Carson hires Osaic's Peterson to lead independent channel

Kevin Peterson, the recruiting chief at Osaic, is moving to Carson Group to run business development for the RIA's independent channel. WealthManagement.com reported the move.

Peterson has spent three decades inside the machinery of advisor movement. More than 16 of those years went to TD Ameritrade Institutional, where he recruited advisory firms onto its custody platform. He later helped launch Goldman Sachs Advisor Solutions, then went to Osaic, where he ran the recruiting organization as senior vice president of sales.

Carson, an Omaha-based RIA with more than $62 billion in assets under management, is in the middle of a deliberate organizational split. The firm separates its 1099 independent offering from its W-2 employee channel, and it wants independent partner offices to have their own leadership team. That independent side comprises roughly 165 partner offices, while more than 50 Carson Wealth locations make up the employee channel. CEO Burt White told WealthManagement.com that he expects the firm to remain about one-third independent and two-thirds employee. The split puts Carson's partner-office model in direct competition with other RIA aggregators for breakaway advisors.

Peterson will lead business development for the independent channel, help advisors evaluate Carson partnerships, and support the channel's expansion. The hire suggests Carson is doubling down on the partner-office model rather than funneling advisors into its employee-based wealth arm. The move also gives Carson a recruiter who understands the trade-offs advisors weigh when they switch affiliation.

'I was drawn to Carson because I believe it's uniquely positioned for where our industry is headed,' Peterson said in a statement.

The move lands amid a wider shuffle in wealth management distribution talent. PGIM, the $1.5 trillion asset management business of Prudential Financial, hired Yaqub Ahmed from Franklin Templeton to lead its Defined Contribution Solutions. Ahmed, who spent 17 years at Franklin Templeton and most recently served as global head of retirement, workplace and wealth, now oversees more than $190 billion in defined contribution assets. City National Bank added two senior leaders to its private bank and wealth division. Glenmede brought on a relationship manager and wealth advisor.

Peterson's résumé now spans custodians, an advisor platform, and a large wealth network — a blend Carson can use as it competes for partner offices.