Diamond Consultants - Financial Advisor Recruiters

Insights & Perspectives from Jason Diamond

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Jason Diamond

Managing Partner — When it comes to due diligence, many advisors find themselves overwhelmed by details and emotions. Yet it’s in this very space where Jason shines. Jason’s natural ability to strategize and “connect the dots” are powerful skills that help advisors move beyond the minutiae and towards gaining clarity on what matters most. Learn more...

Most Recent Articles

Should You Go Independent? 7 Reasons It May Not Be Right for Every Advisor
By Jason Diamond, WealthManagement.com - Should every financial advisor go independent? Despite the growth and appeal of independence, the right model depends on your clients, goals, economics, time horizon, and the business life you want to build.
When Growth Starts Working Against Your Business
By Jason Diamond, WealthManagement.com - As wealth management businesses grow, greater scale can bring greater complexity. Learn how financial advisors can identify the “complexity tax” and build a more focused, efficient, and scalable business.
Why You Should Stay at Your Current Firm
By Jason Diamond — Choosing to stay at your current firm shouldn’t happen by default. Discover four practical factors to help determine whether your current firm remains the best place to serve your clients and grow your business.
It’s 2026: Does a Financial Advisor Still Need a Recruiter?
By Jason Diamond, WealthManagement.com - The question isn’t whether AI can replace a recruiter. It’s whether information alone is enough to make one of the most important business decisions of your career.
How the Paradox of Choice Traps Successful Advisors
By Jason Diamond, WealthManagement.com - More options don’t always lead to better decisions. Learn a five-step framework to overcome decision paralysis and evaluate opportunities with greater confidence.
The Transitioning Advisor’s Lament: “Things I wish I knew before…”
By Jason Diamond, WealthManagement.com - Three pieces of real-world hindsight from advisors “who’ve been there and done that.”
The Rise of the Multi-Channel Firm: Why “Either/Or” is a Thing of the Past
By Jason Diamond, WealthManagement.com - The old all-or-nothing transition story is fading. Today, greater optionality inside firms is giving advisors new ways to grow, evolve, and align their business without making a full move. The rise of the multi-channel firm reflects a broader shift: change no longer has to mean starting over.
Intentional Growth: How Top Advisors Build Businesses That Last
By Jason Diamond, WealthManagement.com - Strong markets can drive growth, but durable wealth management businesses are built with intention. Jason Diamond outlines five practices top advisors use to create scalable firms designed to last.
Have You Outgrown Your IBD or the Model Itself?
By Jason Diamond, WealthManagement.com - Spending years inside the independent broker dealer framework can eventually spark a deeper reckoning. Advisors begin to look beyond the logo on the statement and ask a more fundamental question: does this structure still align with the future they’re building, or has their business outgrown its foundation?
Of Myths and Moving: 2025
By Jason Diamond, WealthManagement.com - 6 common misconceptions in the wealth management industry that have new meaning for financial advisors in the coming year.
Human Intelligence in the Age of AI: Why Recruiters Still Matter
By Jason Diamond, WealthManagement.com - Artificial intelligence can analyze firms and deals. It can’t replace the insight and advocacy that help advisors make the right move.
Mindset Shift: Why Advisors are Forgoing a Recruiting Deal and Leaping Right to Independence
By Jason Diamond, WealthManagement.com - 6 reasons why more advisors are choosing to bet on themselves before monetizing their businesses.
From “The” Option to “An” Option: Rethinking the Role of Wirehouses in 2025
By Jason Diamond, WealthManagement.com - An active climate of movement throughout the industry landscape begs the question: “What does the future hold for the wirehouse model?”
Freedom vs. Familiarity: Is it Worth Disrupting Comfort for Something That Might Be Better?
By Jason Diamond, WealthManagement.com - Many advisors are challenged to weigh the comfort of familiarity against the allure of freedom and potential.
UBS Advisors: What to Know BEFORE You Sign ALFA
By Jason Diamond - UBS's ALFA program offers advisors an opportunity to monetize their life's work without leaving the firm. But before signing, it's important to understand the tradeoffs, long-term commitments, and potential implications for your business and succession plans.
The Power of the Midyear Gut Check: A Playbook for Clarity and Momentum
By Jason Diamond, WealthManagement.com - It’s the perfect time for advisors to set up the second half of the year for success.
Player or Coach? Why Every Advisor Eventually Has to Choose
By Jason Diamond, AdvisorHub - As advisory firms grow, founders often face a critical inflection point: double down on being a top producer or evolve into a leader who builds lasting enterprise value.
When Everything Changes: The 5 Stages of Grief—Financial Advisor Edition
By Jason Diamond, WealthManagement.com - A guide to recognizing the emotions of the ongoing disruption in the wealth management world and using them as a catalyst for growth.
Options for Independent Advisors Considering Change
By Jason Diamond, WealthManagement.com - Even advisors under IBD and RIA models often find themselves looking for a better fit for their businesses. Here are 4 options.
Wealth Management Firms and Models: Aren’t They All the Same?
By Jason Diamond, WealthManagement.com - Without the benefit of exploration, it’s easy to fall into the mind trap that says, “It’s all the same no matter where you go.”

