Avantax Welcomes New Independent Financial Advisors with approximately $390 Million in Combined Assets

Avantax reports robust recruiting in 2024 as independent financial advisors and tax professionals want to offer clients comprehensive, tax-intelligent financial planning and wealth management

DALLAS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Avantax® Inc. (Avantax), a unique community within Cetera Holdings and a leader in tax-focused financial planning and wealth management, welcomes several new independent financial advisors who have affiliated with Avantax to help strengthen their ability to offer clients comprehensive tax-intelligent financial services.

Financial Professionals transferring to Avantax want the tax-intelligent tools, technology, resources and Home Office support needed to help clients pursue their financial goals. They also align with Avantax to be part of the peer-to-peer collaboration for which the Avantax Community is known, as well as direct access to leadership and Home Office specialists, Avantax’s robust network of tax and accounting professionals, and the financial strength and stability that comes from Avantax being part of Cetera.

With approximately $390 million of combined assets under administration*, the following Financial Professionals and firms have joined the Avantax Community in 2024:

• Ali Kazemi and his Sentinel Financial Group, based near San Francisco, joined Avantax from LPL Financial.
• Financial advisor Amy Wright, based near Des Moines, Iowa, joined Avantax after being affiliated with LPL Financial. She plans to operate as Wright Financial Solutions.
• Joseph Schwan, CPA, and his Long Island, New York-based Premier Wealth Management LLC, joined Avantax from LPL Financial.
• Independent financial advisor Allan Thompson, based in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, joined Avantax from Ameriprise Financial.
• Financial Advisor George Escobar and his Covina, California-based Xavier Consulting, joined Avantax from Next Financial Group.
• Ken Ulrich and John Ariola, both independent financial advisors, brought their East Amherst, New York-based Progressive Planning Services to Avantax from Lincoln Financial.
• Scot Sageser and William Hubbard, both independent financial advisors, joined Avantax along with their Defender Financial Services Group, based near Seattle, from World Equity Group.
• Independent financial advisor W. Townsend Morris, based in Ardmore, Pennsylvania, joined Avantax from Kestra Financial.

“We’re excited these Financial Professionals chose to affiliate with Avantax, especially because their backgrounds and areas of client focus are so diverse, and their diversity helps further strengthen the Avantax Community,” said Andy Watts, President, Avantax Wealth Management. “Avantax recruiting remains robust as Financial Professionals across the industry increasingly want to bring tax-intelligent financial planning to their clients by joining their peers in the incredibly collaborative Avantax Community.”

Tax and financial professionals can learn more about Avantax by clicking here.

*Value approximated based on asset-holding details provided to Avantax.

About Avantax^®

Avantax, a unique community within Cetera Holdings, delivers tax-intelligent wealth management solutions for financial professionals, tax professionals and CPA firms, supporting its goal of minimizing clients’ tax burdens through comprehensive tax-intelligent financial planning. Avantax has two distinct, but related, models within its business: the independent Financial Professional model and the employee-based model. Avantax refers to its independent Financial Professional model as Avantax Wealth Management^®. Avantax Wealth Management (AWM) works with a nationwide network of Financial Professionals operating as independent contractors and offers its services through its registered broker-dealer, Avantax Investment Services, Inc., Member FINRA, SIPC, registered investment advisor (RIA), Avantax Advisory Services, Inc., and insurance agency subsidiaries. We refer to our employee-based model as Avantax Planning Partners℠. Avantax Planning Partners offers services through its RIA, insurance agency, and affiliated broker-dealer, Avantax Investment Services, Inc., and partners with CPA firms to provide their consumer and small-business clients with holistic financial planning and advisory services. Collectively, Avantax had $92.8 billion in assets under administration as of Dec. 31, 2023. For additional information, please visit www.avantax.com.