Steward Partners and Raymond James Launch Clearwater, Florida Office; Steward expands outside its Northeast Footprint with Ninth Location

WASHINGTON, Feb. 21, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Steward Partners Global Advisory, LLC, an employee-owned, fullservice independent partnership associated with Raymond James Financial Services, Inc. (member FINRA/SIPC), announced today the opening of its ninth location, in Clearwater, Florida. In January, Frank Hibbard, III and Amy Rosa of The Hibbard Group joined Steward Partners as Partners, Senior Vice President and Vice President, respectively. In early February, Todd Hoffman CFP^®, a Barron's Top 1200 Advisor in 2016*, joined with his team as a Partner and Managing Director. This week, Managing DirectorAngela Helmus-O'Brien, CFP^®, Senior Vice President Travis Hadwin, CFP^®and Vice PresidentTodd Seymour also moved to Steward Partners. Collectively, these six advisors previously oversaw approximately $700 million in assets and generated nearly $6 million in revenue.  

With the newest location in Clearwater, Steward Partners now has nine offices in five states and the District of Columbia. The firm, which utilizes Raymond James' platform and support services, also has plans to open several more locations over the next ten months. Steward's rapid expansion establishes it as one of the fastest growing full-service independent partnerships in the country.

"We're excited to welcome Frank, Amy, Angela, Travis and both Todds to Steward Partners and to Raymond James in Steward's new Clearwater location," said Scott Curtis, president of Raymond James Financial Services. "This group represents another addition of high quality, client-focused advisors to affiliate under Steward Partners' business model. We're proud of our relationship." 

STEWARD'S MOMENTUM CONTINUES IN 2017 

"Our story continues to resonate with elite advisors around the country," says Steward Partners CEO, Jim Gold. "Steward Partners has become an attractive option for financial advisors and RIAs looking to grow and achieve more autonomy. We've doubled the size of our firm in 2016 and expect to do the same in 2017, all while remaining focused on hiring great people who also run a great business."

Steward Partners has expanded its management and operational team leading into 2017. Recently, they divided the company into two divisions, with Jim Connors overseeing the New England and New York marketplace while Jeff Gonyo runs the Maryland, Albany, Virginia and DC offices. The company has also added additional operations managers and transition specialists to help manage Steward's remarkable growth.

STEWARD PARTNERS' BUSINESS MODEL INTERESTING TO ADVISORS IN FLORIDA

Hoffman commented, "We believe that the nimble and entrepreneurial culture of Steward Partners, combined with the highest quality service, industry-leading technology and robust platform of Raymond James, will deliver to our clients an unparalleled investment and wealth management experience."

"We are excited to be a part of the Steward family and to become partners in Clearwater," said Rosa. Hibbard added, "Having the freedom and flexibility to manage our clients' wealth was paramount in our decision to move. Being able to utilize a wealth management or advisory approach for our clients means their interests come first, not how we get compensated."  

"The leadership and the transition team at Steward Partners is quite impressive," said O'Brien. "I've explored other options in the past, but nothing connected on all levels of practice management, advisor platform, client service capabilities and, most importantly, firm culture like Steward and Raymond James."

"Our clients' interests were key to our decision to become more independent in our businesses development and expansion, without being overwhelmed with the day-to-day activities of running a company," added Hadwin. Seymour noted that "Steward Partners, with the support and platform of Raymond James, offers that perfect combination which made this choice right for our clients, our businesses and our families."

Since November 2013, Steward Partners has grown to nearly 50 advisors with over $40 million in trailing twelve-month production and over $5.7 billion in assets under management. The firm intends to expand the number of partners and locations significantly in 2017.

About Steward Partners Global Advisory

Headquartered in Washington, DC, with additional offices in Clearwater, Fla., Keene, Portsmouth and Manchester, New Hampshire, Albany, New York, Andover, Mass., Bethesda, Md., and New York City, Steward Partners Global Advisory, LLC, is an employee owned, full-service independent partnership catering to family, institutional and multi-generational wealth.

For more information, visit us at www.stewardpartners.com. 

About Raymond James Financial Services, Inc.

Raymond James Financial Services, Inc., is a financial services firm supporting more than 3,700 independent financial advisors nationwide. Since 1974, Raymond James Financial Services, Inc., member FINRA/SIPC, has provided a wide range of investment and wealth planning related services through its affiliate, Raymond James & Associates, Inc., member New York Stock Exchange/SIPC. Both broker/dealers are wholly owned subsidiaries of Raymond James Financial, Inc. (NYSE-RJF), a leading diversified financial services company with approximately 7,100 financial advisors serving in excess of 2.9 million client accounts in more than 2,900 locations throughout the United States, Canada and overseas. Total client assets are approximately $617 billion.

Steward Partners Holdings and Steward Partners Global Advisory, LLC, maintains a separate professional business relationship with, and our professionals offer securities through, Raymond James Financial Services, Inc., member FINRA/SIPC. Raymond James is not affiliated with The Hibbard Group. 1776 I Street, NW, Suite 700, Washington D.C. 20006. Toll Free: (844) 801-8268.

* The Barron's Top 1200 Financial Advisors ranking draws from all 50 states, plus the District of Columbia. Rankings are based on assets under management, revenues generated by advisors for their firms, and the quality of the advisors' practices. Investment performance is not an explicit criterion because performance is often a function of each client's appetite for risk. In evaluating advisors, Barron's examined regulatory records, internal company documents, and 100-plus points of data provided by the advisors themselves. This ranking is not indicative of future investment performance and may not be representative of individual clients' experience. Financial Advisors did not pay a fee in exchange for this ranking. This recognition is bestowed by an independent third party organization not affiliated with Raymond James.

Press Contact:

Gregory Banasz   
202-930-6008  
Greg.banasz@stewardpartners.com

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SOURCE Steward Partners Global Advisory LLC