Creative Planning announced today that it has acquired the retirement advisory services unit of Mesirow, a Chicago-based independent employee-based financial services firm.

The unit serves about 350 retirement plan representing about $13 billion in assets under advicement or management, according to a press release. 

Led by David Dermenjian, Chris Pohlman, Vince Allegra and Chuck Lawless, the team partners with more than 350 retirement plans to manage fiduciary risk, attract and retain employees, and guide them toward achieving optimal retirement outcomes, the release said.

The team needed to find greater scale and resources for their growing business, Dermenjian said in a statement. “Joining Creative Planning allows us to deliver a new set of products, solutions and technologies to our current and future clients, and we're excited to be part of one of the largest independent RIAs in the country,” he said.

"As our business grew, we understood the need to find greater scale and resources," Dermenjian, head of the team, said in a prepared statement. "Our primary goal is to partner with plan sponsors and their employees to drive positive outcomes by providing innovative solutions and best in class client service. Joining Creative Planning allows us to deliver a new set of products, solutions and technologies to our current and future clients, and we're excited to be part of one of the largest independent RIAs in the country."

The Overland, Kan-based Creative Planning retirement services practice provides services to more than $137 billion in assets under advisement, the release noted, adding that it caters to clients including publicly traded companies, large private corporations, small businesses, startups and government entities such as cities, municipalities, and housing developments.

The firm, as of July 1, has more than $245 billion in combined assets under management and advisement across all 50 states and 65 countries, the release noted.

In July, Creative  Planning entered a strategic relationship with Goldman Sachs Advisor Solutions in which  Goldman Sachs Advisor Solutions will provide services to Creative Planning’s clients as an institutional custodian.