Four advisors in Novi, Mich., who together managed $1.1 billion in client assets for Merrill Lynch have joined the advisor channel of Raymond James & Associates, the companies announced.
Nicholas Conner, Kevin Latta, Michael Conti and Jamie Howells, operating as Stone Manor Wealth Advisors of Raymond James, have joined Raymond James & Associates (RJA), the St. Petersburg, Fla.-based firm’s employee advisor channel, the companies said.
"With a combined 75 years of industry experience, the Stone Manor team demonstrates the long-term success possible when clients are put first and treated with integrity," Dominic Prioli, Great Lakes regional director for RJA, said in a prepared statement. "It is an absolute privilege to welcome this accomplished team to Raymond James and continue our growth in the Detroit metro area."
The Stone Manor team, which also includes investment portfolio associate Adriana Soto and business coordinator George Kourtis, were formerly with Merrill Lynch, where they managed about $1.1 billion in client assets. The team will report to branch manager Lewis Walterhouse, who recruited them, Raymond James said.
Conner, with 26 years of experience, has been with Merrill Lynch since graduating from Andrews University with a bachelor’s degree in economics.
“This guiding principle drives our business forward and is at the crux of every decision we make, Conner, managing director of the practice," he said in a news release. "We feel that Raymond James' client-first culture strongly parallels our own and provides the best opportunity to continue positively impacting the families, individuals and businesses we faithfully serve."
Latta also brings 26 years of experience to the practice. He received both a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in economics from Bowling Green State University.
"The support we've been given since joining Raymond James' has been tremendous and has already had a significant positive effect on clients and the daily lives of our advisors,” he said in the news release.
Conti, the team’s senior vice president, brings more than a decade of financial services experience to the practice. A graduate of Grand Valley State University, where he earned a bachelor's. degree in finance and economics, Conti started his career with Ameriprise, which he left to join Telemus before eventually transitioning to Merrill Lynch in 2015.
Howells, born and raised in Swanseas, Wales, graduated from England’s University of Worcester. After making his way to the U.S., he began his career in the financial services industry in 2008 with Fifth Third Bank, then joined Bank of America Corporation in 2011. In 2015, he moved over to Merrill Lynch, where he became a financial advisor in 2018. Howells serves as associate vice president with the Stone Manor team.
“At Raymond James, we feel we are positioned perfectly to put our clients first and provide them with the white glove service level they deserve,” he said on his social media account. “Financial well-being drives health and success in many other areas of life, and with the tools afforded to me at Raymond James, I am able to give our clients the information and guidance they need to implement a goals based strategy that helps them succeed now, into retirement, and for their future generations.”
Founded in 1962, Raymond James & Associates Inc. (RJA) is a wholly owned subsidiary or Raymond James Financial Inc., a diversified financial services company with about 8,600 financial advisors overseeing approximately $1.16 trillion in client assets worldwide.