$1 Billion Team Joins Raymond James From Stifel
A California-based team managing over $1 billion in assets is joining Raymond James’ independent advisor channel from Stifel, according to the firm.
KWM Wealth Advisory consists of Kenneth Sanchez, Lee Wolfe, Mitchell Kauffman and KaNoi Lam and is based in Pasadena, Calif., with a presence in Honolulu. The team works with families, business owners and executives, as well as retirees, and includes nine other team members.
According to Sanchez, Raymond James’ technology focus helped seal the deal, noting that the leadership “clearly demonstrates priorities that align” with the team’s clients and advisors. According to FINRA records, Sanchez started his career at Pruco Securities in the mid-1990s. In 2000, he joined LPL Financial for a 12-year stint, followed by another 10 years at Wells Fargo before joining Stifel.
Wolfe followed a similar trajectory, while Kauffman registered in the mid-1980s and spent about 27 years registered with Raymond James before joining Wells Fargo (and later Stifel). Lam registered with Citigroup in 1998, joined UBS in 2007 and met the rest of the team at Wells Fargo, where they started in 2015 (both Kauffman and Lam are CFP certificants).
Earlier this year, Raymond James attracted a New Hampshire-based team from Commonwealth Financial Network amid the period for advisors moving to LPL Financial. Financial Strategies Retirement Partners oversaw about $2.8 billion in client assets (including $1 billion in private wealth and $1.8 billion in employer-sponsored retirement plan assets).
LPL closed its acquisition of Commonwealth in August 2025, but those advisors are nearing the end-of-year deadline to move to LPL’s platforms, according to prior statements from the IBD. Raymond James has been one of the main recruiters of Commonwealth advisors, along with Arkadios Capital, Cetera and Kestra Financial.
Raymond James also announced earlier this year that it was expanding its asset management options for advisors, including additional model portfolios and separately managed accounts. According to executive leaders, additional portfolio managers and strategies are on the way, with Private Client Group President Tash Elwyn telling advisors at the firm’s annual conference to expect to hear a lot more about the program over the next 12 to 18 months.
