Sanctuary welcomes $400M breakaway group from Merrill

investmentnews.com:

Sanctuary Wealth has strengthened its advisory network in the eastern US as a four-person breakaway team makes a leap for independence.

On Friday, Sanctuary announced the latest addition to its community of more than 120 partner firms by welcoming TOVA Wealth, a Wilmington, North Carolina-based advisory firm managing over $400 million in client assets, from Merrill.

Led by founder and managing partner Katie Medina, the team also includes advisors Michael Tunney and Eric Starkey, along with client associate Amy Kepler.

The move marks a milestone for TOVA Wealth, as they depart from the wirehouse business to an independent advisory platform.

“Katie and her team wanted the autonomy to run their business and serve clients as they felt best,” Vince Fertitta, president of wealth management at Sanctuary Wealth, said in a statement Friday. “They believed that remaining employees of a large bank was no longer the best environment.”

Fertitta said Sanctuary’s latest affiliate team was attracted to its hybrid platform, which includes multiple custodian options and a shared ADV structure, as well as “a culture of like-minded former wirehouse advisors.”

The new members of that community so far this year include a $700 million duo who joined from Merrill in April, and a $300 million Wells Fargo pair that broke away in May.

By becoming independent, the TOVA Wealth team aims to offer more personalized financial planning and prioritize clients’ interests without the influence of corporate shareholders.

“After enjoying years of hard work building our practice at our former firm … we needed to make a change for our team and clients,” Medina said. “Deciding to move forward with our own firm is a consequential decision and is not something we