Certified Financial Planner™ Leaves Morgan Stanley Smith Barney To Launch Hybrid RIA, Adams Wealth Advisors

LOGAN, Utah, June 12, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Adams Wealth Advisors has announced its departure from Morgan Stanley Smith Barney to join Stratos Wealth Partners as a Hybrid Registered Investment Advisor, an innovative and advanced structure within the financial services industry. The firm plans to maintain more than $100 million in client assets in the transition as they move to an independent business model to better manage the assets of professionals, retirees and business owners in the Northern Utah area.

The team at Adams Wealth Advisors has over 35 years of experience in the financial services industry and is confident in the positive outcomes that will arise from this move.

"It is exciting to create a private firm specially designed to combine exceptional planning capabilities and a selection of optimal investments unbiased by a single proprietary platform," said S. Craig Adams, CFP®, Managing Director. "Our decision to become an independent hybrid RIA firm not only opens a new door for us, but also expands the opportunities where we can truly be aligned with our number one priority – our clients."

Adams Wealth Advisors has created a unique partnership by combining with Stratos Wealth Partners, a network of 125 experienced financial services practitioners managing over $4 billion in client assets, along with the services offered by LPL Financial (Nasdaq: LPLA), the nation's largest independent broker-dealer (as reported by Financial Planning Magazine 1996-2011, in terms of revenue). This affiliation combined with the experience of the team is one that will prove Adams Wealth Advisors as a significant wealth management team in the local market.

Bill Morrissey, Executive Vice President of Business Development at LPL Financial, said, "We are delighted that Adams Wealth Advisors has chosen to join forces with Stratos Wealth Partners, one of our leading independent branches. This transition reflects both the flexibility and choice we provide to independent advisors that want to affiliate directly or indirectly with LPL Financial, as well as our continued success in attracting advisory practices from all channels to our platform.  We look forward to utilizing our industry-leading resources, scale and services to help drive the ongoing growth of both Stratos Wealth Partners and Adams Wealth Advisors."

About Adams Wealth Advisors

Adams Wealth Partners is a privately-owned, independent wealth management firm offering comprehensive financial planning to clients in Northern Utah and the surrounding area. Adams Wealth Advisors has extensive experience serving successful professionals and business owners and assisting them with their long- and short-term objectives. The firm's philosophy addresses the need to deliver an investment strategy tailored to each client's needs. Through a direct partnership with their registered investment advisor, Stratos Wealth Partners, a national network of 125 experienced financial services practitioners managing over $4 billion in client assets and affiliated with LPL Financial, the firm is able to provide a variety of tools and resources in order to optimize their clients' experience. For more information, please visit www.adamswealthadvisors.com.

Securities offered through LPL Financial, Member FINRA/SIPC. Investment Advice offered through Stratos Wealth Partners, a Registered Investment Advisor and separate entity from LPL Financial.

SOURCE Stratos Wealth Partners; LPL Financial