Cerity Partners to Merge With Investment Consultant Verus

Cerity Partners has announced a merger with investment consulting and advisory firm Verus Investment Partners LLC, a deal expected to close by the end of the first quarter. The combined firm will manage and advise on $1.3 trillion in client assets, significantly expanding Cerity’s reach into the institutional market. This move reflects a broader trend of consolidation in the advisory sector as firms seek to leverage scale and specialized expertise to serve complex institutional needs.

Cerity Partners and Verus Investment Partners LLC have entered into a merger agreement expected to close by the end of the first quarter, pending regulatory approval. The transaction will see Verus align with Cerity’s name and brand, creating a combined entity that manages and advises on $1.3 trillion in client assets. This figure includes $1.2 trillion currently advised and managed by Verus, representing a massive expansion of Cerity’s institutional footprint. Cerity CEO Kurt Miscinski noted that the partnership meaningfully expands the firm's leadership in the institutional space and enhances its capacity to serve clients with diverse delegation preferences.

Verus CEO Jeffrey MacLean stated that the merger combines Verus’s institutional expertise with Cerity’s scale and resources, ensuring clients receive the same fiduciary-driven guidance from trusted professionals but with a broader set of capabilities. The move is part of a larger trend in the consulting and advisory sector toward consolidation to provide more comprehensive services. Cerity’s momentum in this space was recently highlighted at the 2025 Industry Innovation Awards, where it won the OCIO category for Asset Managers and Service Providers. This reputation is bolstered by a client roster that includes the Rockefeller Brothers Fund, an $860 million foundation.

The merger with Verus follows a prolific period of M&A activity for Cerity Partners throughout 2024 and early 2025. The firm recently announced the acquisitions of Austin Private Wealth and SOL Capital Management, as well as the purchase of Perella Weinberg Partners’ Agility OCIO unit. Other firms integrated into Cerity over the past year include Oak Hill Wealth Advisors, Graypoint, Fishman Block Diamond, Prio Wealth, and Von Berge Wealth Management. This rapid string of acquisitions demonstrates Cerity’s strategic focus on dominating the wealth management and outsourced CIO markets through aggressive inorganic growth.