A Father-Son Edward Jones Team Joined Raymond James. The Bigger Story Is Independence
Raymond James’ recruitment of John Murphy and Sean Murphy from Edward Jones is not just another $420 million advisor move. It is a clear example of how veteran advisor teams are rethinking control, succession and client-service flexibility after years inside branch-centered firms.
The father-son team joined Raymond James Financial Services, the firm’s independent advisor channel, as Forsa Wealth Partners in Chesapeake, Virginia. They previously managed $420 million in client assets at Edward Jones and serve high-net-worth families, business owners and corporate executives.
That background matters.
This is not a new advisor testing a different platform. John Murphy spent more than three decades at Edward Jones, including time as a regional leader and general partner. Sean Murphy joined Edward Jones in 2018 and now carries the CFP® and ChFC® designations. Together, they represent the kind of multigenerational practice that competitors want most: established, relationship-driven, locally trusted and built around clients with complex planning needs.
For Raymond James, the win strengthens its independent channel and gives the firm another Edward Jones proof point. For Edward Jones, the departure fits a larger retention question: how does a branch-centered model keep veteran advisors who may want more practice ownership, brand flexibility and succession control?
The answer is becoming harder as competitors keep offering a different path.
TL;DR
Raymond James added Forsa Wealth Partners: John Murphy and Sean Murphy joined Raymond James Financial Services from Edward Jones.
The team managed $420 million at Edward Jones: The father-son duo is based in Chesapeake, Virginia.
The client niche is important: Forsa Wealth Partners focuses on high-net-worth families, business owners and corporate executives.
This is a veteran-advisor story: John Murphy spent more than three decades at Edward Jones and held leadership roles before moving.
Succession is part of the subtext: A father-son advisory team naturally raises questions about business continuity, next-generation leadership and practice ownership.
Raymond James is selling independence with infrastructure: The move puts the team inside Raymond James’ independent advisor channel, not its employee channel.
Edward Jones’ retention challenge is broader: Veteran advisor exits are becoming more important as competitors pitch more flexibility, control and monetization options.
Clients should focus on continuity: The key question is whether the move improves planning, service, communication and long-term support without disrupting the relationship.
The Move Starts With A Question: Who Owns The Future Of The Practice?
InvestmentNews reported that Raymond James brought on the $420 million advisor team from Edward Jones, with John Murphy and Sean Murphy joining Raymond James Financial Services as Forsa Wealth Partners.
The asset figure makes the headline, but the more important issue is control.
A veteran advisor who has spent decades building client relationships eventually has to ask what the next stage of the business should look like. Does the advisor want to remain inside a firm-controlled branch model? Does the advisor want more flexibility around branding? Does the advisor want more say over staff, succession, client segmentation and the long-term value of the practice?
Those questions become even sharper in a father-son team.
When a next-generation advisor is already involved, the platform decision is no longer only about today’s payout or technology. It becomes a decision about the practice’s future ownership, future client experience and future leadership.
That is why this move matters. Forsa Wealth Partners is not only changing firms. It is choosing a different operating model for the next chapter.
Why Raymond James’ Independent Channel Was The Landing Spot
Raymond James’ official announcement said the team joined Raymond James Financial Services, the firm’s independent advisor channel. That detail is central to the story.
Raymond James could have recruited the team into its employee channel. Instead, Forsa Wealth Partners is operating independently under the Raymond James Financial Services structure. That gives the team more room to build its own local identity while still using Raymond James’ broker-dealer, advisory, investment and operational infrastructure.
That combination is often what experienced Edward Jones advisors are looking for when they leave.
They may not want to build a standalone RIA from scratch. They may still want a large firm’s support, compliance structure, investment access and technology. But they may also want more control than the Edward Jones branch model gives them.
Raymond James can sell that middle ground: independence without isolation.
The Father-Son Structure Changes The Recruiting Meaning
A father-son team is different from a single-advisor move.
John Murphy brings more than three decades of client trust. Sean Murphy brings next-generation continuity, planning credentials and a longer runway for the practice. Together, they can tell clients that the advisory relationship is not only changing platforms; it is being positioned for continuity.
That is a powerful message.
Clients often worry about what happens when an advisor retires, slows down or eventually steps away. In a family-led advisory team, the succession story can feel more natural if the next generation is already involved in the relationship.
Raymond James benefits from that dynamic because it is not only adding a mature practice. It is adding a practice with a built-in continuity story.
For Edward Jones, that is exactly why losing veteran teams can matter more than losing early-career advisors. A long-tenured advisor may carry established client trust. A multigenerational team may carry future asset retention. When that team leaves, the departure can have longer-term consequences.
