Ex-Merrill Wealth Head John Thiel Launches RIA

News January 08, 2025 at 03:07 PM
Share & Print

/contrib/content/uploads/sites/415/2024/11/John-Thiel_640.jpg

John Thiel, the former Merrill Lynch Wealth Management head, has launched an independent RIA called Indivisible Partners.

Coinciding with its public launch, Indivisible Partners is being joined by a $640 million New York-based advisory practice, Woodring | LeRoy Capital Advisors, headed by Lee Woodring and Robert LeRoy.

“Advisors are our industry's greatest asset, and more must be done to support them,” Thiel said in a statement. “Our firm was founded to give advisors the resources and independence they need to provide objective advice that is always in their client's best interest.”

Woodring and LeRoy said they chose to move their practice to the new RIA to gain freedom to deliver a “tailored, family office experience” to clients.

“Our decision to join Indivisible Partners was driven by a shared commitment to achieving greater professional independence, embracing fiduciary principles, and enhancing the value we deliver to our clients,” the pair added.

Thiel first revealed his plans to launch an RIA in November. He is accompanied by a number of other former Merrill executives in launching Indivisible, including John Hogarty, Paul Lambert, Bill Lorenz, Tom Fickinger, Michael Adornetto, Alok Kapoor and Stephen Hostetler. They are joined by Peter Cieszko and Tom Corra, both of whom have worked as executives in the asset management industry.

Thiel stepped down as head of wealth management at Merrill in late 2016, after five years in the position, and was replaced by Andy Sieg. He then served as vice chairman of Global Wealth Management & Investment Management at Bank of America for a year.

The announcement notes that Indivisible Partners will seek to deliver a “compelling economic proposition to a select group of entrepreneurial wealth advisors to own 100% of their own practice and participate in the success of Indivisible Partners through equity ownership.”

Likewise, the firm will aim to support financial advisors "through their full business lifecycle, from transition to growing and scaling their practice and eventual legacy through succession."

Pictured: John Thiel

NOT FOR REPRINT

© 2025 ALM Global, LLC, All Rights Reserved. Request academic re-use from www.copyright.com. All other uses, submit a request to [email protected]. For more information visit Asset & Logo Licensing.

Related Stories

Resource Center