People Moves: FA Vet Joins Ballast Rock; UBS Leads Join &Partners
Ballast Rock Private Wealth, a Charleston, S.C.-based registered investment advisor with $400 million in assets under management, has poached Deann Cross from Integrity Financial Corporation after she spent almost 20 years at the firm.
Cross has taken the role of senior wealth advisor at Ballast Rock, where she will work with clients on investment strategy, financial planning and wealth objectives, according to an announcement. She will also bring expertise in multi-generational planning to BRPW for individuals, families and business owners.
“Her focus on business owner support, guiding families through generational wealth transfer, and mentoring the next generation of advisors will be an important part of our continued growth,” BRPW CEO Andrew Mescon said in a statement.
At Integrity Financial, Cross held leadership and advisory roles across investment management, financial planning and client service out of the Bellevue, Wa. office. She had started her career as a loan originator at Washington Mutual in Seattle, according to her LinkedIn profile.
“What drew me to Ballast Rock Private Wealth is the firm’s commitment to delivering a highly personalized, sophisticated wealth management experience,” Cross wrote in a post about the move.
Senior UBS Leaders to Jump to High-Growth &Partners
Former UBS leaders Mara Glassel and Julie Fox will be joining &Partners, a St. Louis-based hybrid broker/dealer, at the start of next year as equity partners and members of the executive team, which includes co-founder and former Wells Fargo Advisors CEO David Kowach.
Glassel and Fox will co-lead &Partners ultra-high-net-worth and private wealth businesses after a combined 52 years at UBS.
“Mara and Julie know what it takes to serve sophisticated clients and support exceptional advisors,” Kowach said in a statement. “They’re choosing independence to help build something great.”
Glassel was at UBS for 28 years, most recently leading the greater New York market’s 18 offices. She had previously been head of national sales for Wealth Management Americas and helped build UBS’ banking and structured notes businesses.
Fox was at UBS for 24 years, most recently leading its Southeast region wealth management and private wealth management businesses across 15 states. She also ran national sales for UBS and launched the UBS Global Family Office Group.
&Partners, which launched in 2023, has grown to 130 advisor practices and about $65 billion in client assets.
TD Bank Hires Hardeep Walia to Lead U.S. Wealth Business
TD Bank U.S. has hired Hardeep Walia, the founder of a brokerage platform acquired by Schwab, to head its U.S.-based wealth management business.
Walia founded and ran Motif, a brokerage platform that offered investors portfolios of stocks around business themes, until Schwab acquired it in 2020. Following that deal, Walia built and led Schwab’s Personalized Investing Engineering organization and later led enterprise AI.
“Hardeep is bringing to TD a powerful combination of wealth management expertise, entrepreneurial leadership and technology innovation,” TD Bank U.S. President and CEO Leo Salom said in a statement.
TD Wealth U.S. plans for Walia to “expand holistic advice and financial planning capabilities, enhance digital investing experiences and strengthen the connection between banking and wealth services, making it easier for clients to access integrated solutions,” the firm wrote in an announcement.
He will be based in New York and report to Salom.
“The opportunity ahead is to bring together trusted advice, innovative technology and the full breadth of TD’s capabilities,” Walia said in a statement.
Walia came from the technology space, where he had senior leadership positions at Microsoft.
MAI Capital Hires Barron’s Editor for an Advisor Recruiting Role
MAI Capital Management, a Cleveland-based RIA with almost $80.4 billion in total client assets, has hired a former Barron’s editor as a managing partner overseeing strategic advisor recruiting.
Matt Barthel, who has worked in financial journalism since the 1990s, will oversee inorganic business development strategy to support MAI’s national expansion. That push was bolstered earlier this year when private equity firm Carlyle increased its minority stake to a majority position in the firm.
Barthel was most recently an executive editor for Dow Jones Wealth and Asset Management Group and for Barron’s magazine, where he oversaw the outlet’s financial advisor rankings. He had also held a role as lead creative for digital marketing firm Digitas and been managing editor of Registered Representative Magazine, the precursor to Wealth Management.
“One of our biggest initiatives is to attract the best and brightest financial advisors and bring them on board to broaden our reach in the marketplace,” Chairman and CEO Rick Buoncore said in a statement. “Matt is a ‘triple threat’ with deep ties to RIAs and wirehouse and sports-focused advisors.”
Barthel will report directly to Managing Partner Jim Kacic and work alongside the firm’s business development team, with a particular focus on advisor lift-outs.
EP Wealth Hires Denver-based Wealth Advisor from Curi RMB Capital
EP Wealth Advisors, a fee-only registered investment advisor based in Torrance, Calif., managing more than $50.4 billion in client assets, has brought on new partner Seth Davis from Curi RMB Capital to be a senior wealth advisor.
Davis makes the move after 15 years at Chicago-based Curi, where he was also a partner, according to his LinkedIn profile. He will remain based in Denver for EP Wealth, where he will work with clients on wealth management strategies, backed by EP Wealth’s financial planning, investment management and tax and estate planning services.
“Seth brings the combination of deep planning expertise, leadership experience and commitment to clients that aligns well with how we continue to build EP Wealth,” Chairman and CEO Ryan Parker said in a statement.
In addition to being an advisor, Davis had worked to establish financial planning standards, mentor junior employees, and develop an advice program for younger investors in the wealth accumulation stage, according to the announcement.
“I’m excited to join EP Wealth and become part of a firm with significant resources and expertise while maintaining a strong focus on the individual client relationship,” Davis said in a statement.
