Tupelo Wealth Partners Joins Cetera
Cetera welcomes financial advisors Les Benzak, John Gallagher, Lynn Craig, and the Tupelo Wealth Partners team overseeing approximately $490 million in AUA. Tupelo Wealth Partners joined Cetera through its Summit Financial Networks community. Based in Harleysville, Pennsylvania, just outside Philadelphia, the practice partners Benzak, Gallagher and Craig bring over 75 years of combined experience and have worked together for more than two decades.
Tupelo Wealth Partners offers comprehensive financial planning and wealth management. The firm specializes in lifetime planning needs including retirement saving, college saving, tax planning, asset protection, legacy planning for heirs and pension optimization. With recently added advisor, Sage Bleakney, and active plans to grow further, the practice is focused on expansion.
The move to Cetera was the culmination of an unexpected transition. After decades at Lincoln Investment, the advisors at Tupelo Wealth Partners deliberately chose to join Commonwealth and had expected to finish their careers at the firm. When LPL acquired Commonwealth, they faced an inflection point they never anticipated.
After evaluating the full landscape of independent broker-dealer options, they concluded that Summit, as part of Cetera, stood apart as the one broker-dealer that matched what Commonwealth had been.
Benzak said: “We didn’t go looking for something close to Commonwealth, we wanted the same thing – experienced advisors, accessible leadership, specialized service, and a firm that actually knows who you are. When we met (community leader) Marshall Leeds and the Summit team, we pretty much knew that was the place.”
For the Tupelo Wealth Partners advisors, the decision came down to culture and the depth of support that Summit provides to its advisors. Technology – including client-facing tools and the advisor portal – mattered, as did access to Cetera’s advanced planning resources, which the practice plans to use to further enhance client service with equity compensation and estate planning needs. But Benzak said that more than infrastructure, it was the character of the people.
“All the companies we talked with were solid options. The difference at Summit was in the details and the people,” Benzak said. “The specialized service within Summit really appealed to us. And if you can’t do right by your clients, everything else is noise. We’re confident we’re in the right place to keep doing that.”
Welcoming the Tupelo Wealth Partners team, Cetera Advisor Channel Leader Tom Halloran said, “When the Tupelo advisors went to Commonwealth, they did it deliberately to build their business for the long term. Following the Commonwealth acquisition, they evaluated their options and determined that Summit best aligned with the qualities that initially attracted them to Commonwealth, something we worked hard to demonstrate and earn. Les, John and Lynn are the definition of advisors Summit was built for – experienced, selective, and uncompromising advisors committed to their clients. We’re proud to be the right answer for Tupelo Wealth Partners.”