Raymond James welcomes $1B Utah advisory team

Raymond James has extended its independent advisor channel with a trio of experienced financial advisors joining in Utah.

Raymond James Financial Services announced Monday that it has brought on a Utah-based financial advisor team, which reported managing approximately $1 billion in client assets.

The team, consisting of Jaden Gurney, Trevor Hanson, and Jonathan Rogers, will be operating under the jurisdiction of Bill Counsman, Western division director for Raymond James Financial Services.

With offices located in Salt Lake City, Richfield, and St. George, the advisors provide financial planning services to clients, including business owners and individuals nearing retirement. Financial consultant Katie King and client service managers Jesica Mangum and Elisa Meacham have also joined the team.

Gurney, who has 12 years of industry experience, spent the last nine years at LPL Financial and Zion Bank after starting his financial career at Transamerica Financial Advisors in 2013. In 2015, LPL acquired the wealth division of Zions Bancorporation – the parent company of Zions Bank – which at the time held roughly $57 billion in assets.

In a statement, he highlighted how Raymond James supports their ability to "serve our clients with total independence and objectivity," letting them "take a more well-rounded approach to serving all facets of clients’ financial well being.”

Hanson, a United States Air Force veteran with nearly 18 years of financial advising experience, began his advisory career at Chase Investment Services in 2006 before spending time at Key Bank and Wells Fargo, then finally winding up in LPL and Zion Bank in 2015. He highlighted the firm's culture along with its "advanced technology and services" as "big draws for our team."

Rogers, who entered the industry in 2014, worked briefly at Fidelity Brokerage Services before moving to LPL Financial, where he spent nearly 10 years before joining Raymond James. With their move, he said the trio has been able to "focus on finding effective strategies for our clients’ financial needs well beyond standard investment management and products.”

It has been a sluggish month for recruitment at Raymond James so far. Its move in Utah marked only its second addition in September, following a $360 million Mississippi advisor team that also joined from LPL.