Business Owners And Executives Need More Than A Basic Platform
Forsa Wealth Partners’ client focus makes the move more strategic.
Raymond James said the team provides holistic financial planning for high-net-worth families and individuals, business owners and corporate executives. Those clients usually need more than a standard portfolio review.
A business owner may need succession planning, cash management, liquidity planning, estate coordination, retirement income strategy and help separating personal wealth from operating-company risk. A corporate executive may need concentrated stock planning, tax-aware diversification, retirement decisions, deferred compensation planning and estate guidance. A high-net-worth family may need multigenerational planning, charitable strategy, beneficiary coordination and risk management.
Those needs can push advisors toward platforms with broader resources.
John Murphy said Raymond James’ resources would help him support clients as they organize retirement, manage risk and plan for succession. That statement is useful because it connects the platform move directly to client work.
The message is not simply “we moved for us.” The message is “we moved because our clients’ planning needs are becoming more complex.”
Chesapeake Is A Local Trust Market, Not Just A Map Point
Chesapeake, Virginia, is not a Wall Street recruiting headline market. That is part of why the move is interesting.
Many of the strongest advisory practices are built in regional communities where relationships compound over decades. Clients know the advisor. Families refer other families. Business owners trust the person who understands the local economy. Executives and retirees want advice from someone who knows their community, not just a national brand.
A firm like Forsa Wealth Partners can use Raymond James’ national platform while keeping a local identity.
That is the independent-channel appeal. The advisor can maintain a practice name, a community presence and a more personalized business feel. The platform sits behind the scenes, supporting investment solutions, technology, compliance and planning resources.
For clients, the local relationship may matter more than the corporate structure.
That means the transition must preserve familiarity. If clients still feel they are working with the Murphy team and Megan Howell, the move can feel like added support rather than disruption.
What Megan Howell’s Role Says About Client Service
Raymond James’ announcement said the Murphys are joined by financial professional Megan Howell, AAMS®. Forsa Wealth Partners’ Raymond James team page lists her as director of client operations and financial professional.
That detail matters more than it may seem.
Support professionals often make the client experience work. They handle paperwork, scheduling, account maintenance, service requests, operational follow-up and many of the practical issues that determine whether clients feel supported. In a platform transition, continuity in the support team can be as important as continuity in the lead advisor.
A $420 million practice likely has clients with detailed service needs. They may need distributions, account updates, beneficiary changes, document support, online access help, transfers and meeting preparation. If the support structure moves smoothly, clients are more likely to feel stable.
Advisor recruiting stories usually name the advisors first. But clients often judge the move by how well the whole team functions after the transition.
Edward Jones’ Veteran Advisor Question Is Getting Louder
This move also fits a broader Edward Jones retention conversation.
A related NJ Financial News article on Edward Jones advisor exits and veteran broker departures examined how advisor exits rose in 2025 and why longer-tenured departures carry more strategic weight. The issue is not only how many advisors leave. It is who leaves and what they take with them.
A veteran Edward Jones advisor has already built the hard part of the business: client trust.
If that advisor later decides to move to Raymond James, LPL, Ameriprise, an RIA platform or another firm, the move may reflect a deeper platform-fit issue. The advisor may want more control, more brand flexibility, more succession options or more economic ownership of the practice.
That is why the Murphy move matters beyond Virginia.
It gives recruiters another example of an experienced Edward Jones team choosing a more independent structure.
Edward Jones Still Has A Strong Model, Which Makes The Departure More Interesting
The story should not be read as “Edward Jones is weak.”
Edward Jones remains one of the most recognizable wealth management firms in the United States. Its branch-centered model, training system, local advisor network and client satisfaction record remain meaningful strengths. Many advisors like the firm’s structure because it provides a clear operating system, brand recognition and support.
That makes veteran departures more interesting, not less.
When an advisor leaves a weak platform, the explanation is easy. When an advisor leaves a strong platform after more than 30 years, the question becomes more specific: what did the advisor want next that the existing model did not provide?
In this case, Raymond James’ independent channel likely offered a different answer around flexibility, branding, succession and practice control.
That does not mean every Edward Jones advisor will want the same thing. But it does show why Edward Jones must keep defending the value of its branch model against independent-channel alternatives.
The Navy Veteran Detail Adds To The Trust Story
Raymond James noted that John Murphy is a U.S. Navy veteran who served from 1986 to 1992 before building his advisory career.
That detail matters because trust is central to this move.
Advisors who serve high-net-worth families and business owners are often chosen because clients believe in their judgment, discipline and character. Military service does not automatically make someone a better advisor, but it can be part of a personal story that clients remember and respect.
