LPL Financial adds $525M Georgia team from Northwestern Mutual

LPL Financial has recruited a six-advisor high-net-worth practice from Northwestern Mutual, adding approximately $525 million in advisory, brokerage and retirement plan assets to its broker-dealer and registered investment advisor platforms as the San Diego-based firm sustains one of its most active recruiting stretches in recent memory.

Anchor Financial Partners, based in Vinings, Georgia, is led by Frank Conner, ChFC, CLU, RICP, CASL; Andrew Runnion; Josh Eisenberg, CFP; Brandon Porter, CFP, AEP; Kyle Brooker, CFP; and Trey Beavers. The team focuses on affluent and high-net-worth individuals and families at both the pre- and post-retirement stages, as well as business owners requiring tax strategy, estate planning and wealth transfer services.

The move is the latest in a sustained run of Northwestern Mutual team departures to LPL. In May 2026, LPL attracted an $815 million Seattle-based practice from Northwestern Mutual, Emerald Wealth Management, to its broker-dealer and RIA platform. In September 2026, it landed two Salt Lake City practices from Northwestern Mutual managing roughly $1 billion combined in assets, in what it described as its fourth advisor addition announcement in as many weeks. LPL also added a $1 billion Seattle team from Northwestern Mutual, Prince Financial Services, to its RIA channel later in the fall.

A team built around collaboration and continuity

Anchor Financial Partners was structured from the outset as a unified practice rather than a collection of individual books of business. Each client carries a lead advisor, but partners share responsibility across relationships and draw on each other’s areas of specialty – a model the firm says is central to its value proposition for complex, multigenerational clients.

“Our approach is very relationship focused,” said Eisenberg. “We may be working with business owners or executives, but ultimately we are working with people and their families. We want to understand what is important to them, why it is important and how we can come alongside them to help pursue those goals. That means looking beyond pie charts and dollars and cents and keeping the focus on the life they want their wealth to support.”

The firm has also invested in next-generation advisor development, emphasizing continuity and succession planning – themes that figured prominently in the decision to move to LPL.

“Our work starts with people, not portfolios,” said Runnion. “We’ve intentionally built a collaborative team where we can bring different perspectives and areas of expertise to the table. That gives our clients access to the strength of the entire firm and creates continuity as their needs evolve.”

Why the team chose LPL

The partners cited three factors in their platform decision: independence, open architecture, and LPL’s infrastructure for organic growth. The team also pointed to LPL’s ability to accommodate experienced financial advisors who are approaching retirement and looking for a structured succession path – an increasingly common driver as the advisor workforce ages.

“We wanted the independence to serve clients the way we believe is best, supported by a platform with the scale and capabilities to help us keep building,” said Porter. “LPL stood out during our due diligence for both its open architecture and the strength behind the platform. It gives us the flexibility to deepen the client experience, pursue organic growth and provide a home for advisors who want confidence that their clients will continue to be well served as they transition into retirement.”

Marc Cohen, chief growth officer at LPL Financial, said the firm’s culture of collaboration and its multigenerational planning focus aligned closely with what LPL is building. “The partners bring complementary expertise to a shared client experience, helping families and business owners navigate important decisions while intentionally preparing the next generation of advisors to carry those relationships forward,” Cohen said.

LPL’s recruiting momentum

LPL Financial Holdings Inc. (Nasdaq: LPLA) supports more than 32,000 financial advisors and the wealth management practices of approximately 1,100 financial institutions, custodying approximately $2.6 trillion in brokerage and advisory assets on behalf of approximately 8 million Americans.

The firm’s recruiting pace has been particularly strong in the second half of 2026, with multiple billion-dollar team announcements in successive weeks across the fall.

CEO Richard Steinmeier noted in the second quarter of 2026 that in traditional markets, LPL added approximately $23 billion in assets during Q2, maintaining what the firm described as its industry-leading capture of advisors in motion, with the recruiting pipeline continuing to expand in breadth and depth since then.

Beyond its organic recruiting, LPL is also in the midst of integrating Commonwealth Financial Network, which it acquired earlier in 2026, with the Commonwealth integration on track for mid-November 2026 as advisory assets hit $1.6 trillion, according to the firm’s third-quarter 2026 earnings call.

Anchor Financial Partners also maintains a philanthropy committee that reviews community organizations and nonprofit initiatives, including annual support for Street Grace, a Georgia-based organization working to end domestic minor sex trafficking.