E.A. Buck lands LNC growth investment as founders keep control
What's the deal? E.A. Buck Financial ServicesDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, a Honolulu-based wealth and retirement firm, has taken a strategic minority investment from LNC PartnersDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →. The Buck family retains control, and the existing leadership team stays in place. Republic Capital GroupDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → advised E.A. Buck on the deal.
What's the endgame? The capital funds an established growth strategy built on mergers and acquisitions, geographic expansion, and advisor recruitment. E.A. Buck will also invest further in its people, technology, and platform.
Founded in 1980 and now led by chief executive officer Katie Buck, the second-generation firm serves clients across wealth management, retirement and financial planning, workplace 401(k) plans, federal employee benefits, and tax services.
Why now? "Five years ago, we set out with an ambitious vision: to build a national financial services platform," Buck said. She framed the LNC partnership as "an important next step in accelerating that vision."
Who's backing it? LNC Partners has managed over $1 billion since 2012 across funds focused on lower middle market businesses, often as the first institutional backer of founder-led companies.
"With an exceptional management team and a proven track record of organic and inorganic growth, E.A. Buck is well-positioned to continue building a best-in-class financial services platform," said David Schmoeller, a principal at LNC Partners.
The signal: The deal reflects a wider pattern of private capital flowing into wealth management roll-ups — but on terms that let founders keep the keys. Republic Capital Group, which has advised on transactions covering roughly $300 billion in assets under management since 2022, pitched the structure as proof that firms can add outside resources "without asking the client to give up control," in the words of founder and chief executive officer John Langston.
Read more: prnewswire.com
Image credit: Ken Lund
