Raymond James Financial added advisor teams in Denver and Kansas City managing more than $1 billion in combined client assets, strengthening the firm’s presence across retirement-plan consulting, bank-affiliated wealth management and high-net-worth advisory services at a time when recruiting competition across the U.S. wealth industry remains intense.

The St. Petersburg, Florida-based firm recently brought in Karlynn Schramm, CEBS, AIF and CPFA, to Raymond James & Associates, its employee advisor channel. Schramm joined from Gallagher Fiduciary Advisors, where she managed more than $500 million in client assets. She now operates as Golden Retirement Plan Solutions of Raymond James, based in Denver, and provides retirement guidance to corporate, nonprofit and public-sector retirement-plan sponsors.

Separately, Raymond James Financial Institutions Division welcomed Kansas City-based advisors Peter Braun and K.C. Hosey to First Investments & Planning at FNBO, the investment program of First National Bank of Omaha. The team, previously affiliated with UMB Financial Services, manages approximately $515 million in client assets and serves high-net-worth individuals, families and business owners through Raymond James Financial Services.

Together, the two moves add more than $1 billion in client assets to Raymond James-affiliated platforms and underscore the firm’s multi-channel recruiting strategy. The Denver addition went into the employee channel, where advisors operate within Raymond James & Associates. The Kansas City addition expanded the firm’s financial institutions business, which supports investment programs at banks and credit unions through Raymond James Financial Services.

The additions are notable for the wealth management sector because they cut across two major growth areas: retirement-plan consulting and bank-based wealth programs. Retirement-plan advisory work has become more demanding as employers, nonprofit organizations and public entities seek stronger fiduciary documentation, investment due diligence, governance processes and participant support. Bank-affiliated wealth programs, meanwhile, continue to compete for affluent clients who want integrated banking, planning, investment and business-owner services.

Schramm’s practice reflects the institutional side of wealth management rather than a purely household-focused advisory book. Raymond James said she provides retirement guidance to plan sponsors across corporate, nonprofit and public-sector markets. Her background includes more than three decades in financial services, prior work at Arthur J. Gallagher & Co., and professional designations tied to employee benefits, fiduciary investment advice and plan governance.

In Raymond James’ announcement, Schramm cited the firm’s Institutional Fiduciary Solutions team as a key reason for the move, pointing to support for investment due diligence, fiduciary documentation and governance best practices. That focus is important because retirement-plan consultants are increasingly judged not only on investment selection but also on process, committee support, documentation, cost oversight and the ability to help sponsors manage fiduciary risk.

The Kansas City move fits a different but related strategic lane. Braun and Hosey joined First Investments & Planning at FNBO, where they will provide clients with investment and wealth management services through Raymond James Financial Services. Raymond James said the advisors serve a diverse client base, including high-net-worth individuals, families and business owners. Their transition continues FNBO’s recent expansion of its investment program.

Raymond James said First Investments & Planning has added nine advisors representing more than $1 billion in client assets since January. That figure indicates that the Kansas City team was not an isolated hire but part of a broader buildout of FNBO’s wealth platform. For banks, adding experienced advisors can help deepen client relationships, retain assets that might otherwise move to national brokerage firms or registered investment advisers, and create additional touchpoints with business owners and multigenerational families.

FNBO’s role also broadens the market implications of the recruiting week. Bank wealth programs often sit at the intersection of deposits, lending, trust, retirement, investment and business-owner advisory needs. As rates, deposit competition and client expectations shift, more regional banks are seeking to strengthen fee-generating wealth businesses that can complement traditional banking revenue. Advisor teams with established books of business can give those programs immediate scale.

The $1 billion-plus combined asset figure also illustrates why experienced advisor teams remain highly sought after. Recruiting a team with an existing client base can produce a faster asset impact than organic prospecting alone, although the ultimate economics depend on client retention, transition incentives, payout structures, revenue mix and the degree to which assets are fee-based or transactional. For large firms, recruiting is both a growth expense and a strategic investment in future advisory revenue.

Raymond James has repeatedly emphasized advisor support, technology, planning resources and service culture as elements of its recruiting pitch. Its latest announcements reflect that message. In Denver, the firm highlighted institutional fiduciary resources. In Kansas City, executives pointed to the expansion of a high-quality wealth platform and the ability to serve clients across generations. Those themes align with wider industry trends in which advisors compare firms not only on compensation but also on operational control, transition support, investment access, compliance infrastructure and client-service capabilities.

The company’s scale gives it a significant platform from which to recruit. Raymond James reported approximately $1.76 trillion in client assets and about 8,900 financial advisors as of March 31, 2026. The firm operates across employee, independent and financial-institution channels, giving it multiple ways to accommodate advisors with different preferences for business model, branding, support and affiliation structure.

