Advisor moves: RBC, Merrill, Rockefeller announce elite additions

Award-winning advisors are on the move on the East and West Coast, with RBC Wealth Management, Rockefeller Global Family Office, and Merrill Private Wealth Management each bolstering their ranks with top-calibre additions.

On Thursday, RBC Wealth Management – US announced it has recruited The Degenaars Babb Group, a team managing more than $5 billion in client assets. The 11-person group from JPMorgan Wealth Management will be based in New York City and includes several senior advisors and associates with a focus on wealth and legacy planning.

The leadership group includes Glenn Degenaars and Jason Babb, both managing directors and senior portfolio managers, and Kristin Ashman, managing director and wealth strategist. Supporting them are senior financial associates Jennifer Mackley and Ryan Carney, senior business associate Elizabeth Botti, and investment and client associates Antonio Salcfas, Griffin Wellington, Michael Telesco, John Rehill, and Diana Zapata.

“This team of professionals is skilled at serving clients with complex needs and providing a well-rounded approach to wealth and legacy planning,” John Moran, New York complex director at RBC Wealth Management, said on Thursday.

The team has received widespread industry recognition, being featured on top-ranked advisor and team lists published by Barron's and Forbes. It's one of the largest teams RBC Wealth Management has recruited to date. Its biggest recruitment move came in 2019, when it welcomed an LA-based advisor team that previously managed $7.5 million at UBS.

RBC's recruitment record so far this year has included a $1.2 billion New York team who joined from JPMorgan in January, and a Minneapolis advisor managing more than $1 billion who joined this week from US Bank.

Meanwhile, Rockefeller Global Family Office has expanded its presence in New Jersey with the addition of Chase Newman Riordan Wealth Partners. The team, previously with UBS, becomes the first private advisor group headquartered in Rockefeller’s Florham Park office.

Led by managing directors Ray Chase and Angie Newman and senior vice president Dan Riordan, the team has been recognized by Forbes as a Best-in-State Wealth Management Team in 2023, 2024 and 2025.

Additional team members include wealth manager Eric Schenk, client experience manager Julianne Rose, client relationship associate Jack Worth, planning and investment associate Julia Chase, and client relationship analyst Nikita Chhabria.

“With their deep history of providing exceptional service, thoughtful guidance, and customized strategies, Chase Newman Riordan Wealth Partners are an outstanding fit for the Rockefeller brand and culture,” said Chris Dupuy, president of Rockefeller Global Family Office.

Michael Outlaw, head of enterprise strategic growth, added, “We are pleased to welcome our first team in Florham Park, which represents a compelling growth opportunity for the firm.”

In January, Rockefeller boosted its presence in New York and Houston as it welcomed a pair of elite teams from Morgan Stanley and JPMorgan.

Over at the West Coast, Merrill Private Wealth Management has named Micah Scheinberg as a managing director in Los Angeles. Scheinberg joins from Raymond James, bringing with him $1.9 billion in client assets and more than three decades of industry experience.

He will be part of Merrill’s Mountain West Private Wealth market, which is led by regional managing director Jeff Wood. Scheinberg has worked extensively with ultra-high net worth clients and has been regularly featured in Barron’s Top 1200 and Forbes’ Best-In-State Wealth Advisors rankings.