VELA Wealth has announced its purchase of McCurdy Financial Planning Inc., a Vancouver-based practice founded in 1990 by Diane McCurdy, whose financial planning career dates back to the 1970s.
“McCurdy Financial has earned a reputation for trusted advice, personalized service and long-term client relationships,” said Jason Boudreau, founder of VELA Wealth, in a media release sent to Investment Executive this week. “We are honoured to carry forward that legacy.”
The deal closed in April, but was only publicly announced this week.
McCurdy will operate as an independent subsidiary of VELA and maintain its branding “for now,” according to Melissa Christopherson, director, strategic initiatives & growth at VELA.
“Diane was looking to retire, and she had quite a few suitors,” Christopherson said. “She selected VELA based on our culture, our values and how we’d be able to serve her clients.”
Brandon Epp has taken over the president role at McCurdy and has become a VELA partner. He has been with McCurdy since 2012.
VELA is also Vancouver-based. The boutique financial planning firm offers insurance and planning primarily, Christopherson said. It has approximately $600 million in assets under advice and targets business owners, professionals and affluent families.
VELA is “in acquisition mode,” she said, with a focus on western Canadian markets. “This is the first of many. … Our goal is to exceed $2 billion in assets under advice by 2030.”
Financial details were not disclosed.