M&A
Merit Financial Advisors
The Georgia-based financial advice firm has acquired Ceponis Financial Group and Brook Wealth Management for an undisclosed sum.
The deals add two offices and expand Merit’s existing presence in Fairfield County, Connecticut.
Led by managing member Christopher Ceponis, CFG specialises in retirement, investment, tax, educational, business, executive compensation, long-term care and insurance planning for clients. The firm has an office in Ridgefield, Connecticut and approximately $174m (£150.5m, €174.2m) in client assets.
BWM partner Daryl LePage and his team specialise in wealth building, retirement and estate planning, risk management, and tax planning. The firm is located in Rocky Hill, Connecticut and has approximately $103m in client assets.
Ceponis and LePage will both be wealth managers at Merit and will be joined by their teams.
Buckingham Strategic Wealth
The Focus Financial partner firm has bought Dental Wealth Advisors for an undisclosed sum.
Dental Wealth Advisors is a wealth management firm which predominantly serves the financial needs of dentists and other personnel of dental practices during and after their practice careers.
Hightower
The wealth firm has made a strategic investment in Highland Private Wealth Management for an undisclosed sum.
Founded in 1999, Highland provides wealth counselling, investment management and financial planning services to executives, professionals, business owners, wealth beneficiaries and high net worth households.
People moves
Janney Montgomery Scott
The wealth management firm has named Kevin Reed as head of its private client group.
He will succeed Jerry Lombard, who will retire at the end of 2022 after 18 years of leading Janney’s private client group.
Reed currently serves as head of wealth management.
GYL Financial Synergies
The advice firm has appointed Joshua Brier as chief operating officer.
Prior to joining GYL, Brier worked with GFA Federal Credit Union as president and chief executive.
Snowden Lane Partners
The wealth firm has hired Jackie Green has joined as senior partner and managing director.
She will form The Green Group based in New York City.
Prior to Snowden Lane, Green served as managing director and senior adviser at Fieldpoint Private.
Crestwood Advisors
The Boston-based boutique investment advisory and wealth management firm has hired Alexandra Blake as a director and wealth adviser and Jason Hendricks as a portfolio manager.
Blake was previously a director at Next Capital Management and Hendricks was previously a senior portfolio manager.
Raymond James
Financial advisers Samuel Bates, Darin Frandsen and Adam Fluckiger have joined the firm in Saint George, Utah.
Together the advisers form North Rim Financial Group and are joined by client service managers Sara Bingham, Tabatha Ghramm, Michele Platt and Sheri Hamilton.
They previously managed more than $250m in client assets at Edward Jones.
In other news, Raymond James has hired financial adviser Amy Bush in Ingram, Texas.
As Sage Investment Advice, Bush and client service associate Wendy Mieske provide financial services to a range of clients including business owners, families, women investors, pre-retirees and retirees.
Previously, Bush managed approximately $130m in client assets at Edward Jones.
RBC Wealth Management
The wealth manager has hired the Coatoam Wealth Management Group from Merrill Lynch.
The team includes:
- Brian Coatoam, managing director and financial adviser;
- Derek Grimm, senior vice president and financial adviser;
- Ryan Plank, first vice president and financial adviser;
- Andrew Lyon, associate financial adviser;
- Robin Lane, senior investment associate; and
- Morgan Metcalf, senior registered client associate.
