Lync Wealth Management has expanded its South East footprint after acquiring Hampshire-based financial planning firms Scott Financial and Latham Consultancy, adding around £210m of assets under advice.

Both businesses are based in Fleet. Scott Financial, founded by Paul Scott and Wendy Scott in 2003, advises around 700 individuals and families, while Latham Consultancy oversees approximately £55m of client assets.

The firms' advisers and support staff will remain in place, with clients continuing to be served from the existing Fleet office. Both businesses will rebrand as Lync Wealth Management, gaining access to the group's broader resources, technology and planning expertise.

The deal follows Lync's recent acquisitions of TKV Financial Management in the West Midlands and Belfast-based Carleton Financial Planning and RJ Savage Asset Management, as it pursues further growth through acquisitions, adviser recruitment and organic expansion.

Backed by an affiliate of 7IM Group, Lync now has 25 locations and more than 220 employees, serving clients with over £4.4bn in assets under management.

This is another example of the ongoing consolidation trend in UK financial advice and wealth management, as larger wealth management groups acquire established independent businesses, often providing succession solutions for founder-led firms.

Paul Scott, managing director of Scott Financial, said: "Looking after our clients was our priority in choosing a partner. They'll keep working with the same advisers and the same team, from the same office in Fleet, now with the resources and expertise of Lync behind them."

Agustin Fernandez, chief corporate development officer at 7IM and Lync, added: “Both firms give us a stronger base in the southeast as we keep growing across the UK. Our approach is to find good advice firms that share our outlook, give them the expertise and resources of Lync and 7IM’s private wealth capabilities, and leave the client relationships they’ve built with their advisers.”

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