Former Voya Advisory Team with $225M in Assets Heads to LPL

LPL Financial announced that Legacy Financial Group, an advisory firm overseeing $225 million in assets, has joined LPL’s broker-dealer, RIA and custodial platforms from Voya Financial Advisors.

Albuquerque, NM-based Legacy Financial Group was founded in 1995 by Cris Giron, who had “started his financial planning career cold calling potential clients,” and Eddie Fernandez, at the time working at “a local prominent CPA firm” doing traditional accounting services, according to LPL.

“As a Financial Planner, it was important for us to align ourselves with a company that focuses on fiduciary status in how they operate while maintaining our independence,” said Fernandez.

Legacy now has three more advisors, Mario Torres, Antavius Greathouse and Bill Niemeier, and six support staff that provide advisory, brokerage and retirement plan services.

LPL recruited other advisors from Voya over the past two years, including Ascend Wealth Management, an all-woman team based in Michigan managing $210 million in assets as well as Brian M. Woods Financial Services, a Massachusetts-based office of supervisory jurisdiction with 30 financial advisors overseeing $1.6 billion.

LPL has more than 21,000 financial advisors, including advisors at about 1,100 enterprises and at about 500 registered investment advisor firms across the country.