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Top 50 Bank Advisors (In A New Light)

Here we present a new look at our Top 50 Bank Advisors list, reshuffled and ranked by AUM (and then we cut it down to just the top 20). The main list in December used a composite score using multiple variables, but in case you wondered how it would have looked based strictly on assets, here it is. Beside each name listed here, we also show were they ranked in the main top-50 list.

Be on the lookout in coming months as we offer other views of our Top 50. And in case you missed it, here’s the
original list
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20. Charles Wilmoth (ranking in the top-50: 19)

AUM: $148 million


Bank: Wells Fargo


Location: San Francisco, Calif.


TPM: n/a


In working with high-net-worth clients, Charles Wilmoth coordinates with other specialists at Wells Fargo to implement a full balance sheet approach. Plans are tailored for a client's goals, liquidity needs, tax circumstances and risk tolerance. New clients are added through referrals from clients or other professional advisors, such as CPAs, attorneys or bankers.
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19. Sasha Azarmi (ranking in the top-50: 33)

AUM: $153 million


Bank: Wells Fargo


Location: Los Angeles, Calif.


TPM: n/a


Sasha Azarmi uses a Wells Fargo wealth management tool called "Envision" to better understand clients’ retirement goals. It can consider more than 1,000 financial scenarios—such as long-term care, trust needs and education needs—and factor what current and future goals are needed for a client to reach financial independence.
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18. Steve Kennedy (ranking in the top-50: 10)

AUM: $159.7 million


Bank: TowneBank


Location: Suffolk, Va.


TPM: Raymond James


Few advisors want the responsibility of managing money, says Steve Kennedy. But he does not want to have to apologize for somebody else’s work—he went through Dean Witter’s training program 27 years ago where they drove home the idea that clients should be talking to their “money manager”—so he has embraced discretionary investment management with his largest clients.
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17. Wayne Rogers (ranking in the top-50: 9)

AUM: $165 million


Bank: Wells Fargo


Location: Midland, Texas


TPM: n/a


Wayne Rogers ensures that every client has an objectives-based investment plan. His team takes a full balance sheet approach to address investment, lending and banking needs. They also help clients with real estate, personal business and oil & gas assets. He says they enjoyed enough success to raise minimums to $1 million in assets.
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16. James Christy (ranking in the top-50: 43)

AUM: $168 million


Bank: Northwest Financial


Location: Herndon, Va.


TPM: LPL Financial


After a first career in the “shadow of the U.S. Capitol,” James Christy has carved out a new niche as an advisor serving mostly U.S. government retirees and near-retirees. His government experience helps him anticipate how issues like tax laws and the debt limit might impact bond markets.
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15. Patrick Varney (ranking in the top-50: 5)

AUM: $169.7 million


Bank: Bank of Colorado


Location: Greely, Colo.


TPM: Raymond James


The top reason for Patrick Varney’s “phenomenal year” as an advisor is no other than his employer, the Bank of Colorado. When the bank believes in and supports the bank program, it makes his job that much easier, he says. Over the years, Varney has cultivated good relationships with the president of the two bank branches he covers. Community involvement also contributed to his success. He is a member of local groups and participates in all the community events the bank sponsors.
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14. Brian Carey (ranking in the top-50: 44)

AUM: $171 million


Bank: Wells Fargo


Location: Santa Clara, Calif


TPM: n/a


For 19 years, Brian Carey has been using a full balance-sheet approach for my clients. He also teams up with Wells Fargo other professionals that specialize in investments, private banking, trust solutions, and insurance. He also benefits from the wealth planning process of the Private Bank to provide a customized solution for his high-net-worth clients.
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13. Francis O’Neil III (ranking in the top-50: 38)

AUM: $175 million


Bank: Wells Fargo


Location: Missouri City, Texas


TPM: n/a


Similar to some other Wells Fargo advisors, Francis O’Neill III extolled the virtues of Envision, a comprehensive, in-house planning tool. He says that it enables him to provide comprehensive financial services to his clients, thereby helping them to realize their wealth planning goals.
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12. Garrett Stringer (ranking in the top-50: 37)

AUM: $180 million


Bank: Wells Fargo


Location: Raleigh, N.C.


TPM: n/a


Garrett Stringer enjoys maintaining his current relationships more than constantly seeking new ones, so he spends a large portion of each day on the phone with clients to ensure they are meeting their goals. And most of the new clients he does get come from referrals.
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11. Jason Mayer (ranking in the top-50: 26)

AUM: $180 million


Bank: Wells Fargo


Location: Charlotte, N.C.


