Steward Partners welcomed an ex-Stifel trio to extend its footprint in Georgia, while Ashton Thomas and Cetera announced new recruitment moves of their own from Raymond James and Commonwealth.
Steward Partners has added a three-advisor team in Macon, Georgia, bringing roughly $630 million in client assets as the firm continues to build out its presence in the Southeast.
The group includes partners David Lucas, senior vice president and wealth manager; Kevin Watson, managing director and wealth manager; and Chris Durham, managing director and wealth manager. Three client associate managers are also joining the practice, giving the team additional support as it serves households and businesses in central Georgia.
Jason Bourgo, president of strategic growth for the East region at Steward Partners, framed the move as a cultural fit as much as a business win. He said in the announcement that the advisors have built a practice rooted in “trust, experience, and long-term relationships” and called them a “natural fit for our firm.”
The Macon team officially joined Steward Partners on Feb. 4 and will remain based in its existing office.
Watson described joining Steward Partners as “an exciting milestone for our team,” adding that the firm’s platform gives them “greater flexibility and resources to enhance the level of advice and service we provide.”
The employee-owned firm, which had nearly $50 billion in client assets as of December 2025, positions itself as a destination for advisors who want a mix of ownership and support rather than a pure wirehouse or small-office environment.
Ashton Thomas Private Wealth is expanding in the Southwest and West Coast with the addition of advisor Collin Rigler, who previously led the Strand Capital Management team at Alex. Brown, a division of Raymond James & Associates.
Rigler, now managing director, partner and private wealth advisor at Ashton Thomas, managed about $200 million in client assets at his prior firm. He is joined by colleague Eric Montijo, who becomes director and private wealth advisor, and by senior associate Kayleigh Nakamura.
Rigler, a veteran advisor with more than three decades of experience, said he was attracted by the alignment between his practice and the firm’s model.
He said Ashton Thomas is “a platform whose values and approach fundamentally align with our business ethos and outlook,” and that the firm opens “new pathways to develop our advisory capabilities and grow our practice.”
Founder and CEO Aaron Brodt said Rigler and Montijo help the company “meet a wide range of client needs in core markets,” pairing experienced advisors with a comprehensive menu of solutions.
Continuing a trend of attracting longtime Commonwealth Financial Network advisors, Cetera this week announced it has recruited Neil Henning and his Fortress Financial team.
Serving clients in both New Jersey and North Carolina, Henning and his team bring about $75 million in assets under administration and is affiliating with Cetera’s Summit Financial Networks community.
After more than two decades with Commonwealth, he began reconsidering his options following its acquisition by LPL, according to the announcement.
Henning said the deal signaled that “significant changes were inevitable” for his practice and made him more open to alternatives. He described his previous relationship with Commonwealth as “very hands-on,” adding that “service is everything in this business. If advisors aren’t supported, clients feel it.”
On that note, he lauded the service experience at Summit, which “felt a lot like Commonwealth,” as well as Cetera’s larger scale and GrowthLine marketing and business development offering, which appealed to his plans to “build for the next generation.”
Todd Mackay, president of Cetera Wealth Management, said Henning’s focus on personal client service aligns with the firm’s advisor-first model, and that Cetera looks forward to supporting the team’s “next phase of growth.”
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