For a local advisory team, that biography can strengthen the relationship narrative.
John Murphy is not presented as an anonymous producer with a book of business. He is a long-tenured advisor, former Edward Jones leader, Navy veteran and father working with his son. That makes the move feel more personal and more rooted in continuity.
Raymond James can use that kind of story in recruiting because it shows the type of advisor it wants: experienced, relationship-driven and built around client trust.
The Planning Language Is More Important Than The Asset Number
The phrase “holistic financial planning” can become generic if it is used carelessly. In this case, it helps explain the move.
A $420 million practice serving business owners and corporate executives likely needs planning tools that go beyond asset allocation. The team may need to help clients think about retirement income, estate planning, business succession, risk management, concentrated wealth and family communication.
Raymond James has a reason to highlight those capabilities.
The independent channel is not only about advisor freedom. It is also about giving advisors more room to build a planning business that fits their client base. Forsa Wealth Partners can shape its brand around planning, retirement, risk management and succession rather than simply operating as a branch under a national name.
That brand flexibility may help the team explain its value more clearly to clients.
The Edward Jones-To-Raymond James Path Has A Natural Logic
Edward Jones and Raymond James are not identical, but the move path has logic.
Edward Jones advisors are often trained in relationship-building, planning conversations and local-market client development. Raymond James can appeal to those advisors by offering a more flexible independent model while still providing large-firm infrastructure.
In other words, Raymond James can tell Edward Jones advisors: keep the relationship focus, but gain more control.
That is a strong recruiting pitch for veteran advisors who like serving clients but want a different business structure. They may not want to become pure entrepreneurs without support. They may want a platform that gives them more independence while preserving operational backing.
For father-son teams, that pitch can be even stronger because succession and continuity are already on the table.
The Client Transition Should Be Explained In Plain English
When clients hear that their advisory team moved from Edward Jones to Raymond James, they may not care about independent channels, broker-dealer structures or recruiting trends.
They will want practical answers.
Will the same advisors serve me? Will Megan Howell still be involved? Will my accounts transfer? Will my statements change? Will my fees change? Will my investments change? Will online access be different? Will I need to sign paperwork?
Those questions should come first.
After that, the team can explain the reason for the move. The message should be client-centered: more resources, broader planning tools, stronger support for retirement and succession planning, and a structure that helps the team serve families and business owners with more flexibility.
The best advisor transitions make clients feel informed and respected.
The weakest transitions make clients feel like the move happened around them instead of for them.
What Raymond James Gets From The Hire
Raymond James gets more than $420 million in client assets.
It gets a veteran Edward Jones advisor with leadership experience. It gets a next-generation advisor with planning credentials. It gets a support professional who helps preserve client-service continuity. It gets a Chesapeake-based team that can strengthen Raymond James’ presence in Virginia and the broader East Coast market.
It also gets a recruiting proof point.
Raymond James can show other Edward Jones advisors that a long-tenured team made the move into its independent channel. That matters because advisors are often influenced by examples that look like their own situation. A veteran Edward Jones advisor may ask: if John Murphy could move after more than three decades, could I?
That is how recruiting momentum spreads.
One move becomes a conversation starter for the next one.
Why The Timing Matters
AdvisorHub reported that the team joined Raymond James’ independent channel on October 20, 2025, according to registration records. It also reported that Edward Jones’ attrition rose to 6.1% in the third quarter, up from 4.7% in the same period a year earlier.
That timing makes the story more relevant.
Edward Jones is not only dealing with normal turnover. It is operating in a market where competitors are actively targeting its experienced advisors. Raymond James, LPL, Ameriprise and other firms all have reasons to court advisors who have built strong local client relationships but may want more control.
For Edward Jones, the challenge is retention. For Raymond James, the opportunity is conversion.
The Forsa Wealth move sits right in the middle of that competition.
Succession Is Not Only A Client Topic
John Murphy’s quote mentioned helping clients plan for succession. That is important. But the team’s own structure also makes succession part of the advisor story.
A father-son practice naturally raises questions about business continuity. How will responsibilities shift over time? How will clients relate to the next generation? How will the practice preserve trust when leadership evolves? How will the platform support that transition?
These questions matter because advisory businesses are aging across the industry.
A firm that can support advisor succession may have an edge in recruiting experienced teams. Raymond James can offer an independent structure where advisors may have more control over how the practice transitions, how the brand is built and how the next generation takes on leadership.
For a team like Forsa Wealth Partners, that may be just as important as current resources.
