AssetMark Financial Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: AMK) today announced it will acquire Voyant, a leading global provider of SaaS-based financial planning and client digital engagement solutions.
Voyant serves more than 20,000 advisors across financial institutions and small advisor firms in the United Kingdom, Canada, Ireland, and the United States. The acquisition of Voyant advances the AssetMark financial wellness vision by adding compelling digital capabilities to the AssetMark platform. This vision encompasses a holistic approach to advice that supports the client’s goals in a customized way.
“AssetMark and Voyant have a shared vision for financial wellness. The acquisition of Voyant rapidly accelerates this vision, while providing enhanced benefits for our advisors and their clients. Integrating key components of Voyant into the AssetMark platform will enhance the alignment of the investors’ goals, risk capacity and portfolio construction, creating an integrated experience where the client feels that their advisor understands them and their financial needs,” said Natalie Wolfsen, incoming CEO of AssetMark. “Voyant’s fit into the AssetMark platform aids in creating stronger client-advisor relationships. This leads to more invested assets and greater loyalty on our platform, while also helping us attract new advisors in core and adjacent channels.”
“Voyant was founded in 2006 to deepen the relationship between financial advisor and client. Our highly adaptable, visual planning capabilities allow financial advisors to add real value and help clients achieve their long-term goals,” said David Kaufman, CEO of Voyant. “We believe in AssetMark’s financial wellness vision and look forward to partnering with them to provide a broad set of value-added solutions for their clients.”
Strategic Rationale
AssetMark expects the transaction will:
• Accelerate AssetMark’s standalone growth prospects - The acquisition accelerates AssetMark’s financial wellness vision. Key components of Voyant will be integrated into the AssetMark platform, working in concert with existing digital capabilities, such as AssetMark PortfolioEngine® and AssetMark WealthBuilderSM, to drive deep, meaningful conversations, and support those conversations with actionable goal planning, income planning, data aggregation, and portfolio construction, analytics, and reporting. This will increase engagement with existing advisors, while helping AssetMark attract new advisors in core and adjacent channels.
• Strengthen Voyant’s standalone growth prospects - Voyant will remain a separate subsidiary continuing to target enterprises and advisors in order to increase market share. AssetMark’s sales and marketing knowhow has the ability to help Voyant drive new client growth. Additionally, AssetMark’s strong U.S. presence, well-known brand and deep relationships provide a tailwind for Voyant’s U.S. expansion.
• Deliver immediate financial benefits and long-term revenue diversification - The acquisition of Voyant is expected to be immediately accretive to AssetMark’s adjusted EPS in 2021 and beyond. The acquisition also provides revenue diversification as Voyant subscription-based revenue is not market or interest rate sensitive.
Transaction Details
AssetMark will acquire Voyant for $145 million in a cash and stock transaction. The deal is funded with $120 million in cash and $25 million in AssetMark stock. The transaction is expected to close in mid-2021, subject to customary closing conditions. Following the close, Voyant will begin to be integrated into AssetMark’s systems and infrastructure.
Advisors
Raymond James & Associates, Inc. is serving as exclusive financial advisor to Voyant.