October 19, 2023
As September has come to a close, RIA activity and independent activity remained strong. During this month, Dakota tracked a total of 48 transactions. (FA Moves 14, RIA Moves 18, Acquisitions 6, New RIAs 10)
As mentioned previously, Merrill Lynch continues to see team and FA departures. LPL Financial remains as a top attraction, while we saw a spark in teams joining Raymond James and RBC Wealth Management.
A 5-person team (Christopher Tate, Michael Sellers. Aaron Wall, Benjamin Hilyard, & Ashley Conner) has joined Tampa-based RIA, Fidelis Capital to open up a new office based in Washington, DC. The team was previously with Bank of America Private Bank and advised on approximately $4.5 billion in assets.
Greg Diamond (GCD Advisors) based in Lincolnshire, IL overseeing $150 million in assets has joined Osaic, formerly known as Advisor Group. He was previously with Ausdal Financial Partners.
Financial Advisor Julie Wise has left Wells Fargo Advisors to rejoin Edward Jones. She is based in Winchester, Virginia and helped oversee $300 million in assets.
FA John Batitista has joined an existing Janey Montgomery Scott team, Radnor Media Wealth Management Group, from Wells Fargo Advisors. Battista is based in Radnor, PA and oversees $109 million in assets.
FA Jacqueline Dufresne has joined an existing Janey Montgomery Scott team, Pollard Bryan & Carl Wealth Management, from CommonWealth Financial Network. Dufresne is based in Albany, NY and oversees $80 million in assets.
FA Anne Crabbe has rejoined Cetera Financial Group from Park Avenue Securities. She is based in Paso Robles, CA and oversees approximately $102 million in assets.
Ex-Wells Fargo financial advisors Scott Mulford and Melissa Minikes have joined Raymond James independent advisor channel. The duo is basen in Massapequa Park, NY and oversees $170 million in assets.
Financial advisor Jon Murdock has rejoined Edward Jones in Federal Way, WA after a year hiatus. Murdock was previously with Hohimer Wealth Management where he had served more than $167 million in assets.
Financial advisor Brian Wells, based in Greenbrae, CA, has joined RBC Wealth Management from UBS. He manages approximately $435 million in assets.
Ex-Merrill lifer, John Foley, has joined RBC Wealth Management in Milwaukee, WI. Foley oversaw $340 million in assets.
Financial Advisor Andrew Furste, based in Albuquerque, NM and managing $289 million in assets, has joined Edward Jones from Charles Schwab.
Financial Advisors, Vijay Baxter and Jose Roberto Vides have joined Raymond James & Associates in the Aventura and Coral Gables offices. They were previously with Morgan Stanley.
FA Elizabeth Polizzi, based in Garden City, NY, has joined UBS’s Soundview Wealth Management Market from Merrill Lynch. Polizzi oversaw $250 million in assets at Merrill Lynch.
Stephen VanSuch has joined Stifel’s Canfield, OH office with $500 million in assets. He was previously with Merrill Lynch.
Beaumont Texas-based, Turley-Hall-Albanese Wealth Management Group has joined Stifel. The nine-person team was previously with Merrill Lynch and oversaw $582 million in assets.
Ammerman Wealth Management (FA: David Ammerman) has joined Raymond James & Associates based in Ponte Vedra Beach, FL. Ammerman was previously with Merrill lynch and oversees $353 million in assets.
Validus Financial Associates, based in Peoria, AZ and managing approximately $800 million in assets, has joined LPL’s Financial BD/RIA platform. The team was previously with Lincoln Financial Group.
The Kerrigan Group, based in Valdosta, GA and Winona Wealth Management, based in Warsaw, IN have joined Financial Resources Group Investment Services. Both teams were previously with Cetera Financial Group and bring over a combined $336 million in assets.
The Investment Consulting Group (Christopher DeWolfe Jr. & Jason Franklin) based in Birmingham, MI has joined Osaic, formerly known as Advisor Group. The team manages over $600 million in assets and previously was with Wells Fargo.
Ameriprise has enticed Maps Investment Services (FAs: Kyle King & Wayne Muller), the investment program of Maps Credit Union, to join its firm. The duo manages more than $185 million in assets and is based in Salem, OR. They were previously with CUSO Financial Services.
Phillips Hardenbergh Associates (Heather Phillips & Ted Hardenbergh) based in Manchester, NH has joined UBS. The team was previously with Merrill Lynch and was apart of the Eichhorn, Hardenbergh & Phillips Group. The duo manages approximately $700 million in assets.
TCG & Associates, based in Columbia, SC overseeing $2.6 billion in assets, has joined UBS. The 18-person team was previously with Merrill Lynch.
Ex-Merrill Lynch team based in Phoenix, AZ have joined Morgan Stanley. The team, led by Chris Harris and Nihaal Roa, manages $630 million in assets.
Tar Heel Wealth Management (Brent McDonald) based in Hickory, NC managing $154 million in assets has joined Cetera Financial Group. The team was previously with Securities America.