TPM: n/a


Jason Mayer’s team uses other professionals within Wells Fargo to offer services such as banking and debt management to their individual, family and business clients. Being part of a large bank also offers his team opportunities to help with their own professional development.
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10. Greg Seamster (ranking in the top-50: 23)

AUM: $183 million


Bank: Wells Fargo


Location: Research Triangle Park, N.C,


TPM: n/a


Rather than starting with a product or a solution, Greg Seamster starts a client relationship by discussing their financial needs. Then they craft a plan around those needs. He also talks to his bank partners every day about searching for new prospects.
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9. Joel Worsfold (ranking in the top-50: 7)

AUM: $211.7 million


Bank: Wells Fargo


Location: Clive, Iowa


TPM: n/a


Joel Worsfold cites clear communication and the wide array of resources available from Wells Fargo as two keys to his success. He says it’s key to listen carefully to better understand clients’ feelings about risk and then use sophisticated planning and analysis tools to identify potential strategies.
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8. Jonathan Berstein (ranking in the top-50: 32)

AUM: $223.7 million


Bank: Wells Fargo


Location: Boca Raton, Fla.


TPM: n/a


Jonathan Berstein believes the most important part of investing is risk management. His team’s strategy involves using several hedging and risk management techniques. Each client has their own custom allocation but within that allocation some of the specific items they use are dividend stocks, fixed-income, ETF’s, options and other non-correlating investments.
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7. Jeffrey Alger (ranking in the top-50: 42)

AUM: $250 million


Bank: SunTrust


Location: Brentwood, Tenn


TPM: n/a


Jeffrey Alger says that every client is different and only by using an extensive discovery process can he uncover their needs, goals and objectives. Then, he says, he sets about to solve their particular needs with the right products and services.
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6. Raymond Hayes (ranking in the top-50: 25)

AUM: $250 million


Bank: Wells Fargo


Location: New York, N.Y.


TPM: n/a


Raymond Hayes says his clients are most interested in asset protection, along with dependable and growing income streams from high-quality companies. And he cites the broad array of services from Wells Fargo, such as trust and estate services and lending services, as advantages he can provide clients.
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5. Robert Reich (ranking in the top-50: 1)

AUM: $315 million


Bank: Wells Fargo


Location: McLean, Va.


TPM: n/a


Our top advisor overall this year, Robert Reich also ranks highly on AUM. The Wells Fargo advisor has just 60 clients, but he says that number is perfect to run a productive and dedicated practice that seeks to deliver in three main areas: maintaining clients’ present lifestyles in the future, preserving their net worth and assuring their legacy. His clients have earned their wealth, so he views his role as one of maintaining and transitioning that wealth that they have created. And the key to that, he says, is to steer clear from risk no matter what form it takes.
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4. Russell Cesari (ranking in the top-50: 28)

AUM: $357 million


Bank: Northwest Financial


Location: Herndon, Va


TPM: LPL Services


Viewing each client relationship as a lifetime partnership, Russell Cesari offers “life planning” to his clients, many of whom are U.S. government retirees and near-retirees who served in the intelligence community. And those existing clients are the source of the majority of his referrals, which he views as a stamp of approval on his services.
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3. Randall Krenzin (ranking in the top-50: 3)

AUM: $336 million


Bank: Wells Fargo


Location: San Jose, Calif.


TPM: n/a


The picture of consistency, Randall Krenzin ranked third on the overall list, as well as this AUM list. While he may work in high-tech’s living room, when it comes to his clients, he believes nothing is more important than being fac-to-face. Based in San Jose, Krenzin devotes much of his time to listening to investors — and not just what they say out loud, but also what he can infer. And that connection isn’t one Krenzin feels is best handled through digital bits and bytes.
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2. Jeff Nuttall (ranking in the top-50: 36)

AUM: $400 million


Bank: Wells Fargo

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Location: Denver, Colo.


TPM: n/a


Most of Jeff Nuttall’s clients are successful small business owners or executives who are retiring, or who have recently had a major “liquidity event.” His team maintains less than 75 client relationships, and most new clients come from partners or existing clients.
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1. William Oliver (ranking in the top-50: 18)

AUM: $774.4 million


Bank: Wells Fargo


Location: Charlotte, N.C.


TPM: n/a


Last year’s top overall advisor, William Oliver still tops the list when ranked by assets under management. In fact, it’s not even close as the drop between Oliver and the number-two advisor is the widest gap on this list. Oliver says that simply pitching investments without understanding the need of the client allows no foundation for a long-term, meaningful relationship.
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What's Next?

Be on the lookout in coming months as we offer other views of our Top 50. And in case you missed it, here’s the
original list
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