Advisors Move to Raymond James, Securities America, Wells Fargo

Santa Claus has been kind to several firms just ahead of Christmas, rewarding them with a handful of recruited representatives — and, in one case, a returning rep.

Raymond James (RJF) said late Thursday that it added three advisors from Wells Fargo: Scott Haley, CFP; Judy Mansfield, CFP; Jason Koptish, AAMS; and Scott Glaze, CRPC.

The team, which will now do business as Mainsail Wealth Advisors, is joining Raymond James' independent channel. It works out of Gloucester, Va., manages $210 million in client assets and has had annual fees and commissions of $1.6 million. (It previously used Glaze Wealth Management Group as its brand.)

"For some advisors and teams, going independent is the best choice," said Scott Whitley, regional director of Raymond James Financial Services, in a press release. "I am pleased that this team chose to affiliate with Raymond James' independent channel. They have a true client-first mentality, a value that Raymond James also shares, and we look forward to supporting their practice and clients."

"We looked at several firms before deciding to go independent," said Haley, branch manager and managing partner of Mainsail, in a statement. "Raymond James clearly won. The culture was a perfect fit. It was like returning home from where we once were, back to the mindset that our firm is there to help us help our clients."

Haley began his career as an advisor more than 13 years ago at A.G. Edwards, while Mansfield has more than 35 years of experience in financial services.

Securities America

Securities America, part of Ladenburg Thalmann (LTS) said Thursday that Kathy Keadle is once again affiliated with the independent broker-dealer. She formerly worked with Lincoln Financial Securities.

Keadle and her team joined Securities America in 2005 but left in 2011. The practice, which has about $2 million in yearly production and $140 million in assets, does business as Keystone Financial Services in Augusta, Ga. Keystone includes seven advisors and five staff members.

"I felt that Securities America's significant technology platform along with an advisor-centric environment was the best place for me to take my firm to the next level," Keadle said, in a press release. "We look forward to working with Securities America because of the unparalleled support we will receive."

Keadle joined the financial services industry 16 years ago as a recruiter and trainer. She later managed a branch at AXA in Atlanta. She also runs the Keystone Foundation for Financial Education.

"We are proud to welcome Kathy Keadle and her team back to the Securities America family," said Gregg Johnson, senior vice president of branch office development and acquisitions for Securities America, in a statement.

"Open communication allows former advisors to see the continued growth of our company," Johnson said. "This, coupled with a culture that we value greatly, has developed into a trend that has drawn advisors back to our firm, such as the case most recently with Kathy Keadle, in September with Wayne Maier and in June with Shannon Case and Mark Slattery. These three groups alone total more than $454 million in client assets."

Wells Fargo

Early Friday, Wells Fargo Advisors (WFC) said it had recruited an advisor from UBS in New York.

Bruce Gelfand joined Wells Fargo at its Liberty Plaza Private Client Group office, where he will report to Bill George, manager of the office.

Gelfand has client assets of $89 million and yearly fees and commissions of about $665,000.

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