Most Recent Podcasts

Partner, Not Acquirer: A Different Private Equity Playbook for Wealth Management
Arax CEO Haig Ariyan and RedBird’s Mike Zabik discuss building a $50B wealth management business around advisor ownership, organic growth, and partnership—and what their strategy means for advisors.
Deep Research: How Smart Money Evaluates Wealth Management Firms
Institutional investors and financial advisors evaluate many of the same wealth management firms—but through very different lenses. Wolfe Research’s Steve Chubak shares what advisors can learn from the institutional view of growth, recruiting economics, AI, pricing, and consolidation.
Unleashing Potential: Why Capacity is an Advisor’s Biggest Competitive Advantage
AssetMark CEO Michael Kim shares how financial advisors can create capacity for growth by leveraging outsourcing, technology, and AI—while keeping client experience at the center.
Growth Without Compromise: Building Around the Advisor Experience
The best advisor platforms do more than provide technology and operational support. They become strategic partners that help advisors build stronger businesses, create enterprise value, and grow without compromise.
Lessons from the Links: From Golf Pro to $5B Family Office Partner
From professional golf to a nearly $5B multi-family office, Constantine Hatzivassiliou explains why the best advisors become the first call when life gets complicated.
From “Overservicing” Clients to Building a $1B RIA: A Merrill Breakaway Story
Michael Smith shares how a client-first philosophy, niche specialization, and independence helped Emerald Advisors grow from $385mm to more than $1B in assets.
True Alignment: Advising Business Owners on Wealth, Significance, and Value
Nick Hubert and Taylor Gentry of Panoramic Capital Partners talk about helping business owners align personal significance, wealth, and business value through a long-term advisory framework.
The Advisor Transition Playbook: Inside Baseball on Due Diligence, the Move, and Everything In Between – Best of Replay
Jason and Mindy Diamond unpack the real advisor transition playbook—from due diligence and culture fit to portability, enterprise value, and the evolving landscape of advisor choice.
Short-Term Hard, Long-Term Easy: Ex-Edward Jones Advisor on Building Beyond $1B
After three decades at Edward Jones, Ricky Smith realized he wanted more than growth: he wanted ownership. Now, his independent firm is 50% larger than the business he left behind.
A President’s Perspective: Inside an $8B Boutique Firm’s Evolution
Leah Sciabarrasi of Crestwood Advisors shares how an $8B firm was built over time—through evolving leadership, disciplined growth, and a focus on scaling without disrupting the client experience.
The Advisor Transition Playbook: The Latest on Due Diligence, the Move, and Everything In Between – Part 2
A continuation of the Advisor Transition Playbook, this episode focuses on how the inputs to due diligence are evolving and how newer factors, such as AI and enterprise value, are shaping how advisors assess firms and long-term fit today.
Entrepreneur, Advisor, and Conductor: Orchestrating Success After Edward Jones
Ryan Guth, Founder of Goldfin Group, talks about moving beyond Edward Jones to build an independent business defined by control, differentiation, entrepreneurial alignment, and how this allows him to serve as a “conductor” to his clients.
The Annual Report on Recruiting, Deals, and Transitions
A companion to the annual Advisor Transition Report, this episode explores what’s driving advisor movement and what it signals about control, growth, and evolving business models.
When Success Isn’t Enough: Merrill Breakaways Make the Case for Independence
Todd Stankiewicz and Joe Castiglie share why leaving Merrill to launch SYKON Capital allowed them to redefine success, expand their toolkit, and combine institutional investing with behavioral insight in service of their clients.
Building for Continuity: Leadership Lessons from the Battlefield to the Firm
For Dennis Morton, succession isn’t a future problem, it’s a leadership obligation. Drawing on his experience as an Army platoon leader and co-founder of an independent firm, he shares how technical competence, accountability, and bold goals drive culture, next-gen leadership, and a business that can thrive beyond any one person.
Scale Without Compromise: How $40B Lido Advisors Stays Client-First
As firms pursue scale, advisors face a critical question: how do you grow without compromising clients? This conversation with Jason Ozur of Lido Advisors examines what intentional growth really looks like and what scale can enable when culture and clarity come first.
An Advisor’s Guide to 2026: What 2025 Set in Motion and What Comes Next
2025 quietly reset expectations around growth, capital, and scale. In this Industry Update, we examine what last year set in motion and how advisors can position their businesses for what comes next in 2026.
Life After Edward Jones: How One Advisor Built a Lean, Focused Independent Firm
Former Edward Jones advisor Steve Davis shares how he built a lean, focused independent firm with LPL and what freedom really means.
The Advisor Transition Playbook: Inside Baseball on Due Diligence, the Move, and Everything In Between
A guide to advisor transitions: due diligence, culture, deals, client comms,and lessons from the $129B Merrill breakaway.
Balancing Scale and Service: CEO Mike Durbin on Growth and Cetera’s Future
The CEO of Cetera Financial Group shares insights on independence, private equity, and balancing scale with service, plus what the future holds for advisors and firms.

