Financial advisors Ed McCay, Mark Kuznitz, and Larry Hess, operating as the McCay Kuznitz Hess Group, a wealth management practice overseeing nearly $400 million in client assets, has joined the branch channel of Ameriprise Financial Inc., in Red Bank, N.J., the company said.
McCay and Hess were previously affiliated with the Ameriprise independent channel but left the firm to join Merrill Lynch in 2017. After six years at Merrill, the advisors said they decided that their new partner did not offer the same support, assistance, and direction they had enjoyed with Ameriprise. Teaming up with Kuznitz, the trio brought their practice back to Ameriprise, this time affiliating with the firm’s branch channel.
“We already knew and trusted Ameriprise from our time there as independent advisors, so we started to explore the idea of coming back as employee advisors,” McCay said in a news release. “The support and direction from Ameriprise leaders have been everything we were looking for, and more.”
Hess cited the interactive support Ameriprise provided as one of the reasons he and his partners had returned to its advisor family.
“There is very much a culture of collaboration at Ameriprise,” Hess said in the news release. “Leaders go out of their way to help you. Everyone is willing to pitch in and lend a hand. This, combined with the firm’s ultra-efficient technology suite, frees up more of our time to do what is most important to us – serving our clients.”
Kuznitz said in the news release that not only did Ameriprise provide the front and back office support that allowed the three advisors to spend more time with their clients, but also allowed them to offer a greater range of investment options designed to optimize their wealth management services.
“Overall, we believe Ameriprise can help elevate the way we serve our clients to best support their unique goals and needs,” Kuznitz said in the news release.
Ameriprise Branch Manager Trevor Jones and Ameriprise Complex Director Amber Almeida support the New Jersey team.
Founded in 1894, Ameriprise Financial Inc., is a diversified financial services company and bank holding company incorporated in Delaware and headquartered in Minneapolis, Minn. The firm provides financial planning products and services, including wealth management, asset management, insurance, annuities, and estate planning.