Creative Planning Takes on Minority Funding From Growth Investor General Atlantic

OVERLAND PARK, Kan. & NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Creative Planning, a leading independent wealth management firm, today announced that General Atlantic, a leading global growth equity firm, has made a strategic minority investment in the Company.

Creative Planning provides comprehensive, financial planning-led wealth management solutions, delivering a high-quality customer experience. Peter Mallouk, Chief Executive Officer of Creative Planning, will continue to lead the business and maintain a majority, controlling stake. Under Peter’s leadership, Creative Planning has grown from less than $100 million in assets under management in 2004 to approximately $50 billion in assets under management today, with 27 offices, 650 employees, and clients in all 50 U.S. states. Creative Planning completed four strategic acquisitions in 2019, including The Johnston Group in February, America’s Best 401k in September, OptiFour in November, and Hogan Financial in December. Last month, Creative Planning announced its first acquisition of 2020 with Stratford Consulting.

Peter said, “For the past 15 years, we have focused on building Creative Planning into a market leader that provides real value to our customers through our holistic approach to wealth management and financial planning. We are excited to partner with an investor who shares our vision and is committed to continuing on the Creative Planning path, which is to focus on a long-term plan to emerge as the leader in the industry. Our partnership with General Atlantic represents an exciting continuation of our momentum on our path.”

Paul Stamas, Managing Director and Co-Head of Financial Services at General Atlantic, said, “Peter is a visionary founder who has built a leading wealth management firm alongside his team at Creative Planning. We strongly believe that Creative Planning stands well-positioned as an industry leader to capture the significant opportunity that exists in the registered investment advisor space, and we are energized to be partnering with the Company as it continues its expansion.”

Kirkland & Ellis LLP served as legal counsel to Creative Planning. Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP served as legal counsel to General Atlantic. Ardea Partners LP served as financial advisor, and the financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

About Creative Planning

Creative Planning, Inc. is an independent wealth management firm that provides a financial planning-led investment management approach, retirement planning, estate planning, trust services, tax advice and family office services for individuals as well as 401(k) and institutional money management. Creative Planning manages approximately $50 billion in assets for individuals and families in all 50 states. For more information, please visit www.creativeplanning.com.

About General Atlantic

General Atlantic is a leading global growth equity firm providing capital and strategic support for growth companies. Established in 1980, General Atlantic combines a collaborative global approach, sector specific expertise, a long-term investment horizon and a deep understanding of growth drivers to partner with great entrepreneurs and management teams to build exceptional businesses worldwide. General Atlantic has more than 150 investment professionals based in New York, Amsterdam, Beijing, Greenwich, Hong Kong, Jakarta, London, Mexico City, Mumbai, Munich, Palo Alto, São Paulo, Shanghai, and Singapore. For more information, please visit the website: www.generalatlantic.com.