To give their clients in the Columbia community a higher caliber of independent financial advice, a team of four financial professionals broke away from the wirehouse channel to found Vision Wealth Advisors, simultaneously joining Concurrent and Raymond James.
Mark P. Sullivan, Michael L. Schulz, E. Steelman Ketchum, and C. Shawn Roberts, who managed a collective $630 million in client assets, worked together for nearly 20 years in the wirehouse world before starting on the path to independence. Together with Rebecca Brooks, their vice president of client operations, they have established a new practice with the freedom to offer a modern client experience and unbiased financial guidance to the households they serve. The team is also supported by newly-appointed team member, Hannah Clark.
“The response we have already received from our clients has completely validated our decision to go independent,” Sullivan said. “They understand that we’re not here to sell them another credit card or another product. We’re free to truly focus on their needs and build trust through the advisor-client relationship.”
By affiliating with Concurrent, the team at Vision Wealth Advisors has secured a deep bench of specialists to rapidly establish Vision’s back office, assist with branding and business structure, and lay the foundation for future growth. Concurrent’s boutique service and responsive staff have been instrumental in the successful launch of the new practice, the team said.
“There is no way any of us could have done this on our own,” Ketchum said. “As we researched our potential partners, it became clear that Concurrent’s support would help us stand out in the marketplace and build an independent practice to stand the test of time.”
Concurrent has supported the breakaway team at Vision Wealth Advisors after a quarter in which newly-independent advisors managing a total of nearly $1 billion of AUM have affiliated with Concurrent.
“Mark, Michael, Steelman, and Shawn embody the entrepreneurial spirit necessary to succeed in the independent space,” said Concurrent Co-Founder Nate Lenz. “By bringing together their practices to form Vision Wealth Advisors, they harness the power of the combined team and create economies of scale that allow them to jointly invest in new resources, all in the pursuit of creating better client outcomes.”
