$2.1B UBS team joins Wells Fargo's FiNet as independent practice

A multigenerational wealth management team managing more than $2.1 billion in assets has left UBS to affiliate with Wells Fargo Advisors Financial Network, adding another billion-dollar name to the wirehouse's growing roster of independent recruits this year.

Operating out of two offices in Toledo, Ohio, and Bonita Springs, Florida, Touchstone Wealth Partners formally joined FiNet on April 10.

The team is led by wealth advisors Kenneth Wise, Mitchel Wise, Kenneth Wise II, Kristie Howe, Michael McCullough, Spencer Stone, and J. Brad Tyo, alongside chief investment officer Brad Dobson.

Rounding out the group are senior client relationship managers Alicia Monday and Meranda Parrish, client relationship manager Jaclyn Seemann, and office administrator Heather Patterson.

The move marks the fourth time this year that a practice overseeing at least $1 billion has affiliated with FiNet, after the earlier additions of Infinity Private Wealth on Long Island, KBK Wealth Management in New York City, and Snow Pine Private Wealth in Wayzata, Minnesota.

FiNet is marking its 25th anniversary after delivering one of its strongest recruiting runs since its inception, representing close to $5.5 billion in client assets during January and February alone.

John Tyers, president of FiNet, said in a statement that Touchstone Wealth Partners has "built a sophisticated wealth management practice with a deep commitment to serving the whole client" and will continue to deliver what he called "a white glove experience" backed by the firm's private wealth capabilities.

The Touchstone move is one of several notable departures from UBS that Wells Fargo has capitalized on in recent weeks. Earlier this month, Andrew Low joined Wells Fargo Advisors in Newport Beach, California, bringing more than $163 million in assets from UBS.

That hire followed the March addition of a JPMorgan team – advisor Andrew Alfonso and client associate Stephanie Pfister – who joined Wells Fargo's private client group in Beaverton, Oregon, with more than $315 million in assets.

The broader trend of UBS advisors leaving for alternative platforms extends beyond Wells Fargo. Last week, advisors Jason Stephens and Mic Lundon departed UBS with approximately $2.4 billion in client assets to launch Evertern Wealth, a Florida-based RIA focused on family office services. That breakaway was supported by RIA technology provider and investment bank Dynasty Financial Partners, with assets held at Goldman Sachs Custody Solutions.

In late December, Wells Fargo pulled off its largest advisor conversion by assets for 2025 by welcoming Hingham Street Partners, a $6.3 billion multigenerational team from UBS. That hire, combined with the string of moves since, reflects a sustained period of talent outflows from the Swiss bank's US wealth management operations.

Read more: UBS fights for US wealth turnaround as it secures national bank license

FiNet has become a magnet for top producers over the years. For ultra-high-net-worth teams with sophisticated clients, it offers what the firm positions as a combination of full independence alongside the resources of a large investment bank. Roughly a quarter of Wells' approximately 12,000 advisors are affiliated with FiNet.

Wells Fargo may have more to say about its advisor recruitment and channel growth efforts later this week, along with broader plans for its wealth division, when the bank reveals its first quarter earnings results on Tuesday.