San Diego, Calif. — July 12, 2013 – Financial advisors Michael Mays, James Pierik, and Thomas Strohl announced today that they have combined staff and practices and joined forces with Stratos Wealth Partners. Mays is a former advisor at Wachovia Securities, UBS, and Wells Fargo Advisors, while Pierik has spent the bulk of his career with LPL Financial and Strohl served at Kidder Peabody, AG Edwards, and Wells Fargo Advisors.
The expansion of the San Diego location will give Stratos Wealth Partners’ a presence in a total of 15 states. Mays will assume the additional responsibilities as Director of Corporate Services, nationally, for Stratos Wealth Partners.
The new Stratos Wealth Partners team has over 80 years of combined experience in the financial services industry, adding to the firm’s impressive roster of qualified advisors. Mays, Pierik, and Strohl manage approximately $350 million in brokerage and advisory assets.
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“We are extremely honored to welcome Michael, James, and Tom as Partners to the Stratos Wealth Partners family,” Founder and CEO Jeffrey Concepcion said. “We have been looking to expand our service offering in areas related to corporate plan sponsorship and this will allow us to meet that goal. Having Michael, James, and Tom on board will bring additional capabilities to our firm.”
Mays brings an extensive background in equity compensation serving corporate stock-option plans for publicly traded companies. He has extensive experience navigating the complexities of concentrated equity positions commonly found serving the needs of Fortune 500 executives and has experience implementing the various strategies required to monetize concentrated equity positions. In his role as the Director of Corporate Services for Stratos Wealth Partners, Mays will develop a suite of capabilities for the distinct needs of corporate executives.
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Pierik specializes in helping meet the financial needs of business owners, professionals, and retirees. He designs effective retirement strategies and custom solutions, avoiding unnecessary risk and optimizing wealth preservation/transfer. He has intimate experience assisting clients with strategies that include intra-family, key employee, and full employee ownership (ESOP), while also providing expertise in 401k, profit sharing, and defined benefit plans.
Strohl brings three decades of market experience to the team, giving him a deep understanding of multiple market cycles. He maintains a series 3 options license, benefiting the team with various hedging strategies, designed to mitigate risk. Strohl has developed an extensive proficiency in serving the unique needs of elderly clients, including Social Security, Medicare, and long-term care planning.
“James and I feel this is an incredible opportunity for our clients,” Mays said. “Stratos Wealth Partners has reached some incredible heights in a few short years and we are very excited to be a part of their growing firm. The Stratos’ business model is very appealing to our team as it will allow us to better manage the needs of our clients globally.”
Stratos Wealth Partners has experienced record-breaking growth in recent months and added a total of 40 new advisors to its network last year. The firm also increased its combined brokerage and advisory accounts by more than 55%, from 3.17 billion in 2011 to $5 billion in 2012. Forbes recently recognized the firm as No. 37 on the list of “Emerging RIAs” in its “50 Top Wealth Managers” list (based on growth in total assets under management as reported March 31, 2011 through March 31, 2013).
In addition to California, Stratos Wealth Partners services clients in Ohio, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Maryland, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Arkansas, Louisiana and Virginia.
About Stratos Wealth Partners
Headquartered in Solon, Ohio, Stratos Wealth Partners works solely to facilitate the success of more than 140 independent financial advisors nationwide. The firm provides experienced financial advisors with a reliable infrastructure and resources that allow them the flexibility to develop and grow their own businesses. Stratos Wealth Partners offers operational, strategic, and revenue-generating resources to advisors who are interested in going independent or are already independent. With more than 50 executive, functional, and support professionals in place, the firm has assembled a concierge team to assist our advisors in the execution of a full-service solution for their clients. For more information, please visit www.stratoswealthpartners.com.
Securities offered through LPL Financial, Member FINRA/SIPC. Investment Advice offered through Stratos Wealth Partners, a Registered Investment Advisor and separate entity from LPL Financial.