Most Recent Transition Case Studies

Financial Advisor Transitions from UBS
Transition Announcement: $323mm Edward Jones Advisor Finds a Different Path to Independence with &Partners
After 17 years at Edward Jones, Brian Geist launched Stonemere Wealth with $323mm in client assets. Seeking greater autonomy and ownership, he worked with Diamond Consultants to explore alternatives to traditional independent broker dealers, ultimately finding the right partnership model at &Partners.
Financial Advisor Transitions from UBS
Transition Announcement: Three UBS Teams Pursue Different Paths Toward Growth and Control
Three multi-million-dollar, top-producing advisor teams left UBS in recent weeks, driven by similar themes of growth, flexibility, and long-term alignment. Their moves reflect how advisors are evaluating their futures through a much broader and more strategic lens.
Transition Announcement: Solo Woman Advisor Breaks from UBS to Launch Independent Firm
Kristin Larson, Forbes-listed Top Next Gen and Top Woman Advisor generating $1.5mm annual revenue, left UBS to build NewSpring Wealth Partners with support from Sanctuary Wealth.
Transition Announcement: 32-year Merrill Lifer and Team Take Their $640mm Business to RBC Wealth Management
David Callot invested the first 32 years of his career in wealth management at Merrill, yet he recognized that changes at the firm limited his ability to optimally serve clients.
Transition Announcement: Multiple $1mm+ Producers Depart Edward Jones
In two recently announced moves, Edward Jones advisors decamped for independence with Kestra PWS and Raymond James Financial Services.
Transition Highlights
Ed Jones Advisors on the Move: Two More Leaps to Independence
The ability to “do more” for clients without limitation is a common driver behind two recent moves that Diamond Consultants facilitated.
Transition Announcement: Billion-Dollar Team Joins Morgan Stanley Private Wealth Management in Washington, DC
Transition Announcement: $3mm Merrill Team from Philly Launches RIA Firm Presilium Private Wealth
For this team, the pandemic served as an opportunity to reflect on the past and how they could better serve their clients in the future.

