$150M Advisory Team Departs MassMutual for LPL Financial

LPL Financial has nabbed a financial advisory team from MassMutual, where they managed a total of about $150 million in advisory, brokerage and retirement plan assets. 

Michigan-based Fortress Financial Planning, which is led by advisors Bassem Moez and James Darden, offers “personalized” wealth management services to high-net-worth clients, including pre-retirees, retirees, physicians and business owners. 

The team also includes client service director Karen Haas and operations manager Tanja Lupp, according to the firm’s website. 

Moez was previously affiliated with LPL for eight years before rejoining the firm to launch Fortress Financial Planning and ultimately chose the firm because it aligned with his “philosophy of providing comprehensive guidance,” he said. 

“Our approach is centered on delivering personalized, client-first financial guidance and doing what’s right for the families we serve,” Moez said. “We believe in educating clients so they can make informed decisions, and we strive to operate with full transparency around every recommendation. By acting as the ‘CFO’ while our clients remainthe ‘CEO’ of their financial lives, we help guide them with clarity, consistency and a long-term perspective.” 

Additionally, the advisors chose LPL because of its ability to support the firm’s “commitment to independence and customized financial advice,” LPL said. 

Recently, LPL added Greenwood, IN-based Align Private Wealth from PNC Private Bank, where the team managed a total of about $2 billion in assets under management. 

LPL serves over 32,000 advisors, including advisors at approximately 1,100 institutions, and custodies roughly $2.3 trillion in brokerage and advisory assets, the firm said.

Pictured: Fortress Financial Planning