Former $300m Wells Fargo team launches wealth firm in Missouri

A team that previously managed $300mn broke away from Wells Fargo to go independent with Dynasty Financial Partners.

Advisor Chuck Cooper and his team left the wirehouse Aug. 23 to launch a new practice, StrongBox Wealth based in Lee's Summit, Missouri. Cooper previously acted as managing director for Cooper Wealth Management Group and a producing branch manager for Wells Fargo in the same state.

The new firm is staffed by Chuck Cooper, Jon Garlow, and Kathy Postoak. Garlow was the vice president - investment officer at Cooper Wealth.

Postoak was also part of the Cooper Wealth team for more than two decades.

At StrongBox Wealth, Cooper is the managing partner while Postoak assumes the role of director of operations. Garlow's designation at the new venture is that of a founding partner.

"With StrongBox Wealth, we have intentionally built a business model for scalable growth. We plan to expand the firm through highly selective partner adviser additions, as well as establish an affiliated network model for breakaway advisers desiring to join an established RIA," Cooper said.

"We believe that many advisers seek an authentic client first model combined with true independence. We selected Dynasty to be a strategic partner empowering our ownership of a genuine independent RIA firm as they enable us to draw the straightest possible line between two points - the client and objective financial advice."

John Sullivan, Dynasty's director of network development, said that StrongBox exemplified the strength of the independent advisory model.

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