The Edelman Financial Group is the story of two financial organizations – Edelman Financial Services and Sanders Morris Harris Group.

Ric and Jean Edelman founded EFS in 1987 to provide financial planning and investment management services to individuals and families.

In the same year, SMHG was formed by Don Sanders, Ben Morris, Titus Harris and John Mundy. George Ball, who orchestrated its merger with Pinnacle Global Group in 2000 (resulting in SMHG becoming a publicly traded company), joined the firm as chairman in 1994. Soon thereafter, SMHG began acquiring other firms in the financial services industry.

In 2005, SMHG acquired a majority stake in EFS, which by then was already one of the largest and most successful financial planning and investment management firms in the country, serving 5,000 clients nationwide and managing $2.5 billion in client assets.

In 2009, Ric Edelman became President of SMHG, and in 2011, recognizing the strong brand Ric had created, SMHG shareholders voted to change the company’s name to The Edelman Financial Group (NASDAQ: EF), and Ric was named Co-Chief Executive Officer alongside George Ball.

Today, The Edelman Financial Group has more than 500 employees in 60+ offices throughout the United States, and continues the long tradition of its predecessors: maintaining a steadfast commitment to providing superior financial planning, investment management and brokerage services for individuals, institutions and employer retirement plans nationwide.