Fife-based RS Robertson Financial Planning has been acquired by Gilson Gray Financial Management, the financial services arm of law firm Gilson Gray.

The deal takes Gilson Gray’s assets under advice to over £650m.

RS Robertson was founded in the 1970s and is now one of the largest financial advice firms in Fife.

It became a St James’s Place Wealth Management partner practice in September 2022 and has been one of the fastest-growing partner practices in Scotland.

RS Robertson provides individual clients and small businesses with a full range of bespoke Financial Planning services as well as advising on complex pension plans.

Managing director Gordon Laing has been at the helm of the firm since 2013.

He and a team of 12 Financial Planners and client relationship specialists will join Gilson Gray’s Dundee office, which recently expanded into a new city centre location.

As part of the deal, RS Robertson’s clients across Scotland’s east coast and central belt will gain access to Gilson Gray’s wider legal and property service offerings.

Mr Laing said the ability for clients to be able to access these wider offerings was one of the key attractions of the deal with Gilson Gray.

He said: “In a world of growing financial complexity we see it as a huge bonus to be able to offer clients access to the wider expertise of Gilson Gray’s team of professionals. Joining GGFM and having the backing of the firm means I will be able to spend more time doing one of the things I am most passionate about – helping the next generation of Financial Planners with training and development.”

The acquisition is the latest in a series of deals of Gilson Gray, including the acquisition of Chartered Financial Planner Edinburgh-based Sarah Hughes Wealth Management. 

Steve Herkes, managing director of Gilson Gray Financial Management, said: “Gordon has decades of valuable experience and a well-established reputation for trusted financial advice in the region, and we know that GGFM will be a great fit for R S Robertson clients and team. The acquisition not only represents an opportunity for GGFM to expand and grow our presence in Fife, Dundee and Angus, but will see Gordon join the fold to help develop the business further.

“Gordon and I have known one another for around 10 years and have worked together on a few projects already. This is an exciting time for both businesses, with two growing firms coming together to bolster our combined offering for clients. In just two years since Gilson Gray first arrived in Dundee, the firm has gone from strength to strength with this acquisition further adding to the range of financial, property and legal services we offer in the local market.”

Gilson Gray Financial Management offers specialist financial advice to private and corporate clients around the UK. It is a senior partner practice of wealth manager St James’s Place Wealth Management.

Gilson Gray was established in 2014 and provides advice on law, property and finance. The firm has more than 160 staff in four offices in North Berwick, Edinburgh, Dundee and Glasgow.