SEI-backed Stratos acquires $400 million Illinois planning firm

Stratos Wealth Enterprises has acquired RPI Financial Life Planners, a Naperville, Illinois, practice with roughly $400 million in client assets. The firm will keep its name, according to Wealth Solutions Report.

Founder David Blaydes said the move followed an "extensive, multi-year search" and that Stratos stood out because it understood RPI's objectives and culture while offering resources aligned with long-term goals. RPI works with individuals, families, retirees, and business owners on retirement, tax, and estate planning, investment management, and transitions.

Stratos Wealth Enterprises is the acquisition and wealth management arm of Stratos Wealth Holdings, a network of advisors and planners. The deal hands RPI Stratos' operational infrastructure and technology, with the RPI name staying on the door.

The transaction is Stratos' 12th since SEI invested in December — a pace that suggests a buyer with a full wallet and a taste for sub-$1 billion practices. For owners weighing offers, the multi-year search is the tell: Blaydes took his time, and the claims he cites — culture, resources, fit — are the same ones every acquirer makes. Those promises get tested after signing, inside the network.