Berkshire Wealth Advisors (FA: Stephen Sykes) based in Pittsfield, MA managing $405 million in assets, has joined Janey Montgomery Scott. The team was previously with Raymond James.
Decision Point Wealth Partners (FAs: Michael “Chad” Pearson, Donis Smith & Willam Paul Patterson) based in Wilmington, NC managing $600 million in assets has joined Rockefeller Capital Management. The team was previously with UBS.
The Coutant Group (FAs: Kevin Coutant & Keith Coutant), based in Greenwich, CT, has joined UBS Wealth Management from Merrill Lynch. The team manages approximately $700 million in assets.
Hanson Wealth Management (FA: Eric Hanson) has joined Raymond James & Associates from UBS. The team is based in Bethesda, MA and manages approximately $238 million in assets.
The Groff Group (FAs: Matthew Groff, Brian McCarthy & Lee Henwood) based in Camp Hill, PA has joined Morgan Stanley Private Wealth Management. The team oversees $603 million in assets and was previously with Merrill Lynch.
Meyer Rotolo Wealth Management Group (FAs: John Meyer and Kevin Rotolo), based in Sidell, LA and managing $500 million in assets, has joined Raymond James from Merrill Lynch.
Vintage Financial Group (FAs: Pat Ricketts & Mindy Helfrich) has joined LPL BD/RIA platform from Principal Securities, Inc. The team is based in Omaha, NE and manages approximately $605 million in assets.
Total Wealth Management Group (FAs: Pat McCarthy, John Brown, Eric Taylor & Scott Jones), based in Leawood, KS, has joined RBC Wealth Management. The team was previously with UBS and oversees $1 billion in assets.
Modern Wealth Management has acquired the father-son duo (Brain Johnson & Jeremiah Johnson), Midwest Financial based in Iowa. The duo oversees approximately $204 million in assets.
Johnson Financial Group announced that it has acquired $210 million Appleton, WI-based RIA, The Appleton Group. This acquisition will bring Johnson’s AUM to $9.5 billion. The full terms of the deal is set to close at the end of the month.
Dakota Wealth Management has acquired Jonathan D. Pond, LLC, based in Newton, MA and managing $350 million in assets. This acquisition brings Dakota’s AUM to $3.8 billion.
Wealthspire has acquired a $3 billion RIA in New York, GM Advisory Group. This is Wealthspire’s largest acquisition this year and the terms are set to close in Q4 2023.
Congress Wealth Management has acquired Wynnewood, PA-based RIA, MainLine Private Wealth. MainLine has approximately $1.1 billion in assets. This acquisition increases Congress Wealth’s AUM to $6.7 billion.
Kestra Financial has acquired a $1.7 billion RIA in Fort Worth, TX, Symonds Wealth Management (FAs: Dax Symonds & Casey Fry).
Five Advisors from Morgan Stanley, UBS and Raymond James have combined and launched a new independent RIA, EverPar Advisors. Based in Tulsa, OK where they collectively oversee approximately $750 million in assets.
Jon Blumenthal, Timothy Harder, & Brandon Ross have launched a new independent RIA, Quotient Wealth Partners through Dynasty Financial Partners. The trio oversees approximately $4 billion in assets.
Financial Advisors Ed Winegar and Gregory Berg have joined LPL’s advisory channel to launch a new independent RIA, Winger Berg Wealth Management. Winegar Berg Wealth is located in Houston, TX and serves approximately $205 million in assets. The duo stems from Merrill Lynch.
Alexandra Miele and Scott Milford, have left the The Andriole Group at Hightower Advisors to launch a new Hightower team, Hierax Wealth Partners. The duo is now based in Westport, CT and oversees approximately $700 million in assets.
Pair of advisors, Josh Perello and Jimmy Guidry, join Ameriprise Financial to launch a new practice. They are based in Breaux Bridge, LA and manage nearly $150 million in assets. Perello was previously with Raymond James and Guirdry joins from Edward Jones.
Father-Son duo, Michael Climer and Wes Climer have joined LPL Financial to launch a new RIA, Climer Wealth Management Group. They stem from Wells Fargo and bring with them approximately $280 million in assets.
Financial Advisor Aaron Cizon has joined LPL Financial to launch a new independent RIA, Cizon Group Wealth Management based in Greenville, SC. Cizon manages approximately $175 million in assets and was previously with Wells Fargo.
Former team reunites as Market Street Advisors (FAs: Lou LoGrasso, John Fetherston, Jay Day & Irwin Wolf) based in Montvale, NJ managing $550 million in assets, to join Janey Montgomery Scott. The team was previously with Merrill Lynch.
FA Jonathan Landry has joined tru Independence to launch a new RIA, 44 North Capital based in Burlington, VT. Landry was previously with Merrill Lynch and manages $165 million in assets.
TrustWealth Strategies and The Wellington Group have merged to create a new independent RIA, Wellington Wealth Strategies. Based in Indianapolis and manages $750 million in assets.
To see more financial advisor moves, RIA moves, or acquisitions, start your free trial of Dakota Marketplace below!
John Washington is the Data Research Analyst at Dakota.
