Savant Capital Management, an independent registered investment advisory firm based in Rockford, Ill., is continuing its fast-paced growth with the acquisition of Orion Capital Management., Savant announced Thursday.

Orion, a boutique investment banking firm providing intermediary services to its clients and directly investing in companies, brings $150 million in assets under management to Savant. Orion, based in Winnetka, Ill., will expand Savant’s footprint in the Chicago area.

With the acquisition, Savant has nearly $4.5 billion in AUM. Orion is the latest in a string of acquisitions that Savant has successfully concluded since deciding to grow by acquisition as well as organically.

Savant began acquiring service firms this year with the purchase of Green, Plagge & Shaw in St. Charles, Ill., an accounting firm. The acquisition of firms that can provide other services to clients will help Savant grow its advisory business as well, the firm says.

Savant has also released a white paper on how advisors can judge whether to sell their practice or join another firm. The report, called “Partnering to Create Your Ideal Future,” outlines core areas advisors need to focus on in order to accurately assess their potential.

Savant says it believes any such partnership is a momentous event for all parties involved and the fit must be mutual.

“RIAs are in a Golden Age at present in terms of what we can offer clients, and each other,” says Brent Brodeski, CEO of Savant. “Gone are the days when a retiring independent advisor struggled to find a suitor willing to care properly for their clients. Gone are the days when an advisor seeking organic growth but in need of a support system had to give up their freedom to pursue such growth. The choices are myriad.”

As an example, Savant points to Paragon Advisors, which it acquired in January 2014. At that time, the Naperville, Ill., firm had $150 million in AUM. Over the course of the next year, Paragon added $30 million in AUM. Orion Capital Management is at approximately the same point in its growth cycle now, Savant says.

The white paper says that advisors making transitions should look beyond financials, ensure continuity for clients and protect the firm’s human capital, among other things. The paper also lays out checklists to analyze whether selling or partnering is the right move and how to evaluate a potential partner. The paper can be downloaded at savantcapital.com/acquisitions.