Sanctuary Wealth, home to the next generation of elite advisors, welcomes Ausperity Private Wealth to its network of firms adopting partnered independence. Based in Moorestown, NJ and led by Founder and Senior Managing Partner Robert “Rory” O’Hara, CFP®, Ausperity Private Wealth has $500 million in client assets under management and represents the second team in New Jersey and eighth from Merrill Lynch to choose partnered independence with Sanctuary Wealth this year. Previously known as The O’Hara Group at Merrill Lynch Wealth Management, all the members of the four-person team are under 40 years old yet offer clients a combined 40 years of professional experience. Team leader Rory O’Hara was ranked the #3 advisor in New Jersey on Forbes’ “America’s Top Next Generation Wealth Advisors” last year, his fourth consecutive year of receiving that recognition.
“That Rory and his team reached out to us and chose to join after evaluating all their other options is another example of how Sanctuary has become the destination of choice for the best next gen advisors in such a short amount of time,” said Jim Dickson, CEO and Founder of Sanctuary Wealth. “Ausperity Private Wealth is a young team that already has decades of experience under their belt. While they are only our second New Jersey team, they represent the tenth next gen team to join Sanctuary in the last 12 months, with quite a few more in the pipeline.”
“We knew that in going independent, it would be much better for our clients if we did it with a partner. We conducted about two years of due diligence before we decided that Sanctuary is the best fit for our team,” explained Rory O’Hara, Founder & Senior Managing Partner, Ausperity Private Wealth. “We wanted access to a broader marketplace from an investment perspective, best of breed technology, marketing expertise, more freedom and control over the decisions affecting our business and Sanctuary gave us all that. We also felt much more confident working with a group that has helped so many teams like ours make the transition.”
Prior to founding Ausperity Private Wealth with his three partners, Rory O’Hara spent the majority of his financial services career with Merrill Lynch Wealth Management after joining in 2007 and rising to the position of Wealth Management Advisor, Senior Vice President. He has earned the Certified Financial Planner and Chartered Retirement Planning Counselor designations and is a graduate of Villanova University.
Founder & Managing Partner Shane Fox, CPFA, CRPC® joined Merrill Lynch after graduating from Fordham University’s Gabelli School of Business in 2011 with a degree in finance and signed on with The O’Hara Group about three years later. He is both a Certified Plan Fiduciary Advisor and a Chartered Retirement Planning Counselor.
Geoff Degener, CPFA is also a Founder & Managing Partner. He is a graduate of James Madison University and has been with The O’Hara Group since 2013.
The fourth member of the team is Founder and Senior Relationship Manager Jennifer Fisher, ChFC, who joined the team in 2016. She earned the Chartered Financial Consultant certification and is a graduate of Rutgers University.
“As one of the premier teams in their region at Merrill, I initially knew the O’Hara Group strictly by their outstanding reputation,” said Vince Fertitta, President, Wealth Management, Sanctuary Wealth. “Rory, Shane, Geoff and Jennifer truly developed a team culture of collaboration and client focus that meshes seamlessly with what we’ve built here at Sanctuary. With access to our state-of-the art tech stack, wide range of investment solutions and ability to offload back-office functions, they are positioned to enjoy even greater growth going forward.”