The Independence Pitch Has To Match The Responsibility
Independence can be attractive, but it comes with more responsibility.
A team that moves from Edward Jones to Raymond James Financial Services gains more control over brand, business structure and client experience. It may also take on more business-management responsibility. The team has to manage its own practice identity, client communication, staff workflows and growth strategy in a more direct way.
That can be positive if the team wants that control.
It can be challenging if the team underestimates the operational shift. This is why Raymond James’ platform support matters. The independent channel works best when advisors get enough flexibility without being left alone to solve every operational problem.
The promise is balance.
The advisor controls more of the practice. Raymond James supplies the infrastructure behind it.
The Larger Lesson: Advisor Recruiting Is Becoming A Continuity Battle
The Forsa Wealth move shows that advisor recruiting is not only about signing big books. It is about continuity.
Clients want continuity of advice. Advisors want continuity of practice value. Families want continuity across generations. Business owners want continuity through succession. Firms want continuity of assets after advisor transitions.
A father-son team leaving Edward Jones for Raymond James brings all of those issues together.
The Murphys can tell clients that the team is staying together. Raymond James can tell advisors that its independent channel supports growth and transition. Edward Jones has to keep proving that its own model supports veteran advisors well enough to keep them from leaving.
That is why a $420 million move from Chesapeake matters nationally.
It is a small window into the larger fight over who controls the future of established advisory practices.
Frequently Asked Questions About Raymond James’ Forsa Wealth Partners Hire
Who Joined Raymond James From Edward Jones?
John Murphy and Sean Murphy joined Raymond James Financial Services from Edward Jones as Forsa Wealth Partners. The father-son team is based in Chesapeake, Virginia, and previously managed $420 million in client assets.
They were joined by Megan Howell, AAMS®, who serves as director of client operations and financial professional at Forsa Wealth Partners. The team focuses on holistic financial planning for high-net-worth families, business owners and corporate executives. That client base makes the move more important than a simple asset transfer because the team’s work involves retirement, risk management, succession and complex planning needs.
Why Is This Move Important For Raymond James?
The move gives Raymond James another experienced Edward Jones team inside its independent advisor channel. That matters because Raymond James can use the hire as a proof point when recruiting other advisors who want more practice control while still keeping large-firm support.
The move also adds a multigenerational advisory team with a strong local presence in Virginia. John Murphy brings more than three decades of industry experience, while Sean Murphy provides next-generation continuity. For Raymond James, that combination supports both immediate asset growth and longer-term client retention.
Why Would An Edward Jones Advisor Move To Raymond James?
An Edward Jones advisor may move to Raymond James to gain more independence, brand flexibility, practice control and succession options. Edward Jones offers a strong branch-centered model, but some veteran advisors may eventually want more control over how their practice is built, branded and transitioned.
Raymond James Financial Services gives advisors a way to operate independently while still using Raymond James’ infrastructure. That can appeal to advisors who do not want to build a standalone RIA from scratch but do want more flexibility than a traditional branch model may allow.
What Does This Mean For Edward Jones?
The move does not mean Edward Jones is broadly weak. Edward Jones remains one of the largest and most recognizable wealth management firms in the country. However, the departure of a long-tenured advisor like John Murphy does fit a broader retention issue around veteran advisors and practice control.
Competitors can use these moves in recruiting conversations. If more established Edward Jones advisors decide they want independence, ownership flexibility or a different succession path, firms like Raymond James, LPL and Ameriprise may keep benefiting from that shift.
What Should Clients Ask During A Move Like This?
Clients should ask what changes and what stays the same. They should confirm whether the same advisory team remains in place, whether paperwork is required, whether fees or services change, whether online access changes and whether investment strategies will be affected.
Clients should also ask why the team believes the move improves service. A strong answer should focus on practical benefits, such as broader planning resources, better support for retirement and succession conversations, more flexibility and continued access to the people clients already know.
Further Reading
Raymond James Brings On $420M Advisor Team From Edward Jones: InvestmentNews’ report on John Murphy and Sean Murphy joining Raymond James from Edward Jones.
Raymond James Welcomes Father-Son Advisor Duo Managing $420 Million In Assets: Raymond James’ official announcement on Forsa Wealth Partners joining the firm’s independent advisor channel.
Raymond James Nabs Edward Jones Team Managing $420 Million In Virginia: AdvisorHub’s coverage with additional transition timing, Edward Jones tenure and attrition context.
Edward Jones Advisor Exits Are Rising. The Veteran Shift Is The Real Story: Related NJ Financial News coverage on Edward Jones advisor departures, veteran broker movement and why competitors are winning some former Edward Jones advisors.
