Press Release

American Trust Retirement Acquires Stanley Benefit Services

Issued by American Trust

May 4, 2021

MEMPHIS, Tenn.--AT Retirement Services, LLC (American Trust Retirement), a leading, full-service provider of retirement solutions to financial intermediaries and their clients, has acquired Stanley Benefit Services, Inc., an independent employee benefits consulting firm based in Greensboro, NC, specializing in retirement plan administration. The acquisition expands American Trust Retirement’s expertise in the mid-market space, adds an in-house actuarial team, and supports a broader offering in the defined benefit and cash balance plan market. American Trust Retirement is a subsidiary of EdgeCo Holdings, a leading provider of technology-enabled solutions to financial intermediaries and their clients. 

This is American Trust Retirement’s second acquisition within the last year — having also recently acquired Unified Trust Company, a national provider of retirement plan solutions and fiduciary services — and supports American Trust’s mission of delivering a comprehensive and differentiated offering for financial intermediaries within the retirement plan ecosystem.

“While consolidation continues across the retirement industry, we prioritize partnering with companies that share our philosophy of delivering quality service and trusted advice,” said Micah DiSalvo, Chief Revenue Officer at American Trust Retirement. “The Stanley Benefits team embodies this, and their deep expertise will further enhance our value proposition.”

Fund Direct Advisors, Inc., an SEC registered investment advisory firm which shares similar ownership with Stanley Benefits, will not be part of the acquisition and will remain independent under the continued leadership of Wes Stanley and Chris Stanley. The remaining team members of Stanley Benefits, including Bill Stanley, Senior Vice President and Chris Francis, Vice President, will become employees of American Trust Retirement.

“This is truly a win all around,” commented Wes Stanley, President of Fund Direct Advisors. “We saw this as an opportunity to elevate the client experience through improved technology and resources, while maintaining continuity of relationships with the plan advisor and the Stanley Benefits Greensboro team.”

“We have proactively sought to align with groups who can elevate our offering, benefit from our tremendous investment in technology and provide expanded resources for our clients,” said John Moody, Chief Executive Officer of EdgeCo Holdings. “The Stanley Benefits deal allows us to expand further into the mid-size plan market and sharpen our defined benefit offerings, providing even more specialized services to support our financial intermediary partners. I am thrilled to welcome aboard the Stanley Benefits team.”

Stanley Benefits will be rebranded to Stanley Benefit Services, A Division of American Trust Retirement, eventually transitioning to the highly regarded American Trust name.

About American Trust Retirement

American Trust Retirement is a leading, full-service provider of retirement plan solutions to advisors serving the small- and mid-sized plan market. With offices in Dubuque, IA, Memphis, TN and Lexington, KY, American Trust Retirement brings together the cornerstones a quality retirement plan including plan design, fiduciary oversight, discretionary trust services, cost efficiency, service, and technology. American Trust Retirement is a subsidiary of EdgeCo Holdings. For more information, visit www.americantrustretirement.com.

About EdgeCo Holdings

Through its subsidiaries, EdgeCo is a leading provider of best-in-class technology-enabled solutions for financial intermediaries and their clients. For over four decades, EdgeCo companies have provided a suite of technology and support services including full-service retirement plan administration, brokerage, advisory, and trust and custody services to a diverse national client base of financial intermediaries. This client base includes registered representatives, investment advisors, and other financial intermediaries including retirement plan recordkeepers, TPAs, bank trust departments, broker dealers, and insurance companies. The firm services approximately $150 billion in client assets under custody or administration and more than 15,000 financial advisors and 500 financial institutions. 

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