Equitable Advisors is strengthening its presence in the Aloha State as it welcomes back a team of financial professionals from Osaic.
According to an announcement from the hybrid RIA, the returning group is led by experienced advisors Shawn E. Hamada, Anna U.J. Kim, and Sonnie O. Koko.
Previously managing over $300 million in assets at Osaic, they operate out of Honolulu, Hawaii, and specializes in retirement and estate planning for individuals, families, and small businesses.
The Hamada/Kim Financial team, which boasts over six decades of combined experience is returning to Equitable during a period of significant change at Osaic.
This past summer, the broker-dealer giant reorganized its senior management team, putting several LPL alums in key roles aimed at supporting organic growth and operations for advisors within the organization. That came as numerous significant advisor groups from Lincoln's wealth business, which it snapped up in May, depart for rival firms.
Hamada and Kim, who began their careers with Equitable Advisors during its pre-2020 incarnation as AXA Advisors, highlighted its open-architecture platform and a supported independence model that they believe will better serve their practice.
“At the end of the day, it’s all about our clients. We’re always striving to create a better and more personal experience,” Kim, a veteran with nearly three decades of financial services experience, said in a statement.
"This is where we started our careers, and it feels like home," Hamada reflected. "As we plan for growth and envision the future of our practice, we knew this was the best place for us.”
Equitable Advisors, a division of Equitable Holdings, Inc., supports over 4,300 financial professionals nationwide and has approximately $94 billion in assets under administration as of June 2024. Earlier this year, it's shored up that network with some notable additions, including a Michigan team that previously managed more than $500 million at Wedbush Securities and a team of veterans in Virginia that previously managed a $326 million portfolio at Truist.
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