Most Recent Moves in the News

&Partners Adds $323mm Edward Jones Team in Oklahoma
InvestmentNews highlights the move of Brian Geist and his Stonemere Wealth team from Edward Jones to &Partners, bringing $323mm in assets.
&Partners Recruits $323mm Edward Jones Team in Oklahoma
Brian Geist and his Stonemere Wealth team have joined &Partners from Edward Jones, bringing $323mm in client assets, as reported by Financial Advisor.
LPL Lures FA Duo with $400M from Synovus
By Sam Del Rowe, FinancialAdvisor IQ - LPL Financial announced that it has added a financial advisor duo from Synovus Securities, where they oversaw a total of about $400 million in advisory, brokerage and retirement plan assets.
Next-gen woman advisor managing $200M switches from UBS to Sanctuary Wealth
Steve Randall, InvestmentNews - A former financial advisor and senior vice president in the wealth management team at UBS has taken the leap into independence by launching her own firm.
Sanctuary Wealth Lands Recognized Top Next-Gen And Woman Advisor From UBS
AdvisorHub - UBS advisor has left the wires for independence with Sanctuary Wealth. Kristin Larson, who spent nine years at UBS building a client base totaling nearly $200 million, has started her independent practice, NewSpring Wealth Partners.
$200M Advisor Leaves UBS to Go Independent with Sanctuary
Alex Ortolani, WealthManagement.com - After 9 years at UBS, Kristen Larson has launched Minneapolis-based NewSpring Wealth Partners with support from Sanctuary.
Breakaway NewSpring Wealth Joins Sanctuary From UBS
James Miller, Wealth Solutions Report - UBS Advisor Kristin Larson launches independent firm with Sanctuary partnered independence model.
How employee retention, lawsuits and new deals are affecting wirehouses
Jason Diamond quoted By Courtney Hoff Dockerty, Financial-Planning.com - Jason Diamond, an executive vice president at the recruiting firm Diamond Consultants, finds it unsurprising that advisory groups with the most years of industry experience are also those most likely to leave.
Deals & Recruiting Roundup: Focus, Cetera, Emigrant, Integrated Partners And More
Diamond Consultants 2023 Advisor Transition Report, Cited By Chris Latham, Wealth Solutions Report - Diamond Consultants, a wealth management recruiting and M&A business, released its latest Advisor Transition Report.
Recruiting Picked Up in 2023 Despite Headwinds
Jason Diamond quoted By Duncan MacDonald-Korth, FINSUM - Following the collapse of First Republic, many believed that there would be a negative impact on financial advisor recruiting. However, this concern was unfounded as more than 9,600 experienced advisors switched firms last year, which was a 7.5% increase from 2022 according to a report from Diamond Consultants. 
What Recruiters Are Saying About Cetera’s New Growth Guarantee
