NewEdge Advisors’ Pillar Channel Adds $6B Alabama Advisory and Surpasses $14B

NewEdge Capital Group LLC has announced that Stonegate Investment Group, a Birmingham-based advisory firm, has officially affiliated with NewEdge Advisors. The move marks a milestone for NewEdge Advisors, as the transaction has propelled its pillar channel program to more than $14 billion in total client assets.

The Stonegate team, led by Tony Smith, chief executive officer, consists of 13 professionals overseeing approximately $6 billion in client assets. This makes Stonegate the largest team to date to join the pillar channel since the model’s introduction in early 2023.

Stonegate’s move to NewEdge marks its second major shift in affiliation structure. From 2007 to 2021, its core advisory team led by Smith operated under UBS Financial Services in Birmingham. In 2021, the team broke away from the wirehouse model to establish Stonegate Investment Group as an independent registered investment adviser.

NewEdge’s pillar channel was designed to partner with high-growth adviser practices and wirehouse breakaways seeking alternative capital structures. The program allows mid-career advisers to monetize their practices while maintaining the NewEdge Advisors brand and focusing on long-term client service.

“Our decision to join NewEdge Advisors was made with one goal in mind: to better serve our clients for the long term,” said Smith. “This partnership strengthens the infrastructure, resources, and continuity supporting our client relationships.”

The pillar channel now includes 14 advisory teams stretching from the West Coast to the Southeast. Under this affiliation model, advisers receive a combination of cash and equity in NewEdge, aligning the mutual goals of the advisers and the parent firm.

Alex Goss, CEO and co-founder of NewEdge Advisors, emphasized that the platform is built to preserve the adviser-client relationship. “Our pillar channel affiliation ensures that a transaction doesn’t change the continuity and quality of service for clients. Too many competitor transactions fundamentally change or throw away what made advisers and their clients successful in the first place.”

NewEdge Capital Group, founded in 2020, has seen rapid expansion across its two distinct RIA divisions. NewEdge Wealth serves ultra-high-net-worth clients under a single unified brand. NewEdge Advisors offers multiple affiliation models, ranging from independent ownership to the W-2-structured pillar channel.

As of Dec. 31, 2025, NewEdge Capital Group services more than $88 billion in total client assets. The firm also provides brokerage services to both RIAs through its NewEdge Securities division.

Last month, Seven Bridges Wealth Advisors of White Plains, N.Y., affiliated with NewEdge Advisors. The 14-member team joined from Ameriprise Financial, where it managed around $1 billion in client assets. Seven Bridges Wealth Advisors was the second advisory to leave Ameriprise Financial for NewEdge Advisors in recent months. In January 2026, Franklin, Tenn.-based ClearTrust Wealth Advisors joined NewEdge; its 24-person team reported managing $1.4 billion in client assets.

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