Raymond James welcomes teams managing over $500 million in New York and Illinois
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – Raymond James recently welcomed six financial advisors to Raymond James Financial Services, Inc. (RJFS) – the firm’s independent advisor channel – according to Bill Counsman, Western division director for RJFS. The advisors join existing RJFS-affiliated practice Crux Wealth Advisors (CWA), a Long Beach, California-based group that has experienced rapid expansion in the last two years across the country, with additions on the West coast, Central and Northeast regions.
“We’re pleased to continue to support our affiliated practices such as Crux Wealth Advisors, as they grow and expand their footprint into different markets and new metropolitan areas,” said Counsman.
JoAnn Favia, AIF®, ChFC®, CLU®, RICP® is a partner of CWA and RJFS financial advisor located in Villa Park, Illinois. Her join marks CWA’s strategic expansion in Illinois and the opening of the group’s first office in Chicago. Favia brings more than 35 years of industry experience from serving as a registered representative at multiple firms, and later founding and serving as president of her own independent practice, The Favia Group, since 2002. She joins Raymond James and CWA from Kestra Investment Services, where she previously managed approximately $175 million in assets. Favia earned her bachelor’s degree from the University of Colorado, Boulder. Also joining are Julia Perez, relationship manager, and Dan Carthew, retirement plan associate.
Jonathan Plail, CFP®, is president and CEO of Buffalo, New York-based Plail Wealth Management, a practice partnered with CWA. He joins from Merrill Lynch, where he previously managed approximately $120 million in client assets. Plail has earned the CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ certification, Certified Plan Fiduciary Advisor, and Retirement Benefits Consultant designations and received his bachelor’s degree in Business Administration with a Finance concentration from the State University of New York at Buffalo. Joining him at Raymond James are Carolyn Daigler, relationship manager, and Matthew Francis, client services manager.
Wealth advisors Anthony Pandolfi, CFP®, CPM®, CHFC®, CLU®, and Andrew Durfee, CFP®, ChFC®, CRPC®, join Raymond James and CWA from UBS Financial Services, where they previously managed approximately $110 million in assets. Pandolfi began his career in 2000 as a financial analyst with Value Line, Inc., later transitioning to Morgan Stanley and then UBS Financial Services as a senior wealth strategist. Durfee followed a similar track, beginning his career in 2004 at Morgan Stanley and following suit in 2011 to UBS. He earned his bachelor’s degree in Business and Financial Analysis from the University of Buffalo.
Tony Cirocco and Jared Smith, located in Buffalo, New York, join the firm from Key Investment Services, where they previously managed more than $125 million in assets. Both Cirocco and Smith began their financial services careers with HSBC Securities before transitioning to First Niagara Investment Services/LPL Financial. Cirocco graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Business from Daemen College, and he later earned the CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ certification. Smith graduated from Canisius College with a bachelor’s degree in Management & Marketing.
“We felt that aligning with Crux Wealth Advisors and Raymond James would provide us with the right combination of an in-depth platform of resources on an independent chassis,” said Cirocco. “Our desire was to find the best fit for our clients long-term, so that they can experience the concierge level of service they deserve. The economies of scale and mutual benefit of the alignment, along with the back-office support of Raymond James, provides us with the utmost confidence in our decision.”
“As we began exploring our expansion into Western New York and Illinois, we found we had a unique opportunity to partner with advisors who may feel underserved and could benefit from an alignment with CWA and Raymond James,” said Travis Alexander, CEO of Crux Wealth Advisors. “Raymond James continues to go above and beyond in their commitment to us as a firm. We couldn’t be happier with the support and dedication, more specifically through our West Coast divisional management team.”
About Raymond James Financial Services
Raymond James Financial Services, Inc. is a financial services firm supporting 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 8,200 financial advisors throughout the United States, Canada and overseas. Total client assets are $1.06 trillion.
Securities offered through Raymond James Financial Services, Inc., member FINRA/SIPC. Investment advisory services are offered through Raymond James Financial Services Advisors, Inc. Crux Wealth Advisors and Plail Wealth Management are not registered broker/dealers and are independent of Raymond James Financial Services.
Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards Inc. owns the certification marks CFP®, CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™, CFP Logo Flame Design and CFP Logo Plaque Design in the U.S., which it awards to individuals who successfully complete CFP Board's initial and ongoing certification requirements.