Two advisor teams managing a combined $1.51 billion have changed platforms with LPL Financial adding a planning-focused Georgia practice from Wells Fargo's independent contractor channel, while Wells Fargo Advisors, the firm's employee wirehouse, separately gained a multigenerational family team from UBS.
LPL Financial said Monday that Praxis Financial Partners, based in Alpharetta, Georgia, has joined its broker-dealer and registered investment advisor platform, bringing approximately $1.1 billion in advisory, brokerage and retirement plan assets. The team departs from Wells Fargo Advisors Financial Network (FiNet).
Founded in 2013 by Scott Christian, CFP, and Cecil Loyd, CIMA, the firm takes its name from the Greek word for "process" - a deliberate signal of the planning-first philosophy that has defined its growth. Jay Gentry, CIMA, joined the practice in 2020 following 20 years in asset management distribution, while Matt Dion came aboard in 2024 with 15 years of advisory experience.
The four-advisor team serves business owners, corporate retirees, executives and multigenerational families across 24 states, and cited LPL's open-architecture platform and technology flexibility as the deciding factors after evaluating more than a dozen firms.
"The planning tools, flexibility and ability to create our own technology stack will help us continue delivering exceptional service while positioning the firm for future growth," Christian said.
Dion pointed to innovation as equally important. "We were looking for a partner committed to innovation and focused on helping advisors deliver greater value," he said, noting that LPL's technology and resources would allow the team to enhance the client experience without giving up the personalized service its clients expect.
The move preserves Praxis's independence and keeps future succession options open — a priority that advisors evaluating platforms have increasingly flagged as a deciding factor when choosing a new home. A tenured support team - including Jody Smith, Zac Hirschler, Ashlyn Presley, Ellen Rick, Seleena Harris and Parvathy Eashwaran - rounds out the practice.
LPL Chief Growth Officer Marc Cohen said the firm was "honored" to support Praxis in its next chapter, highlighting the team's collaborative investment process and multigenerational client relationships as hallmarks of the practices LPL looks to recruit.
The same week FiNet lost Praxis, the wirehouse’s employee advisor channel Wells Fargo Advisors reported a gain as Andrew Strong, Jonathan Strong and Christian Strong joined as Strong Wealth Management Group, having managed approximately $410 million in assets under management at UBS.
The team is a three-generation family practice based in Naples, Florida; Andrew and Jonathan are brothers, and Christian is Andrew's oldest son.
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