That flexibility is important in the current advisor labor market. Some advisors want the structure of an employee model, including firm-provided infrastructure and branch support. Others prefer the economics and autonomy of an independent channel. Bank-based teams may prioritize alignment with a financial institution’s client base and local-market relationships. Raymond James’ ability to recruit through more than one channel allows it to compete for teams that might otherwise be looking at wirehouses, independent broker-dealers, hybrid RIAs or bank programs.

The recruiting wins come as wealth management firms are increasingly focused on asset retention and advisor productivity. Market appreciation can lift client assets, but organic growth depends heavily on winning new client relationships, expanding wallet share and keeping experienced advisors from moving to rivals. At the same time, advisors with large practices often use transition periods to reassess whether their current platform can support more complex planning, alternative investments, lending coordination, retirement plans, tax-aware strategies and next-generation client engagement.

For affluent households and business-owner clients, advisor movement can create both continuity questions and service opportunities. Clients may need to review account transfers, new custodial arrangements, advisory agreements, fee schedules, investment program availability and digital access. In many cases, advisors seek to minimize disruption while offering clients expanded planning, research or platform resources at the new firm. The success of a recruitment is therefore measured not only by announced client assets but also by how much of the book transitions and remains over time.

The Denver addition also points to continued demand for specialized retirement-plan consulting. Employers and plan committees face ongoing scrutiny around investment menus, fees, governance practices and participant outcomes. Advisors with fiduciary designations and plan-sponsor experience can be valuable to platforms seeking to serve institutional and workplace clients. For Raymond James, adding a retirement-plan-focused advisor in Denver expands expertise beyond traditional private-client portfolio management and financial planning.

The Kansas City team adds scale in a market where regional banking relationships can be especially important. Braun and Hosey’s client base includes high-net-worth individuals, families and business owners, categories that often require integrated advice around liquidity, concentrated wealth, retirement income, estate planning, credit needs and business transition. Through FNBO’s investment program, the advisors can operate within a broader banking relationship while using Raymond James’ brokerage and advisory infrastructure.

The competitive backdrop remains active. Large wealth managers, independent broker-dealers, bank programs and private-equity-backed advisory firms continue to pursue experienced teams as client assets consolidate around larger platforms. Recruiting announcements involving several hundred million dollars or more in client assets have become a recurring feature of the industry, reflecting the value of seasoned advisors at a time when client acquisition costs are high and many firms are trying to expand without relying solely on acquisitions.

For Raymond James, the latest moves support a narrative of steady advisor-channel expansion rather than a single acquisition-driven growth event. The company’s public filings have noted higher financial advisor recruiting-related expenses and investments in technology to support advisors and clients. Those expenses can pressure near-term cost lines, but firms generally view successful recruiting as a driver of future client-asset growth, advisory fees, brokerage activity and deeper client relationships.

Raymond James’ Private Client Group remains central to that strategy. The segment benefits when recruited advisors bring assets that generate advisory fees, commissions, cash sweep balances and related service revenue. Asset growth can also support the firm’s asset management operations when client accounts use Raymond James-managed programs or other platform services. As with the broader industry, the mix of fee-based assets, transactional assets and cash balances can materially affect revenue outcomes.

The May recruiting week also shows how wealth management growth is increasingly local and specialized. Denver adds institutional retirement-plan expertise tied to plan governance and fiduciary risk. Kansas City adds a high-net-worth and business-owner team inside a regional bank investment program. Both are part of Raymond James’ national platform, but each recruitment serves a distinct client segment and market channel.

For rival firms, the moves are another reminder that advisor retention remains a strategic priority. Departures from Gallagher Fiduciary Advisors and UMB Financial Services show how large practices can migrate when advisors see better alignment with client needs, platform capabilities or long-term business plans elsewhere. Firms seeking to retain teams must continue investing in technology, practice management, succession solutions, planning resources and transition support for next-generation advisors.

The immediate market impact of the recruitments is likely to be modest relative to Raymond James’ roughly $1.76 trillion client-asset base, but the strategic signal is larger. The firm is continuing to compete for sizable books in wealth management, including retirement-plan and bank-affiliated practices, while emphasizing advisor choice across channels. In a sector where scale, client retention and advisor productivity drive valuation, recruiting wins of this size remain closely watched indicators of platform momentum.

The additions also reinforce a broader shift in wealth management from product distribution toward advisory ecosystems. Advisors increasingly want platforms that can support retirement-plan governance, high-net-worth planning, lending coordination, research, investment management, digital reporting and multigenerational service models. Raymond James’ Denver and Kansas City additions suggest that the firm is using those capabilities to win teams that serve both institutional and private-client markets.

For clients, the central question will be whether the transitions improve service, planning depth and platform access without disrupting existing advisory relationships. For Raymond James, the question is whether the newly recruited teams can retain client assets, expand relationships and contribute to long-term growth across its employee and financial-institution channels. The week’s more than $1 billion in recruited assets gives the firm another data point in a competitive advisor marketplace where talent and client relationships remain the industry’s most valuable currency.