Citywire Honors Cary Street Partners as Virginia’s Fastest Growing RIA Among 2026 50 Growers Across America
It’s a repeat victory in the Commonwealth, with Cary Street taking the top honor once more in 2026. Chief executive Joe Schmuckler says that’s no coincidence, as his firm is now in the second year of a campaign to improve the way advisors approach business development and organic growth. Cary Street has tapped the coaching staff at Charles Schwab’s RIA custody division to help its advisors answer questions like: ‘Who is my client base?’ ‘What’s my value proposition?’ ‘How do I communicate that?’
‘It’s off the roof right now,’ Schmuckler says of the firm’s growth, approaching a companywide organic growth rate of more than 5% for the last year. ‘The vast majority of the bell curve, everyone’s just moved to the right.’
Far from a rollup, Cary Street does have an inorganic growth arm. And it has more dry powder than ever thanks to its sale of a controlling interest to private equity firm CIVC Partners last year. Cary Street has announced one acquisition so far in 2026, adding $186m Pursuit Wealth Management in Florida, and Schmuckler says more are imminent.
‘It’s helped us be more disciplined and focused,’ Schmuckler says of CIVC’s backing. ‘It allows us to be in market … to focus on teams we want and to really compete and not let price or structure get in the way.’
He said he expects inorganic growth to pick up thanks to Cary Street’s new proprietary customer relationship management system (with an AI overlay), which helps non-M&A staffers participate in the deal origination process – ‘some of our best sources have been advisors.’
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* Correction: The original City Wire article uses the word “citing.” Cary Street Partners’ preferred characterization is “approaching.”
Citywire’s 50 Top Growers, developed and tabulated by Citywire in partnership with Invesco, utilizing third-party data provided by FINTRX. Awarded August 2026 for data as of December 31, 2025. Licensing and promotion fees paid for use of the ranking.