RIA moves: Dynasty firm Daymark debuts in Florida as LPL partner RIA adds ex-Thrivent team

RIA moves: Dynasty firm Daymark debuts in Florida as LPL partner RIA adds ex-Thrivent team
Steve Rowe and Emily Rowe at DayMark Wealth Partners.
$3.8 billion RIA Daymark Wealth Management's East Coast move features a breakaway team from Wells Fargo and Janney, led by an experienced father-daughter advisor duo.
JUN 25, 2025

DayMark Wealth Partners and LPL Financial each announced new advisor team additions this week, with DayMark expanding into Florida through a $350 million acquisition and LPL announcing a move at one of its partner RIAs, Strategic Wealth Group.

DayMark Wealth Partners, a $3.8 billion RIA within the Dynasty Financial Partners network, established its presence in Southeast Florida with a team led by a father-daughter tandem, managing partners Steve Rowe and Emily Rowe.

The group, mostly coming from Wells Fargo and FiNet, will operate from new offices in Fort Lauderdale and Stuart.

Joining the Rowes are Victoria Ricker, Patrick Strader, Shayne Cullen and Madison Iandoli in client-facing roles. All but Ricker, who most recently served as an advisor with Janney Montgomery, were part of the same team at their prior firm. Together, they bring expertise in family financial planning, business owner strategies, and liquidity-event structuring.

“This acquisition demonstrates DayMark’s continued ability to attract elite teams that demand the highest standards,” Mike Quin, co-founder and managing partner at DayMark, said in a Wednesday statement revealing the move. “It also establishes our foothold in one of the nation’s most coveted and dynamic wealth management markets.”

Steve Rowe said the team’s decision to join DayMark was driven by a desire for closer alignment with client outcomes. Emily Rowe added, “Operating as full-time fiduciaries allows us to deliver higher-quality advice that truly serves our clients’ best interests.”

Based in Ohio, DayMark extended its presence in Connecticut late last year with another breakaway Wells Fargo team, which previously managed $585 million. More recently in April, it enhanced its reach in Chicago with a veteran-led team from Morgan Stanley.

Elsewhere in Minnesota, four advisors – Mike Trudeau, Matt Merrick, Ben Ollila and Ben Prchal – have joined Strategic Wealth Group, an independent RIA that offers securities and advisory services through LPL Financial.

Based in Lino Lakes, Minnesota, the team comes from Thrivent Investment Management, where they reportedly oversaw approximately $220 million in client assets.

Last month, Thrivent unveiled ambitious plans to grow its employee advisor and independent RIA workforce, targeting some 600 new additions by the end of this year.

Trudeau, Merrick and Ollila have worked together since 2009 and bring a combined 30 years of experience. Prchal, who entered the financial industry in 2021, rounds out the group, which focuses primarily on clients preparing for or entering retirement.

“We approach financial planning like it’s a jigsaw puzzle to solve,” Merrick said. “Each piece of our clients’ financial puzzle – like retirement, Social Security investments, assets and estate planning – must be placed correctly to complete their fiscal picture.”

Trudeau said that independence gives the team the flexibility to better align services with client needs, while Prchal noted the value of having in-house tax resources through Strategic Wealth Group.

Latest News

Texas man says SEC and fund could make him pay twice
Texas man says SEC and fund could make him pay twice

A $141M judgment and a federal asset freeze collide over one shrinking pool

Osaic executives Kristy Britt and Greg Cornick to leave
Osaic executives Kristy Britt and Greg Cornick to leave

The firm's CFO and EVP of Wealth Management Solutions are the latest executives to exit the broker-dealer.

Estate planning becomes a client retention issue for financial advisors, survey finds
Estate planning becomes a client retention issue for financial advisors, survey finds

Clients are saying they would consider switching advisors if another professional offered estate planning services, according to a new Trust & Will survey.

Candidly adds AI agents for Trump Accounts, workplace benefits
Candidly adds AI agents for Trump Accounts, workplace benefits

CEO Laurel Taylor says the fintech's composable AI stack helps workers optimize dollars across Trump Accounts, 529s, 401(k)s, and other employee benefits.

BMO adds three advisors in Dallas amid Y'all Street wealth boom
BMO adds three advisors in Dallas amid Y'all Street wealth boom

The bank has swiped three private banking veterans from BNY as the city climbs the ranks of America's fastest-growing wealth hubs.

SPONSORED Who builds the income when the pension disappears?

Dan Biagini of American Equity says the steady decline of pensions, longer lifespans and a reset in interest rates are rewriting how advisors build retirement income

SPONSORED Why direct indexing stopped being optional

Direct indexing is on pace to outgrow ETFs and mutual funds. Northern Trust's Ken Lassner explains why the advisors who get it wish they had started sooner.