September 03, 2026

August 2026 Financial Advisor Moves: Who Changed Firms This Month?

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The Southeast led August advisor transitions in both volume and assets, recording 33 moves totaling approximately $9.51B in disclosed client assets, and the Northeast followed by volume with 18 moves ($3.12B). The Midwest was close behind at 17 moves ( $6.60B), the West recorded 13 moves ($3.01B), and the Southwest saw five moves ($570M). Five additional moves spanned multiple regions, representing approximately $7.47B in combined client assets.

The month's headline move came from the Southeast, where Cresset expanded into Boca Raton, FL with a 16-person team that previously managed approximately $4B at UBS. The second-largest transition was iTP Partners, a nearly 50-advisor firm with roughly $3.5B in assets under administration, which left Osaic to launch a new independent RIA, Blue Horizon Equity, on Cetera's Blueprint platform across offices in Pittsford, NY, and Ponte Vedra Beach, FL.

Cetera led all recruiters by assets, adding approximately $6.36B across five additions. Beyond iTP, the firm picked up Sierra Ridge Advisor Group, a Roseville, CA-based OSJ overseeing roughly $2.1B in AUA across about 40 advisors, which moved from LPL after 13 months. Cetera also added three Commonwealth Financial Network practices: $420M Tucker Bria Wealth Strategies in North Carolina, $175M Harbor Financial Advisors in Ohio, and $160M Severn Wealth Management in Maryland.

LPL Financial and Raymond James tied as the most active recruiters by volume with nine teams each. LPL's additions totaled approximately $3.03B, headlined by the recruitment of $1.4B, 20-advisor Conte Wealth Advisors from Cambridge Investment Research in Camp Hill, PA. Other notable additions included $400M WestKai Private Wealth from Morgan Stanley in San Clemente, CA and $350M Frontline Investment Advisors from Corebridge Financial in Tampa, FL.

Raymond James added roughly $3.41B across its employee and independent channels, led by $1.1B Carlson Group from Baird in Cranberry Township, PA, and a $540M team from LPL in Burlington, NC.

Elsewhere, Rockefeller Global Family Office added $2.65B across two teams — $2.1B Jones Wealth Partners from Merrill Lynch, opening a Columbus, OH office, and the $550M Blue Sandstone Wealth Partners from Morgan Stanley; Morgan Stanley added approximately $2.45B across four moves, headlined by $1.7B BHG Group from Merrill in Wichita, KS; and UBS added roughly $1.7B, led by $1.4B Lumina Wealth Partners from Bernstein in Los Angeles.