowell Management, an Arkansas wealth manager and platform services business with roughly $6.5bn in assets under management. Sowell, which is based in North Little Rock, plans to use the fresh capital from Merchant to help fund a new business initiative known as the Advisor Partnership Program (APP) which will help it take minori ...

Sowell Management Adds High-Net-Worth Division with Cache River Private Wealth

May 1, 2026

Another large RIA is rolling out family-office-type services to attract high-net-worth clients who are expecting more of their financial advisors. Sowell Management recently launched Cache River Private Wealth, a wholly owned division purpose-built to serve households with over $5 million in net worth. “Cache River Private Wealth is a strategic expansion of the Sowell ecosystem,” said Daryl Seat ...

Sowell Management plans recruiting push for advisors serving $5M+ clients

April 28, 2026

Sowell Management, an Arkansas-based registered investment advisor with $6.5 billion in assets under management and advisement, has launched Cache River Private Wealth to serve its growing sector of clients with net worth of $5 million and above. Cache River Private Wealth will provide “family office lite” services to what founder Bill Sowell refers to as “high net worth plus” client households ...

Sowell Management Launches Cache River Private Wealth To Serve High-Net-Worth Households

April 28, 2026

Sowell Management, a registered investment advisor serving financial advisors and their clients nationwide, has launched Cache River Private Wealth, a wholly owned division purpose-built to serve households with $5 million or more in net worth. The new division is designed to offer a family office lite experience, combining advanced planning, portfolio architecture, and coordinated tax strategies ...

Q&A: Bill Sowell of Sowell Management on the Succession Planning Imperative

April 9, 2026

The wealth management industry is on the precipice of a historic wave of advisor retirements. As a result, succession planning has shifted from a long-term consideration to a critical business need. With a significant number of advisors nearing or past retirement age, tens of thousands are expected to make their exit over the next decade. A massive amount of assets will be in transition. For many ...

Sowell Management Adds Significant AI Resources After Naming Altruist an Enterprise Custodial Partner

March 2, 2026

Sowell Management, the $6 billion RIA headquartered in Arkansas, has announced it is ramping up its technology and AI capabilities by partnering with Altruist to offer custodial services and support to its advisors. Through the new enterprise partnership, Sowell’s advisors will also have access to Hazel, Altruist’s new AI platform that has implications for how advisors conduct business and interac ...

Wealth firms double down on AI as Sowell and Guardian forge new tech alliances

March 2, 2026

Two major wealth management players are accelerating their adoption of artificial intelligence through new strategic technology partnerships aimed at reshaping how financial advisors serve clients and scale their businesses. Sowell Management has entered an enterprise agreement with wealth technology platform Altruist, while The Guardian Life Insurance Company of America has aligned with AI-nati ...

Sowell Management Taps AssetMark Executive as Chief Development Officer

February 18, 2026

Continuing its executive team buildout, Sowell Management has announced that Vincent Gimarelli has joined the firm as its first Chief Development Officer. The former AssetMark sales executive will report to CEO Daryl Seaton and lead Sowell’s growth strategy across business development, organic advisor recruiting, investment management growth and distribution, and strategic relationship management. ...

Sowell Management Names Daryl Seaton As CEO

January 19, 2026

Little Rock, Arkansas-based RIA Sowell Management named Daryl Seaton as CEO in a transition the firm said has been planned for years. Seaton joined the firm in 2020, first as Chief Operating Officer, then becoming President in 2023. Firm Founder Bill Sowell becomes Chief Strategy Officer, with a focus on long-term strategic and inorganic growth, including mergers and acquisitions, according to a ...

Sowell’s Erin Taylor Wins National Marketing Award

December 24, 2025

Erin Taylor of North Little Rock’s Sowell Management has been named Chief Marketing Officer of the Year by the ThinkAdvisor 2025 Luminaries Awards. The Luminaries, now in their fifth year, spotlight outstanding contributions from both organizations and individuals while redefining excellence in financial services. Taylor is the senior vice president of marketing for the North Little Rock nationa ...

A Conversation with Bill Sowell, Founder and CEO of Sowell Management on What RIAs Should Be Thinking About Going Into 2026

December 19, 2025

From continued (and sometimes surprising) M&A activity to rapid AI adoption to uncertain macroeconomics, RIAs had plenty to contend with in 2025. As this eventful year comes to a close, I spoke again with Bill Sowell, a pioneer in the RIA space and founder of Sowell Management, to gather his thoughts on what RIAs should consider in the coming year. Sander Resler: What macroeconomic trends do you ...

The Culture Test – Does Your RIA Pass?

November 24, 2025

Culture is a major contributor to a firm’s viability and long-term success in the quickly evolving wealth management space. Wirehouses owned by money-center banks, IBDs consolidated into scale players and smaller RIAs rolled into private equity-backed aggregators have all impacted long-standing cultures that are no longer ingrained in the fabric of these firms. The right culture can contribute t ...

Partnership Makes the Platform, Not Product

November 5, 2025

In an evolving wealth management industry, offering financial advisors a robust product shelf and a suite of business-building tools have become table stakes that no longer differentiate a platform. The best platforms in the independent space have been shifting their focus from what is being sold to how they are partnering with advisors in building lasting businesses based on strong relationship ...

Sowell partners with Capital Connect

October 30, 2025

Alliance aims to provide business owner clients with private market support and deals. Arkansas-based RIA Sowell Management recently entered into a strategic partnership with Capital Connect. Through this arrangement, Capital Connect will provide Sowell advisors with access to merger and acquisition consulting, valuation, exit planning, and commercial real estate services for clients who are small ...

Sowell Management Named Top Three Fee-Based RIA Firm in the Country

February 9, 2024

What is your secret to success?
It comes down to two key things: hiring the right people and creating a growth work culture.

Bill Sowell Named 2024 Influencer by AMP

January 17, 2024

What is your secret to success?
It comes down to two key things: hiring the right people and creating a growth work culture.

RIA Sowell Management’s Focus on Scalability Grows Financial Advisor Partners’ Firms the ‘Right Way’

December 8, 2023

Sowell Management understands that scaling the right way – by using resources efficiently without sacrificing performance – is the key to long-term growth.