Raymond James has added a team of four Las Vegas-based financial advisors to Raymond James & Associates (RJA)–the firm’s employee advisor channel.
The team, which came from RBC Capital Markets, includes Kerry Withrow, Ben Hamilton, Ryan D’Souza and Elliot Bloch, as well as practice business manager Terri Criswell. The group, which managed $1.1 billion in client assets at RBC, will be entitled the Business Exit Planning Advisors of Raymond James and operate as part of RJA’s Las Vegas branch.
“After extensive deliberation and due diligence, our team partnered with Raymond James for its advanced technology platforms, specifically designed to serve business owners and high-net-worth individuals and families,” Withrow said in a statement. “The ability to access Raymond James Investment Banking was also a pivotal factor in our decision.”
Withrow brings over 30 years of financial services industry experience to his role as managing director. He began his career at Smith Barney Inc., now Morgan Stanley, in 1993 and recently served as managing director during a 25-year tenure at RBC Capital Markets.
“We are excited about the opportunities this transition brings and confident that it will help enhance our clients’ financial journeys,” Hamilton said in a statement.
Hamilton began working in the financial services industry at Legel, Braswell Securities and has held advisor positions at Prudential Securities and PaineWebber Incorporated, now UBS. Most recently, he served as a senior vice president at RBC during a 26-year tenure. In addition to his 46 years of experience, Hamilton also holds the Certified Exit Planning Advisor® designation.
“This talented team is a promising addition to our Western division, and we look forward to continuing to attract impactful practices like theirs who mirror the culture and values found at the firm,” Lance Horton, Raymond James complex manager for the Mountain Desert Complex, Nevada and Utah, said in a statement.
It’s the second large team in the West to join Raymond James in the past two months. In September, a trio of advisors in Utah with about $1 billion in managed client assets dropped their LPL affiliation to join Raymond James via the firm’s independent channel.
Earlier this year, Raymond James announced that CFO Paul Shoukry will succeed CEO Paul Reilly as the firm’s leader in fiscal year 2025, part of a broader “multi-year succession planning process.”
The firm also promoted Tom Walrond to head RJA, replacing Tash Elwyn, who was appointed president of the Private Client Group. In November, Raymond James announced that Shannon Reid would head the firm’s independent contractor division.
