Equita Financial Network

Overview

Paula Campbell Roberts launched Equita Financial Network in 2018 as a collective platform for independent, women-led registered investment advisory firms. Rather than a traditional roll-up model that consolidates AUM under a single parent, Equita operates as a membership network where participating RIAs retain full ownership of their books and brand identities. The firm is headquartered in Fort Washington, Pennsylvania. Equita's strategy centers on shared infrastructure, not pooled investment capital. Member firms access institutional-grade investment platforms, aggregated compliance resources, and collective bargaining power with custodians and technology vendors. The network does not take custody of client assets nor direct a centralized investment portfolio — member firms run their own investment models and asset allocations. By lowering the operational burden of running an independent RIA, Equita enables smaller firms to compete on service and economics with national aggregators. As of early 2026, Equita counted multiple member firms across the United States, though the network does not publicly disclose aggregate assets under administration. The platform's organizing principle — shared resources without shared ownership — attracted female-led practices seeking scale without sacrificing independence. Roberts has publicly discussed the network's approach to succession planning, positioning member-to-member continuity as an alternative to external acquisition. The structural differentiator is governance. Equita Financial Network is a cooperative member platform, not a holding company. There is no parent entity acquiring majority stakes in member RIAs. This architecture preserves entrepreneurial accountability at the practice level while solving the compliance and technology overhead that drives many independents into aggregation deals.