Hall of famer Mike Piazza's 'distant cousin' leaves Merrill Lynch for Raymond James

An adviser related to a recent inductee into the National Baseball Hall of Fame, who shares the player's name and even played for the minors, has left Merrill Lynch for Raymond James. Mike Piazza, a "distant cousin" of his namesake, the former New York Mets catcher inducted last year into the hall of fame last year, joined the regional firm as part of a team that had managed $220 million in client assets while at Merrill, according to a Raymond James spokeswoman. Mr. Piazza and David Lum are based in Stuart, Fla., and operate as Lum Wealth Management of Raymond James. The advisers are joined by sales associate Theresa McMasters.

The spokeswoman, Anthea Penrose, said Mr. Piazza was playing down the family connection. Mr. Piazza joined Merrill Lynch as an intern in 2010, and worked at the firm during his off-seasons as a minor league player for teams affiliated with the Los Angeles Angels and Colorado Rockies. He became a full-time financial adviser in 2015. Mr. Lum began his financial services career in 1981 as a legal and compliance auditor with E.F. Hutton in New York and moved with the firm to Florida in 1987. He joined Prudential Securities a year later where he established his career as a financial adviser. In 1999, he moved to Merrill Lynch.