Valorous Advisors, a Texas Team with Half a Billion+ in AUM, Chooses Partnered Independence With Sanctuary Wealth

Latest partners are 27^th breakaway from Merrill Lynch and 12^th Texas team

INDIANAPOLIS, Oct. 21, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Sanctuary Wealth, home to the next generation of elite advisors, welcomes Valorous Advisors, led by its founder Christopher D. Cervantes, C(k)P^®, CIMA^®, CFP^®, and CPFA^®. Based in Plano, Texas, the team was previously with Merrill Lynch as Cervantes Group & Associates, advising on approximately $564 million with a specialty in retirement plan consulting.

"Christopher Cervantes has built a tremendous practice in his 23 years with Merrill Lynch and was highly respected within that organization, but like so many of his peers, realized that independence had a lot more to offer his team and his clients," said Jim Dickson, CEO and Founder of Sanctuary Wealth. "The Sanctuary network of partner firms is excited to welcome Valorous Advisors with their extensive expertise in advising retirement plans."

"Corporate interference has become more and more disruptive over recent years. It became clear to me that we could offer our clients a better experience as an independent firm free from those distractions," said Christopher Cervantes, Founder & Managing Partner of Valorous Advisors. "We own our own company and as such we have the autonomy to run it in the way that makes the most sense for our clients, but we also have best in class support and infrastructure provided by Sanctuary Wealth as well as the financial strength of Bank of New York Mellon Pershing behind us."

Christopher Cervantes joined Merrill Lynch in 1999 after graduating from Baylor University, rising to the position of Managing Director, Wealth Management Advisor, Defined Contribution Investment Consultant. During his 23 years with the firm, he continued his professional development, earning the Certified Plan Fiduciary Advisor (CPFA^®), Certified Investment Management Analyst (CIMA^®), Certified 401(k) Professional (C(k)P^®), Chartered Retirement Planning Counselor (CRPC), and Certified Financial Planner (CFP^®) designations. Cervantes' professional accolades include being among Forbes Best-in-State Wealth Advisors 2022, Barron's America's Top 1200 Financial Advisors State-by-State 2021, and Financial Times Top 400 Financial Advisors 2020.

Joining him at Valorous Advisors will be his former Merrill teammates Senior Wealth Planner Tracey A. Gledhill, CPFA^®, CFP^®, and Relationship Manager Larry Jackson, CPFA^®. Gledhill is a 25-year financial services veteran who worked with American Express Financial Advisors, Morgan Stanley, and Aflac before joining Merrill and Cervantes Group in 2015. Jackson spent 26 years with Fidelity Investments before joining the Cervantes Group earlier this year.

"Christopher is fiercely dedicated to his clients and was a star in my division when I was at Merrill Lynch. It's an honor to serve him in the next chapter of his career," said Vince Fertitta, President, Sanctuary Wealth. "As a Texan myself I'm proud to have 12 Partner Firms in the Lone Star State."

To learn more about Valorous Advisors, visit: www.valorousadvisors.com.

Sanctuary Wealth (sanctuarywealth.com/) is the advanced platform for the next generation of elite advisors, who have the entrepreneurial spirit to build and own their own practices and desire the freedom to deliver the tailored service their clients deserve. Sanctuary Wealth's ecosystem of partnered independence provides a complete technology and operations platform, as well as support from a community of like-minded advisors and the resources of invaluable affiliated businesses. Currently, the Sanctuary Wealth network includes partner firms in 27 states across the country with approximately $25 billion in assets under advisement. Sanctuary Wealth includes the fully owned subsidiaries; Sanctuary Advisors LLC, an SEC-registered investment adviser, Sanctuary Securities, Inc. a FINRA member broker-dealer as well as Sanctuary Alternative Holdings, Sanctuary Asset Management, Sanctuary Insurance Solutions, Sanctuary Global, and Sanctuary Global Family Office.

SOURCE Sanctuary Wealth