By Kenneth Corbin
Wells Fargo has scored a passel of recruiting wins this year as it seeks to draw advisors to FiNet, its independent wealth management channel. This week, Wells Fargo announced the addition of advisors who together managed more than $1.3 billion in assets at their former firms.
The largest practice, Houser, Plessl & Staples Wealth Management, based in Allentown, Pa., has joined FiNet from Ameriprise, where the team managed more than $530 million in client assets. The practice affiliated with Wells Fargo on Monday.
The same day, advisor Paolo Thompson joined Merritt Point Advisors, a FiNet practice, from Raymond James, where he managed more than $400 million in assets.
Another team, Lakeview Partners, joined FiNet earlier this month from UBS, where it managed more than $400 million.
Ameriprise, Raymond James, and UBS didn't immediately respond to requests for comment on the departures.
It has been a strong start of the year for Wells Fargo's FiNet recruiting effort. In addition to the teams announced this week, the unit earlier this month announced the addition of a $1.8 billion team from Merrill Lynch and a $1.3 billion team from Commonwealth Financial Network.
FiNet President John Tyers says the channel is appealing for the resources it provides and the independence it offers advisors to run their practices as they see fit. Unlike advisors who work as employees for Wells Fargo, the FiNet advisors operate independent practices and act as 1099 independent contracts of the company.
"As financial advisors consider independent broker-dealers to grow their practices, they're looking for technology that scales, flexibility that enables control of their business, and access to sophisticated private--wealth capabilities their clients increasingly expect," Tyers says. "Advisors continue to choose FiNet because it gives them the rare combination of all three."
The Pennsylvania team that joined FiNet from Ameriprise is led by advisors Kevin Houser, Gary Plessl, and Matthew Staples, and includes support staffers Dana Moyer, Taylor Tarole, Christine Kobialka, Joseph Plessl, Madison Houser, Jakob Plessl, Thomas Houser, and Olivia Plessl.
Thompson, the former Raymond James advisor, joined the Houston-based FiNet practice Merritt Point Wealth Advisors in Houston along with teammate Jared Mitchell.
Lakeview Partners, based in Minnetonka, Minn., includes advisors Brandon Larson and Todd Hanneman and support staffers Nicholas Larson, Karen Larson, and Morgan Vondrachek.
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January 28, 2026 13:23 ET (18:23 GMT)
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