Raymond James lands $400M UBS veteran in Glens Falls

After more than 26 years at UBS Financial Services, Adam E. Pearsall registered with Raymond James & Associates in June. His Glens Falls, New York book, worth more than $400 million, moved into the firm's employee channel. Financial Advisor Magazine reported the move.

Pearsall Wealth Management of Raymond James is supported by practice business manager Melissa Battiste and client service associate Tara Johnson. The team serves individuals, families, business owners and other investors with wealth management, financial planning and investment guidance. Pearsall's title is senior vice president of wealth management.

Kelly Anderson, Raymond James & Associates' Northeast division director, called the hire the next step in a regional buildout that already includes Saratoga Springs and Latham. “Our continued investment in Saratoga Springs, Latham and now Glens Falls reflects our confidence in this community, the strength of the local economy and the growing number of advisors seeking the model found at Raymond James,” Anderson said, according to Financial Advisor Magazine.

Pearsall said Raymond James's “significant investment in technology and planning capabilities” strengthens his ability to address the full picture of each client's financial life while maintaining the attentive service they value. The employee channel gives the advisor the firm's resources and ownership of the book. Raymond James advertises that combination as true business ownership layered over institutional support.

PWD's tracking this week counted two other sizable team hires. Carson Group pulled a Northwestern Mutual practice with a 30-year history. It managed $405 million in Atlanta. Osaic's Carlson Advisor Networks added a father-son team. That team brought $367 million. The Glens Falls book is smaller than either, but the shape is familiar. The hire lands in a week when PWD's tracking found more announced acquisitions than advisor moves over the previous 30 days. Single-book recruiting still runs hot even as consolidation picks up.

Battiste and Johnson are the people clients interact with most. Their presence in the new practice means the service model is being preserved, not rebuilt. How many clients follow Pearsall will test the value of that continuity.

The Capital Region will show whether this is a pattern or a one-off. Another sizable hire in the same corridor would settle it.