Man of Avon: Stewart M. Mather ’97
It is with profound sadness that I share with you that Stewart Mather, Founding Partner and Chairman of The Mather Group (TMG), one of the top 15 RIA leaders in 2020, ranked by Financial Planning in the United States, passed away this past Sunday evening, at the age of 42 after battling Cholangiocarcinoma or Bile Duct Cancer.
In a highly distinguished career, Stewart founded TMG out of a passion for providing clients a clear path to retirement and ensuring them a fulfilling “second act”. After leaving Morgan Stanley in 2011 with $150 million in assets under advisement (AUA), TMG has now grown to more than $6.8 billion in AUA, and $4.7 billion in assets under management (AUM). Headquartered in Chicago with offices in Atlanta, Houston, Dallas, Austin, Knoxville, San Francisco Bay Area, and the Philadelphia Area, Stewart built a fiduciary-only firm over the last nine years serving affluent and ultra-affluent families and individuals.
Throughout his career, Stewart and The Mather Group have received many highly coveted recognitions and accolades. Stewart was named to the Barron’s Top 100 Independent Financial Advisors in the U.S. in 2018 and 2019, the Forbes’ 2018 Top 250 Advisor List, and the Financial Times Top 300 Financial Advisors list for three consecutive years. TMG was recently named the Fastest-Growing $1B+ RIA by Financial Planning Magazine in 2018 and ranked on Forbes’ Top 100 Wealth Managers list in 2019. In September 2020, Barron’s ranked TMG in its 2020 list of the top RIA firms in the United States – an important and distinguished accomplishment.
His resume tells only a part of the story. As all who knew him can attest, Stewart was one of the kindest most decent people who walked through the doors of TMG, with no ego and only the enthusiasm to drive the business to deliver the best possible experience to clients. He touched many lives with his wisdom, humility and generosity. He was committed to the very highest principles of integrity, fairness and TMG being a family and employee owned wealth management firm.
Stewart displayed courage, humor, determination, and an unforgiving spirit over the last year and a half, while enduring surgeries and treatments to battle his cancer. While growing TMG, he displayed these same characteristics to build a world class leadership team to carry-on his vision and legacy for TMG and its clients, with no effect to clients should he ever pass. As a result, Stewart recognized that it was time to institutionalize the business and strengthen its executive structure and in 2019 brought on Chris Behrens to be CEO stating that “With plans to expand into five new markets in 2020, Chris’s leadership will position the firm for our next phase of strategic growth. His proven track record and breadth of experience in scaling businesses through technology, innovation, and organization design and structure will be a great asset for The Mather Group.” Going forward, I will continue to work closely alongside the entire TMG team to build on the strong momentum driven by TMG’s core business and services to clients.
Stewart is survived by his wife, Colleen, and four children, Emma (age 4), Georgia (age 2), Morris (age 1), and Stewart Jr. (age 10 months). TMG itself is part of Stewart’s legacy. His passing is a loss for his family, for all his former colleagues, for the wealth management industry, and his loved ones and friends, all of whom are in our prayers. We will be forever grateful for the examples he set for all of us and know that his spirit will live on.