Jason Diamond quoted By John Manganaro, ThinkAdvisor - Diamond said he expects the new approach will resonate well, at least with some advisors seeking a new approach to affiliation.
Nearly 9,700 Series 7 Advisors Changed Firms in 2023, Report Says
Jason Diamond quoted By Jennifer Lea Reed, FAMag.com - Nearly 9,700 experienced advisors who hold Series 7 brokerage licenses changed firms in 2023, a 7.5% increase over 2022—a gain that came despite historically transition-dampening headwinds such as the regional banking crisis early in the year and multiple geopolitical conflicts, said Diamond Consultants in its 2023 Advisor Transition report.
Advisor Recruiting Activity Stayed Strong in 2023 Despite Bank Turmoil. Expect More Moves This Year.
Jason Diamond quoted By Andrew Welsch, Barron's - Advisor recruiting moves increased at a healthy clip last year despite a regional bank crisis that took down First Republic Bank, one of the industry’s leading recruiters, according to a new report by Diamond Consultants.
Kestra Private Wealth Services Snags Edward Jones Advisor in Oklahoma
By Ali Hibbs, WealthManagement.com - Will Gungoll left Edward Jones to create Buffalo Capital, a name that honors his Native American heritage and community in Enid, Okla.
Transition Announcement: Multiple $1mm+ Producers Depart Edward Jones
In two recently announced moves, Edward Jones advisors decamped for independence with Kestra PWS and Raymond James Financial Services.
Rockefeller Lands $6.2-Mln Brown Brothers Trio Once Bound for First Republic, $5.2-Mln Merrill Duo
By Mason Braswell, AdvisorHub - Matthew Giorgetti and his $6.5-million team of private bankers resigned from Brown Brothers Harriman in late February with plans to join First Republic Bank in Boston. But then March ushered in a regional banking crisis that enveloped First Republic and led to its collapse and government-brokered purchase by JPMorgan Chase & Co. in early May. 
J.P. Morgan Lures in $4.8-Mln UBS Team, $2.3-Mln Goldman Broker
By Karmen Alexander, AdvisorHub - Brent Herbert joined J.P. Morgan in February after overseeing around $445 million in assets at Goldman.
Merrill Scoops Up $1B Citi Private Bank Team; First Republic Nabs $1.25B Wells Team
By Jake Martin, AdvisorHub - A four-advisor Citi Private Bank team managing $1 billion in client assets in Connecticut and New York has decamped for Merrill Lynch, according to a source familiar with the move.
Sanctuary Wealth Welcomes Mesa Pointe Wealth
PRNewswire – Texas-based team with $120 million AUM joins from Edward Jones and chooses partnered independence with Sanctuary
$3.5-Mln Merrill Team Launches RIA, LPL Pulls from UBS, Morgan Stanley
By Jake Martin, AdvisorHub - Breakaway teams from Merrill Lynch, UBS Wealth Management USA and Morgan Stanley have flown their wirehouse coups in the past week for Dynasty Financial Partners and LPL Financial, according to announcements and registration records.

