Stribling-Whalen team with $1.1B leaves Raymond James for RIA

The Stribling-Whalen Financial Group is leaving Raymond James Financial Services to become an independent RIA custodied at Fidelity, taking roughly $1.1 billion in client assets with it. WealthManagement.com first reported the move on Oct. 27.

The Gainesville, Ga., team works with more than 350 households in about 20 states. It lists seven people: founder Warren Stribling, owner Brian Whalen, Jacob Beauchamp, Cindy Casey, Lauren Tuttle, Christa Griffin and Kayleigh Dell. The group serves high-net-worth individuals, families and business owners with financial planning and wealth management, according to the report.

For advisors weighing the same route, the disclosed terms are narrow: custody at Fidelity, an independent structure and no recruiting package or transition date in the coverage. For the households, the change is a new custodian and a firm the team owns. On the reported figures, the book averages roughly $3 million per household, which concentrates the operational work of independence — repapering accounts at a new custodian — on a comparatively small number of large relationships.