Most Recent Quoted in the News

Advisor moves: RBC lands $1B UBS team in Pittsburgh
Diamond Consultants' research provides context for InvestmentNews' coverage of a $1B+ UBS team moving to RBC Wealth Management.
Wirehouses Lost 517 Advisors. The Bigger Problem Is Who Walked Out.
Jason Diamond discusses findings from Diamond Consultants' latest Advisor Transition Report, including the departure of some of the industry's largest wirehouse teams and the growing range of options available to successful advisors.
Wirehouse Departures Are Up. How Firms Can Appeal to Those Advisors
Jason Diamond discusses the growing movement away from wirehouses, what advisors are looking for in a new firm, and the findings from Diamond Consultants' latest Transition Report.
Wirehouse Recruiting Winners and Losers: 5 Trends in 2026
ThinkAdvisor examines five trends shaping wirehouse recruiting in 2026, drawing on Diamond Consultants' latest Advisor Transition Report to highlight firm-by-firm differences, advisor movement, and the changing competitive landscape.
Declaring Independence: Why Advisors Are Leaving the Captive Model Behind
Advisors at some of the largest firms in the country are leaving, and not in a trickle. In 2024 alone, more than 9,600 experienced advisors changed firms, according to industry data from Diamond Consultants.
Edward Jones and American Funds: A 60-year revenue-sharing alliance
Jaosn Diamond Quoted By Tobias Salinger, FinancialPlanning.com - "The firm is litigious — they have a reputation," Diamond said. "Most advisors, if anything, are trying to fly under the radar when they leave. You don't want to poke the bear."
Advisor moves jumped 16% in 2025: Report
Transition Report Mentioned, By Peter Saalfield, CityWire - The number of experienced financial advisors who changed firms or models rose to the highest annual total since 2022, when Diamond Consultants began tracking the moves.
11 Predictions for Advisor Movement in 2026
4th Annual Transition Report Discussed, By Michael S. Fischer, ThinkAdvisor.com - 2025 was a banner year for advisor recruiting, with 11,172 experienced advisors changing firms, up 16% from 2024, when 9,615 advisors moved, according to the latest Advisor Transition Report from Diamond Consultants. 
Advisor Movement Soared 16% in 2025
Jason Diamond Quoted by Diana Britton, WealthManagement.com - 2025 was a banner year for advisor recruiting, with 11,172 experienced advisors changing firms, up 16% from 2024, when 9,615 advisors moved, according to the latest Advisor Transition Report from Diamond Consultants. 
Diamond Consultants: The 4th Annual Advisor Transition Report
2026 Transition Report, AdvisorHub.com - A data-driven look at where advisors are moving, why they’re making changes, and what it means for your business in 2026.
Indie firms are winning the advisor race. Here’s how other firms can catch up
Jason Diamond quoted - By Tobias Salinger, FinancialPlanning - While the data simply "crystalizes a lot of what we knew to be true," it also reflects how "independence is a spectrum," said Jason Diamond, the president of advisor recruiting firm Diamond Consultants and the lead author of its report tracking moves each year.
The cautionary tale of an advisor M&A deal gone wrong
Jason Diamond quoted - By Tobias Salinger, FinancialPlanning - Jason Diamond shares his thoughts on Deal structures that give either side an exit prior to full consummation can also help avoid disputes.
UBS Sheds $14B in Wealth Assets in the Americas
Jason Diamond quoted - By Griffin Kelly, The Daily Upside - “You’ll see more advisors leaving, certainly in the first quarter, and they’re going to have a really hard time recruiting competitively for this year,” said Jason Diamond, president of Diamond Consultants.
LPL Might Not Retain 90% of Commonwealth Advisors. Why That’s Not Necessarily a Problem
Jason Diamond quoted - By Griffin Kelly, The Daily Upside - Jason Diamond shares his thoughts on LPL Financial's purchase of Commonwealth Financial Network last year.
Advisor Growth Unlocked: Insights from LPL Financial’s Study
Diamond Consultants Transition Report Highlighted, By LPL Financial on AdvisorHub - LPL’s Advisor Growth Study turns six years of advisor data into practical strategies for independence. See how top performers succeed — and learn how to apply these tactics to your business.
After 12 years at UBS, $450M team returns to Morgan Stanley
Jason Diamond Quoted by Dan Shaw, financialplanning.com - A three-advisor team with nearly half a billion dollars under management has boomeranged back to Morgan Stanley after a 12-year interim at UBS.
‘Critical’ time for UBS: 169 advisors depart in first half of 2025
Jason Diamond Quoted By Dan Shaw, Diamond Consultants found that 169 advisors left UBS in the first half of 2025. Even if that pace falls in the second half, the departure rate is still on track to outstrip previous years.
When is the right time to leave a wirehouse?
Jason Diamond Quoted By Tobias Salinger, At some point, it just makes too much economic sense to move, because you do have that ability to monetize your business.
13 giant wealth management firms paid CEOs an average of $29M
Jason Diamond Quoted By Tobias Salinger, And advisors are more likely to notice the pay for specific wealth management leadership roles, such as Morgan Stanley's Andy Saperstein and Citi's Andy Sieg, than the amount provided to the overall CEO, according to Jason Diamond, an executive vice president and senior consultant with advisor recruiting firm Diamond Consultants.
Why and when do financial advisors change firms? It’s complicated
Jason Diamond Quoted By Tobias Salinger, FinancialPlanning.com - Advisors "have a tremendous amount of power" as the managers of the client assets sought by an expanding array of firms, said Jason Diamond, an executive vice president and senior consultant with advisor recruiting firm Diamond Consultants.